Kentucky:Ky youth turkey

Let me start off by saying congratulations to coach calipari,players,and all you hard core cat fans!!!!!!It's been a great ncaa tournament so far.I hope they go all the way but if they don't,it has been a awesome year.They have really went farther then anybody ever thought they would.Come on ,14th final four app,27th sec title,that is awesome!!Ok that is enough about the all time most wins in ncaa history.Ok, back on track.Big weekend in ky,there is several youth boneheads as well as there bonehead parents headed to the bluegrass state to put the hurt on some thunder chickhens.Hopefully I will be back on the blog on monday with some awesome success stories.God bless u all.I KILLED A TURKEY!!!!!!

UK in Final Four, Gobble report

Ok Dave... lets hear it! UK is in the final four and I have to say looking pretty hard to beat. Should be a great game with UConn! I will be rooting for the Butler Bulldogs tho! Gotta love it! Should be some great games! Gobbling has picked up some, even with the cold weather. Only have listened a few times but it sounds like the toms have started splitting up....so its definitely getting time! Cant wait! If a guy plans on trying it with a bow its time to check your equipment, practice shooting and polish up on your calling. Im feeling that fimilar urge to head south and get started early!!

Glenn's B-day

Its Glenn's birthday today..........Happy Birthday little brother! I figured out why Glenn's a pretty darn good turkey hunter.....he was born at that time of year when the gobbling is starting to get going good.....something mystical and magical at work there! Cant figure out why he cant catch fish tho!

I remember before Glenn turkey hunted, I practically had to twist his arm to get him to try it. He was a deer hunter and didn't want anything to do with some "dumb, ugly turkey". Well he finally decided to give it a try and got him one on his first season...he has been addicted every since. I would hate to guess the number of birds that have been fooled by the sweet sounds of his calling. I would put him up there with the best.....he definitely has a feel for the little things that make a BIG difference when it comes to hunting turkeys. Now. I taught him everything he knows ( just not everything I know) so no wonder he's got it down! Lol! Seriously, he's one of the best turkey hunters I know, and I'm proud to have him as my little brother.

p.s. he actually is a pretty good fisherman too....usually out fishes me....which isn't saying much tho.....

March Madness

Well for all us basketball fans the madness starts today. I love this time of year not just because of approach of turkey season but also for march madness. Gotta love it!!

Its halftime of the Uof L / Morehead St game and its tied at 33! Cards got off to slugish start and went down 15 to 2. Morehead St has the nations leading rebounder and he is showing us why!...and Siva has 3 first half fouls!!...Gonna be a tough 2nd half.......Come on Cards!!

U of L Spank the irish!!

The cards just came back with tough D, and a little sharp shooting, and beat the irish!!!

GO CARDS!!!!!!

Louisville Cardinals

Well, it can't always be about the great outdoors! Tonight, my Cardinals take on the fighting irish. I hope like heck they pull this one out!

.........Oh, I almost forgot,.........I heard some more gobbling this morning.

Well there it is, I guess I'm wrong,.............it IS always about the great outdoors!

Antler Shed Theory

Its that time of year to start looking for sheds....well, at least I thought so. Usually by the first week in March, most, if not all, of the bucks have shed their seasons headgear. But this year is a little different. Lately I, and other hunters as well have noticed several bucks with their antlers still attached. This is not the first time I've seen this. The following is my theory on some of the reasons bucks shed when they do. This is strictly my opinion based on over 30 years of studying whitetails in southern Indiana. I have kept log books ever since I started hunting, logging everything a guy could possibly think of and over the years some definite patterns have become obvious ( I recommend every hunter to keep a log. It definitely has helped me to bag some nice bucks). Anyway, I believe there are three key factors that determine when a buck loses his antlers; Nutrition, Health , and Buck /Doe ratio. Now most of the bucks I'm talking about spend most of their time in hardwood timber, bedding and feeding. First Nutrition.....Ive noticed that when the acorn production is low most bucks tend to shed as early as the first week or two of December. With the opposite being true on bumper acorn years, with most bucks hanging on to their racks til well into march and even in to April. When there is good acorn crop the deer around here are fat and healthy. Now nutrition kind of goes along with the acorn crop production in my area, but if its a low acorn year and a buck can get into some exceptional feed that he can eat until things start to green up then he may shed later. If a buck is in poor health or injured this of course can cause him to shed early. And finally, I believe the buck to doe ratio effects shed time also but not as strongly as the other two. When the buck doe ratio is way out of balance, with there being lots of does for the bucks to breed, almost all the bucks get into the breeding pool...even the young 1 1/2 olds. So testosterone levels in most bucks are high. On the other hand when then buck to doe ratio is closer to even, or what we call good, then only the more dominant bucks get to do the breeding, with testosterone levels low in young, non breeders and high in the dominant big boys. Possibly causing the dominant bucks to hang on to their antlers later, that is providing that he is not too run down from rutting activity, then especially a bucks nutrition becomes important to the equation.

