The Marauder and I did actually find time to get out, but coyotes ran amuck a few hours before I arrived and the birds had moved to the neighboring property.  The only other time I slipped out, the birds caught me with my horse’s lead rope in one hand and the Benjamin in the other.  Kind of hard to shoot that way, and I could really only watch as three toms slipped under the fence only 30 yards away.

Oh well, spring season is coming… eventually.

Usually, I’m too busy guiding mule deer, shooting ducks, or chasing hogs to worry too much about fall turkey season, but this year I’ve got a reason to be a little more excited.  I’ve been shooting this Benjamin Marauder a lot, and it is dialed in and ready to rock!  In CA, turkey can be taken with airguns of .20 caliber or better, and this .25cal Marauder has proven it has what it takes to be a thunder chicken killing machine.

I’ve got it dead-nuts at 40 yards, and with the CenterPoint scope cranked up and a couple of dots of holdover, it will consistently hit within a six-inch circle out to 88 yards (as far as I’ve tried so far).  Not that I want to shoot turkeys at that kind of range, but I figure any turkey that will stand still between 40 yards and touching distance is going to be in trouble.

Hopefully, I’ll be following this post up with some pictures of myself and this guy (or one of his brothers) within the next week or so.

Tiny poults in late July? Click the pic to enlarge.

Took the horse for a little trail ride yesterday evening, and caught this little family of turkeys heading toward the roost (sorry about the crappy, cellphone pic… I don’t carry the good camera so much).  I thought it was pretty weird to see such tiny poults this late in the summer.

I didn’t see a lot of youngsters earlier this summer, but the ones I have watched are all pretty much grown.  I’m guessing this is a case of a second nesting, after the first was disturbed.  Or maybe the hen just bred really late?  I’m theorizing that our weird weather in CA this year seems to have had some impact on ground-nesting birds.

Anyway, this was a first for me.  Anyone else seen late clutches this year?

Here in CA, the season will fire up on March 26.  Prior to these last couple of streaks of bad weather, the birds were looking good.  The toms and jakes were still mostly together, but you could see the competition starting to warm up.  As best I can tell, the cold and rain have put a damper on that, so we’ll see how the season shakes out. 

In the rest of the country, I’m hearing a lot of the same kind of thing.  Late cold and lots of rain…

It’s a mixed blessing, of course.  If the weather keeps the birds from going into full-on mating frenzy before the season starts, it could provide a phenomenal year for hunting.  Nothing sucks worse, for a turkey hunter, than seeing the birds in full strut two weeks before season, only to be henned up and bred by opening morning.  Hopefully the weather will break just in time for the breeding season to kick off at about the same time we hit the woods. 

On the other side of the same coin, if the bad weather pushes into the season, we may be tortured by birds that are still in bachelor groups, uninterested in chasing our seductive clucks and yelps, or flat out secretive.  That’s the kind of season that turns many of us into turkey stalkers, which is generally the worst kind of exercise in frustration.  That frustration is only made worse when the weather breaks on the last weekend of the season, and two days later our ears are tortured by yelps and gobbles from every corner of the map. 

Last year, I realized just after the season ended that I didn’t really get out for turkeys at all.  Of course, I had some other things going on that put hunting at the bottom of my priority list, but I’ve resolved to get out at least a couple of times this season come hell or high water.  Not sure yet if I’ll use the shotgun or the bow, but that’s a decision I’ll make when the time comes on.

A note, by the way, particularly to those of you hunting in CA.  If you’re hunting where there are wild hogs, there’s no reason you can’t go in prepared to shoot either a turkey or a hog.  But there are some considerations. 

First of all, if you’re hunting in the lead-free zone, remember that you can still use lead ammo for turkeys.  They’re classified as upland birds.  However, if you pack some slugs for wild hogs, not only must the slugs be lead-free, so must the turkey loads.  Also keep in mind that, with a couple of tiny exceptions, buckshot is not legal for the take of big game in CA.  If you want to shoot a hog, you need to carry slugs.  This can be a drag, because slugs don’t shoot so well from tightly choked shotguns.  In fact, with the extremely tight chokes that some turkey hunters like to use, a slug has the potential do damage the choke or the muzzle.  If you think you’ll be multi-tasking your shotgun, consider a modified or improved cylinder and keep your turkey shots close. 

