Outdoor Magazine Blog

Evolution of a Turkey Hunter

I love to hunt turkeys. It’s a passion I got hooked on several years ago. There’s something about the idea of hunting a critter you can have a conversation with that’s very appealing to me.

Over the years my turkey hunting style has changed. Early on, I’d chase gobbles or randomly set up my decoys and try to call a bird in to shotgun range. Back then I was working with a videographer so it was fairly easy to do the “run and gun” method.

These days I videotape my own hunts, which means I’m not nearly as mobile. As a result, I usually set up an Ameristep Dominator blind and try to call the birds in, or I’ll put the blind along a travel route to ambush the birds…a lot like deer hunting.

I’ve also changed my weapon. After killing a few nice birds with a shotgun, I switched over to bowhunting. I’m a bowhunter at heart and I like the challenge of trying to take a bird with archery tackle. A compound was my choice for many years but last spring I picked up a recurve and managed to take a beautiful longbeard after two weeks of hunting hard.

This season I felt compelled to get a different perspective on turkey hunting, so I decided on a crossbow. My choice is the Darton Lightning. With that Lightning I can shoot accurately well beyond forty yards, but I was hoping to get a shot much closer.

After several unsuccessful hunts I set up my blind yesterday afternoon in the middle of a small apple orchard where I had seen toms strutting earlier. I figured if that’s where the birds wanted to be…that’s where I needed to be too.

In less than an hour a small flock of hens and longbeards were working toward my decoys. It looked like they were committed to coming in, so I didn’t call. It’s my experience you can call too much sometimes and scare the birds off.

This flock had big tom in full strut just beyond bow range but two other longbeards closed the gap. As they neared my decoys one bird saw something he didn’t like and both toms started to walk away.

At about 25 yards I put the crosshair of my scope on the lead bird and pulled the trigger. The Carbon Express Surge arrow and F-15 expandable head did the job. The turkey went just twenty five yards and piled up.

Crossbow Longbeard

He’s a nice bird, but not a monster. I’d say he’s probably three years old with a nine inch beard. Funny thing is that beard was pretty thin. You could see where he’d broken part of it off earlier.

Nine Inch Beard

The tom weighed 19 and a half pounds. He had some pretty good spurs on him too…about an inch long.

One Inch Spurs

This was my first time turkey hunting with a crossbow and I didn’t know what to expect. In looking back I can say it was a great experience. Some people say crossbows are like guns, but I definitely felt like I was bow hunting. I had just one shot with a broadhead at a close distance. In my mind, that’s bowhunting.

I plan to hunt with a crossbow again. I have the opportunity to use one on bear late this summer in Ontario and whitetails in Ohio after that. This time I might try to get my hands on one of the new Darton Serpent bows though.

You can hear more about my Michigan turkey hunt this weekend on the Outdoor Magazine radio show. It will also be featured on an upcoming Outdoor Magazine television program.

I hope you get a chance to check it out.

News Release from Darton

MIKE AVERY “COMES HOME TO DARTON”

Popular outdoor personality Mike Avery has teamed up with Darton Archery as his bow sponsor for both his award winning “Outdoor Magazine” television and radio broadcasts for 2010.

“My first compound bow was a Darton SL50MX. That MX, and its predecessor the SL50, are probably responsible for more dead deer that any other bow in modern history”, Mike stated on one of his recent radio broadcasts. He added “Today’s Darton bows bear little resemblance to those early models, but the philosophy is the same…to use the latest technology and create fast, shootable bows at a good price.”

Darton is excited to have Mike Avery represent their “Built to Hunt” bowline in this, their 60th Anniversary in the archery market. “Mike Avery is a veteran outdoor broadcaster. Sportsman Channel named him the “Sportsman of the Year” and he has promoted the hunting and outdoor lifestyle in Michigan for many years. We are proud to have him promoting Darton” stated Rex Darlington, President of Darton Archery.

Visit Darton at DartonArchery.com and Mike Avery at his site OutdoorMagazine.tv. “Darton bows have come a long way since the old SL50, but so has my hunting career. That why it feels good to come home to Darton”, says Avery.

This week on Outdoor Magazine TV (9/21)

We take a look back at our past season of Outdoor Magazine television.

First, host Mike Avery heads to Kansas after whitetails. Then, Jim Barta of the Hunter Safety System hunts that same state, but with a bow.

Next, Avery is turkey hunting in Michigan…with a recurve. That’s followed by pro staffer Scott DeVuyst hunting Antelope in Wyoming.

