Capt. Don Martin
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Posts posted by Capt. Don Martin
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My friend Eric and I had second season tags and no doubt this was the toughest turkey hunt I've ever been on at the San Carlos.
Took me 12 days and Eric 13 days to get it done.
We heard and saw birds everyday; morning and evening, but they just would not come in.
I finally got my bird to come in after an hour and only 3 calls to him.
When he came in he was NOT in strut, just feeding and walking straight at me. Got him at 41 yards using the new Spectra Shot White Lightning 3.5 inch turkey loads with 2 1/4 oz of nickel plated hard lead shot at 41 yards!
Eric got his bird on day 13 and ambushed him on the way to the roost. Had one hen with him!
We had figured out the roosts and the way they were coming in, and Eric got it done.
Beautiful gobbler!
My bird weighed just over 18 lbs., and had a solidi 9 inch beard and one long spur. His fan was messed up from all the flopping he did after I shot him!
Eric's bird had a good 10 inch beard and also weighed over 18 lbs., but had short stubby spurs. His fan was PERFECT!
Definitely saw way less birds than ever before!
Not sure if they are putting out too many tags or what.
Got early season tags for 2016, hope the action is better!
Saw bearded hens, one had at least a 4 1/2 inch beard!
I almost took her, and maybe next year I will. I will get her mounted so I can use her in our Hunter Education class and show the kids what one looks like. Only 10% of the Merriam hens sport a beard, so finding one that had a fairly long beard was unusual.
Was a fun hunt, and had every kind of weather you can imagine from snow, sleet, hail to hard rain and lots and lot of wind!
Saw a couple of bears and a bobcat stalking two hens as they were coming to roost; bald eagles, ospreys, elk, antelope mule deer, whitetail deer, squirrels and even some Mearns quail!
Can't wait till next year!
By the way the Merriams finished up my turkey TRIPLE CROWN for 2015.
I got a good Rio Grande in Nevada
He had a 10 1/2 inch tri-pod beard, weighed over 18 lbs. and had some nice spurs. 1 shot at 30 yards!
I also got a super Goulds gobbler in Unit 35A. on opening day. He had three strands of beard that were an honest 13 inches long, good spurs, and weighed over 20 lbs. I shot at 27 yards!
Figured it out. I had 20 days of scouting or hunting turkeys, and 6 days of driving to and from the units I was at.
With all the problems I had go wrong on the San Carlos, I figured that Merriams was a $1,000 gobbler! LOL
Can't wait till next year to see what the turkey gods will throw at me!
Don Martin
Arizona Wildlife Outfitters
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Hey a big congratulations to Basser aka Ross, who also took a great bird on opening morning!
He then headed off to the Kaibab for his buffalo hunt!
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Day Three on San Carlos!
Weather finally gone!
Eric and I heard 8 gobblers before 8 a.m. But nothing came into shotgun range!
Weather beautiful right now! Hope it stays that way!
Still got time to get er done and finish off the Triple Crown!
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Yes I am all done! Got a really nice gobbler yesterday morning. Three of the beard strands were 13 inches long and the main beard was 11 inches.Weighed 20 pounds 8 ounces Spurs were an inch long on both legs. I met Sven last night in Phoenix and he picked up the bird. He will be doing a full strut mount for it. Thanks for the heads up. Sven seems like a very nice guy.
headed to San Carlos right now to start the Merriams hunt. This will be the last leg of my 2015 Triple Crown on turkeys!
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Anyone got a number for them? I can't find one on Google!
Don Martin
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Hey if anyone has a suggestion about a good turkey taxidermist, then send me a phone number. I'm on the road right now and would prefer to not have to drive to Phoenix to drop off a bird if and when I get one!
Don Martin
Arizona Wildlife Outfitters
P/S. I'll be in a beat up 2006 Ford F-350, beige in color. Be staying in my Thor 5th wheel. My buddy has a grey Toyota Tundra, might be out in that one.
