A new journey

We really appreciate are family, friends and anyone that has checked our blog out in the past.  We dearly love and thank you for your support of letting us chase our passion and possibly addiction to the outdoors and sport of hunting.

We have officially teamed up with Tim Roller's Whitetail Journey as prostaff members and want to thank him and the whole prostaff for welcoming us to their team. 

You can follow us and the whole Whitetail Journey crew at www.whitetailjourney.com and also click on the link to follow us on Facebook at Tim Rollers Whitetail Journey.  Please like us on Facebook if you haven't done so already.

Were hoping to be apart of this team for a long time.  There all great people that work hard, hunt hard and enjoying putting it all on film.

This has been our journey and now were even part of a big journey.
Tim Rollers Whitetail Journey on the Sportsman's Channel.

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The Gobbler Crawl

Ben has never shot a turkey and today was his time to shine and get the turkey fever in his blood.  We were all set up with a bow in hand and decoys set up on a freshly new corn field.  It was a prime set up with the shade on our side of the field edge.  We thought we were going to out smart them and throw a little party with 7 different decoys in front of the blind.  We kept hearing a gobble across the road and after 2 hours of patiently waiting our patience ran out.

We walked along side the edge of the field to the road to find our excited gobbler with a big group of birds.  We were going to switch gears and grab the bang bow and go after that group of birds.

As we were heading back to the truck to put some of the gear away, we were also discussing how to approach and attack this group of birds.  We slowly drove a short distance to see if the birds were still across the road but they must have walked just out of sight and over the ridge because we could hear them gobbling.  A perfect chance for the 3 of us to see if we could pull off the decoy stalk.

We finally got a chance to make a move after an hour or so of watching and studying their movements.  We all got in position and Ben grabbed the thunder chicken and started his belly crawl towards the birds as Todd and I could only watch.  There was a little ridge that we had in front of us, so we could not see everything happening as Ben was stalking the big Toms.  Ben crawled in the hot sun about 80 yards with his strutting decoy in one hand and his shotgun in the other.   Todd and myself were discussing weather we should have Ben back up and we all try circling the Toms and getting in front of them for a shot.

As Ben was backwards crawling out of sight of the Toms, he suddenly stopped and said " there coming and coming fast."

He stuck the decoy hard in the ground and took aim behind the decoy as if he were a sniper looking for that perfect shot.


The birds were committed to the decoy and we could only hope we could see the birds on camera before he let's one have a lead snack.




"Booooom" the gun sounded off and Ben had his first ever Turkey on the ground and it was with a high intense stalk that we all wish we could pull off for that rush of adrenaline and a memory that will last a life time. 


The actual kill was not caught on tape but the footage was still pretty good and it shows the hard work and excitement that went into this hunt.



Congrats Ben on your first big Gobbler. Todd and I are glad you let us join you on your first turkey hunt and a successful one as well.

A rare find

After a non successful morning with Allison we decided to go out and scout for a few more birds.  We stopped off at a farm where Jim shot his turkey last year.  We were hoping to locate one bird for a possible Sunday hunt which is the last day of the first season on private land.

We were walking back to locate a few birds when we both remembered last year we found some morel mushrooms in this area we were walking through.  So we both changed our game plan and were on a mission for a different kind of hunt.  Both of us walking up and down the south side of the timber with our heads to the ground looking for the rare find of morel mushrooms, hiding in the rarest of places like were looking for gold.  Just about the same spot we found the mushrooms last year Todd said, " We hit the jack pot."

We picked the morels one by one dropping them into one of our green head nets we use to keep the mosquitoes away from our face while turkey hunting.  We found quite a few of them and totally forgot about getting shut out this morning and looking for another turkey for tomorrow. 

It was a different and fun kind of hunt and yet another Prime Hunting location we will keep a secret.

Allison woke up to go hunting

Cinco De Mayo and we're in the turkey blind.  We borrowed a cross bow from a friend of mine and Allison is trying to shoot her first turkey.  She has been deer hunting and has shot a doe several years ago.  After two kids and no time she has not shot her bow in a couple years.  That's why we elected to use the cross bow instead.  I am totally pumped and hope she can experience the same thrill of a Tom coming in and have a chance for a shot. 

We were blessed to have one of the grandma's come to the house early this morning (5:15) to stay with the kids and take over our daily duties of being a parent so we can have a little turkey fun.  Seems to be a nice morning and we hope to have some more blogging action coming your way.  Stay tuned to see if Allison can git r done.

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Todd Connected

Here it is Sunday morning and we had 3 days with 3 great hunts and all caught on camera.  We have been hunting hard and it was time for Todd to connect with a good bird.  We first started out at the same food plot as we did yesterday but hoping for better luck and to also see some more birds.  Its a secluded little food plot that Todd put in last year, after clearing out some tall trees and rota tilling some of the ground to get a better soil foundation for the seed he was planting.  The food plot has turned out to be a very good spot, not just for deer like he had planned but also for those turkeys we were chasing at this time of year.  Well we had our last of the Bullheads on the Victory arrow and unfortunately we are now 0-4 with 4 busted blades on those arrows.