An alternative that I’ve enjoyed is just to use a bow for turkey hunting in pig country.  You can shoot either critter with the same broadhead, and the same poundage with good effect (although some experts recommend dialing down the power for turkeys to prevent fast pass-throughs).  While my combo bowhunts for turkeys and hogs have so far left me empty-handed, I always enjoy time in the field with a bow, and the possibility that I might take either species keeps me motivated on slow mornings.

One other alternative that I’ve considered is to carry the .44 in holster, along with the turkey gun.  It sounds like the perfect solution, but there may be some legal technicalities to consider, since a handgun is not a legal means of take for turkeys in CA.  I’ve actually got an email in at DFG now to clarify this one, and I’ll share this answer as soon as I get it.

There are a bunch of other things I could tell you in preparation for turkey season, but as most of you know, the magazines, TV shows, and many blogs are already dispensing tons of turkey tips.  No need to throw my voice into the maelstrom at this point… besides these core suggestions:

• Remember that you usually can’t shoot a turkey if you’re sitting on your couch (unless you’re in some place like Texas).  The first step to success is getting out there and getting after them, no matter how adverse the conditions may be. 
• No matter how well a call worked last year, last month, last week, or an hour ago, it may not work now.  Be flexible and change it up.  The call that sent them into the next county last year may pull them across state lines this time out. 
• Irrespective of how many calling contests he’s won, or even how many turkey beards adorn his trophy room, the expert is not infallible.  The only real turkey expert is a turkey… and not just any turkey, but the specific turkey you’re calling right now.  If what you’re doing works, keep doing it.  If it doesn’t work, try something else.  That’s some simple advice from a professional (part time).
• Turkey hunting is not rocket science.  Don’t make it more difficult than it really is.  If you’ve got so many gizmos and gimmicks that you don’t know which one to start with, maybe it’s time to dump everything but some camo, a shotgun (or bow), and a slate. 
• Finally, be safe.  Maintain situational awareness, and know what you’re shooting at before you pull the trigger. 

But while I’ve been sitting on my heels, my family and friends have been hard at it, chasing the thunder chickens all over the country.

To begin with, my brother got drawn to hunt the Roanoke River wildlife area  in NC.  He’s got that place dialed in for deer and turkeys, and does well there every year.  This year was no exception, despite unusually high water.  In fact, the water was so high, he actually set up and made the shot right from the canoe! 

There was another good tom nearby, so Scott’s going back on his birthday in a couple of weeks to see if he can fill his other tag.  Sounds like a perfect way to spend a birthday to me!

He didn’t have his good camera, so pardon the picture quality.

Another North Carolinian and Hog Blog reader, Brian (AKA Carolina Rig) also did well on State Game Lands.  Here’s his story!

A fellow hunter beat me to the parking lot of the permit only state gameland hunt Thurs and Friday morning.  He mentioned he had roosted a bird the night before, so I let him get set up where he wanted too, and backed off. 

I walked down the road and told myself if I hear anything, I’ll make the move, otherwise, I’m going into work.  About 5 minutes later I hear a bird sound off on some adjacent private land about a 1/2 mile away.  I wait for another gobble, then book it down to the very corner of the of the gamelands, which puts me as close to the bird as I can legally get, and set up.  I call, he replies. 

This goes on for a few minutes, during which time he has cut the distance between us in half.  He’s fired up now, gobbling at every sound in the woods.  Then he hangs up.  I quickly decide that I’ve got to mix it up a bit, so I stand up, run down the trail away from him about 50 yards and call.  I do this twice, and its all he can stand.  By the time I get back to my spot, I see movement.  He comes in hot, sees the pretty hen I’ve got out for him, and struts his stuff.  19lbs, 9″ beard, matching set of 1″ spurs.

