# Making up for a lost year! (pics)



## HunterHawk (Dec 8, 2005)

Well as some of you know I moved to CO last year like 4 or 5 days before turkey season... talk about being depressed

so this year i decided i was going to make up for it!

I decided i would take a trip to NE for sure and would maybe try for one of the elusive colorado gobblers...

Well I talked to a fellow michigander out here and we decided we would head to NE.. he would be the 1st shooter because he lives 8 hours away from where we are going and i would be the 2nd shooter because i only live 4 hours away from where we are going and i had planned on going the next week too

well Mike ended up getting a real nice Tom the last night we were going to hunt i believe it had around an 8 inch beard









i went out the next morning and shot through the tail feathers of a real nice tom.

they werent coming into calling and were still traveling in large groups.. we did a lot of spot and stalk and a lot of getting in between the travel routes.. thats how he got his bird we got in between where they were feeding and roosting.

the Next week i decided to take my wife with me and have another go at getting a bird.

Well she must be good luck because it didnt take long at all opening morning.. the birds were answering my calls like i was ringing a dinner bell.. a much better feeling than the week before and i had a nice and my first merriam turkey on the ground within about 20 mins, it had an 8 and 1/4 in beard and about 3/4 in spurs.

my wife looked over at me and said whats so hard about that :lol:

















I then went to the NE game and parks and bought another turkey tag. 

we tried some spot and stalk during the day and then set up again at night with no luck.

the next morning i again sat in the same field but in a different location.. sure enough same thing as the morning before called a few times and had them running... my dad was giving me crap about using my compound so i was hunting with my recurve... well kinda... i passed up a tom who went to my left and 2 more that went to my right because i had 2 jakes coming right to the decoys.

drew back on the first one only to shoot through his tail feathers at about 8 yards.. they ran a little ways and i shot again.. right through the breast feathers (need to practice more with the recurve) hurried up and dropped that put on my release and nailed a nice little jake at about 30 yards.








all in all it was a great couple days of hunting... although spot and stalk hunting the week before was very challenging and fun i love being able to call the birds in! and they hold still a lot better with decoys!

I/we kind of got the hunts on film.. they need a bit of editing and if i ever get all that figured out i will post the hunts.. i need to get an editing program and all that though

Merriams are a beautiful bird for sure! i had a blast hunting them!

We ended up getting 1200 acres of private land and im pretty sure i sealed it for next year too and it has more turkeys than blades of grass! and the only one who hunts it besides us is his son in law who gun hunts (NE has seperate seasons) so to say the least i am pumped that we got this peace of property! 

hope this helps you guys get pumped up a little bit 

here is my camera i filmed them with! cant wait to see what the footage looks like after edited


----------



## dsconnell (Aug 29, 2007)

You even old enough to carry that bow son!!! :lol:

About time you actually killed something.. LOL!! Congratulations man!! 

I know it was long overdue for you..


----------



## casscityalum (Aug 27, 2007)

Congrats bro!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## HunterHawk (Dec 8, 2005)

haha that bow is almost older than i am:lol:

here is a picture of the roost.. which was nice to have.. it was about 300 yards from where we would set up









yeah it was definitely overdue! i dont like missing turkey hunting!

if i could afford another 91 dollars for a tag i could go again:lol:

guess i could try for one in CO too but i think i got spoiled in NE


----------



## Ack (Oct 3, 2004)

Great job on the birds Craig....you definitely deserved them! Now save up some cash and update that bow! :lol:


----------



## Firefighter (Feb 14, 2007)

Nice work brotha!


----------



## QDMAMAN (Dec 8, 2004)

Way to go Hawk! Congrats!


----------



## old graybeard (Jan 19, 2006)

Awesome job Craig! Glad to see your back out there where you belong and letting the air of thingsMust be a bit rusty with the stick HuhCongrats on some fine looking birds


----------



## SKUNK (Jan 6, 2001)

Congratulations.........nice photos!!!!


----------



## GoneFishin (Jan 11, 2001)

Nice! Great pics.


----------



## Wally Gator (Sep 21, 2007)

Congrats, those are some awesome pictures. But it's 2010 not 1992, up date that bow! :lol: A couple more seasons like that, and you'll forget all about michigan birds! Good job man!


----------



## adam bomb (Feb 27, 2006)

Great job, great stories, great pics...Way to go!!!


----------



## November Sunrise (Jan 12, 2006)

Well done Hawk!


----------



## 00Buckshot69 (Dec 30, 2007)

Way to go HAWK..... It would be hard to pack up and move out west and start a new life. Looks like you are making a go of it .....Congratulations brother.
Bucky


----------



## HunterHawk (Dec 8, 2005)

Thanks for the comments guys! Yeah it was definitely hard packing up all of my stuff and moving out here but as of now i am actually having quiet a bit of fun!

Yeah i think the bow is a 2000 model... definitely need an upgrade but man that thing has put down some critters for me since i got in 2004... not sure ill have the money for a new one before hunting season.. but i will have one before next year... think ill go with another Darton! i love this bow... hard to find out here though


----------



## adam bomb (Feb 27, 2006)

HunterHawk said:


> Yeah i think the bow is a 2000 model... definitely need an upgrade but man that thing has put down some critters for me since i got in 2004... not sure ill have the money for a new one before hunting season.. but i will have one before next year... think ill go with another Darton! i love this bow... hard to find out here though


So make a trip back to the "motherland" when the time comes.:lol:


----------



## BWHUNTR (Oct 3, 2008)

Way to go Hawk! That roost picture is ridiculous. I've only ever saw it once before, in Pennsylvania hunten 'em one year.............few years back! 
Kill an Elk this Fall buddy!