The focus changes then to fishing as Mike tries his luck for giant king salmon on Michigan’s Manistee River with Jason Phillips of Riverman Custom Boats.

We wrap up the show with two more turkey hunts. First, Chad Stearns of Jay’s Sporting Goods, then Pat McKenna of the Ameristep company.

Lots of great outdoor action this week on Outdoor Magazine TV. I hope you enjoy it.

I Learned a Lot

I had a great day with the folks from Darton Archery Saturday at the Woods-n-Waternews Outdoor Weekend in Imlay City.

Ted Harpham of Darton, asked me to come down and officially kick off the new partnership between Darton and Outdoor Magazine. I saw it as a great way to talk with folks about Darton and learn more about their product line.

It soon became clear there’s a lot of interest in Darton compounds and their line of crossbows. There was a steady crowd of  archers at the shooting trailer all day long.

I got the chance to get my hands on some Dartons I had no experience with too, including the top of the line Pro 3500.

The 3500 has a shorter brace height than my 2500 so I was expecting it to be harder to shoot.  It wasn’t.  The 3500 is very fast, and surprisingly smooth.  I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to any hunter looking for a top level bow.

On the other end of the spectrum, I got my introduction to the Darton Ranger series. That overview came from company owner Rex Darlington. Rex is the man responsible for all Darton models.

I learned Ranger is the perfect bow for young shooters.  The Ranger 1 can be adjusted from less than ten pounds of draw weight, up to thirty… and the length can be changed from seventeen inches to twenty five.

The Ranger 2 can actually be used as a hunting bow.  It can be adjusted up to forty five pounds with a twenty eight inch length.

I highly recommend the Rangers if you’re looking to get a young person hooked on archery.

In fact, Darton is a good choice for any shooter.  The company doesn’t get the attention of some other bowmakers, but their product is top quality.

I’m glad to be working with them again, and glad to “come home to Darton”.

First Impressions of the Darton 2500

Fast…really fast. That’s what first comes to mind.

I admit my impression might be skewed because I’ve been shooting a Predator recurve for the past six months, but still, I think the Darton might be the fastest compound I’ve ever shot.

I took the bow to my friends at Jay’s Sporting Goods in Clare, Michigan to set it up. Archery department manager Eric LaFollette added a Tru Glo sight, Quality Archery Design Ultra Rest, string loop and peep sight.

Then we took the 2500 to their indoor shooting lanes to tune it.

That first shot surprised me. The bow was extremely fast…and quiet. After just a few shots it was dialed in and shooting “bullet holes” through paper.

The next step was to take it home and adjust the sight pins. For that, I used my trusty Rinehart 18-1 target. At twenty yards the bow was shooting pretty close. I dialed it in with a couple more shots then moved back to thirty yards. My goal was to set up one pin good out to that distance. That’s something I’ve never been able to do with slower bows.

At thirty yards I shot a little low, but with more tweaking I was able to hit the bullseye at both distances using that same top pin.

I moved back to forty yards and set my middle pin, then back to fifty and adjusted my bottom pin.

One reason those adjustments were so easy is because the 2500 is such a smooth shooter. For being so fast it has very little hand shock.

I’m only shooting 58 pounds, but with a thirty inch draw length I get good kinetic energy and a flat trajectory.

I’ll need to tweak my set up a little more as I break the bow in, but I was impressed with how well it shoots right out of the box. In fact, I could take it to the field right now and be completely comfortable.

I’m curious what the speed is, and as soon as I shoot it through a chronograph I’ll let you know. In the meantime I’m confident the Darton 2500 is going to be a great hunting partner.

New Darton radio commercial

As you probably know by now, I’m working with Darton Archery again. Darton has been making top quality bows in Michigan for sixty years, and I’m proud to be associated with them.

As part of the new marketing campaign Darton will be running commercial spots on my Outdoor Magazine radio show starting next weekend.

Click here to listen to the new Darton Archery radio commercial.

And a reminder….I’ll be with the folks from Darton next weekend at the Woods-n-Waternews Outdoor Weekend in Imlay City. We’re kicking off Darton’s sixtieth anniversary.

I hope you can come by and see us.

“I’ve come home to Darton”

After shooting some other bows for a few years, I’ve come back to my roots and picked up a Darton bow again….and it feels good.

My first compound bow was a Darton SL50MX. That MX, and it’s predecessor the SL50, are probably responsible for more dead deer than any other bow in modern history.