We stopped in at Todd's house for a quick breakfast that his awesome wife quickly put together and then we were off singing and flinging.  We had a couple farms that we had permission to hunt and it was Todd's decision to go back to the same farm that his dad shot a nice bird just a couple days prior.

We set up over looking a hay field just on the edge where a two track was connected to the field going back to some timber.  We put out 2 decoys, one was a hen and the other was the Thunder Chicken with a full mature fan.  We set those up just in the field edge like they were just coming out of the timber down the two track and just entering the field. We made a couple calls and right away a bird gobbled about 250 yards all the way across the open hay field up on top of the ridge line across from us.  We were tucked into the Double Bull Blind trying to situate the cameras and making sure we were on the same page when this all goes down.

The Tom entered the field on the east side and we were on the west side.  We set up the blind behind some big trees to stop the sun from coming in the window and showing our movements or our white faces.  After getting everything the way we wanted we noticed more birds came down from the ridge top across from us and were making their way over to our setup.

I had been filming the big bird for quite some time as I could see him from the moment he came into the field.  After about 40 minutes the bird was within bow range and coming closer.   The turkey was a mature bird and was coming all the way in looking to fight our decoy when Todd released the arrow and struck the bird at about 10 yards.  The bird did not now what hit him and again the Bloodrunner and Mathews combination did its job and took down the mature Tom within 20 yards.

It was a beautiful sunny Sunday morning and God was shining down on us and blessed us with this fully mature Tom with 1 1/4 inch thick spurs and a 9 inch beard to go with it.  He was definitely an old wise bird that finally met his match.


     


     April 29,
        2012

Jim's on the Board

After a nice quick hunt with Dave on Friday midday it was Jim's turn on Saturday morning and we were still looking to chop a head off with our new Magnus Bullhead.  It was a nice overcast day and very quiet with minimal wind.  We were again going to go to our trusty food plot behind Todd's house where we have pictures of some giant toms strutting and showcasing for all those hens.

The morning started off just as planned as the gobblers made there way from the roost and into the food plot.  We were trying to get a gobbler to stop in front of our GoPro that we had set up 20 yards in front of our Double Bull Blind.  We got what we wanted and it was my turn to make it happen.  The big strutter stopped just to the right of the GoPro and was doing circles around and around not giving me a clear clean shot at his head.  I was at full draw for just over a minute when I told Todd to "get on the other bird."  With his neck stretched out and a perfect shot opportunity with the Magnus Bullhead,  I settled the pin and......... missed.  Just shot right of him and the bird took off just to the west edge of the food plot.  

I was reaching for another arrow when I heard Todd say "use the other broadhead."  So I grabbed the arrow that had the 2 blade Bloodrunner on it and loaded up the Mathews bow for hopefully another chance at the same bird.  Todd said quietly "I'm on him."  I pulled back the string tight to my cheek and settled the pin between the wing butts of the turkey who stood at an estimated 30 yards facing straight away from us.  Thwack the arrow hit perfect and the bird ran about 15 yards before falling on camera.  

During the interview on camera talking about how it all went down we realized that the first shot with the Bullhead hit the green strap on the Double Bull Blind and put about a 1/4 inch slit in the strap.  So far we are 0-3 with the BullHead but we will give it another try.  All in all it was a great hunt and another bird down in the state of Michigan.

              April 28 
                       2012

I want to thank my camera man and hunting partner for allowing me to take the first bird off his food plot.  He was gracious enough to hand me the bow after he missed on 2 opportunities at 2 good birds.  I can only hope I can return the favor and get him a shot at a good bird with about a week to go in the first season. 

Dave Coates Strikes First

Who Needs Camouflage!

It was about 2:30 when I stopped at a new piece of ground we gained permission on just last week.  I wanted to see if I could hear a bird since it was the first day that the wind was not blowing super hard.  I must have hit the right note because I heard a thunder gobble through the woods.  I ran out of there as fast as I could without being seen.

When I got to Todd's house Dave was washing his truck and Todd was packing up the kids for a doctors visit.  I said, "Dave grab your gun and let's go.  I have a hot bird looking for love."  Dave was in jeans and a sweatshirt and I said, "It doesn't matter, we will pop up the Double Bull Blind."

It was a great spot for Dave to be able to walk in and sit quickly due to his ankle surgery and lack of mobility.  We set up just in the woods about 50-60 yards from the truck and before we new it the bird was back and looking for Mrs. Right.

The entire hunt lasted 10 minutes max and I caught it all on camera.  I did however use the little camera by hand because we did not have time to get everything set. 

Dave told me that he has been waking up at 5:00 am all week and was disappointed in the lack of birds he was seeing or hearing.  I was glad to see him get a bird and also glad to see our new spot pan out.  First time in and one bird down.  Keep hunting hard and shoot straight.

