Kicking Off Summer with Fly Fishing

I can't think of a better way to kick off summer than with friends, fly fishing, and a few cold ones.

Curt, Paul, and I took advantage of phenomenal weather yesterday and fished a Sussex County, Delaware pond for about 10 hours. I was breaking in a new St. Croix 4-weight fly rod that I got for Christmas, while Curt and Paul had their usual array of about 10 fishing rods -- both fly and spinning combos.

If we kept a tally, we probably would have recorded at least 100 fish caught between the three of us. We had the usual assortment of largemouths and panfish, but the one noteworthy catch was Paul's 1-pound-plus red-eared sunfish. We actually wanted to catch some of the rare (in these parts), big red-ears on the light tackle. They are great fighters and present a decent challenge on the 4-weight fly rods. We each caught at least one red-ear sunfish, but none were the trophy size of Paul's.

Check out the photos.

Success During the Last New Jersey Spring Turkey Hunting Period

I have to admit, I have not hunted much since I shot the jake back on April 29. I tried to wake up! Honest!

Since this week and next are the final turkey hunting period in New Jersey ('Week E'), I wanted to make sure to hunt at least a few more times. So, I set my alarm clock for 3:45 AM this morning and headed to the the turkey woods.

I wanted to try a different spot, so I went to a turkey hunting location where I almost had some birds last year. I set two turkey decoys in a freshly planted field on the edge of a woods and found a nice tree. I leaned back against the tree about 5:00 AM and faced the woods. Around 5:15, I heard at least 5 birds gobbling no more than 30 yards from me. I hurriedly repositioned myself about 10-15 yards closer to the gobbles. By 5:30, the birds were gobbling incessantly to my left, while several hens were yelping to my right! What luck! I set up in a perfect spot! Well, almost.

Since I was so close to the birds, I began calling softly with a diaphragm call. Every time I called, the birds would gobble back. (In fact, they gobbled at a passing ambulance's siren, a calling crow, and some blue jays.) I had to compete with live hens who felt the need to yelp like there was no tomorrow, so I made a couple slate calls. I then heard a sound I never heard before. Directly above me, in the tree I was sitting against, I heard a one-note cackle-gobble-yelp. Yes, that is the only way I can explain it. It was so loud it scared me! A couple minutes later, I saw and heard a hen fly out of the tree and land on the edge of the field. I watched to see if it looked spooked, but she didn't seem to care. However, I heard no more gobbling and no more yelping.

Fearing I spooked the birds with my hand movements on the slate call, I almost moved. I looked to my right, and my eyes caught some movement. I then saw about 12 birds all walking -- silently -- toward me! I quickly scanned and saw about 7 jakes and a handful of hens. One hen walked within 5 yards of me! I really wanted a nice tom, but I didn't see any! Then... I saw a final bird bringing up the rear. With most of the birds strutting, I could tell that none was a mature tom. However, this last one, looked a bit bigger and had a longer beard, though it still was not dragging the ground. The birds were within shooting range for at least 10 minutes. Seeing no true trophies, I decided to take the biggest bird.

I already had my Remington 11-87 resting on my knee with the butt against my shoulder. I still had to get the gun the remaining 10 inches or so to eye level before I could shoot. With so many birds so close, I knew I had to be quick. Picking the biggest turkey, I raised the gun in a split second, leveled the sights on the target, and squeezed. He dropped instantly.

With turkeys flushing everywhere like a covey of wild quail, I jumped up to retrieve the downed bird. As I did, a giant tom flew from the tree I was sitting against! Can you believe it? That bird must have made the phantom cackle-gobble-yelp. He probably saw me walk in and never flew down. Even with all those other birds on the ground, this smart old bird chose to stay silent and roosted.

This big boy's smarts enabled him to live another day.

Power Crews (and Mailmen) Come Through in Wake of Storms

It was quite an interesting day in Wilmington, Delaware. From my previous post you know about our power outage. Expecting the worst, I fueled up my portable generator (which worked great, by the way) and criss-crossed tangles of orange spaghetti (extension cords) throughout my house. As it turned out, I only needed the generator for about 6 hours. My neighbors weren't so lucky.

Since the tree snapped the pole and lines past my house, I was in the clear! Once the Delmarva Power crews came and patched up the pole in front of my house, we had power! Unfortunately, I live at the beginning of the block. We lucky ones (about 4 houses) had our power restored around 5:00 PM. However, as I write this (9:10 PM), the crews are still working on replacing the snapped pole and associated wires, which means the other 20 houses on the block are still in the dark.