Finally, here’s one more and I’ve got to say it’s probably one of my favorites so far…

I’ve written a time or two about my friend Matt, “De hog shootinest Gent’man”.  He’s shared a lot of pictures of successful hog hunts over the years, but this one really tops things off.  It appears that Matt and his “guide” (his daughter) went out the other morning and really put it all together in short order.  A big tom turkey and a fat boar hog went down and out for the count.  He said his daughter is working on the story, and if I can, I’ll share it with you all.  In the meantime, here’s the proud daddy and his girl.

Some of this, of course, is my own doing.  I did just get back from Texas, and while I considered dropping $100 for a non-resident turkey tag down there, I opted out.  I did enough killing in the week leading up to the turkey opener, and by the time it came along, I was tired of cleaning and cutting. 

As far as making time to get out here in CA, that hasn’t happened either… and it may not.  I’ve sort of lost touch with a couple of my private land contacts (which is my own fault t00), and haven’t really done any public land scouting.  And let me tell you, trying to hunt turkeys on public land without a little homework is a real exercise in futility.  So, if there’s a turkey hunting tip in here for you, that would be it…  you can do well hunting public land, but you have to scout it out first. 

On the other hand, if you want a great success story, you can check out Holly over at the NorCal Cazadora.  From the sounds of things, she had a classic hunt this past weekend.  Read the story yourself, but I will say that’s a heck of a way to break in a brand-new shotgun! 

In the meantime, I’m sitting here with a handful of gear I’m still trying to review.  Over the last few nights, I did have the opportunity to get out and play with the new Quad Tactical headlamp from Princeton Tec. 

As some of you will remember, I’ve been on the search for a headlamp that will provide enough light to follow a blood trail  in the dark.  At the SHOT Show this past January, I spoke to several manufacturers, and most seemed eager and willing to send me a sample or two to try out.  Unfortunately, no one has really followed through. 

I was lucky enough to contact the marketing folks from Princeton Tec, and after learning what I had in mind (waterproof, bright, lightweight), he suggested the Quad series.  The Tactical is a camo version of this light, and because I’m a hunter, that was his choice to send me.  So let me start off with the only slightly negative comment.

Making small tools (lights, knives, GPS, radios, etc.) in camouflage patterns is a neat gimmick, but it’s really not practical.  Think about it.  Camo is designed to blend in with the background cover so that it’s practically invisible.  So if you drop something, or lay it down… and it’s camouflaged… it can be a real problem to find.  I think this applies especially to lights, since you’re most likely to drop it or lay it down in the dark.  In my opinion (and experience), small tools should always be brightly colored so they’re not so easy to lose in the woods. 

That’s really a general comment, though, and not a specific knock on Princeton Tec, because otherwise, this light is really close to exactly what I was looking for. 

It’s waterproof to a meter, which means it should be fine in the heaviest of downpours, and will probably survive a drop into the duck marsh while setting decoys (a fate that has befallen several of my previous lights).  I haven’t dunked this one yet, but it did get soaked in my pack on that last Tejon hog hunt and didn’t even flicker. 

It’s lightweight, at 101 grams (a little over 3.5 ounces), even with three AAA batteries in it.  The AAA batteries, by the way, are also important to me.  I’ve seen some really great lights out there, but they run on proprietary batteries that are not only expensive, but they’re also hard to find.  I want to be able to pick up batteries at any gas station or grocery store.  It’s also an LED light, which means I don’t have to deal with finding and replacing bulbs.

The light is fairly bright, with an output rated at 45 lumens.  A critical feature of this lamp is that the light is regulated, so that it provides full brightness as long as there is battery power.  Ordinary flashlights tend to fire up at full brightness, and then constantly dim as they burn.  Now I don’t have the equipment for testing the actual output or any of that… and I’m not interested in going to those lengths.  I know what works, and with this light set at its highest setting, it’s bright enough for most blood trails.  I would probably have to fall back to my lantern or the big D-cell Mag-Light for a tougher trail, but the Quad is adequate.  It’s definitely plenty for finding your treestand or duck blind. 

