Recent Hunting Account
Earlier Self Guided Hunt AssessmentTo Jon and all MAHA staff: I wanted to share some thoughts with you folks - finally, as these have been rolling around inside my head for some time now. I think I’ve been a member now for 3 or 4 years. I first joined after losing access to approximately 6,000 acres of prime hunting ground in Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma over a 5 to 6 year span. Generally, access was lost when the landowner passed away and the land was left to children or spouses. Typically, the property was either subdivided and old or leased. In any event, I found myself without hunting properties and with family and career, little chance to replace or find new properties. I began looking into leasing and stumbled around for several years, talking with landowners and other hunters before accidentally "discovering" Mid America Game Bird Association (back then). Following several discussions with Jon and John I, somewhat reluctantly I’ll have to admit signed up and paid the dues. The following paragraph is a feeble attempt at describing to you and the MAHA staff why that has been one of the better decisions I’ve made. I have found MAHA's philosophies to fit nicely with mine. I admire the organization’s management style and the steps you take in providing opportunities to members for accessing quality properties in an organized and regulated manner. As I gracefully age (I hope) I find myself caring less and less about the kill and more and more about the opportunities to walk new properties and see what's over the next rise, down the next ridge, and across the next holler. I have found that the opportunities to hunt and walk properties in parts of Kansas and Missouri, that I would have otherwise ignored or missed out on, is very much appreciated. I have harvested very few animals on club land this 2001-2002 hunting season. As a matter of fact, one big doe in Kansas has been it...no other deer this year, no ducks, geese, dove, turkeys, squirrels, nothing. I have, however, had many chances to sit up in trees in October and November (one of my most favorite activities) and read many fine novels, watch the world slowly drift by, and solve many important and critical world problems I have also had the opportunity to see wonderful sunsets, brilliant sunrises and look out over acres and acres of beautiful country and just sit and watch. I tend to select properties to hunt alone. Without the potential for interrupting other's hunts or others interrupting my solitude and idle wanderings. I find
myself caring less each season about scent control, perfect stand placement, or
wearing the best camouflage pattern I can find and more about all the other
parts - seeing, watching, smelling, feeling and all that other touchy, feely
stuff - its hell getting old. In all seriousness, I have appreciated and
thoroughly enjoyed my time with the club and look forward to many more years and
bringing my kids into the club to continue their education as responsible,
honest, ethical, skilled, and humane hunters and fishermen (and women, my little
redheaded daughter is quite the fisherman and already looking forward eagerly to
her first deer hunt). I also hope to take more advantage in the future to spend
more time on association properties... walking if nothing else. So...keep up the
good work –you all can count on my continued support. Many thanks to you and your staff, Sincerely, Matthew Turkey Hunt
Matthew
Read some more about Matthew, sons and daughter do it yourself outdoor adventures? Or, this page highlight another youth deer hunt, and the next season. |
Hey
Jon and John…had a good time this past weekend during the opener of deer gun
season…my two sons, my brother, and I hunted a farm up north that I had never
been on before and it was a real treat…I like hunting that real open county
where you can see for miles. We ran into so much wildlife that I’m anxious to
get back up to that county later this year during quail season and then maybe
next spring for turkey season – lots of deer, more turkey on a ½-section than
I’ve seen anywhere else, coyotes, rabbits, quail, etc. We saw a total of 7
bucks, 5 of which could be considered “shooters” including two real pigs…both
10-pointers…that we couldn’t quite get a shot at…they were chasing does to the
exclusion of all else and I couldn’t get either buck to stop long enough for a
decent shot. My oldest son Jarod killed his first buck – a respectable 8-pointer
(one busted G3) – that he made a great shot on…he was hunting on his own for the
first time and was pretty excited about it. I’ve included a couple of pictures
from the hunt and a photo of my youngest son Yance with “Taco” a
soon-to-be-quail dog (I have grand expectations). Talk to you all later. Matthew
Hey
Jon and John...great turkey season so far...lots of gobblers on every property
I've been on this spring - both Kansas and Missouri. The birds are gobbling a
lot and have been very responsive throughout the morning and into early
afternoon. I had a nice big gobbler working yesterday morning (Missouri opener)
at 11:30. He had strutted to within 80 yards and was putting on quite the
display before two young coyotes pushed him back and away from my setup. Up to
that point, the big gobbler had been strutting for over 30 minutes, gobbling
nearly non-stop (or so it seemed) as he eased his way across the pasture towards
my decoys. I had taken an inadvertent bath crossing a rain-swollen creek doing
the tightrope trick across a slick-ass sycamore to get to within calling
distance of this bird, so I was content to sit there in the sun and watch the
show. I saw 7 different gobblers on this property and heard 2 more, plus 5 jakes
and 3 hens.
This morning's show consisted of one of the loudest, most constant gobbling
mornings I've experienced in some time. Another member had reserved the area
where most of the gobbling was originating, so I had the pleasure to sit and
listen from afar, waiting on fly-down and the birds to start moving around. By
7:30 I had several different gobblers responding to my calls. By 8:00 I
harvested the bird pictured. He and a buddy had sneaked in to within 15
yards of my setup from behind while my attention was on another gobbler about
150 yards out front. This big guy never gobbled but his spit and drumming could
have waken the dead. I was able to ease around until I heard his alarm putts,
then turn and fire - 18-1/2 lbs, 11-inch beard, 1-inch spurs. I estimate that
there were at least another 12 to 15 gobblers (some jakes) sounding off on our
property and another 3 or more on the property immediately west of ours. This
season looks like its going to be a dandy.
