 South Texas Turkey Hunting Camp - Opening Day Results
March 16, 2019.
|  Virginia Gobbler taken very very early on Sunday, April 15, 2017. By dumb luck, I had set up almost directly under his roost tree that morning and at flydown time, he fluttered down to the ground and strutted in to fight with my jake decoy. One shot at 29 paces with Contender .410 21" barrel. Federal .410 TSS 3" #9 was the load. My biggest/oldest bird yet!
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 |  Mule Deer from my Wyoming 2017 trip.
|  Goat from my Wyoming 2017 trip.
|  Merriam's Gobbler from my Wyoming 2017 trip.
|  April 30, 2017: Now I have Ohio checked off the list of states hunted! Got 2 gobblers on this amazing trip. This one, the first one had TWO ten+ inch beards (10 1/2" and 10 1/4") and SIX spurs total! He had tiny additional spurs above and below his main spurs.
22.6 pounds. He scored 93.5 inches or points or whatever it is in the trophy scoring system.
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 A close-up of his two beards.
|  Another view of the double bearded bird. This was a field bird.
|  May 1, 2017: This was my second gobbler taken on Monday morning, the day I had to drive home. The hunt was deep in the woods on top of a ridge and he gobbled on roost about 150 yards away and shortly after daylight we were able to get him 20 yards away in the decoys. He was a great 3 year old bird. His 8 inch beard would have been longer but took a beating from the shotgun pellets which cut off quite a bit of length.
|  Another view of the second bird of the trip.
|  February 27, 2016. One last goose for the season (which closes in about a week). Was outside on the back steps before sunset sorting through my turkey hunting gear for the coming season and the flocks of Canadas started up. I decided why not? Grabbed the 10 gauge, stood about 5 paces from the back door, picked one out from a low flying flock and it crashed right next to the 10 yard target in the archery range out back. How handy is that?
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 This gun kicks like a damn mule. Will be happy to let it lie dormant until late December when it will be time to blast the annual Christmas Goose while standing on the back lawn.
|  Christmas Goose December 19 2015 Pic 1. I got the idea a few months ago that I wanted to shoot a goose while standing on my lawn and that it would be our Christmas Goose. Well tonight, near sunset, I was working out with kettlebells by the shed when the flocks of geese started to pass low overhead. So I ran inside and grabbed the H&R Model 176 10 gauge (the serial number indicates it was built in 1979) 'goose artillery piece' and missed my first shot as I did not lead my bird enough.
|  Christmas Goose December 19 2015 Pic 2. Thought too much about how much lead I needed and I flubbed it. A few minutes later though, another flock came by. Ran back in for the shotgun again and this time, I didn't think about how much lead I needed, I just picked one out and shot and the Canada Goose came tumbling down. Christmas Goose for 2015! Will try to make this an annual tradition. Could have shot many more as the flocks were suddenly everywhere and low and slow flying too but one per year is enough
|  BIG 10 Pointer MD Opening Day 11 28 2015
Opening day of the 2015 Maryland firearm season. I thought they would be running fast opening day so I opted for a fast handling rifle. Aimpoint Micro T-1 on top of a Micro 7 rifle in .300 Blackout. Red dot scoped rifles are strong medicine for fast moving deer.
|  BIG 10 Pointer Maryland Firearm Season Opening Day 11 28 2015 Pic 2
I aged him via dental wear using current "biologist methods" and I am astonished that he is only a 2 1/2 year old. Good lord. Imagine what he would have turned into in several more years. State records contender I bet.
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 BIG 10 Pointer Maryland Firearm Season Opening Day 11 28 2015 Pic 3
|  10 24 2015 Big 7 Pointer Pic 1
Last day of the three day Early Muzzleloader season. Three bucks appeared just before dark, one at a time, and they started fighting. One would watch as the other two tested strength in fairly mellow, but forceful, contests. This is the one I chose as he seemed, if only barely, the largest. He more than held his own against the other two bucks. They all seemed generally evenly matched in size and strength.
|  10 24 2015 Big 7 Pointer Pic 2
3 buck tags done. One more to go. Unfortunately, I have to wait more than 5 weeks to be able to use it. The Saturday after Thanksgiving will be firearm season and I will have 2 weeks to work hard to fill that last buck tag.
|  October 10, 2015
This CUTE little 8 pointer with the really cool mass filled micro rack was too much for me to pass up after a almost 40 minutes of watching him. He scent checked two does and chased one right by my stand and I decided to zap him.
|  2 of 4 buck tags filled. This was my Bonus Buck. Will stop hunting until Early Muzzleloader season in a couple weeks when I can shoot another buck. The last buck tag will have to be used in Muzzleloader or Firerms season. We will see.
