Scoring Big In KS!
04-09-2008 | 11:06 AM
#1
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Giant Nontypical
Joined: Feb 2003
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From: Phoenixville, PA USA
Scoring Big In KS!
Well, Team River Valley is back from Kansas and what a week it was! Mike Evangelista and Dr. Greg Caldwell (Doc) met up with Mike and Kurt Nunnenkamp of Paradise Adventures and Denton Wenner who is a guide for Paradise. The group arrived in Altoona, KS late Sunday evening after having the flight out of Pittsburgh, PA delayed in the layover at Memphis, TN due to weather. After getting to the property they took a ride around and saw over 200 birds and heard their first gobble of the year as they got a bird to shock gobble from a coyote call. After this they went back to the camp house. It’s called a camp house and not a lodge because they make a real effort to make it feel like home, with Midwestern style home-cooked meals for dinner and fresh homemade soup for lunch. Monday was spent sighting in the bows and setting up blinds awaiting the April 1st opener.
Doc has been guiding for Kurt and Mike for over 10 years and couldn’t guide this year for personal reasons. Because of their longtime friendship and Doc’s many years of service helping clients take birds at Paradise Kurt invited Doc down for a hunt. It was a special hunt for two long-time friends who have a lot of memories together to just sit back and enjoy each other’s company while chasing some turkeys. Tuesday morning they headed out to a spot they had picked out from scouting on Monday. Kurt was filming for Doc and they had an eventful morning of interacting with a lot of birds but no shots. After lunch they decided to go back to that spot since they knew the birds were in the area and shortly after setting up heard a gobble around 200 yards away. They began calling and could tell that at least 2 birds were coming in. After about 45 minutes two longbeards came strutting in and one circled the blind out toward the front offering Doc an 18 yard shot. Doc smoked the bird and even though it took to flight it was down within 20 yards of taking off. This hunt meant a lot to Doc because it was a token of friendship and a chance to share a great experience with an old hunting buddy.
Doc'sbird:
On Wednesday Doc and Kurt set back out hoping to duplicate their luck, this time Doc filming for Kurt. Once again they got on birds very quickly and got one out in front of Kurt, but he missed his mark. Later that day Kurt came down with the flu and spent the next few days in bed instead of in the field.
Denton and Mike didn’t have it so easy. Mike is a veteran cameraman, but not very used to being in front of the camera. This was the first time Denton was filming, so he had to focus on guiding and filming while getting some coaching from his hunter. Not an easy task to say the least. Tuesdsay morning they saw some hens and had to deal with some high winds. They were able to see 5 longbeards with one offering Mike a shot, but the distraction of making sure the bird was on camera and the adrenaline flowing hard through Mike’s veins was too much and he missed the 27 yard shot. It was an exciting hunt though as they had called the gobblers back in with some purr fighting that got all the birds fired up and making a ruckus.
That evening they set up in the same blind and had 12 jakes come in and absolutely pummel the River Valley Hen Decoy knocking it on its side. A few gobblers came in and didn’t like the looks of the hen on its side and moved off. They set up in another spot and brought a longbeard in from 90 yards to 10 feet spitting and drumming with no blind, but they could not pull off a shot.
They called in another bird to 35 yards and a truck came down the gravel road and sent him packing. They were able to bring him back with some aggressive box call sounds, but without seeing a hen he wouldn’t commit. They got 2 other longbeards in bow range, but couldn’t get a shot with the bow and the camera at the same time. There was a lot of opportunity, but cameraman and hunter were not on the same page.
This was just the first day!
After a morning of misty rain and seeing nothing Denton decided to take Mike to a spot that he has had clients kill birds at in the past and had not been hunted yet. They got set up and called and heard 2-3 gobblers sound off in the distance. Not satisfied that where they were was going to bring those birds to them they packed up their chairs, blind, and camera gear and made a 400 yard circle and set up again. They called and nothing. They knew the birds were there so they stayed put and softly called every 15-20 minutes. After 2 hours they heard a gobble around 200 yards away. With another soft call the birds sounded off again and they could tell the birds were on their way. The toms quietly moved through the tall grass toward the decoy. Mike and Denton suspect that there was a boss tom in the area because the 3 birds were very submissive and hesitant to come to full strut or gobble. The largest of the 3 birds with a fat beard finally stepped up and was brave enough to brush the decoy and gave Mike a good shot a 9 yards. Mike smacked him with an Innerloc expandable and the arrow stayed in the bird. He piled up 6 yards from where he was hit. Mike just about hyperventilated at this point. Mike had just taken his first bird with a bow as a rookie in front of the camera with a rookie cameraman and Mike’s first Kansas bird, and first bird with Rio in it. It was also Denton’s first time filming a kill. Just a great experience for both guys involved. Mike’s bird had 1 inch spurs, a 9 ¼” beard, and weighed 22 lbs.
