Kansas Turkey 2012

Its been some time since our last post and an update regarding our spring turkey season, so here goes.
I haven't been able to sneak away at all this spring to hunt but there was a long weekend coming up so Sam and I devised a plan to make a bonsai road trip to Western Kansas. In true Bonzi trip fashion we decided to leave the Fort right at midnight because what would a last minute hunting trip be without a good old fashioned all niter. 

After a long and uneventful drive fueled but copious amounts of energy drinks and coffee we were right on schedule or so we though. But in our sleep deprived zombie comas that would turn out be the theme for the rest of the trip we had forgotten entirely about the time change and the fact that sunrise would be an hour earlier then we were used to. So after we noticed the horizon starting to lighten we begin to scramble, after a flurry of studying maps I declared, "Turn south in 3 miles," to Sam. Just looking not to waste first light we pulled up to a piece of ground that neither of us had ever seen before right at first light. After a flurry of reorganizing gear we were ready and looking for birds but our last second spot was well empty, so begrudgingly we piled back into the truck and were off to our original destination.  After looking over a few other fields we decided our best bet would be to take a gamble on a large flock of birds that were tucked in right next to local farmhouse. Given the set up we figured we had around a 50/50 shot of the whole flock moving our direction. After setting up and blind a decoys we settled in for the wait, which given our lack of sleep was painful, Sam curled up on the floor using his camera bag and was out. This is where things got a little foggy for me as I was drifting in between dozing, calling and scanning for birds. And then I full on fell asleep which is tough to do sitting up in a blind chair, when I came to I was falling backwards and taking the whole blind with me. Which was almost disastrous because in doing so my Invasion CPX ended up hitting Sam square in the knee and we were both running the Horstooth Half Marathon the Sunday that we got back to Fort Collins. After quick status check Sam's knee appeared to be fine along with the bows and camera gear we had a good laugh and settled back into the blind. Another few hours with only a short visit from a single hen and it was time to pack it in. Literately as soon as we had packed up the decoys and the blind we heard a tom sound off and because there as a steady wind blowing we knew the bird was close. But our guess was he wasn't close enough to hear our calling. We climbed up a small hill behind us so we could overlook the valley and within a few seconds our Minox BL's 10x44's