One feature of the Quad Tactical is that it comes with colored lenses, so you can change the light output to red, green, or blue.  The light body holds one additional lens, and the others come packaged in the box with the light.  This means, if you’re like me, you’re going to lose the two lenses that aren’t attached to your light.  With that in mind, it’s a good idea to decide what you’ll use most, and attach it to the light from the get-go.

The red is good for following a trail without blowing your night vision.  The green offers a similar benefit, with the added bonus that the softness of green light will not spook game.  The blue light is supposed to aid in blood trailing, although in my own experience, the jury is still out on that.  I’ll be trying it next chance I get, but I haven’t had to follow a blood trail in a while.

Personally, for the most part, I tend to just use the white light when I use light at all.  Still, I’ll be experimenting with the blue light a little more on upcoming hunts.  I’m intrigued by the possibilities.

Anyway, true to form, after walking several miles and several thousand feet of elevation gain and loss, I’m sitting here getting ready for another work week.  The ice chest won’t need to be cleaned this afternoon, and my butchering tools will stay in the drawer.  Porky evaded me once again. 

The world is full of “what-ifs”, and such was this trip.  IF I had been using a rifle instead of the Mathews, I could have killed several pigs.  I practically ran one down in the road yesterday morning, but there’s no way I could have leapt from Petunia, unlimbered the bow, nocked an arrow, and got a clean shot at him as he boogied up the ridge.  IF it were gun season on the ranch (it opens next weekend) I would have had the .44 on hand, and would have had no problem taking that boar.  Likewise, the group of 15 that fed down across canyon from me.  At 200 yards, they remained oblivious to me as they fed on an open shelf, in the wide open at 1100 hrs.  I could have plopped down with the rifle and a rest and taken my pick.  With the bow, I have to get a little closer than that.  Unfortunately, at about 150 yards, I practically stepped on a group of deer who proceeded to bolt right through the feeding hogs.  At last glance, the hogs were just shy of Mach 1, and disappearing back over the high ridge and headed toward the safety of the property line.

Not that it was a bad trip, because there’s seldom a bad hunting trip… it was really nice.  It was my first solo hunt in quite a while, and as much as I enjoy guiding and taking people hunting, sometimes it’s really good just to get out there and not have to think about anyone else’s experience.  It was relaxing just to walk and hunt, and enjoy all the things you see on a beautiful, cold November morning.  There were grouse, band-tailed pigeons, quail, eagles, coyotes, tons of deer, and lots of smaller critters.  The salamanders were on the move, an annual event I’ve been told, and there were times when it was hard to walk without stepping on one. 

And there was pig sign… oh brother, was there pig sign!  The recent rain had softened the ground, and the hogs were taking full advantage of it.  Hilltops were rototilled, and tracks and scat littered the ground.  The only problem was, for the most part, I was consistently where they were, instead of where they are.  Tracks are great and all, but they’re best when they still have pig feet in them.

Anyway, it doesn’t really matter if I killed a pig.  I still have two freezers loaded with meat.  I was actually hoping for a turkey, for Thanksgiving, but they were pretty scarce up there this weekend.  I thought I heard some once, but never could locate the danged things.  I don’t think I tried all that hard anyway.  It was just good to go, to be out there.  I need that sometimes.  I think we all do.

Well, wanna make God laugh?  Tell him your plans, right?  We’ll have to see.

Until Monday…

Here’s where things get a little odd… at least to me. 

The gun went off, just as it always does.  The blast caused me to blink, as it always does.  And when my vision cleared, as it always does, the bird should have been laying there flopping its last… as they always do.

Except, as you may have gathered by now things didn’t go the way they always do.  In fact, from the time I pulled the trigger, nothing went exactly as it always does. 

First, the bird ran away unharmed.  Then he stopped to look back and figure out what just happened, offering a beautiful shot at 25 yards.  Unfortunately, there were people working a couple hundred yards downhill, in a place where there are never people, and I didn’t want to pepper them with shot.  So I could only watch as the bird stood skylined.  After a few seconds, he took off running down the hill, covering ground in that funky, ungainly trot until he was clear out of sight. 