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Opening Day

We are all set up with the cameras rolling.  Beautiful morning.  Enjoy your hunt.

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Day before the opener of the 2012 Turkey Season

The night before the opener of Michigan's 2012 Spring Turkey season and we have found ourselves with a couple more on the hit list.  We have a pretty good chance at harvesting a bird in the morning as long as the weather cooperates and with a little love from the man upstairs.  Here is a couple more photos to get you excited for what ever hunt you have here in the great state of Michigan.

   

These Pictures are AWESOME!!!

   

Stay up to date as Jim & Todd chase down those Michigan Thunder Birds.  We hope everyone has a safe and successful season.  Good Luck and Gobble Gobble.............................................BANG.

Turkey Hit List

The hit list is set and were patiently waiting for the opener of turkey season.  Just a few more days away.  It opens on Monday, April 23

Todd raked of his food plot that he planted last fall and the birds like to come in and strut looking for hens after a long night nestled high in a tree.  We put out the camera to get a few photos of the birds he has been seeing to get a closer look.  To us they look like mature birds and definetly shooters.  We will be in the blind Monday dark and early with high anticipation.   It will be a long couple of days before the opener but in the mean time we will scout a few more locations and enjoy a birthday party on the side.  Todd's daughter Tana turned 4 years old today (April 17) but they will throw a little party on Saturday before the opener.  So we have birds to find and cake to eat.  

Happy Birthday to Tana and Happy Hunting to all.  

New Intro to our Videos

I was playing around with this and thought it might look good somewhere in the introduction to our hunts.

Let me know your thoughts and if it would be a good intro to our videos.

Feels Like Turkey Time

Well with all the warm weather we have had here in Michigan it feels like we should be in a double bull blind chasing those big long beards and eating fresh turkey off the grill.  Unfortunately we are still about a month away from the opener of the 2012 Turkey season.

Having killed a handful of birds with our bow in the past we decided were going to try a broadhead that has been on the market a couple of years named the Bullhead.  Magnus Bullhead with a 3 3/4 inch cutting diameter weighing in at 125 grain total wieght.  Also using full length arrows from Victory Archery.  It was a set that came with 2 arrows and 2 broadheads for a reasonable price of $39.99 from Cabelas.

With all the videos I have seen on the Internet it caught my attention and it looked like a great idea to be able to take a turkey with a bow and not have to put a gaping hole through the middle of the bird and ruin the meat.  I received them in the mail from Cabelas only a few short days later and I was so excited to try them out and see if i could get them to fly.  I used 125 grain field points with the new arrows and they flew straight and hit in the same spot with my 20 yard & 30 yard pin, just like my other arrow set up did.  I was then wondering if the broadhead would do the same.  I used 2 different bows to shoot the new set up with to see if there was any difference in flight.  A Matthews DXT and a Mathews Z7 Extreme Tactical was used in the testing of the new set up.  I got much better results with the DXT with the broadhead being shot, even know they both shot the field tip accurate out to 30 yards.

I then brought the whole set up to Todd's house to prove to Todd and again myself this thing flies straight and accurate so we can have the confidence in taking some birds with it in the near future.  We set up a pillow hanging between 2 trees so that the pillow would swing backwards and give a little so the blades would not be damaged or the arrow would not blow straight through it.  We then drew a small black dot about the size of an egg to simulate a Turkey sized head so we could practice on a small spot.  We started out at 10 yards and both hit the target.  We then went to 20 yards and again both hit smack dab in the middle of the small egg shaped target.  I was in shock that something so big in diameter and traveling so fast could stay on target and as accurate as a field point.  We then moved back to 30 yards and again dead nuts accurate.  So impressed with it we decided to go back to 40 yards.  At 40 yards we were a little low, about 5 inches.  That is because the full arrow set up is a bit heavier then my normal set up and I did not shoot out to 40 yards with a field point prior to that.  Even know we were a touch low the broadhead stayed on course and had no planning at all.  So all I need to do is adjust the pin a little. 

To say that we were impressed with the results is an understatement.  It blew our minds and even got us more excited to be out and enjoy the sounds of those thunderous gobbles early in the morning here in Michigan.  Please follow us and stay updated when it hits that magical day April 23.  We have several hunters this year trying for their first turkey.  We hope to bring you some knockout footage so please check in from time to time as another season will be under way soon.  

New Video from Prime Hunting

Here is a new video we put together to show some of our old hunts along with some newer ones.  This will show you all some of the new advances we have been learning to add to the quality of our videos.  Was able to come up with a logo for Prime Hunting and now use it as a watermark in the videos.  Also learned how to do a true spilt screen using Imovie 09 for better in the moment as it happens viewing.  You may notice as well the new intro to the video which is done in Keynote on the Mac.  

Hope you all like what we have put together.  In the mean time get your bow or gun out and start dialing it in along with all those turkey calls.  Were excited to get back in the woods and lay down some new hunts.  Hopefully we can bring you some new faces this spring with their first turkey and be able to capture it all on film.