were able to locate our mystery bird along with the rest of the farmhouse flock. They had decided to roost in the same river bottom we were set up on about 200 yards down. Using the terrain we were able to sneak with in around 50 yards of the flock and set up the blind and decoys again this time with only 80 yards of open pasture ground and a small rise separating us. Within a minute of starting to call again two big toms poked their heads over the hill and were on the way in. Then came the first messed up opportunity of the trip, poor shooting and almost no faith in ground blinds lead me to rush a longer shot then need as soon as the birds showed any sign that they thought there was something wrong. In retrospect there was no need to shoot as soon as I did, up to this point I have had almost no faith in hunting out of blinds but Sam is trying to convert me. It also helps that this was my first hunt out of our new Dark Horse Double Bull Blind which is a huge step up from my previous blind. One that Sam and I were able to use is that were you don't have a pack or bag for your blind the Eberlestock Backpacks A1X1 works great to haul in a blind and might be the only way to do it in the future.
After the shot the toms not as spooked as one might think just went back over the hill and rejoined the rest of the flock. But it seams even thought there were 30 plus birds in the group we had messed up our shot at the only two with any interest in us. Just to put a nail in the coffin Sam made a strong play with a decoy and his shotgun that didn't totally fail but it did manage to push the birds down the valley ways which was fine by us since we were both starving.
After a quick trip into town and managing to amaze/horrify the crew at the local pizza joint with our large volume eating skills we decided to find a place to camp for the night.  We came prepared to camp, but lazy mixed with lack of sleep steered us towards a dive hotel room. I would almost always rather camp then spend money on a moldy, smoke infested hotel room but more than that sleeping in hotels when hunting makes me feel like I'm getting soft but and lazy but, well we couldn't find anywhere to camp and we were tired. Plus the hotel was cheap, super cheap the way that only a truly remote small town hotel can be so lazy won out.
After an all to short nap we were back into Zombie mode and headed back to the field. More coffee and some driving brought us straight into what can only be described as a turkey hunters paradise. There were birds everywhere we looked. After a quick tour of the area we decided our best bet would be to set-up about as close to a huge flock of birds that were of course 200 yards or so out side of the property that we could hunt. Considering the flock had 12 to 16 strutting toms it was hard to look elsewhere and we were confident that we could pull at least one old longbeard across the property line. After about an hour and a half of calling at the birds with some of the most aggressive annoying calling I have every made with a box call a big old tom decided to break form the group and head our way. Usually I am not to much for real aggressive calling but during this trip almost every bird we called to the more aggressive the calling the better, but I sure didn't sound very textbook. As the tom made the journey over to our set up he would gobble and then go back into full strut but almost as soon as I would stop calling he would stop, there was certainly no rush on his end. After his long and drawn out strut over to our set up including a portion that brought him within 10 to 15 ft of me but on the other side of the fence row he crossed the fence into our field perfectly within shotgun range. This is where I messed up the second opportunity of what was a roller coaster of a day. I missed, again with a shotgun at 15 yards! I'm still not sure how, and honestly at that point I was so punch drunk from having slept less than 2 hours total in the last 50 + hours it struck me as more funny than anything but I felt bad for Sam because it was amazing video up until the point I missed. I was also pretty embarrassed because I honestly cant tell you how I missed other than I rushed another shot with a shotgun I was unfamiliar with, but those are excuses. Who cares it was time to get some sleep,  its just a turkey.
Day two began and we felt like totally new people, what a difference a few hours of sleep can make. We also had a plan and a spot to be at first light. Right at first light Sam and I were able to witness the largest, nosiest flocks of birds leave the roost I have ever seen but unfortunately the turkey pairde didn't head our way. After about an hour of calling I looked back up the valley and could see two lone jakes that were obviously interested in our calling and unlike every other tom they didn't have any hens, this could work. Today we had gone full circle and I was hunting with my Bowtech Invasion CPX again and using the new Dark Horse Double Bull blind. Within 20 minutes of first sighting the two birds they were topping the small rise 40 yards away from us and headed straight into the decoys. This time my goal was to wait for the perfect shot and see how close we could get them into the blind, which turns out was really close. Seconds later both birds had worked their way to within 5 yards but the entire time they were coming in they were to close together for a shot most of the time they were touching. After about a minute of both of the birds being within 5 yards there was finally some separation and luckily I was able to draw without being seen. At the shot my arrow was deflected slightly because I hit the bottom of the blind window but overall the Easton Flatline arrow and Montec G5 broadheads looked like they would do their job. We decided that giving my bird as much time as possible would be a good idea so we settled back in and started calling for Sam there were still plenty of birds in the area. After giving the bird around 2 hours we decided to go get my bird, at the end of a longer than desired tracking job we were able to find my Jake and put an end to my hunt.

Overall it was a fun hunt if not frustrating at times. But since we were turkey hunting it was much less devestating when I messed up a bird then if it were on a 6x6 bull. The biggest gain from the trip for me was seeing  new country and learning some new places to hunt for this up comming fall. One of the greatest joys in hunting for me is researching and learning new hunting land and this trip was no different. Just to give everyone a preview of this fall I do have an archery deer tag for western Kansas and plan to spend some time trying to track down a few of the bucks that we were lucky enough to pick up sheads from durring the tirp. We did hunt the rest of the day for Sams bird but I will let him tell you the story of his hunt.

Arizona and HB 2072 Selling Your Opprotunity to Hunt To the Highest Bidder

Below is an excellent commentary on Arizona Bill HB2072 which would remove 350 of the states trophy tags from the general draw and allocate them towards auction tags

To see the full article also the link to download the full economic impact study linked to HB 2072.

Visit Arizona HB 2072

The documents above include the language of HB2072 and a document drafted by proponents of HB2072.

By now, we all know the concept.  Some 350 big game tags diverted from the random draw to be auctioned to the highest bidder, which won’t be me … or, probably, you.  Additionally, these big game tags will come with less restrictive harvest rules, making them premium big game tags. 

Proponents of HB2072 say that the tags are not diverted because, despite the fact that the tags have been made premium and may bring in millions at auction, the club to which they are awarded will pay AZGFD the face value of the tag had it been drawn by the hunting public.  Thus, the Department gets the same revenue. 

Well, I’m not the Department.  I’m a guy who wants a fair shot at a trophy tag.  What I know is that I have zero chance of being the high bidder on one of these tags at auction.  I also know that the richest guy at the banquet who wants the tag has 100% chance of winning it.  In the random draw, I have a least some chance of winning the tag … the same chance as the rich guy.  If you take 350 trophy tags out of the random draw and put them in an auction, my chances decrease.  “Changing the course of a thing” is the very dictionary definition of diversion.