Today’s Darton bows bear little resemblance to those early models, but the philosophy is still the same….to use the latest technology and create fast, shootable bows at a good price.

That’s why I’m so excited to re-establish a partnership with Darton and Outdoor Magazine.

I talked about that relationship on this week’s radio show. You can hear that conversation by clicking this link.

At this point I’m leaning toward shooting the Pro 2500S, but I know any bow in the lineup will do the job.

Darton is a small Michigan company that doesn’t always make a lot of noise, but they’ve got lots to talk about…and I want to help them get the word out.

Darton bows have come a long way since the old SL50, but so has my bowhunting career.  That’s why it feels good to say “I’ve come home to Darton”.

Sponsors

Sponsors are more than just advertisers.  They’re key partners in the success of both the TV and radio shows.

Without sponsors there would be no Outdoor Magazine Radio or Jay’s Outdoor Magazine TV show.

Speaking of Jay’s, they’ve been with me since the beginning.  The Poet Family who own Jay’s Sporting Goods are the best people you’ll ever meet.  They have two stores, one in Clare and the other in Gaylord, Michigan…as well as a strong online presence.

If you’re looking for a first class retail or internet buying experience, I can’t recommend Jay’s highly enough.

I’m also excited to work with another Michigan company, Ameristep.  That company started with a single screw in treestep and they’ve grown to one of the major players in the hunting industry.  Ameristep now has a full line of top quality treestands and ground blinds to fill just about any hunting need.

Personal relationships mean a lot to me in my business, and the good folks at The Hunter Safety System are right at the top of my list.  John and Jerry Wydner and their good friend Jim Barta grew up hunting and fishing in Michigan.  Years later they would come up with the idea for a treestand safety harness that has saved countless lives.

I’m excited about some new partners on the radio show as well.  The Tru Glo company makes some great sights and binoculars,  New Archery Products (NAP) has a product for just about every bowhunter and Predator Trail Cams are some of the best on the market.

I’ll be talking more about those companies and their products in the future, as well as our other television partners.

On the radio side I’m blessed with great companies to work with as well.

In my opinion Starcraft Boats is the Great Lakes premiere aluminum fishing boat.  I’ve fished out of Starcrafts for years and I’m proud to be working with that fine company.

I’ve  worked with the Ieuter Insurance Group for a long time as well.  They handle all of our business and personal insurance work, and they specialize in hunting and fishing related policies.

The Sportsman Channel is a sponsor of the radio show as well.  I work closely with TSC on both TV and radio.  Sportsman is rapidly growing into the premiere outdoor television network and I’m glad to be partnered with them.

I’m also glad to be working with Jerry Slade of The Slade Group.  That company is Michigan’s premiere hunting land specialist.  If you’re looking to buy hunting land Jerry should be your first call.

And finally, our newest radio partner is Outdoor Adventures Resorts.  They’re  a series of first class resorts across eastern Michigan that offer something for every camper.

These are just a few of our sponsor/partners.  I’ll use this space in the future to talk more about each one of them in more detail.  I’ll also bring you up to speed on the companies we work with that are not listed in this post.

Thanks again to all our TV and radio partners!  Without you we couldn’t do it.

My Truck

I like trucks.  I like the way they drive, the way they look and the places they can take you.  For me, choosing a truck can be a tough decision because most of  today’s models are more comfortable and reliable than ever.

When it came time to to get a new truck last year I chose another Dodge. I got a Ram 1500 Quad Cab from my buddy Bill Martin at Martin Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep in Alma Michigan.

It’s a good looking truck, a light silver color  that hides dirt real well…but I wanted something more.   I wanted my ride to be different from all the others on the road.  The good folks at CamoHeadquarters.com had just what I was looking for.

I had worked with CamoHeadquarters before and knew their stuff was top quality, functional…and it looks good.

On this truck I went with fender flares and rocker panel accents….

I also chose tail light covers…

Along with hood, and window deflectors…

I got everything in Realtree AP Green HD.

All of the pieces were easy to install and the project took just a few hours.

I think it’s a pretty cool look, and I get lots of  attention from other drivers.

If you’d like to make a statement with your vehicle, check out CamoHeadquarters.com.  It’s an American company with good people and great products.

Outdoor Magazine Sponsors

There are numerous individuals and companies that help to bring you both the Outdoor Magazine Radio and Television shows each week.

In this section of the blog, we’ll pass along the latest news and information, as well as helpful links to those that support Outdoor Magazine.