See the video for some photos of my day. Kudos to the Delmarva Power, Verizon, and Asplundh crews. Also, my mailman deserves extra credit! Check him out in the photo! He normally delivers mail in a Jeep, but the road was blocked. He parked the Jeep, shouldered his mail bag, and trooped through trucks, branches, and downed wires! The mail must go through!!

When It Rains, It Pours (and trees fall, power goes out, etc.)

Tremendous storms along east coast today. I am running this on portable generator power. 50+ mph winds blew a huge pine tree from a neighbor's yard across the entire street. It took out power poles and lines in the process.

I have to run and get more gas for the generator. 3 freezers full of game can't spoil!

Gearing Up for African Safari

As many of you know, I am going on a 2-week safari in August. The first few days of the trip will be spent on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe in Victoria Falls. This sightseeing part of the trip should be great.

I will then be going to SafariLands in the Limpopo Province in South Africa to hunt plains game (or is it plainsgame, I have seen the word spelled both ways!). I want to mainly hunt with a bow, so I decided to upgrade my equipment. I have been an avid Hoyt shooter for years, so it was easy to choose a new bow. I went with the Hoyt 38 Pro.

I ordered the 38 Pro in 60-lb draw weight from my great friend John Massey at Shooters Supply in New Castle, Delaware. We set it up about 2 weeks ago, and I have been shooting it daily. I love the 38 Pro. I have been shooting a Hoyt Havoctec for about 5 years, so switching to the 38 Pro has not been difficult. In fact, I will probably bring both bows to Africa, reserving the Havoctec as an emergency backup.

Through my research, I've found that a 60-lb draw weight should be more than sufficient for plains game. I am now researching and testing optimal arrow types, arrow weights, and broadheads. My preliminary conclusions are causing me to lean toward Gold Tip arrows in 400 grains and some type of fixed, 2-blade broadheads, possibly Zwickey Eskimos or Eskilites.

Now, here is where I need the assistance of my readers. Please feel free to give me any feedback and suggestions on arrows and broadheads.

New Jersey Turkey Week C: Finally - A Turkey

Monday's rain prevented me from hunting, but I awoke this morning with focus. I was up at 4:00 AM and was in the turkey woods at 4:45. With legal shooting time coming around 5:30, I still felt pressed for time.

I had about a 10-minute walk to my hunting spot where I figured birds would be roosting. I crept in quietly, but still managed to spook about 10 deer. Seeing a good spot, I set out my decoys and placed my ground cushion against a tree. Around 5:45 AM, I heard gobbling about 70 yards to my left.

There were at least 2 birds gobbling, so I answered with some soft tree calls. Every time I called, I would get gobbles in return. Things were looking good.

I saw one bird fly down from its roost tree at about 6:15. After that, things were silent for about 5 minutes. I heard some clucking, so I began purring, cutting, and yelping on my slate call. I then heard two turkeys gobbling big time -- and heading my way. Because the birds were to the left of where I thought they would be roosting, I had to move a bit. After moving, I could no longer see my decoys because of bushes. However, the decoys still seem to be in the turkeys' lines of sight. Since I didn't want to risk being seen, I switched to my diaphragm call. I yelped a couple times, and the turkeys came running.

I saw the turkeys moving behind a bush at 20 yards. I aimed my gun just passed the bush, made one more call, and watched the first turkey step out. I saw his smallish beard, but since I had no meat in the freezer (and because I had to go to work), I squeezed the trigger. BOOM! He fell in his tracks. I then saw his companion, a jake, run the other way.

I quickly jumped up to retrieve the turkey. He was shot perfectly. I checked him in at Bradways (15 lbs, 4.5-inch beard, 1/2-inch spurs), returned home to shower and change, and was at work by 9:45 AM. Not a bad morning's work. I can now sleep in (at least until 6:00 AM) the rest of week!

The Well-Dressed Turkey Hunter -- and Other Turkey Hunting Updates

My luck has to change soon. I am getting close to turkeys, but just not close enough! Here are some updates.

Monday, April 21

I met my friend Curt at a New Jersey turkey hunting spot Monday morning around 5:00 AM. We each set up in spots where we have seen turkeys. We heard turkeys gobbling around us at first light, but when they flew down from their roosts, they walked away from us. Monday's hunt was uneventful.