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 here is the Micro Basket 8 from 15 days prior from Kenny's trail camera.
|  here is the Micro Basket 8 from 15 days prior
|  October 3, 2015: Well, out just west of Frederick they are still in bachelor groups but are starting to show interest in does I believe.
This nice little 8 pointer was cruising for does this evening I think. He was maybe loosely with a bachelor group of three. A spike and a small basket rack 6 pointer with tall bright yellow antlers were definately close buddies and I considered zapping the small 6 but passed, hoping to see him next year maybe.
Well, the smaller bucks were acting nervous and constantly staring at their backtrail. I hoped something bigger was alarming them . . .
|  . . . So I waited and waited and sure enough, just at the last possible minute of shooting light, the boss (of this group anyway) eventually brought up the rear. There was a doe and her baby there too but he was not really interested in any of the group. The spike scampered playfully around him though! He left the group in short order and was heading toward the standing corn and presented a nice broadside shot and that was that.
|  Maine Gobbler, May 7, 2015. 50 - 55 yard shot with Benelli M4 shotgun running a HEVI-Shot choke and HEVI-Shot Magnum Blend turkey loads which are 2 ounces of #5, #6, and #7 mixed in one shell. Kicks like hell but gets the job done even at extreme ranges.
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 Who says evil black "assault weapons" have no sporting purpose?
The Benelli M4 combat shotgun seems to me to be the perfect spring turkey hunting shotgun.
|  11 29 14 Fork Horn Pic 1
Opening day of Maryland Firearm Season today. This little guy came through right at sunrise. Savage 10MLBTSS-II smokeless powder muzzleloader. This is the third deer with this muzzleloader. Mine likes 41.3 grains of Accurate 5744 smokeless powder, Hornady .45 caliber 250 grain XTP pistol bullets, and high pressure sabots for maximum accuracy. This load pounds the deer hard with nutso accuracy.
|  11 29 14 Fork Horn Pic 2
I guess I am shooting small bucks again? The rut is OVER and things have been DEAD lately. Did not expect to see any deer at all let alone antler. Got a little too excited. Poor little bugger.
Savage quit making these guns but does limited runs every few years. Get one if you can. There is no more capable muzzleloader out there as smokeless powder simply cannot be beat. Just don't blow yourself up as these guns do not suffer the foolish, the careless, or the distracted. Botch your charge badly and off you go to the hospital or morgue.
Yes it also takes BP substitute for the states, like MD, that require BP or a BP substitute.
|  11 29 14 Fork Horn Pic 0
Checked the relevant trail camera the next day and found this! A photo of the little bugger about 6 hours before he ran by 20 yards from Center Woods Stand.
|  Don's First Deer ! 11 21 2014
Taken from a tree stand in his back yard, not a bad first deer for someone starting out hunting in the final few years of his life! Now, onto his first buck!
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 11 15 2014
Brother Kenny arrowed this nice plump 8 pointer a little after 4PM. The buck was cruising for does coming from East to West through our woods and 15 yards from Kenny's stand. Perfect pass through double lung and the deer never left our woods. Perfect!
|  |  10:31 am on 11 15 14
Kenny's buck a few hours before he arrowed it when it came back through the other direction.
|  11 14 2014: An ill little 6 pointer. I quit shooting bucks this small some time ago but decided to stray from my 100 gross inch minimum and put him out of his suffering. I can't imagine how the poor thing ate. I would estimate that he was 40 - 50 pounds under the weight he should have been.
|  Graphic photos of the almost tennis ball sized warts/tumors. Not much meat there really compared others in the same age class in our area. Pretty bad deformity but somehow he still had enough gusto to chase two does past my stand, grunting as he went. Pretty gruesome! Poor little bugger!
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