Official Live From the Stand Thread 2023

So much for that plan. Alarm went off at 4, room lit up and windows rattled with a long rolling boom. Click and back to sleep. Clearing now as I have coffee

 

Since us Turkey hunters have taken over and keeping this thread going, I will add something special. Long story if anyone really would like to read it posted in the contest form on Old Gobbler.com. I am part of Team Scattered Flock.
This is a half Smokey phase Tom. Pictures don't do him justice.

 

Smokey 2

 

Smokey 3

This picture was taken last Saturday. On private property where he hung out.
20.4 lbs, 9 1/2" beard, 15/16" sharp spurs

 

BEAUTIFUL BIRD!
Back at it, looks like farmer brought in all his planting equipment. Last night's storm halted that. I can't tell what he's planting may have already. There is one of those giant hoppers with the truck feed tube used during corn harvest.
Pretty windy out so birds may stay silent. Leaf cover has blocked much of field so I don't know
if they are out in it.
Last years grain planting on trail around the blind looks good. I also see the clovers I threw out a couple of weeks ago are sprouting nicely in it.

 

I sure can call in hens and keep them talking. She's looking for me. I've managed to get her circling the blind calling.

 

Have another hen a ways out calling....wish the Toms were listening

 

What a weird yet productive scouting day. I wake up at 430am and head out to a spot I wanted to put in 2 cams on islands. Well it has been raining a lot here in MO so the entire creek was flooded and blocked off the land access. So I drove all the way home and loaded up my kayak. Figured I would scout and pull a cam off a peninsula Ive had out for 5 months. As soon as I get there old "Max" the local shows up. Radio blaring. Same guy I had issues with last year. Well this time it is all smiles...shakes my hand and sees my kayak. Now he understands that im not a liar. He tells me if I kill a good one come get him and he will help me drag it out. 180 degrees.

Well 30% of the peninsula is flooded. I could barely find my trail cam but it looked so different. Eventually found it and was treated to 2000 pics. Definitely a primary scrape area bc deer of all ages/sex hit that scrape nearly every day. The trash buck survived which makes me happy. He is older than I think, but I'm holding out hope he makes a big jump this year rack wise. There were at least 5 bucks on the cam with potential to blow up this year.

Found a big well used bed and set two cams. Here are a few cool pics.

 

Called in 2 hens, they had no tom in tow. They looked to be on a mission as they quickly circled blind headed up hill. Now they are scratching up the leaf littler about 80 yrds up from me.. Managed to call them back, now they're talking.
Just figured out what they're eating...Clover seedlings....headed to the farmers field but no Tom. Could have sworn I heard a Tom over where they came from. Wow they ticked off some crow out there from the sounds of it.
Another hen just snuck in behind me. No Tom.

 

Different area and I have a distant Tom in gully gobbling getting closer He'd best hurry, only 25 mins. left.
17 mins and a new Tom below me.

 

Well 8 mins. Left and no sign of either but they have been vocal. Regardless I may stay later to see what I'm hunting...5....

 

No hunt today it's raining and yesterday's work has tweaked my full body arthrits. A reminder of just how dangerous ticks are. Last years issue is a growing one.

 

Congratulations Suncrest and Jeff.

Keep at it OND...with all those hens around you're bound to get a tom!

I used some intel to set up right where turkey like to go. Sunday morning before church I filled my tag - 27 consecutive years. I had 2 hens fly from roost and land in my decoys. They flew down about 7, super late...fly down is closer to 630. I had 2 hens and then a Jake sitting on a hen. I heard a hen north of me and figured the tom that was gobbling on roost was with her. She came in about 725. Not far behind was a tom. He was strutted up, spitting & drumming, and head glowing. He walked 6 yards from me and circled my Jake & hen. I took the 13 yard shot. He's a 2 year old bird with 10.25 beard and 1 inch spurs. Just about took the head off. Beautiful morning. [/ATTACH]

 

Nice bird! Way to go!

 

Very nice!

 

I need to buy a bow press. My gosh getting new strings and cables installed has gotten so expensive.

 

I get it. I always get custom strings made for my crossbow because they are under so much stress. I just got a new set last week and it cost me $55 just to get them installed. It took all of 5 minutes

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The bow shop I go to...if you buy it there, they put it on for free. Incredible customer service, knowledge, and skill at Kruizenga Archery - Mattawan Michigan

 

Definitely the best investment I made, fun to work on my bows and setup friends/family. Good for some cases of beer each year.

 

I made a bow press out of scrap metal and a ratchet strap. Used a old bed frame and welded it up. Been using for the last 10 years. Cost me nothing and use it all the time. You could get by just using one of those pocket presses also.

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