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Got a good Rio Grande in Nevada (10 1/2 inch brushy beard) and headed for Unit 35A tomorrow. Hope to locate a few birds for the Friday opener.
This was my bird a couple of days before I took him!
I saw a ton of birds, decided to be really selective.
Could have shot a gobbler any day I was there!
My buddy had the third season and shot the new Nevada state record bird (4 beards!) on that hunt.
Hope they are turned on in Unit 35A.
Looking forward to my hunt!
Don Martin
Arizona Wildlife Outfitters
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My friend Eric and I will be headed up to San Carlos for the second season AFTER I get a Goulds in Unit 35A!
I heard that you can only use a 22 magnum now up there. Otherwise, shotgun only!
Oh well, I think the 12 ga will get er done!
How did the early hunt go?
I did get a nice Rio Grande in Nevada a few weeks ago. 10 1/2 inch beard..
Don Martin
Arizona Wildlife Outfitters
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As soon as I am done with the Goulds I am headed to San Carlos; so I'd like to drop it off on my through Tucson.
Don Martin
Arizona Wildlife Outfitters
928-303-9481
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I am really hoping to get a good Goulds on the hunt that starts on Friday in Unit 35A.
I would like to have him mounted (assuming I get a good one) like these birds are.
Anyone willing to do one like this and how much!
Don Martin
Arizona Wildlife Outfitters
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Heading to Unit 35A tomorrow to start scouting for the Friday opener!
Was down there a few years ago with a friend and got a boomer on opening day in less than 15 minutes in the field.
Can't wait...gonna try and get some good video of this scouting trip and hunt.
Good luck!
Don Martin
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I just some brand new turkey loads to use on this year's hunt.
They are called White Lightning High Velocity turkey loads. They are manufactured by Spectra Shot. These 3.5 inch shells are loaded with 2 1/4 ounces of nickel plated #5 lead shot,
I have a friend, Jay Menefee, who is loading these shells for Spectra Shot, and they asked me to try them out on this year's turkey hunts.
Gonna borrow a friend's Benelli Nova 12 ga. pump shotgun that shoots these 3 1/2 inch shells.
In the testing they have done at the PolyWad factory back in Georgia, these shells have produced some incredible patterns!
Can't wait to gout and do some testing of them before the hunts start.
Don Martin
Arizona Wildlife Outfitters
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This is going to be a heck of a fun year chasing and calling gobblers.
I just found out that I drew the ONLY NR turkey tag for the second hunt in the Moapa unit! That hunt starts early April.
Then I'll run down to Unit 35A and look for a big Gould's gobbler as I got a tag there.
As soon as that hunt is over, I'll head for the San Carlos Reservation for the second season hunt.
Plus I found out that I drew a FIRST season tag on the San Carlos for 2016.
Never hunted the early season and I'm curious about how the birds will be responding on that hunt!
Don Martin
Arizona Wildlife Outfitters
My last San Carlos Merriam's
I found this great Gould's gobbler on my friend's hunt!
My last Nevada turkey, a nice Rio Grande
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As you all know, once again the antis are all over the coyote hunts in Arizona.
The Pima County Board of Supervisors rolled over first. And in a year or two, their citizens and their pets will pay the price!
It is estimated that Arizona has a coyote for every square mile in the state. That's a heck of a lot of coyotes.
We know that coyotes are the number one predator on antelope fawns, and these predators do a number on deer fawns, elk calves, turkey poults and javelina redds.
The Mohave Sportsman Club is once again holding their Antelope Eaters Coyote Suppression hunt on March 7-8 out of Seligman.
The reason for this hunt is to remove coyotes from prime antelope (and other big game) fawning or calving areas in northern Arizona.
We need hunters to come up and help out. You can have 2 or 3 member teams. Entry fees are $50 for 2 member teams and $75 for three member teams.
