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Everything posted by Code3
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Turkey 2024 delivered me Tag Soup š¤¦š»āāļø Not for lack of trying, just didnāt see THE single Tom we concentrated efforts towards. I did use Jacobās slate over slate pot call within my calling arsenal, and it did equal or better than any mass produced pot call. The decision to financially support a local, young manās craft makes me feel content to know that my cash isnāt going to a Wall Street conglomerate. Additionally, the customer service from Jacob & Dad (IA Born) exceeded my expectations. Day 1 I called in a chatty Hen that circled me at 30yrds, trying to find who was calling her out; done with Jacobās slate over slate call. Day 2 was cold, but found credible evidence of turkeys walking around us (pic), feeding scratches, plenty of Tom & Hen scat. The rest of the hunt presented sporadic Hens, without a Tom. If I only had a Mogollon Rim Governorās Tagā¦ freezer would be spilling over with Javelina, Elk, Muley, Bobcat, Hens, but no Toms. Back at it in 2025!
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Iām willing to prime a young entrepreneurās dream and business plan. I too donāt know enough about materials to advise my choice of the raw materials to be used, so dealerās choice. Iāll take (2). If your son crafts my order with the same attention to detail as he did for his own Dadās slate callā¦ thatās all I can ask. Can he complete in time for Spring 2024 hunt?
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Archery Pronghornā¦ I tip my hat to you. Thatās terrific š¤š»
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Dude, thatās beyond cool. You have built memories/stories for your Son & Grandkids that will last longer than you! Cherish these timesā¦ š¤š»
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With elk season over, I moved over to the Turkey thread to build anticipation for Spring 2024 with my son and got a look at this 4 beard. That is Bad A**!!! And at 10yrs!!! Nice sharing, with pics. Iām excited for another Turkey season.
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Today will be a grateful chore of deboning my first elk, & done with a bow. Lots of time spent prepping for this hunt: Road knowledge, locating concentrated areas of bugles at wee hours of AM, water holes, benches, & how bulls use the line of No Return (Rez border) to evade pursuit. This was a TUFF hunt; mostly due to my learning curve, but locals tell me this was the slowest they have seen in yrs. Seemed like all 125 tag holders brought 5 buddies in the forest, so many dudes buzzing around and sitting water! It was hot, smokey, high winds, & no cows to be seen/heard. I only saw 1 bull killed in the back of a truck. No real rutting activity until day 12!?! Bulls actively bugles from day 1 & called back to challenge buglesā¦ but no interest in cow calls. I donāt call often. I actually donāt like to call until the last 150yrdāfor any game. It was obvious when other hunters were near due to cow calls & the over frequency of use. I had my share of ācould have been doneā, like the 6x6 on Day 2 (narrow shooting lane and killed a tree at 63yrd). My caller granted me 8 days, then returned to the real world. I kept grinding. Hunt sun up to sun down. Trying different areas, different times of AM, different approaches. Even though bugles occurred every day, some days went by without seeing a bull. Then, things changed on day 12. Responsive bulls, yet still no cows (I guess I never found them). Bulls engaging to challenge calls & kept around with soft cow calls. I had activity all day long. I bumped a bull 5:30pm when pursuing his bugle. It ran 73yrd up hill. A scraggly tree 8ā in front of me partially broke up my figure. Quickly counted left side: G4, G5, G6=thinking this was a 6x6. Face to face we stared for āeternityā. He barked several times. Calmed him with meek cow calls. His caution factor overrode desire to breed and he slowly turned to walk away. Ranged at 83yrd, pulled back, broadside, WHACK, punched him with 100gr G5 Montec. Then heard a crash, but not sure of what was really happening due to topo incline changes. Found blood at impact site. Found bull 30yrd away, face down into a rotting tree on a steep slope. Ecstatic rush of achievement! Antlers were actually 5x6 with an earlier broken right G1, but I didnāt care! It was a late night. Had an awesome friend drive up to help pack out. While not a monster, he will be just fine as a memory to the huntās high/lows resting over the cabinās fireplace. Took him to Authentic Taxidermy/Troy Smith yesterday; it was a haul & I passed several taxidermist en route, but Troy did great work on my pronghorn. History has shown meāgo with the proven & you wonāt regret it. Troy asked if I wanted G1 tine fixedā¦ āNope, keep him just as I found himā.š¹
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Thanks for all the feedback from positive members within coueswhitetail.com . Guess I need to start hunting coues now. š
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Yup, more horses than a Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo. When will they allow thinning of the herd like North Rim Buffalo? š Those prolific horses are like a riding lawn mower, eating everything in itās path.
