NWTF Convention report
02-22-2010, 05:49 AM
#1
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Jackson, TN
Posts: 836
NWTF Convention report
Finally back from what has become an annual trip to the NWTF convention in Nashville with my son Peter (doall hunter). This thing has gotten to be such a huge event it is staggering.
First I want to say I met our own Kim Dunlap and her husband there - she is such a delightful person. The four of us had a nice lunch and talked about turkey hunting. This will be Kim's first turkey season and she is really fired up, which is always exciting for me to see. Thanks Kim for taking the time - Peter also enjoyed meeting you and Shaun and said that you guys were "really nice" and he hoped you get your first bird this spring.
I attended my first NWTF convention "way back" in 1982 because my good friend and turkey hunting mentor was a contestant in the Grand National Final that year. It was held at at Fairfield Glade Resort in Crossville, Tennessee in a room no bigger than about 1/2 of a basketball court. There was a side room with 4-5 venders like Dick Kirby (Quaker Boy) and Harold Knight (Knight and Hale) selling calls. That was it. Now the exibit hall at the convention takes up the entire space at the Opryland Convention center with 550 booths selling everything imaginable. Taxidermy contests, custom call silent auctions, outfitters - the list goes on and on. Got to speak with several old friends and meet some new ones.
We had a great time and picked up some good stuff. I finally found some HeviShot Magnum Blend in 3.5" and 3" and got a pack of each from Mid South Shooters Supply. They were sold out of straight 7s but have them in inventory for on-line orders. I also bought a few Southland diaphrams and another Lon Trice Custom friction call, anodized aluminum surface in a beautiful osage orange pot. Sounds terrific too. Easy to kee kee after some practice and it does get high frequency loud but also makes great soft yelps too. Very nice call. The last thing I needed was another friction call, but that is my weakness and I just couldn't walk away without one. I'm a sucker for custome pot calls.
The highlight of the trip for me was meeting Tom Kelly, the famous author of countless turkey hunting books including The Tenth Legion. The man is a true legend. What a great experience for Peter and I. Mr Kelly is in his 80s and started turkey hunting well before most of us "experienced" hunters were ever born. We chatted for several minutes and I bought a signed copy of his lastest book, Infirmed Opinions. A terrific Southern gentleman and a true legend in the turkey hunting world. IF you enjoy being entertained while reading about turkey hunting then I highly suggest getting one or more of his books.
Pictures below:
Lon Trice custom calls. Tempered glass in Bocote wood (R) and anodized aluminum in Osage Orange (L). Custom turned laminated strikers by Lonzo.
Back of calls. I used the one on the right last season
Southland Jim Pollard series diaphrams and Hevishot Magnum Blend 3.5", 2.25 oz of 5-6-7 of Hevi-13. The batwing calls are incredibly versatile. You can make every call on the Batwing III - purr, yelp, cutting, and kee kee. Great call. Southland is a smaller company out of Talladaga, AL. Jim Pollard won the Grand National last year using the Batwing III and Ghost 2.5.
First I want to say I met our own Kim Dunlap and her husband there - she is such a delightful person. The four of us had a nice lunch and talked about turkey hunting. This will be Kim's first turkey season and she is really fired up, which is always exciting for me to see. Thanks Kim for taking the time - Peter also enjoyed meeting you and Shaun and said that you guys were "really nice" and he hoped you get your first bird this spring.
I attended my first NWTF convention "way back" in 1982 because my good friend and turkey hunting mentor was a contestant in the Grand National Final that year. It was held at at Fairfield Glade Resort in Crossville, Tennessee in a room no bigger than about 1/2 of a basketball court. There was a side room with 4-5 venders like Dick Kirby (Quaker Boy) and Harold Knight (Knight and Hale) selling calls. That was it. Now the exibit hall at the convention takes up the entire space at the Opryland Convention center with 550 booths selling everything imaginable. Taxidermy contests, custom call silent auctions, outfitters - the list goes on and on. Got to speak with several old friends and meet some new ones.