I followed up the trail, but after a few minutes it was easy to see that I’d missed cleanly.  I found the shot wad in the trail, and the impact marks from the shot string were very distinct against the wet grass a few yards beyond where the bird had been standing.  There was no sign of a hit, neither blood nor feathers, and the bird’s tracks dug deeply into the soft dirt of the cattle trail.  What the heck… I just flat-out missed? 

Now here I must make a couple of confessions. 

First of all, I’ve always sort of laughed into my sleeve at tales of hunters missing  turkeys with a shotgun.  How in the hell can you miss a standing target at shotgun range?  Sure, with a bow it’s a different story.  I’ve missed a lot of toms with my old recurve.  But with a shotgun…? 

When I leveled the gun on this bird, it was with supreme confidence that the hardest part was done.  I’d called the bird across a ridgeline and away from the flock of hens he’d been following.  I’d been still at all the right times as he drew closer, looking for the lovelorn hen in the little clearing, and he was totally clueless.  The shot was an afterthought, and anti-climax to the excitement of luring these great birds into range.  Failure never even crossed my mind.

Welcome to Humility 101. 

I saw several more birds over the course of the day, and called a couple in pretty close, but couldn’t make another shot.  I’d gone into the morning sure that I’d have a bird come evening, and as I headed back to the cabin empty-handed, the closest thing I had to a bird was the crow I’d eaten with that first shot.  

My lesson in humility was not complete.

Sunday morning, I slipped back into the same area and reset my blind.  I knew there were plenty of birds in the area, and waited patiently for them to start moving.

The first birds, a small group of hens, actually flew down directly over the top of my blind.  They pecked the ground, clucking and purring.  I sat on high alert, hoping their soft calls would attract a tom from the steep hillsides above me.  Unfortunately, they meandered around for a bit and finally wandered off, onto the neighboring property. 

The morning wore on, and I started to get a little drowsy.  I leaned back in my seat to rest my eyes.  The meadow was alive with the calls of various birds, chirping and singing.  The cold morning dark was replaced with a beautiful, clear, sunshine.  A squirrel hopped across a tree limb.  It was almost like a scene from Bambi.

A sound penetrated the darkness of a light dream.  My eyes opened and I sat upright.  Sure enough, I could hear a distant gobble.  I pulled my slate from my pocket and made a couple of soft yelps.  Nothing.  I yelped again, a little louder.  A gobble boomed back.  I called again, and he responded.  Once more, and this time I could tell he was coming closer. 

I toned down my calling, and made some softer calls and cutts.  He gobbled again, much nearer.  He was practically coming at a run!  I quietly laid the call on the ground and picked up the gun, just as I heard rustling in the chaparral.  I caught sight of a bright red head, bobbing through the brush.  Then, to my surprise, there was another one right behind it.  As I watched, I almost didn’t see the little hen pop out of the bushes just in front of me.  I froze, trying to keep an eye on the two toms in the brush, when he gobbled again. 

The two toms ducked their heads and stepped warily into the clearing behind the hen.  Both had huge bodies, but tiny little bow-ties for beards.   I now had six sets of turkey eyes less than six feet away… and a gobbler still working his way down the hill.  Under my breath, I tried to will the three birds to move out of sight before the big one came down.  There’s no way I could raise the gun and shoot with all those birds right there. 

The tom finally stepped into view.  He was a large-bodied bird, but his beard was only about six inches long.  Good enough for me!  As if by design, the other birds moved around the blind and out of sight.  It was just me and the tom.  I tried to ease the gun up subtly, but the long, 30″ barrel and the pistol grip made it a little awkward in the confines of the blind.  By the time I got situated, the bird had moved out of my shooting window… but he was still coming. 

The problem was, he was coming right at me and getting really, really close!  He crossed into view in my other window so close I could probably have reached out and grabbed him.  Maybe that’s what I should have done.  Instead,  I waited until he lowered his head to peck at something and I got the gun up.  The danged thing seemed to have grown six feet, and it was all I could do to get it turned around and pointed at the big bird.  At the last moment, his head popped up and he locked his eye on me in that cock-eyed, “oh shit” look that turkeys get when they know they’ve been had… and it’s too late to do anything but see what’s going to happen next.