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I have to say with candid honesty, Iāve taken a break from this forum due to the cat like retorts between members. I am glad I had a couple minutes during a burrito break and chose the Elk Hunting chapter to flick through, finding your recent post success. It was refreshing, funny, and a good read. Congrats on a hot weather elk hunt! Especially DIY. Nicely done! Thank you for sharing, with pics too!
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If you have no expectations of cleanliness, PM quiet hours, boat/gear security, family environmentā¦ you wonāt be disappointed. Iām sure youāll get a great nightly rate that will make up for everything š
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Nocturnalās lighted archery noch. I think I could have got longer illumination time by taping a sparkler to my arrow. š
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So happy for your archery success and divine timing! Donated tag, ability to go hunt with little notice, clockwork logistics under adverse weather conditions, stealthy approach, perfect arrow placement on AZās biggest gameā¦ this was better than the lottery. Congrats. Thank you for your SERVICE. šŗšø
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Turkey by bow! So cool š¦
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Each year I look forward to a Merriam Turkey tagā¦ sentimentally itās because this species was my first āBig Gameā harvest back in 2017. Yesterday marked my 4th solo shotgun harvest. I like to walk the woods and cold call 2 days prior to opening day for a first morning success, but Iāve never shot a Longbeard opening day! I usually go through the highs and lows of hunting before earning these big birds. This year was no exception. The wind was down right awful to hear or be heard. This yearās Tom was memorable because of how long we danced before pulling the trigger. I saw him walking the woods before he saw me so I quickly sat down without any real structure to blend into. He liked my slate scratching enough to fan out and strut at 55yrd, but there were brushy limbs between us. I kept that call close to my chest without any movement except the wrist. Little did I know, his Hen was behind me and walked past me to group up with the Tom. Once the two reunited, he wasnāt about to leave her and walk uphill into my shooting lane. After 50min of him fanning / strutting / feeding, I realized I had to move in. Slowly removed my vest and all other non essentials that would drag during the creep in. When he fanned facing the opposite direction, I balanced the 12ga on my lap and crab crawled in with the slate call. Occasionally throwing out some clucks and purrs to keep his attention. Took him at 09:45 35yrd puffed up in full fan. What a show!
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āCharacterize people by their actions and you will never be fooled by their words.ā I like to use this anonymous quote when dealing with people you have built little background with. (Actions speak louder than words.) A Taxidermist can preserve your fantastic hunt memories or mutilate your efforts to recall those mental snapshots that we try to retain in tangible possessions. Luckily, I have more positive experiences with these animal stuffers than negative. I feel those Taxidermists Iāve had poor outcomes with were due to choices based on price and convenienceā¦ and it usually didnāt pay out mutually beneficial. A Forum allows participants a medium where ideas and views can be exchanged to help / learn from each other. I hope sharing my experience will assist others in comparing & choosing reliable Taxidermists. I enjoy giving credit where credit is due (Authentic Taxidermy in Chino Valley!) and usually let lesser people get what they deserve without criticism. But todayās taxidermy dialog got me writing this to expose terrible business practices so others donāt fall to the same poor customer service I received. Especially when these āprofessionalsā subcontract their work out at a 33% profit margin and just collect the cash. Specifically Iām calling out Southwest Wildlife Taxidermy- Jim Hartsock. A brick and mortar, long established, well advertised company who forgot about customer service. You can say all you want about how Jim may have treated you well in the past (Or) maybe he just had a bad day today. But that was then and this is now. No matter what business your in and feat you have servedā¦ you will only be remembered for your last action. Regardless of Covid setbacks! Dropped hide on 2/25/21, paid 1/3 down payment, and was promised 10mo for a āsimpleā javelina rug; At 12mo I made a phone call to inquire about the progress only to hear Jimās business phone message stating, āWe are not answering the phone because it takes away from working on your project.