----------



## Wally Gator (Sep 21, 2007)

HunterHawk said:


> Thanks for the comments guys! Yeah it was definitely hard packing up all of my stuff and moving out here but as of now i am actually having quiet a bit of fun!
> 
> Yeah i think the bow is a 2000 model... definitely need an upgrade but man that thing has put down some critters for me since i got in 2004... not sure ill have the money for a new one before hunting season.. but i will have one before next year... think ill go with another Darton! i love this bow... hard to find out here though


 Hey, my first two bows were Dartons, and I loved em, great bows. But after I shot my buddy's Bowtech, I made the switch. :coolgleam All the new bows out now are awesome, it just comes down to which one you like the best.


----------



## SPITFIRE (Feb 10, 2005)

Congrates Hawk on an awsome hunt! Good to see some pics finally from you. Hope to see some big game hunt pics from you there.


----------



## HunterHawk (Dec 8, 2005)

Since I dont have a lot of funds saved up yet i put in for Deer and Antelope... and i did a pref point on an elk.. that way ill be able to buy an over the counter elk tag and save up a pref point for a good area.. i heard thats the way to do it.... so the first few years might have to hunt like everyone else in the crappy areas till i get enough points for a good unit!

as far as Deer i have a few different private land spots but they are all kind of small.. i put in for 3 different units... so hopefully i get one of them... once i figure out what i got i will start scouting... seems like a ton of people out here just gun hunt.. so might be able to find some private to bow hunt...

for antelope i put in for a unit that a guy said he could put me on antelope so hopefully he stays true to that.. if not i hope i dont draw that unit so i have a pref point and ill hunt where i did last year because i know i can get a lope there this year ( its amazing how much you can learn in just one season in hunting a new animal) 

but for a turkey video update my wife is working on editing the video as we speak... there isnt much footage so it will probably suck.. she is the one that videoed me and it was her first time videoing hunting so she is actually kind of excited about the whole videoing thing and she has school background in editing so this could be a real good thing for me:lol: maybe ill hold off on buying her a bow:lol:

so hold tight and ill make a new thread if it takes her a while to get the video done.. if she gets it done fairly soon ill just post it here!

thanks again for all the comments! i miss being able to chime in on these boards!


----------



## bowhunter1 (May 12, 2003)

So, I guess you won't be needing that turkey fan you were looking for! LOL

Congrats! Nice birds!


----------



## jeffthedj (Mar 27, 2006)

Congrats Craig! I love the fans on those birds..If you need help with editing just let me know.


----------



## HunterHawk (Dec 8, 2005)

Thanks for the comments guys... and no i got my jake fan and my Tom fan so i am good to go now!

and thanks Jeff but my wife seems pretty good at editing! i appreciate the offer though!

my video will be up later... the footage wasnt the best.. so the video isnt amazing but if you saw it with the uncut compared to what it is now you would be amazed:lol:

and my buddies stuff will be done sooner or later... we will see... but she has been spending a lot of time on this stuff so i wont give her too much crap!


----------



## LumberJ (Mar 9, 2009)

Great Job!


----------



## chemiker (Nov 5, 2009)

Wow, awesome pictures, and even nicer birds! Can't wait to see the video.


----------



## beer and nuts (Jan 2, 2001)

Great pics !


----------



## don (Jan 20, 2001)

Great job Hawk, and love the pics. Sure are beautiful birds, and to do it the way you've done it has to be very satisfying.


----------



## HunterHawk (Dec 8, 2005)

thanks for the comments again guys!

Don stop stealing my spitfires on archery talk ... im guessing that was you anyway :lol:


----------



## don (Jan 20, 2001)

HunterHawk said:


> thanks for the comments again guys!
> 
> Don stop stealing my spitfires on archery talk ... im guessing that was you anyway :lol:





Gotta be quick, HH.....or lucky. 
I've probably got a big enough supply for now.......but......:lol:


----------



## Horseshoe (Oct 15, 2003)

Great job on the birds Hawk! And with a bow too. That's got to make you feel pretty good. Looking forward to seeing the video.


----------



## HunterHawk (Dec 8, 2005)

thanks horseshoe.... the video is up guys!
here it is though

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nT6_uyB7D2I"]YouTube- Turkey Hunting Nebraska 2010[/nomedia]


----------



## koz bow (Nov 18, 2006)

Dude! You drew blood! Congratulations man!

By the way, a 9" beard on a merriam is like an 11" beard back in Michigan. An 8" beard is like a 10" beard, so that first bird you shot was a bigger trophy than what you think.

Merriams have thinner beards overall and their spurs are shorter than Easterns and much shorter than Rios. I always thought that the reason merriams beards and spurs are short is the sandstone environment that they live in. In most of the places I have hunted that was the case!

Congrats! Now, a 200" plus mulie this fall and you are on your way to becoming Chuck Adams! 

You took your wife turkey filming, I took my wife turkey hunting, she will catch on soon!


----------



## hicky40cmu (Oct 3, 2007)

congrats Hawk! sounds like you had a great time... I am going to try turkey hunting for the first time this year and then try to get Sabre out there


----------