Mike's bird:
Since Denton has done such a great job guiding for Kurt (in 2007 he guided 22 kills in 30 days) Kurt gave Denton a chance to get in front of the camera and hunt for himself. Friday morning they went to the same area where Mike killed his bird. Birds flew down off the roost 80-90 yards away from the blind. After flying down they flocked up and ignored the decoy and calls. Mike and Denton stayed put and at 7:30 a big tom saw the decoy from over 200 yards away and came in on a dead run. With its beard wagging out in front of it the bird would run 30 yards and strut for 10 the whole way in. It was almost too much for Denton to bear as he put his head in the back corner of the blind and closed his eyes and said, “Oh my gosh! I can’t watch!” The tom came in to the decoy 11 yards away and put on a show strutting for what he thought was a love-sick hen and Denton buried him with a perfect shot. After a short stumble the bird was down. He had 1 inch spurs, a 9 ¾” beard and weighed 19 lbs. This tom had about as much Rio in him as you will find in Kansas. Denton couldn’t wait to call home and could not be more thankful to Kurt for allowing him to hunt. Many guys would feel that they deserved the hunt, but Denton was truly grateful for the opportunity.
Denton's bird:
The team then spent some time with the youth hunters that had arrived in camp. Twelve year old Ted had won an essay contest that Kurt holds and brings the winner out for a hunt. Ted’s father had been a hunter, but with the hustle and bustle of life had fallen out of it until now when he was going to watch his son on his first hunt.
Friday night Mike, Doc, and Denton roosted some birds for the Saturday hunt. Saturday morning comes and they head out to the field edge. Some cows had moved into the field and one had taken a liking to the realism of the taxidermy decoy and began licking it. Fearing that this would spook the birds Denton belly crawled out to the decoy and threw sticks at the cow until she moved on. He then belly crawled back into position next to Ted with Mike filming over Ted’s right shoulder. Ted’s father was 6 feet behind the group watching the show. Birds began gobbling right off the roost and immediately two jakes began working their way to the decoy, one strutting the whole way in. Denton asked Ted if he wanted to shoot the strutting jake and Ted replied, “Oh my gosh, yes!” They waited until the birds were 18 yards away to ensure a good shot for Ted with the 20 gauge and he somersaulted the bird with a perfect shot. Ted’s father was so proud and excited to see what his son had done and how much he enjoyed it that he made a remark that they are going to have to get some more gear. It looks like that hunt was the spark that reignited his fire for hunting.
Ted's bird:
Meanwhile, Doc and Kurt had 12 year old Dillon out for a hunt. They got him on a bird, but Dillon got a little too excited and missed. On Sunday they got on some roosted birds first thing and Kurt hit them with the Enigma pulling a longbeard in on a string. Dillon was sitting between the legs of his guide and bouncing back and forth between his knees he was shaking so badly. He pulled it together though and made good on the 3 year old bird that was his first longbeard.
Dillon's bird:
So, needless to say it was a wild week in Kansas. The final tally was 13 birds killed from Tuesday through Sunday with 5 archery kills and 8 kills by 6 youth hunters. The only hunter that didn’t kill a bird was Kurt who missed one and was down with the flu, but he owns the place so he’ll have more chances.
04-09-2008 | 11:16 AM
#3
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Giant Nontypical
Joined: Feb 2003
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From: Phoenixville, PA USA
RE: Scoring Big In KS!
I'm still waiting too! I wish I were there, I just got everything second hand.
I'll be out filming a youth hunt in NJ this weekend though and filming a buddy in NJ Monday and Tuesday.
I'll be out filming a youth hunt in NJ this weekend though and filming a buddy in NJ Monday and Tuesday.
04-09-2008 | 01:20 PM
#7
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Giant Nontypical
Joined: Feb 2003
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From: Phoenixville, PA USA
RE: Scoring Big In KS!
ORIGINAL: jpov22
Congratulations to Mike. Had the opportunity to see Mike in action last year, great guy, with some great ideas. Would love to have him back, buck hunting in 2008, also in KS.
Joe
Congratulations to Mike. Had the opportunity to see Mike in action last year, great guy, with some great ideas. Would love to have him back, buck hunting in 2008, also in KS.
Joe
