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I drew a tag and was staring down a long lonely road trip by myself. So, I asked my four favorite people if they wanted to explore Wyoming together. We spent a full week looking over antelope bucks, wading in the river, riding horses, and playing in the Wyoming high desert. Although my goal was to find an antelope for the freezer and the wall, the most important souvenir I brought back from Wyoming was the time spent with my wife and kids and the memories that will last forever.
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This quote from Tom Kelly is my turkey hunting anthem.
He (the turkey hunter) will experience moments of tragedy of such depth and feeling as to preclude them form having been written by anyone but Euripides, and he will exalt in periods of piercing rapture previously understood only by willing Christian martyrs being eaten by willing lions. He will operate primarily in a climate not of desire but of compulsion. This is painfully evident in my own case. I do not hunt turkeys because I want to; I hunt them because I have to. I would really rather not do it, but I am helpless in the grip of my compulsion.
Tom Kelly from his book Tenth Legion
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Hunting turkeys has a way of making me question my sanity. I’ve killed plenty of turkeys before, but there is usually a moment on every trip where it feels like getting a turkey to gobble, let alone call it into range, seems like a Herculean task. It just seems impossible.
I felt like this as I sat with my back to a giant alligator juniper tree, shaded by its overhanging branches. I had made three setups that day with my decoys and had spent two and half to three hours at each stand waiting with agonizing patience. The wind howled, and I wondered if there was any point to being in the field. My tired, closed eyes burst open when a ringing gobble cut through the blustery afternoon. After a few light strokes on my box calls and a couple more gobbles from him, he walked confidently into range looking for me.
As I tightened the straps of my backpack around him for the long hike back to the truck, I couldn’t help but admire the lonely beauty of this tom turkey which paired perfectly with the lonely beauty of the rugged landscape.
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When a friend with a boat asks if you want to go fishing, the answer is always yes.
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The backstraps of this buck have long since been grilled and eaten, and if you stop by our house on a Tuesday night, you will most likely be eating tacos with ground venison. The kids are tired of me saying, “Don’t leave any of that meat on your plate. Daddy carried it out of a canyon.” It get’s an eyeroll every time, but they are starting to figure the importance of a clean plate.
And while the venison has kept us in red meat these past few months, the skull and antlers of this coues deer buck are currently hanging on the family room wall. I see them daily when I spend time in that room, and the kids like to ask questions about the different species and hunts that they will be able to go on in the coming years. Although the hunt only lasted a couple of days, the memories made in the field and the hours spent with friends live on at the dinner table and in the stories told in my home.
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The big canyon walls and tall pines made a majestic backdrop for the crystal clear water to weave downstream. The eager, hungry Gila trout were a bonus. We had made a couple of fly changes early, and we found that these native trout preferred a very small Frye Creek Special stripped slowly under the surface. Sight fishing for trout in late November is what makes Arizona a special place. Within a few hours we had each caught a dozen or two fish and started working our way back down stream toward the truck. It had been a few years since I’d fished this creek and it was good to find it in such fine form.
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Rambling Review: Sage and Braker Gun Cleaning Mat
Why:
As much as I love hunting and fishing, there’s something wonderful about coming home, seeing my family, and planning the next adventure. Typically there’s a fair bit of cleanup involved after a hunting trip – unloading the truck, sorting and storing gear, and possibly taking care of meat if I was successful. When the season is all over, the last item to get cleaned and stored is the firearm. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as stripping down a gun, cleaning it thoroughly, and storing it safe and sound for the next hunt. Sage and Braker has vaulted onto the scene as one of the premier players in the firearm cleaning arena. I’ve used a bunch of their products before and they are all exceptional, but I was finally able to get my hands on their Sage and Braker Shotgun and Rifle Gun Cleaning Mat. It’s a beauty.
First impressions:
The Materials – The Sage and Braker Gun Cleaning Mat is made of a thick 12 oz waxed canvas, trimmed in crazy horse leather, and the gun cleaning side boasts a heavy wool face.
Pockets – There are four spacious pockets with snap closures that allow all of your gun cleaning supplies to be kept on hand.
Roll Design – The whole gun mat rolls up and is secured with heavy duty brass buckles, keeping all your gun cleaning items and surfaces neat and tidy. Perfect to toss in the back of the truck and not worry about.
Field Use:
For many years, I had an old pink towel that served as my gun cleaning mat. I don’t know where it came from, I just knew it wasn’t one of the good towels, and my wife wouldn’t mind it getting gun oil all over it. The Sage and Braker Gun Cleaning Mat is a huge step up from that raggedly piece of cloth. The quilted wool face offers a large cleaning surface with plenty of room to layout and break down a firearm. Wool has the ability to naturally repel liquids, keeping solvents from absorbing into the gun cleaning mat. Whether it’s on a tailgate or the kitchen table at home, it is extremely convenient to unroll the mat and access all the items in the pockets.
The Sage and Braker Gun Cleaning Mat has an extremely rugged yet classic feel about it. The combination of waxed canvas, leather, wool and brass buckles gives gives a great look to a utilitarian piece of gear that will see years of use and someday get passed down to the next generation.
Pros:
Cons:
Prognosis: I cannot say enough good things about the Sage and Braker Gun Cleaning Mat. This is the perfect gift for the outdoorsman or firearms enthusiast in your life.
* Disclaimer:
The reviews at Arizona Wanderings are my honest opinion. Arizona Wanderings is not sponsored by or associated with any of the stated companies and is accepting no compensation, monetary or otherwise, in exchange for this review. My independent status may change in the future but, as of the date of publication, no relationship other than described above has been pursued or established.
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I sat in one spot from 6:00am to 9:50. The wind was howling, and I had every article of clothing on trying to stay warm and still. I made a deal with myself that I would sit until 10 before moving to another spot. It had been an uneventful morning and boredom was eating away at my stamina to stay put and a chill had settled into my bones.
The wind lulled and I called one more time. The empty woods exploded as a gobbler answered my call. The sudden action startled me and I was able to shift my gun to cover where the gobble had sounded from. Within a minute, he came into view and stood proudly looking at the decoys. Without another sound, he moved forward and skirted the edge of the decoys. He didn’t appear anxious to move closer, so when he craned his neck to look at the decoys again, I pulled the trigger and the gun thundered.
He flopped while I jumped from the base of the tree and willed my aching legs forward. I sunk to my knees next to my prey and couldn’t believe my luck. Things happen fast in the turkey woods and I said a prayer of thanks. Gathering my gear and decoys, I looped the turkey’s feet and head with a strand of paracord and slowly walked the two miles back to the truck. The sun shone brightly and it wasn’t long until the hike worked the cold out of my feet.
