A great week of reaping the benefits of good habitat management as four long beards hit
the ground at the Kentucky Proving Grounds.
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We've shared several shows with you in the past on hunting and management techniques
filmed at the Kentucky Proving Grounds which is near Cadiz, Kentucky and owned by my good
friend, Mr. Terry Hamby.
Build it and they'll come.
Terry had invited Josh Dahlke with North American Hunting Club, Michael Turbyfill with Winchester
Ammo and the GrowingDeer team to join him on a very special turkey hunt.
The first order of business was to make sure our shotguns were sited in.
The first morning Mr. Hamby, Michael and Brian went to a part of the property we call West
Road.
I set out a little decoy that folds up real easy and then expands. Great to carry around.
A strutter model. Put it out, just hoping to get a jealous Tom in the area. Shortly
after that, a Tom appeared at the curve of the road.
(Whispering) He's got him a double date.
Michael made the wise choice to attempt to call that hen in and bring the gobbler in
tow.
(Whispering) They're coming. Come on big boy. Got a nice beard. Let him go.
(Whispering) Ready? Ready? Kill him. (Shot). Like that?
Yes, sir.
And we got a turkey down.
Mr. Hamby. Yes, sir.
A Winchester did it again.
There you go, man. Nice shooting. I thought you was never pull the trigger on that turkey.
Well, you know. We kind of like; he, he wasn't, he wasn't going anywhere.
You guys know how it is.
He wasn't going anywhere.
They're, they're not going anywhere unless you see that head turn that dull red. As long
as he's...
Man, he had a beard. Whoo. Paint brush. Man. Look at that beard.
Yeah, that is, that's as fine of a beard as I've ever seen on a turkey.
Man.
What's both the spurs look like?
Spurs probably what?
They're hooked.
They're hooks.
Boy, they curve.
Yeah. Look at them.
He's probably a...
It was obvious this was a very mature Tom. Weighed 22.5 pounds. A 12 inch roper for a
beard; and inch and 3/8 spurs.
That brings back memories from a childhood of preparing (inaudible) huh?
You told me you weren't very good at...
That was a great turkey hunt for the conditions. Calling the hen in, knowing that most adult
gobblers are with hens under that current period of the breeding cycle.
Meanwhile, a close friend of Mr. Hamby's, Don, was on the other side of the property
working three Toms.
Listening to two old experienced turkey hunters after that hunt share their stories of camaraderie
was a great experience for all the rest of us in camp.
3/8. 3/8. There's the half right there. Inch and 3/8. Inch and ¼ and Inch and 3/8.
(Whispering) There's something moving around to the right.
(Whispering) For real?
(Whispering) It's a turkey.
(Whispering) Is it?
(Whispering) I swear. There's two of 'em. I swear I see a beard, too.
(Whispering) Can I move my head back?
(Whispering) I kid you not. No, they're coming out.
(Whispering) I'm ready when you are.
(Whispering) The one the right. The one that just...
Okay. (Whispering) Ready?
(Whispering) Yeah. Yeah. Kill 'em. Kill 'em.
(Whispering) (Inaudible)
(Whispering) Okay.
(Whispering) (Inaudible) one.
(Whispering) I don't care. Just shoot one of them.
(Whispering) I have never killed a turkey that stone dead before. Those Winchesters
crushed him. Crushed him.
(Whispering) I don't think his, his wings quivered a little bit. Dude, how long have
we been here? Three minutes maybe?
(Whispering) That was exactly it. Wanted to happen. That's exactly what I wanted to happen.
Gosh.
(Whispering) A bunch of just angry long beards coming in to just whoop on that Jake decoy
with that breeder hen.
That's him. I got a spare necklace at home and these are going to be the longest ones
on it. You hear them talking because I don't even need to speak for these. This is a boss
and I'm so thankful to be able to take this bird down here at the Kentucky Proving Grounds,
it's unbelievable. (Inaudible) Jake's off. I'm saying he's 21?
Yeah. I'd say you're probably right. 20.5.
Get up there.
As we finished taking pictures and celebrating that hunt, we were already for the next day.
Andrew had placed some Reconyx cameras on various food plots throughout the Kentucky
Proving Grounds. We reviewed the pictures from those Reconyx cameras and found a great
pattern of a mature Tom coming into a plot we now call Long Spurs at the Kentucky Proving
Grounds. Terry and I moved a Redneck blind the day before to that food plot.
When a bunch of guys are hunting together, you kind
of know where everyone's hunting and I wasn't a bit surprised that afternoon when I heard
Mr. Hamby's shot from Long Spurs food plot.
I'd say they're inch and quarter to an inch and 3/8. Really old bird. 23 pounds, I'd say.
And inch and half spurs and about a 10" beard. What a great day.
The beard size and spur length on the turkeys at the Kentucky Proving Grounds are ample
evidence of the quality habitat simply based on taking an old time plantation, adding a
lot of Antler Dirt and planting the right forage, resulting in very healthy wildlife.
At the end of a very successful hunt, it's time to relax with friends. We all pitch in
and prepare supper, including a fish fry, hush puppies, mushrooms. It's a great time
to share some stories and just fellowship with one another until we meet again.
I hope you have time this week to get with some friends and do a habitat management activity
or share a great hunt. But more importantly, take time to spend with the Creator. Thanks
for watching GrowingDeer.tv.
If you want to check out Josh and the other editors' work at North American Hunter, simply
go to Hunting Club.com/join. You can get a free digital copy.