Little Creek Calls

I had the great opportunity this past weekend to take my 10 year old son on his first turkey hunt. This really has been a hunt he has been getting ready for the last 10 years. From the time he was 1 he was going with me to the NWTF national convention watching the national calling contest, seeing my pot calls in the call making contest and meeting the primos crew who he had seen on the truth turkey hunting DVD’s so many times. He has been to 3 national conventions. He has also been fortunate to join me in turkey camp so many times through the years. He has been with me in the shop watching me make so many turkey calls and picked out the wood and the size and surfaces for the calls he wanted me to make for him. He is always asking me to make him something new. I started making the smaller sized pot calls (3” instead of 3 1/2”) to fit in his hands better. He has also attended with me to so many fund raising banquets all over Arizona and even volunteered and helped set up, clean up and run prizes to the winners at the last East Valley Toms banquet. 4 years ago he joined me at a turkey camp helping other youth hunters. On the first evening of the hunt he started experiencing really bad pain bellow his stomach. He ended up taking a helicopter ride from Show Low to Phoenix Children’s hospital because his intestine had developed a small hole and was leaking into his body. After 3 very painful weeks in the hospital and several procedures later he made a full recovery. I am so glad he pulled through and this experience has really helped me appreciate all the time I get to spend with him and his two younger brothers. This hunt started a little rough when getting out of our vehicle on opening morning in the dark to the wind howling. We just had to go from past experience hunting this area because we would not be able to hear them. It took an hour or so of calling and moving to locate them but we found them and had them coming in to our calls. We had a fence between us them and some were hanging up not wanting to cross. Two hens and a jake did cross and just as the others were getting ready to cross a vehicle came driving by and scarred the flock in the opposite direction. Later that morning we were able to call the two hens and jake to our setup but the jake never gave him a shot opportunity. The first evening had us trying a different area on the other side of the unit playing cat a mouse with a strutting tom and three hens. It was fun to watch him strut but the closest we could get him to come was about 50 yards, good enough for my 12 gauge with 3 ½” shells but not for the 20 gauge 3” he was using. No shot taken. The second morning we thought we had the perfect setup after seeing the birds travel pattern on opening morning. The turkeys had a different plan in mind and went the opposite direction. Knowing where they would probably be heading we left our decoy and setup and hurried on a quick mile hike to get in front of them. After a few minutes of calling it was confirmed we had made the right move with gobbles not to far off and sounding closer each time. The hole flock came in and he was able to make a great shot on the strutting tom at 10 yards. He was so happy and excited. I have been apart of over 40 birds being harvested all over the country but this is my new favorite most exciting turkey hunt I have been on. I am so happy for my son. I would like to thank Steve AKA Cactus Jack and his son for letting us borrow his youth 20 gauge. He was nervous about the recoil and didn’t want to use any our 12 gauges. Sorry for the long read, just glad I was able to be apart of this hunt and share a little of it with you.

A few other pictures with him.

Just after watching the video I would guess the $100 was found using the trail at the end of n school house Rd in carefree.

I just finished making this call that I am donating to the upcoming NWTF Banquet for the Mingus Mountain Longbeards. The banquet will be in Cottonwood on Saturday February 26th. Hope to see some of you there. The call is an aluminum calling surface in a Sweet Acacia pot. It has a matching Sweet Acacia striker with a Koa dowel.

Finished up one more call for the banquet. This one is a Vermont green slate calling surface in a Sinker Cypress pot. This wood was pulled from the bottom of the swamp in Louisiana and is hundreds of years old. The striker is also sinker Cypress. Hope to see some of you at the banquet on Saturday.

I will take it. I was going to make one for my son.

I am looking for some youth sized camo for my 10 year old son. He has his first upcoming spring turkey hunt in April. If anyone has any available please let me know. He is an average sized boy so I am thinking youth size L so he can wear it for a year or two. If you don't have any but have some recommendations I would appreciate those too. Its hard to find decent camo made for youth that have available stock.

Thanks for the suggestion, I hadn't thought about that approach.

Yes 10-12. He will be turning 11 this summer.

You would have needed 9 points to be guaranteed a tag. 8 points had 24 bonus pass tags but also had 49 applicants so around 50% draw odds.

How much do you want for your golden boy? My son would love a gun like this.

I would like to have seen turkey hunting legend Marvin Robbins on the list. Taught me and countless others in Arizona the love of turkey hunting.

Tell us a little bit about your bird, When and where was it killed? Who did the mount? beard and spur length?

A champ hunt tag would have to go to a champ permit holder. Tom Wagner would probably have more luck finding a disabled veteran with a champ permit than OE4A finding a champ permit holder.

Congrats on a nice bird. With the chocolate tipped tail feathers it looks all eastern. Were you far enough east in Kansas for a pure eastern or is it a hybrid?

If drcarr dosent take them I would like them.

Ill take the pontoon and L-R waders if still available. PM sent.

If you know where to go and know what you are doing you could get it done in a couple days. If you are wanting 12" or better the brook trout will need to come out of a lake and not a stream. You will also need to go to mt graham if you want to include Gila trout.

I switched to a red dot two or three years ago. Haven't missed a turkey since I switched. I use the vortex venom.

Sean I will take one. Give me a call and we can figure out a time to meet up.

My advice would be to stop in at Lee's ferry anglers at cliff dwellers buy a few flys and talk to Terry and Wendy Gunn. I am sure they will point you in the right direction for the walk in and be able to answer questions about other access points and trails. Report looks good 7 out of 10 for the walk in. https://leesferry.com/river-report/

They always have over 300 fall turkey tags left in 12A, I don't think that many more hunters put in for fall turkey. Deer leftovers have been drying up the last few years but there will be a list with at least 12A turkey leftovers.

I have been using a Yoder for 8 or 9 years and it is still running great. Cant beat the american made thicker steel construction. Gilbert fireplaces & BBQ (Gilbert & Warner) became an authorized dealer last year. They are a little more expensive than your Traegers, green mountain and pit bosses but like meatu said definitely a step up. They all come pre-assembled from Yoder but they are heavy 300 + pounds of solid steel.

Sean where are the pictures of your 2019 bull from Clay?

One of my favorite ways to prepare wild turkey, looks great. Congratulations on a nice bird.