Tuesday Morning, April 22

I went to a new turkey hunting spot today. I set up on the edge of a big woods around 5:00 AM, and by 5:30 I heard gobbling from nearby trees. From what I could tell, I heard at least three different birds gobbling from 75 to 150 yards away. I moved closer to the gobbles and heard the birds fly down from their roosts. The toms answered my calls, but I could tell they were walking away from me. I walked toward the direction of the gobbles and came across a freshly disked crop field. The turkeys had already made their way to the middle of the field -- about 250 yards from me. There was no way for me to get to them without being seen. There was a HUGE tom in the group. He was in full strut almost all morning, but since there were hens with him and a few other jakes or toms around, he had no reason to respond to my calling. Rather than trying to play to these birds, I decided to head to the other turkey hunting spot I have been targeting for the past several days.

I arrived at the other spot and called for a few minutes. I received no answers to my calls, and I saw no birds. Seeing no opportunities for turkeys on this day, I returned to my truck to change into my work clothes. (Keep in mind most of my hunts occur from 5:00 AM to 8:00 AM, then I head to work.) Just my luck. As I was changing, I saw 7 or 8 turkeys cross the road in front of me about 150 yards away! There were a couple hens, but there were at least 4 gobblers! Like a lunatic, I quickly through my camo on over my dress slacks and oxford shirt. Not having time to put my boots on, I grabbed my gun and turkey vest, and sprinted toward the woods ahead of the birds. Like a mocassined Indian, I walked though leaves, sloshed through mud, and climbed over branches in my black Bostonian cap-toes. I began calling on the edge of a field opposite the birds, and they gobbled back! Things were looking good!

I called some more, but then hens started yelping (instead of toms gobbling). The yelps got softer, and I realized the birds were walking across the road, directly to a protected area. I ran back to my truck and drove down the road where the turkeys just crossed. While driving, I saw all of the turkeys 2 yards off the road in the woods! They were just pecking and scratching and could care less about my truck. I parked and ran to the woods on the legal side of the road with hopes of calling them back across the road. Content with the hens they already had, the turkeys had no intention of coming to my lone call. I could see the turkeys on the shoulder of the opposite side of the road, but I refused to shoot. While the opportunity was tempting, I decided to avoid unethically shooting the birds across a road and on protected land. Invigorated but dejected, I sloshed my way back to my truck and headed for work.

Tuesday Evening, April 22

Around 7:00 PM, I met Curt and Paul at my morning turkey hunting spot with hopes of roosting some gobblers. By 8:00, we heard gobbles and pinpointed their locations. We made a plan to set up on the birds in the morning.

Wednesday, April 23 3:45 AM

My alarm went off, and I awoke with another headache. My exhausted body defeated my mind, and I went back to sleep. I just couldn't hunt this morning.

Wednesday, April 23 9:30 AM

Curt and Paul called me. Unlike me, they showed up to hunt this morning. Paul informed that the turkeys followed the exact routine we thought they would. He then told me that he harvested a nice tom with a 10.5-inch beard. To make matters worse, there were two toms together when he shot. If we set up together, we each would have harvested one! Congratulations to him, but shame on me! Again, my luck has to change soon! I will post photos of his turkey when I get them.

Great Hunts are Made of Turkeys, Yelling, Cats, and Migraines

Kendus Turkey Hunting Report - New Jersey Week A

3:45 AM comes quick!

New Jersey turkey hunting season started this week. Since I had a permit for this week (Week A), I pursued the wary and elusive long-beards Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday mornings. Although I have no filled tag to brag about, I have some interesting stories. The turkey hunts of this week are chronicled below.

Monday, April 14

Competition for public turkey hunting spots is high in South Jersey, so I make sure to get to my hunting spots EARLY -- like 4:45 AM! With shooting times around 6:00 AM, I find 4:45 AM to be a perfect arrival time.

On Monday, the opening day of the New Jersey turkey season, I understandably couldn't sleep, so I was out of bed before the alarm went off. I dressed quickly, slammed back some day-old coffee, packed the truck, and drove east. I arrived at my secluded, off-the-beaten path turkey hunting spot in 38-degree weather, and walked to the location I scoped out the night before. I set up against a pile of stacked logs that bordered a powerline cut, and I placed two hen decoys in the open of the powerline clearing (essentially about the size of 1.5 football fields). In the midst of situating my decoys, I heard a vehicle pull up near my parking spot. I then heard the disgusted yelling of a man who was apparently disappointed that I arrived at the location before he did! He yelled, "Goddamn it! Some guy from Delaware is here! You better come move your truck! You're parked in a no parking zone!"