Entry fees can be paid by check that are post marked up to February 27. After that and until March 6th, entry fees must be cash only!
Late entries can be made on March 6th at the Black Cat Bar in Seligman up to 10 p.m. Again cash only!
And for those want to hunt on Boquillas Ranch for free, you can pick up a permit from Cindy Seff at the Black Cat. These permits are free, but you must have one BEFORE you hunt on the ranch!
Send in your hunt application- which can be downloaded off of the MSC website at www.mohavesportsmanclub.com to Mohave Sportsman Club, ATTN Antelope Eaters, P.O. Box 6391 Kingman, AZ 86402.
The club is also asking for donations for the prize table. Hunters can purchase raffle tags for these prizes too.
We are asking businesses and individuals to donate to this event too..Things like taxidermists who can donate whole or partial discounts for work would be greatly appreciated.
We could use custom coyote calls, and really anything that you want to donate.
By the way, the MSC is a 501C3 organization.
The club already has over 50 teams registered and we're hoping to get a hundred more.
As part of the raffle, the club is giving away not one, but TWO Rock River Arms Predator AR's!
Tickets are $5 each or five for $20 and can be picked up at the hunt either Saturday or Sunday before the 2 p.m. deadline.
This is going to be a fun hunt and I hope to see a lot of you again.
I've been asked to be the Emcee so I promise we'll have some fun at the drawing!
If you need any more information, give me a call at 928-303-09481 or you can email me at info@arizonawidlifeoutfitters.com
If our event saves even ONE antelope fawn, deer fawn, elk calve, turkey poult or javelina redd then it is a worthwhile event.
We know we will never eliminate coyotes off the landscape, and we don't want to.
We just want to help our wildlife at a time when they need it most.
Don Martin
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Funny how many friends you get when you get a Gould's tag! LOL. Couple of my buddies (Eric Hawkinberry & Don Tirpak) are going with me as they have high hopes of getting a Gould's tag someday and want to see the country. Glad to have them along.
This is going to be a special year I think!
Looking forward to a great Gould's hunt, will go down about a week early and start scouting.
Will hopefully get one as I also have a San Carlos tag (Merriams)
Plus I applied for a Nevada tag (Rio Grande), so if successful there, will have three birds to chase this year.
Just got to figure out how to get to Florida in 2016 and hunt that long legged Osceola to finish up my slam!
Don Martin
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On page 48 of the 2014-2015 Arizona Hunting Regulations it says for turkeys, "Centerfire rifles, muzzleloading rifles and and handguns are no longer legal methods of take."
What was that site again where this was posted?
Don Martin
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I have been fortunate enough to hunt on the San Carlos for turkeys a couple of times.
Never been lucky enough to see "hundreds of them" like Ramirez!
This is about the best I've seen!
I need to take that guy along with me on my second season hunts!
Don Martin
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That AR is a Rock River Arms Fred Eichler Series. It comes with that coyote print hand guard. Has a cryo barrel and tuned muzzle break.
Gun shoots really, really well.
Need a business name for a good javelina taxidermist.
Don Martin
Arizona Wildlife Outfitters
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This weekend myself and good friend Eric Hawkinberry from Glendale, had the pleasure of taking out an awesome young lady, Laura Borden of Golden Valley, AZ on her first ever javelina hunt.
Laura had drawn a Youth only tag in Unit 18B.
Laura would be using my Rock River Arms Fred Eichler Series AR-15 as she absolutely loves to shoot this rifle and is deadly accurate with it! She was using Fiocchi Match factory ammo loaded with Sierra 77 grain HPBT bullets.
The top group was shot by her brother Ryan. Laura's group is the three shots that are touching!
On Saturday, Eric glassed up small herd of pigs. Eric and Laura eased into 40 yards of the group of 6 pigs that were feeding on a steep hillside.
Laura settled in on the largest pig in the group and touched off the AR.