But proponents claim that many good things will come from the diversion, upgrade, and auction of these tags.  “Jobs will be created.” “A sportsman’s expo will be produced.” “Twenty five million dollars will be generated.”  There is an economic impact study purchased by the proponents that tells us Yuma County will get $332,000!  Yavapai County will get $539,000!  (I wonder how much extra it would cost to have the economist round up?)

I’m a simple guy.  I’m not a legislator … not a commissioner … not a lawyer … and not an economics professor (though I have to admit I am skeptical of those given the faulty projections of the federal Council of Economic Advisers … but I’ll put that bias aside for the moment).  So, I thought, “How can I best understand this complex legislative proposal?”  Well, maybe I could look at it as if I wanted to start a club myself.  Maybe I would call it the “Bubba Valley Rod and Gun Club.”  I could solicit memberships … maybe charge a membership fee of some $30 per year.  If I got, oh, let’s say 500 members, that would be $15,000 per year.  And with that money our club would do all sorts of good things.  At the end of the year I would hold a banquet to recap the good things we did and have fun with my friends.  We might have to pay a little extra, say $30, to attend the banquet in order to make it a nice event.  That adds another $15,000 to the budget. 

Sounds great, doesn’t it?!  But then HB2072 comes along.  It says that premium tags can be awarded to clubs that qualify and that the qualified clubs may auction the tags and use proceeds to pay for, among other things, banquets and “administrative” costs.  As a club administrator, that piques my interest!  How does the Bubba Valley Rod and Gun Club get qualified? According to the Bill, the club has to be a 501(c)(3) with the IRS … ok, I can do that … and “its membership must include a significant cross-section of species-specific wildlife conservation and sportsmen organizations from throughout this state.”  Hmmm, that’s a little harder.  What is “significant”?  What is a “cross-section”?  I guess I could ask my buddies at the other Rod and Gun Club here in the Valley, the Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club, to join my club … but wait, they are not “species-specific” … so I guess they don’t count.  And my club can’t ‘be a member or hold a charter or be a chapter of a national wildlife conservation or sportsman’s organization’ … why is that, I wonder?  Oh, and the club has to be in existence at least five years.  I’m out of luck there. 

Don’t these qualifications seem very tailored?  I can think of only one organization in Arizona that meets the criteria in the Bill.  That is Arizona Sportsman for Wildlife Conservation.  If you can think of another, please let me know.  And isn’t it interesting that the lobbyist for that group floated this concept to the legislature in the first place.  But I am sure that she did not intend to leave out an opportunity for the Bubba Valley Rod and Gun Club to qualify for the financial benefits of the Bill … so let’s pretend for a moment that the Bubba Club qualifies.  What do we get?!

We get an exclusive right to resell tags that have been set aside by the Department just for us.  These tags will be diverted from the regular draw and will be super-sized- also, just for us.  They will become special tags with special harvest provisions and special fancy names, like “governor” tags.  Governor tags provide the winner with an opportunity to hunt a specific species in any hunt area with any legal weapon for three hundred sixty-five days beginning August 15 of each year.  Two governor’s tags for each of the following species: elk, mule deer, whitetail deer, bison (buffalo) and bear.  One tag for each of the following species: desert bighorn sheep, rocky mountain bighorn sheep, pronghorn (antelope), Merriam's turkey, Rio Grande turkey and Gould's turkey. 

We don’t want legislators to feel left out, so we will name some tags after them too.  We’ll call them “legislator” tags … Legislator tags are also species specific and are valid for any open season for that species for a specific hunt area with the legal weapon allowed for that season.  Legislator tags are issued as follows: (a) at least ten tags, and at least one tag for each hunt area, for bull elk in hunt areas that offer all of the following three types of hunts: (i) early archery bull elk hunts. (ii) either early muzzleloader bull elk hunts or early rifle bull elk hunts. (iii) late bull elk hunts. (b) one tag for whitetail deer for each hunt area that offers late hunts. (c) one tag for mule deer for each hunt area that offers a general season hunt and is located north of the Colorado river. (d) two tags for antelope valid for all hunt numbers as the commission specifies in any of regions 1, 2, 3 and 5 as in existence on January 1, 2012, except that both tags shall not be from the same region.  Then there is a raffle for the sportsmen.  Hey, that sounds like a good idea … kind of like the draw we already have.