You can imagine my initial reaction. Are you kidding me? It's opening day. 5:00 in the morning. I'm trying not to disturb any turkeys, and this guy is on the road screaming! I left my decoys in the field, and I walked out to the parking area, blinking my flashlight to alert the guy I was coming. I walked up to him and asked what was going on. He said he was disappointed because he wanted to hunt this spot. Never wanting to ruin anyone's hunt, I told him that the spot was big enough for both of us. He calmed down and turned out to be a nice guy. He was an older gentleman with some health issues, so he couldn't walk far. I told him to set up near his vehicle, and I told him where I was. Things turned out OK. (By the way, there was no "No Parking" sign.)

I heard some faint gobbling around 6:00 AM, and I heard a hen walking in the woods behind me. I didn't see a turkey until around 7, when I saw two jakes diagonally across the field from me. I tried calling them, but they wouldn't answer. They just made a beeline for my side of the field, but about 100 yards away from me. After they fully crossed the field, a nice gobbler followed -- in full strut. He answered my calls once, but he, too, walked across the field to the same place the jakes went. I left the spot around 7:45 AM since I had to work, but I made a plan for the following day.

Tuesday, April 15

Every once in a while, life is better than fiction. As a writer, I have a creative mind, and I can spin yarns with the best of them. However, this "one that got away story" is entirely true. I don't think I could have made this up.

I arrived at the same location where I hunted Monday, but this time I set up just in the woods where the turkeys walked to. I found a nice tree about 20 yards off the woods' edge and set my decoys near the opening where the turkeys came in yesterday. I heard tree calls, fly-down cackles, and gobbles early, so I knew the turkeys were around. Around 6:45 AM, I heard constant clucking and blue jay screams coming from the woods behind me. It sounded like the bird was walking back and forth, but I never saw it. (More about this later.)

I knew my new friend from yesterday was hunting in his same spot. I heard his calling, and I could just see the outline of his decoys. Around 7:15 AM, I heard a bunch of gobbles. They weren't necessarily answering my calls, but I knew they were close. I couldn't see the turkeys, so I moved closer to the field. There, I saw 4 jakes about 100 yards away, half way between me and the other hunter. I began calling excitedly, attempting to sound like a lonely, desperate hen. Within seconds, I got gobbles from the jakes, and they all began walking my way. I called them the length of the field, but they stayed on the opposite side of it. There was a small ridge down the middle of the field, so I could only see the birds' backs and heads. They stayed across from me for 20 minutes, and they were raising all kinds of hell. I thought they were fighting because I heard cackling and saw the occasional bird jump in the air. After some more calling, all of them began walking directly toward me.

Dropping my slate and aluminum calls, I quickly put my mouth call in. Within 2 minutes, all of the birds were in range, though they were obscured by brush at the edge of the woods. Literally, they were within 25 yards, but I didn't have a lane to shoot through. I had my shotgun up and aimed at the opening -- just waiting for a bird to take TWO MORE STEPS! Then--things got weird.

I saw the birds hopping up and down and running in circles, and I heard them making noises I never heard before. I was quite perplexed. I then saw something else walking near the birds, but it was about half their size. With my gun still trained at the opening, a friggin' CAT walks out. The turkeys run the other way, but now this dumbass cat sees my decoys. He promptly leaves the live turkeys alone, and begins a tiger-like stalk on my decoys! Are you kidding me? Not wanting to move, I tried flicking sticks and leaves at the thing, but that didn't work. The stupid thing just stared at me (or probably through me, since I was in full camo) and wouldn't leave. I then just picked up a stick and through it at the cat. The cat finally left, but the turkeys were gone. I guess the only good news is that I don't think the turkeys knew I was there.

Leaving the woods after this escapade, the other hunter drove up to me. He said that he could see a big gobbler in the woods strutting back and forth all morning. That must have been the clucking I heard! Can't I catch a break?!?!

Thursday, April 17

I couldn't hunt Wednesday because I was out of town on business. I went back to my Monday and Tuesday spot on Thursday.

Nothing really eventful to report. I heard turkeys gobbling all morning from all directions, but I saw none of them. They must have been 'henned up'. I left the woods around 7:45 AM and quickly drove to another spot. I began yelping with my calls, and I heard yelps in reply every time. I swear I thought these were coming from another hunter, because they just sounded too perfect and too much like the calls I was making. I kept it up, and soon a hen began walking right to me -- yelping like crazy. Oh well. Off to work.

Friday, April 18

Last day of the New Jersey Week A permit. I had the alarm sent for 3:45 AM, but I awoke at 3:00 AM with a migraine. I called off my hunt. I now will begin my Week B quest on Monday.