We had a great time and picked up some good stuff. I finally found some HeviShot Magnum Blend in 3.5" and 3" and got a pack of each from Mid South Shooters Supply. They were sold out of straight 7s but have them in inventory for on-line orders. I also bought a few Southland diaphrams and another Lon Trice Custom friction call, anodized aluminum surface in a beautiful osage orange pot. Sounds terrific too. Easy to kee kee after some practice and it does get high frequency loud but also makes great soft yelps too. Very nice call. The last thing I needed was another friction call, but that is my weakness and I just couldn't walk away without one. I'm a sucker for custome pot calls.
The highlight of the trip for me was meeting Tom Kelly, the famous author of countless turkey hunting books including The Tenth Legion. The man is a true legend. What a great experience for Peter and I. Mr Kelly is in his 80s and started turkey hunting well before most of us "experienced" hunters were ever born. We chatted for several minutes and I bought a signed copy of his lastest book, Infirmed Opinions. A terrific Southern gentleman and a true legend in the turkey hunting world. IF you enjoy being entertained while reading about turkey hunting then I highly suggest getting one or more of his books.
Pictures below:
Lon Trice custom calls. Tempered glass in Bocote wood (R) and anodized aluminum in Osage Orange (L). Custom turned laminated strikers by Lonzo.
Back of calls. I used the one on the right last season
Southland Jim Pollard series diaphrams and Hevishot Magnum Blend 3.5", 2.25 oz of 5-6-7 of Hevi-13. The batwing calls are incredibly versatile. You can make every call on the Batwing III - purr, yelp, cutting, and kee kee. Great call. Southland is a smaller company out of Talladaga, AL. Jim Pollard won the Grand National last year using the Batwing III and Ghost 2.5.
Last edited by mouthcaller; 02-22-2010 at 01:15 PM.
02-22-2010, 10:35 AM
#3
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Jackson, TN
Posts: 836
Yes - Cuz was there. The line was pretty long to get to him.
I think Cuz has a relationshiop with Mr. Kelly. Mossy Oak "Hunting the Country" shot a series of shows with Cuz and Mr Kelly called "Fan Club" in which they introduce the technique of "fanning". A DVD of the show was included in this book I bought and Mr. Kelly talked to me about "fanning" to kill Merriems in Nebraska/South Dakota.
He was really excited telling me about learning something new like that, as he thought that he had seen it all when it comes to turkey hunting. When I got home I watched the video and it was really facinating and is worth watching again. They use a gobbler tailfan stuck onto some kind of gobbler decoy and wave that thing at these three approaching gobblers and they just marched right on up there to what looks like about 20 yards. Mr Kelly kills two of them with an over/under shotgun and then laughes like it's his first turkey. Really good stuff.
02-22-2010, 03:58 PM
#5
Spike
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Indiana
Posts: 19
Tom,
What a great post!!!
It was such a pleasure to meet you and your son Peter! We had such a great time at the convention - but my hightlight was meeting you! (Even topped meeting Lee & Tiffany) LOL
Meeting great hunters like yourself was the reason I joined this website! The convention was amazing and packed - I can't wait to go back next year!!!! I think my husband and I left with about 20 new turkey calls - so now we get to start playing and practicing with them. Thanks again for meeting up with us! I really enjoyed it!
To those who didn't attend - put it on your calendar next year - it's a BLAST!!!!
Kim
What a great post!!!
It was such a pleasure to meet you and your son Peter! We had such a great time at the convention - but my hightlight was meeting you! (Even topped meeting Lee & Tiffany) LOLMeeting great hunters like yourself was the reason I joined this website! The convention was amazing and packed - I can't wait to go back next year!!!! I think my husband and I left with about 20 new turkey calls - so now we get to start playing and practicing with them. Thanks again for meeting up with us! I really enjoyed it!
To those who didn't attend - put it on your calendar next year - it's a BLAST!!!!
Kim
02-23-2010, 07:41 AM
#6
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Jackson, TN
Posts: 836
You are too kind Kim. It was indeed a pleasure to meet you and see the enthusiasm you have for turkey hunting. The key is maintaining that enthusiasm through the frustration that will undoubtedly occur as you take on the challenge of hunting these amazing but maddening creatures. Suffice it to say, they don't just come running up after three yelps and a couple of clucks on a box call :-).
Another point - by no means do I consider myself a "great" turkey hunter. If anything, I am really just starting to learn about these crazy things after 29 seasons of chasing them. The more I hunt and the more I pay attention to their behavior, the more I am struck by how much more there is for me to learn.