This could generate a lot of money!  Where will it all go?  The Bill says it will first go to … the qualified organization!  That’s the Bubba Valley Rod and Gun Club!  Under paragraph H of the Bill, Bubba Valley must then first apply proceeds to cover the costs associated with “the annual sportsmen exposition” in this state.  Do they mean Bubba has to give money to the International Sportsman’s Exposition … aren’t they the annual sportsmen exposition in this State?  Or does Bubba give it the Arizona Game and Fish Expo … the other exposition in this state?  Well, I think the Bill says under paragraph A that Bubba is supposed to make a new exposition.  But paragraph H doesn’t reference paragraph A.  Bubba must also give money to cover costs of any County Chapter Banquet at which the tags are auctioned or raffled.  I couldn’t find a definition of a County Chapter … I guess we don’t want to be too specific about these things, it’s only money.

That’s cool.  Bubba Valley will put on a new expo and get all of its costs paid for by tags diverted from Arizona Game and Fish.  The Bubba Valley Annual Arizona Sportsman’s Expo will sell vendor space and get sponsors … maybe even charge admission!  That will generate even more money for Bubba Valley.  I can see my Bubba budget growing!  And, certainly, Bubba Valley and all its friends will participate in producing the expo, so they will all get some money when the “costs” are paid.  But wait, there’s more, administrative fees get paid too!  And there is no definition of “administrative.”  I would argue that lobbying the legislature is administrative, wouldn’t you?   

In fact, just about every expense I can think of fits in the categories of “costs” or “administration.”  Nevertheless, the Bill says that any money I couldn’t cram into one of those categories will go toward some warm and fuzzy if not ill-defined and amorphous objectives like “promoting sportsmen heritage.” (which seems to me might be better promoted if there was more rather than less opportunity for common folk to get a trophy tag).

Since Bubba Valley will assuredly auction some tags at its own banquet, the costs of that banquet must be covered as well.  Think of how this could increase Bubba Valley’s $15,000 projected budget for a banquet.  How big of a banquet could we have?  Champagne and caviar!  Too bad for the Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club- which didn’t qualify for anything.  SpaghettiOs for them!

I wish it was Bubba Valley Rod and Gun Club that would be the lucky beneficiary of this wonderful legislative windfall.  I could keep myself busy raking in the bucks for the rest of my career “administering” this fine section of our beloved Arizona Revised Statutes …

No, actually, I have a conscience.  I find this dirty back-room deal disgusting.  I believe in fair play, fair chase and fair opportunity.  As a commissioner I tried the route of ethics, diplomacy and compromise.  I have since showered.  You cannot be diplomatic with those who themselves have no ethics or diplomacy.  You cannot compromise with those who have no intention whatsoever of holding up their end of the bargain.  You cannot make a fair deal with people who do not care about fairness.  You cannot work with someone to resolve a problem when that person makes money by creating problems! 

How about fair opportunity for the International Sportsman’s Exposition?  Now they have to compete against a group that is given start-up and operational money from State assets?   What if this was YOUR private business?  How would you feel if the government funded your competitor? 

How about the very proposition of public assets being funneled to private entities?  How many of you support federal assets being funneled to companies like Solyndra, LightSquared and the like … or ACORN or Planned Parenthood?  What makes me mad is that the proponents of HB2072 call themselves conservatives and would protest the diversion of assets if it were proposed by liberals, but have found ways to justify this!

So- the proponents have come back again … they want a “stakeholder” meeting.  Really?!  Everybody in Arizona is a stakeholder, but they have not invited everybody.  You can be assured that the current Chair of the Commission will not be invited.  He is a volunteer who has been an advocate for the common guy.  No matter how they spin it, this idea is NOT for the common guy. 

Proponents want to “compromise.”  The only compromise is: if you want a new expo, pay for one yourself.  Put your own assets at risk.  If you want a bigger banquet, pay for one yourself.  If you want your club’s costs and administrative fees paid, pay for them yourself.  And if you want your lobbyist paid- PAY YOURSELF!  There- we don’t need a bill for that.

-Robert Woodhouse

Please follow this link -Arizona Governor to send emails opposing HB 2072 to protect your right and opportunity hunt.