What happened next was… well… I missed again.

That’s right.  The gun went off and the bird tucked tail and ran.  I was flabbergasted!  My humility turned to humiliation. 

So, what’s the point?  Why share this sorrowful tale with all of you, good readers?  Well, there are lessons to be learned, if we’re willing to be taught.  But before I start with the didactics, let’s be clear that I am not making excuses.  It is a poor workman that blames his tools, and all that… 

True, I had difficulty due to the equipment, but it is my own fault for not sussing that out BEFORE I hunted.  That’s Lesson 1.  Practice with your gear before you use it. 

I was using a Remington 870 that I had tricked out with some aftermarket parts.  This was the gun Kat usually uses for doves and waterfowl, and we’d had the factory stock cut to fit her (she’s the proud owner of a new Browning Citori, so the 870 is in semi-retirement).  I replaced that stock with a “Stock-Shox” adjustable butt.  I’d tested this contraption out a few years ago for a review, and I liked how it reduced recoil.  I also liked how the pistol grip allowed me to hold steady for precision shot placement.  I did the review on this thing, and used it a little later to test some slugs, and put it away. 

For a choke, I replaced the standard Rem-Choke with Comp-n-Choke’s XXX-Full turkey choke.  I’d killed a few birds with this when I first got it, but after this weekend I realized that every bird I’d shot with this choke had been at least 25 yards away (and I’d put down a runaway cripple at a lasered 56 yards).  I’d never used it at close range!  With a standard shotgun bead, most shotguns don’t shoot exactly to the point of aim, and precision is critical with these extremely tight chokes.  The only way to know where your gun is shooting, is to shoot it.  A lot.  And I didn’t do that.

Additionally, the screw-in choke tube added almost two inches to the 28″ barrel… making the thing a bit unweildy in close quarters.  I could have overcome this simply enough by spending time with the gun, getting as familiar with it as I am with my old double-barrel.  But again, I just pulled this gun out of the safe and took it hunting… bad, bad call. 

Lesson 2 isn’t quite as simple as the first one.  It has to do with that super-tight choke tube. 

Turkey hunters are probably the most heavily targeted market of the hunting industry.  There are calls, clothes, vests, seats, ammunition, guns, and choke tubes.  “Tighter is better,” would seem to be the rallying call, and the choke manufacturers seem to have really excelled at providing just what the market wanted. 

A while back I wrote about the importance of patterning your gun, and knowing what the pattern looks like at different ranges.  I’ve done that much with this gun, and I knew that at the extremely close ranges I was shooting this weekend, the majority of the shot is in a dense cluster about as big around as a softball.  But do we really need patterns that tight? 

The problem with such a tight pattern is that you have to have real precision in where you place your shot.  You can’t shoot a bird in the body, or you’ll have nothing left to eat.  You shoot the neck and head… small targets, and a little misplacement will result in a miss.  In my case, it resulted in two misses. 

Had I been shooting my old Stevens side-by-side, both of those birds would be stone dead (actually, only the first one, since I was only there for one turkey).  And that’s Lesson 3.  Shoot the gun you shoot the best.  Don’t let yourself get all wrapped up in gadgets and gizmos.  Simple is better, because simplicity leaves margin for error.  With the custom stock and fancy turkey choke, the 870 was certainly cool looking.  And it has a purpose.  But it’s not the gun I know… it was alien in my hands this weekend, and I paid the price for leaving the tried and true behind.

Everything we do has a lesson to teach us, whether it comes from our successes or our failures.

The hunt this past weekend was courtesy of Deedy Loftus, owner-operator of Bryson-Hesperia Resort and BHR Hunts.  BHR is situated near Bradley, CA, in the Central Coast region.  It’s an area that is rich in wildlife, from blacktail deer to hogs to wild turkeys, not to mention various predators and varmints, such as coyotes, bobcats, and ground squirrels.  The properties she hunts border the Fort Hunter Liggett, U.S. Army base where you can even spot the unique, CA Tule elk. 