ā; At 12mo I sent a documented email to Jim asking for info on the completion. I got the general response of how tanneries are backlogged 11mo and suppliers backlogged 2-3mo. All taxidermy completion is now expected 16-18mo from time of drop off; 4/5/22 I called Jimās rug subcontractor and was told they did not have my javelina; 5/2/22 Jim actually answered his business phone and proceeded to tell me that he delivered my javelina tanned hide to the subcontractor over ālast weekendā. But after hearing my feedback on the completion delay and how other reputable taxidermists were turning out half mounts in 6mo, Jim said he will get the hide back from the subcontractor and āmailā it to me. Furthermore telling me calling him was, āwasting his timeā. Jim was essentially washing his hands of any commitment to completion. Even after 1/3 down payment provided 14mo ago; I called his rug subcontractor and was emphatically informed that the javelina was not at their establishment; Jim learned that I called the rug contractor and called me to advise the hide was still at his shop. So who knows when the hide was sent to the tannery and when it was received back in Scottsdale?; After confirming I owed no further money for work or supplies, I picked up the tanned hide today from Jim. Biting my tongue to a bloody lump of flesh so I wouldnāt regret any off color statements about his ethics; I then dropped off a frozen Turkey to a bird Taxidermist & proceeded to deliver the tanned Javelina and a second frozen Javelina to the rug Specialist. Pure satisfaction while executing choices to whom I choose to do business with! Never again with Southwest Wildlife Taxidermy LLC. I hope my negative experience and illustration of Jimās āIDCā attitude guides you to a positive selection to materialize those memories we Hunters seek through taxidermy. Itās too early to endorse my choices of Bird Specialist and Rug Specialist, but I will continue this forum after seeing their work. Yet their Customer Service over the phone and in person leads me to believe it was essential to cut ties with Jim Hartsock.
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I just receivedļ»æļ»æļ»æļ»æļ»æļ»æļ»æ back my 2022 Merriam Spring Turkey. 10months turn around. Taxidermist Sven Eberson, Wildlife Wings & Deļ»æsļ»æignsļ»æ. No hassle, fair pricing, no excuses, respectful, and honļ»æestly friendly. Iām sure it will look even better onceļ»æļ»æļ»æļ»æļ»æļ»æļ»æ mounted in the vaulted ceiling under day light! š¦ļ»æ
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In case your wondering where to take your 2023 Spring birdā¦ i just received back my 2022 Merriam Spring Turkey. 10months turn around. Taxidermist Sven Eberson, Wildlife Wings & Designs. No hassle, fair pricing, no excuses, respectful, and honestly friendly. Iām sure it will look even better once mounted in the vaulted ceiling under day light! š¦
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15:53 Archery Bull charge. Gonna be a sweet September!
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Let's see ALL the cool stuff you've done with Javelina...
Code3 replied to Mr September's topic in Javelina
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Call Andrea for current pricing. I posted her contact info. She ACTUALLY answers the phone, returns text, and exceeds expectations. That alone is worth her fair price. IMOā¦ if your hunt and take was memorable enough that you want taxidermy, can you really put a price on the prize? š
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To bring my closure on this threadā¦ I canāt be happier with the service, turn around, communication, and final presentation. Here are two rugs done by Andreaās Custom Rugs.
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I watched āMy Life As A Turkeyā tonightā¦ (Found it on the internet from the BBC posted 7yr ago). It was entertaining for a 1hr viewing; kind of reminded me of the movie, My Octopus Teacher. So Iām not trying to āSiskel and Ebertā this production, but I will say if you can watch it through and take away the Turkey vocalsā¦ you will be better prepared for cues to the Turkey presence within the woods. Good luck to all those seeking Tomās this Spring. š¦
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There are wildlife conservationists who DO it & those who TALK about the importance of doing it. If each CWT reader could emulate Clair, and bring along another person(s) for the cause, imagine the exponential positive impacts that wildlife populations would return back us. Thank you Clair, for 36 years.
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Nice job Moffat! -McB.