Below is a quote from Tom Kelly himself from the Prolouge of his new book, Infirm Opinions. This passage actually is printed on the front cover of the book.
Thirty five years ago I really thought I knew something about turkeys and not only did I understand them, I was perfectly willing to tell you anything you wanted to know about them. In the last two or three years all kinds of things have happened that have caused my firm convictions to lose a great deal of their rigidity. In some instances the convictions have turned out to be entirely wrong. In many cases their sharp corners have been knocked off. All sorts of facts that are new and strange have come floating to the surface and many of these rock solid opinions of bygone years have become decidedly sick and unhealthy, which is the reason for the title of this book.
- Tom Kelly
Another point - by no means do I consider myself a "great" turkey hunter. If anything, I am really just starting to learn about these crazy things after 29 seasons of chasing them. The more I hunt and the more I pay attention to their behavior, the more I am struck by how much more there is for me to learn.
Below is a quote from Tom Kelly himself from the Prolouge of his new book, Infirm Opinions. This passage actually is printed on the front cover of the book.
Thirty five years ago I really thought I knew something about turkeys and not only did I understand them, I was perfectly willing to tell you anything you wanted to know about them. In the last two or three years all kinds of things have happened that have caused my firm convictions to lose a great deal of their rigidity. In some instances the convictions have turned out to be entirely wrong. In many cases their sharp corners have been knocked off. All sorts of facts that are new and strange have come floating to the surface and many of these rock solid opinions of bygone years have become decidedly sick and unhealthy, which is the reason for the title of this book.
- Tom Kelly
Last edited by mouthcaller; 02-23-2010 at 07:45 AM. Reason: Correction
02-23-2010, 09:01 AM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: North Louisiana
Posts: 3,050
[quote=mouthcaller;3582390 Suffice it to say, they don't just come running up after three yelps and a couple of clucks on a box call :-).[/quote]
Sometimes they do
. I've been wanting to go to the convention for awhile, but it always seems something else is going on at that time. Sounds like it's a good time. I will go one day eventually.
Sometimes they do
. I've been wanting to go to the convention for awhile, but it always seems something else is going on at that time. Sounds like it's a good time. I will go one day eventually.
02-23-2010, 11:08 AM
#8
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Jackson, TN
Posts: 836
I parked my four-wheeler, unknowingly, no more than 75 yards from a roosted gobbler last year. I'm talking about a pretty loud 4-wheeler with bright lights on running in the dark to that spot. Parked that thing and waited about 10 minutes hoping to hear one so we could go to it - all of a sudden gobble-gobble-gobble-gobble - I mean right there. My son and I took about 6 steps into the edge of the woods and sat down, a few tree yelps and he pitches down in the dim light. One short yelp and thirty seconds later he's standing right in front of us for Peter to shoot. Unbelievable really. When it got better light you could easily see the four-wheeler from where he last stood. Good three-year old too.
That had to be the dumbest turkey in North America that day.
The convention is great. Two days is all I can stand of it though - now I usually go just for the day. The exibit hall is so loud with venders running turkey calls it can trigger a seizure with prolonged exposure. Next year I think I'll go up one day earlier and spend more time listening to the contests and seminars.
Last edited by mouthcaller; 02-23-2010 at 11:12 AM.
02-23-2010, 03:08 PM
#9
Fork Horn
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Jackson, TN
Posts: 235
Yea we had a great time! If you are hesitant to take your kids, dont be. There is a whole corner devoted to "jakes" stuff. For the most part everyone is friendly too. In line for lunch I had a great conversation with this guy from clarksville and his son. It really does get you fired up for turkey season!
02-23-2010, 03:34 PM
#10
Spike
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Indiana
Posts: 19
It was great - very crowded and very loud.
Also $5.50 for a beer is highway-robbery! LOL Glad I went, although I wish I had attended some of the seminars. I'm with you Tom - gonna hit them next year.
Definitely fired up for spring opener!!! Can't wait!
Also $5.50 for a beer is highway-robbery! LOL Glad I went, although I wish I had attended some of the seminars. I'm with you Tom - gonna hit them next year.
Definitely fired up for spring opener!!! Can't wait!