Deedy leases several great ranches, and offers both guided and un-guided hunts on them.  She works hard to manage the wildlife on her leases, planting food plots and encouraging her hunters to be selective when they shoot (avoiding pregnant or wet sows, choosing mature toms, etc.).  As a result, the opportunities for trophy-quality animals are enhanced.  She’s recently added a new 1000 acre lease which may well become the crown jewel of her operation. 

Guided pig hunters will usually hunt with either Deedy, or her daughter Karin.  “Chick guides?”  You bet!  And when the hunt is done, you’ll also be converted to the school of, “Chick guides rule!”

Both ladies know the properties inside and out, and spend a lot of time in the field to ensure that they know where and when the animals (and birds) are moving.  If the hogs don’t want to come out, and if the hunter is up for it, dogs are used to get them in the thick stuff… and the central coast chaparral is the very definition of “thick stuff”. 

The operation is running at 100% shot opportunity on the guided hog hunts.  The guided hog hunts are for two days, and run $700/person, and include a guarantee to put the hunter within reasonable shooting range of a wild hog (there are no guarantees of size or sex).  There are no trophy fees on any of Deedy’s guided hog hunts.

Deedy also knows her turkeys pretty well, and guided turkey hunters will eiher take the field with her, or with one of her other skilled guides (some of you will remember that I guided for her last year, but basic economics kept me from going back for this season).    There are a ton of turkeys on all of her leases, including some really great toms.  Recent clients came out with a 24lb, double-bearded tom last week.  Both Merriams and Rio Grandes can be found in the area, offering a unique opportunity to get a good start on a turkey “slam”. 

Success has been high on the guided turkey hunts, with multiple shot opportunities reported.  The guided turkey hunt runs for two and a half days, and runs $750/person. 

Semi-guided hunts are a new offering from Deedy and co.  These hunts are priced by the day, which offers the opportunity to book a single day hunt, or as many days as you’d like.  This is fairly unusual in CA, and it’s one of the better deals going for a quality hunt on good properties.   Not only do you get access to the properties, but Deedy and Karin have done the scouting for you, and will direct you to the areas that are most likely to produce.  There are no guarantees, of course, as this is hunting and the animals are free and wild, but it’s a great opportunity for the hunter who wants to hunt good ground, but doesn’t want to be led around by a guide… or for the hunter whose budget may preclude a fully-guided outing.

Hog hunters hunt for a flat, $200/day tresspass fee.  Most of this hunting is spot and stalk, although some of the areas would be amenable to stand hunting.  Archery hunters have some good opportunities in the canyons and draws, while rifle hunters will appreciate the high ridge vistas, and setting up over the barley fields, when the grain is in season. 

For turkey hunters, there’s a flat $200 tresspass fee, and a $100/bird fee for each bird killed (CA limit of three birds per season/one bird per day).  Turkey season runs through May 3, with an additional archery-only season from May 4 – 17.  There’s still time, but these hunts have become quite popular, so I’d recommend booking early. 

What about lodging?  Well, there’s always the option of staying at a motel in King City, about a 45 minute drive from the properties.  The other, better option, is to stay right there at Bryson Resort.  The resort features comfortable cabins, complete with a full kitchen, hot showers, satellite TV, DVD players, and heat and AC.  Each cabin includes a queen sized bed in the master bedroom, with a full/twin bunkbed in a second room.  The bedrooms are fully private and quite comfortable.  This is NOT roughing it! 

The cabins run $75/night, per person.   Because the resort is located very near Lake San Antonio and Lake Nacimiento, the place is very popular in the summer months.  Book early to ensure that lodging is available for your hunt. 

Plenty more information about the resort and the offerings are available at the Bryson Resort website (http://www.brysonresort.com).  You can also book your visit directly on the site, or by email at reservations@brysonresor.com, or by calling Deedy at: (805) 472-2922.