The Road Trip is Over

[Spring Creek Calls]

Returned home last night from an 18 day road trip that included hunts in Kansas and Missouri. I was fortunate to shoot a mature Rio with my crossbow in Kansas, a long spurred Eastern in Missouri and return to eastern Kansas and shoot what iI believe to be a Rio/Eastern hybrid, the heaviest of the 3. All three birds were shot on public hunting areas. It's hard to imagine anyone loving to turkey hunt more than me, but I was glad to get home after 18 days in motel rooms and restaurant food. Got a few days to heal and then my Michigan season begins. I'll be ready.

[Spring Creek Calls]

Pics of the hybrid and the 2 Kansas tails.

[jayjay]

Congrats on a successful trip! Sounds like a good time....good luck in Michigan

[tomstopper]

Glad you had fun. Congrats on your birds and I agree that sometimes it's just nice to get back to your own bed after hard hunting. There have been years when I have been so happy that the season is over... Lol

[cramerhunts]

Congratulations on some great birds and successful road trip! Good luck on your home turf!

[TRG3]

I don't know if you save your fans, but I've been doing so for several years by detaching such at the pygostyle/oil gland in the tail. I trim off all of the supporting muscle and fat, then spread the fan on a piece of sturdy cardboard, placing a long roofing nail at the base of the now trimmed off area along with a long roofing nail on either side to keep the fan spread out. I use a liberal amount of borax on both sides of the trimmed area and arrange the feathers in the fan before setting the spread fan aside for several weeks to let it dry. I also save the wings after removing the bones/muscle and applying borax. The primary wing feathers become fletching on my arrows.

[Spring Creek Calls]

I don't know if you save your fans, but I've been doing so for several years by detaching such at the pygostyle/oil gland in the tail. I trim off all of the supporting muscle and fat, then spread the fan on a piece of sturdy cardboard, placing a long roofing nail at the base of the now trimmed off area along with a long roofing nail on either side to keep the fan spread out. I use a liberal amount of borax on both sides of the trimmed area and arrange the feathers in the fan before setting the spread fan aside for several weeks to let it dry. I also save the wings after removing the bones/muscle and applying borax. The primary wing feathers become fletching on my arrows.

I do just that with all my fans that I dont leave at the Turkey Roost in MO. I save all my beards and spurs and send the feet to Ferocious Game Calls for back scratchers. I've yet to find a consistent place to take wings. Also done a couple capes that turned out pretty good for a rookie.

[husker]

Congrats, Mike!

[albrubacker]

Sounds like a lot of fun! Congrats!

[Copper1]

Holy Cow 18 Days!  I was gone for 10 and completely beat after I got home....  Nice Job on the birds! Sounds like we were out roaming the same country. 

[mgm1955]

Congrats on a great trip Mike!!

[perrytrails]

Sounds like a great trip, successful and fun. Glad you could do it.

That's one of my goals, save up and do a trip like that. Congrats!!!

[jepcho]

Sounds like an amazing and fun trip! Congrats! You go by yourself or have a hunting buddy?

[RutnNStrutn]

Great start to your season!! Best of luck on your home opener!!

[Spring Creek Calls]

Sounds like an amazing and fun trip! Congrats! You go by yourself or have a hunting buddy?

All but a couple days on the front end bow hunt, there were 3 of us in camp. The only time I was alone was when I shot my Missouri bird opening day and retuned to Kansas to fill an unfilled tag, which took 4 days.