I was watching and filming the entire event from 700 yards away through the Swaro spotting scope.
Laura was shooting off the Bog Pod as the grass and brush was high, and made a perfect heart/lung shot.
The boar weighed 37 lbs. 14 oz (field dressed) and currently the leader of our BIG PIG contest.
We are all really proud of this young lady who has a passion for hunting and fishing like you can't believe.
She also got a left over Youth javelina tag in Unit 16A, so we went over there today, but didn't see any pigs.
Plans are to go out next Friday and spend the weekend trying to locate her another pig.
A fun time was had by all, can't wait to go out again! Hunting with young hunters is an experience you'll never forget!
Don Martin
Arizona Wildlife Outfitters
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Took 15-year-old Laura Borden from Golden Valley out for her first ever javelina hunt in Unit 18B this weekend.
Using my Rock River Arms Fred Eichler Series AR-15, she put the smack down on a boar at 40 yards on Saturday.
It weighed field dressed, 37 lbs. 14 oz!
She also has a tag for Unit 16A (left over) and went there on Sunday.
Didn't see any there however.
She had a great time and loves to shoot that AR.
Going back out next week to Unit 16A again, and see what we can find.
Many thanks to the Arizona Game & Fish Department for having Youth only hunts that let first time hunters get into the field without having to compete with mom, dad and Uncle Charlie!
Don Martin
Arizona Wildlife Outfitters
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This weekend I took out a awesome young lady on her first ever javelina hunt.
Laura had a tag in Unit 18B.
She practiced and practiced with my Rock River Arms AR-15 until she got dialed in with Fiocchi Match 77 grain HPBT ammo.
Hers is the three shot group that is touching! Her brother Ryan shot the other group.
Anyway Laura put the smack down on a very respectable boar that field dressed weighed 37 lbs. 14 oz. on Saturday.
I skinned it out and am considering getting it mounted for her.
Haven't had a pig mounted for years.
Just wondering what is the cost of a closed mouth and/or open mouth pig?
Thanks,
Don Martin
Arizona Wildlife Outfitters
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That 61 lbs wasn't a field dressed pig was it?
That's a whopper for sure
Don Martin
AWO
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Gorgeous ram!
Just wondering if G&F said anything to about your tag location when you brought him in? It isn't legal to tag the horn anymore...
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A few years ago I had a Remington Model 7 in 260 caliber built for my sweetie to use for everything from pigs to elk.
Put a 3x9 Leupold compact on it, a camo fiberglass stock, cut down to fit her, and even a muzzle break installed to reduce recoil.
I know this is the RRA AR, but Remington is in the background.
And no she's not not the one I had the 260 built for. Her name is Laura.
Laura did shoot it and the first shot was under the bull seye, but the next two were almost touching..
Laura shoots awesome off the bench!
Remington shoots darts with 140 grain Remington factory ammo.
Haven't reloaded for it yet, anyone got a good recipe to try?
I like the 140 grain bullets, but would try others if they shoot good and have good results on game.
Don Martin
Need a taxidermist for my Goulds!
in Turkeys!
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Here are some pictures of my TRIPLE CROWN birds this Spring and that my friend Eric Hawkinberry took on the second season on the San Carlos.
Rio Grande-- Moapa Nevada
Just over 18 lbs., good spurs and 10 1/2 inch beard.
Goulds-- Unit 35A Southern Arizona
20 lbs. 8 oz, good spurs, three beard strands that were an honest 13 inches! Main beard a solid 11 inches!
Being mounted by Sven..
Merriams-- San Carlos Reservation, second hunt
18 lbs. 2 oz, one long spur, other was short and stubby. 9 inch beard
Fan is all beat up as he was flopping so much!
My friend Eric Hawkinberry also got a great San Carlos gobbler on Day 13.
18 lbs 4 oz, solid 10 inch beard, short, stubby spurs.
Don Martin
Arizona Wildlife Outfitters