Well there you have it....just my opinions. Here is a couple of tips for finding those boney treasures....
Hunt south facing slops.......hunt where you know bucks spend most there time in the late winter/ early spring ( bedding, feeding, trails or routes between)......but wait til you KNOW they have shed or you'll bust bucks out of your area before they drop.......hunt on overcast, cloudy days, I prefer a light rain, makes them stand out more.....lastly carry a shed with you and throw it out there every now and then to get your eyes trained again on what to look for...kind of like finding that first mushroom, once you find one the rest get easier.

Well good luck looking for those amazing antlers!

Next I'll give some thoughts on buck/ doe ratios and doe harvests.

See ya in the woods!

where's Kent?

Has anybody heard from Mr.G?Have not seen a comment or new post from him.Has he quit hunting & fishing or what?

Turkey hunting dates

Well, the spring turkey season is getting close, so for anyone interested, here are the season dates for Kentucky and Indiana. Kentucky youth - April 2nd and 3rd. Kentucky regular season - April 16th to May 8th. Indiana youth - April 23rd and 24th. Indiana regular season - April 27th to May 15th.

We'll be traveling back and forth between Kentucky and Indiana trying to get as many birds on film as we can. This is absolutely my favorite time of year!

.......and remember, you can lead a horse to water, but that doesn't make him a duck.

Thanks to Jim "Pointerman" Beasley

Just wanted to take a moment and thank Jim for all the hard work he's put in on our website and this blog. All your effort is certainly appreciated. I owe you a turkey hunt brother!

Just maybe I could talk you into letting me tag along on an upland bird hunt, (hint, hint). I would love to watch them pointers work.

............anyway, you can't see me, but I'm giving you the BareBones salute!

Thank God Everyday

Life is tough, especially in todays world. The economy is in the toilet, there are many people out of work, and I paid $3.47 a gallon for gas! ...............But you know something, I walked in my house after a hard day of work today, and my little dog Max was there to greet me with a lick to the face. About an hour later, my kids got home from school, and I was there to greet them with a hug. My Wife showed up shortly after, and again, a big 'ol hug for me. ................It's real easy to get depressed over all the bad things going on in this world, I'm here to tell you, take the time to count your blessings! I have so much to be thankful for. God has blessed me with a great wife and kids, a great family, and great friends. I appreciate all of them more than I can put into words.

Don't let life get you down. Count your blessings, and especially thank the good Lord above!

That's my inspirational sermon for the day, I'm sure there will be more to come!

..........and remember, there is no such thing as a bad day huntin.

How sweet it is!!!!!!!!!!

Whew, I am so glad it's friday. Had great trip home from work today, seen 37 turkeys in 1 field, all hens,seen 12 in another field, 4 strutters in this group. Have alot to look foward to this month, first we are heading to guntersville in about 2 weeks to hook up with some real bucket mouths. Next, Glenn, Scott, the kids, and myself are heading to KY for some signs of thunder chickens. Can't wait for the first bass tourny of the year. Fred is really fired up about that also. 5 in the well, bout 22lbs, oh yea!!!!! Remember always, thanks to the 1 that created all things. GO AHEAD............

Feeling Spring

I saw two big old toms strutting a couple days ago. They were tagging along with about 15 hens. As I drove closer they shock gobbled to the sound of my truck. I could see their long spurs as I passed them! After I was by them they stepped back out and got back to showin off for the girls! Awesome sight to see! Gotta love spring turkey hunting! Amazing how a bird can cause a guys heart to pound with such excitement and then other times bring out emotions you didn't even know existed.

Heard a bunch of frogs today at a small water hole just singin the sounds of spring. Saw and heard a couple flocks of cranes flying over yesterday evening while I was throwing baseball with my boys. All signs of that spring is near here in southern Indiana.

Found a few sheds so far, nothing really big yet, but I haven't really went looking hard yet. Plan to soon though.

Got wood to cut and a food plot to clear before turkey season gets here. Going to try and get my youngest son started on shooting a real gun soon, so lots to do, and I'm thankful for it!
Looking forward to filming with all the BareBones crew this year. Cant wait!!

...and did I mention I feelin the urge to wet a line!! Man I love spring!!!

Early Gobbling

Heard my first gobble of the year yesterday morning. Really makes it hard to go to work. I hope the boss-man understands that I'm gonna be distracted for the next few months. That turkey fever is contagious.

I've had people tell me that they think I'm half turkey, ...........that's crazy,...............I'm ALL turkey. lol

Dave and I will have the camera rolling this weekend. Trying to get some of them early spring gobbles on film.

....Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Louisville basketball is #1!

............go ahead.

3/2/11

I posted the website on a few outdoor forums that I visit frequently and it has been a hit 175 hits in 24 hours, now guys just keep gettin the word out there.

Went to the Doctor

I just got back from the doctor, and it ain't good.
He says I got a fever, ................and the only prescription is more cow-bell.