The Blood Instinct Blog with Crazy Carl: Blood Instinct: "Double Down"

Fall is one of my favorite times of year. The weather gets crisp, the trees in the forest start to don their fall colors, and of course hunting seasons start to open. My father & I drew fall turkey tags for the White Mountains, Unit 27. This is another one of our favorite areas to hunt. We not only can usually find our target species, but we see all kinds of wildlife. We left Thursday night and set up camp as the next day the turkey season would open. We awoke just after sunrise and gathered our gear together. I was excited just to have tag in my pocket and being in the beautiful outdoors. I knew it was going to be a great day. Also, I always enjoy the times I get to hunt with my Dad. We loaded into the truck to head to a couple of spots we know to generally hold turkeys. We had just started down the dirt road to our spot when I spotted a flock of turkeys 20 yards off the trail! I stopped and grabbed my Remington 1100 from it's sling as did Dad. I crept into the woods to get closer to the birds. I had a shot , but decided to wait for Dad to be ready as well. Well, the turkeys had enough and started to bug out so Dad said "Take the shot if you got it". There were so many birds cris-crossing I couldn't pick out a safe single to shoot. Then as I looked to my left I saw one solitary turkey getting ready to bolt. I raised and aimed right at the neck and squeezed the shot off. Feathers drifted in the morning sun light. The turkey dropped in it's tracks. It was a big healthy hen. Great table fair;) Dad couldn't get a clear shot, so he suggested going around the corner to see if we could cut them off. Well, Dad was spot on. The turkeys were right in front of us as we rounded the bend. Dad was able to pick one off before he disappeared in the thick woods. Two turkeys down within 20 minutes of opening morning!! Now that we had filled our turkey tags so soon, we decided to drive some of the roads and check out some of our favorite hunting spots and see what damage the Wallow Fire had done. The fire had burned quite a massive area, but new growth was coming up strong and the downed timber creates another obstacle or eco system depending on how you look at it. The deer seemed to vanish in the stacks of fallen timber and slip into the thick still standing old growth. We pulled off on one rough road to have a

look around. As I start to walk to the edge of the ridge I hear a rustle or drumming sound. I walked back to my truck to grab the ol' trusty 1100.

As I walked back to the edge of the ridge a big Blue Grouse flushed and was quickly on his way to the opposite ridge. I shoulder my shotgun and made a snappy shot and dropped thankfully before he got so far out that he would fall to the bottom of the ravine. Fortunately a fallen log stopped him from rolling down the ridge. It was still a steep recovery:) I have never shot a Blue Grouse and I was stoked!

What beautiful birds they are! I was surprised how big they are too. This one will certainly fit in my trophy room nicely. Dad left the next morning and I decided to stay and try hunt down a bear and maybe pick up a few more Grouse for the table. I hunted hard and worked my way into the thickest cover I could find figuring the bears would be focusing on fattening up for the winter. I found an Oak thicket surrounded by thorny foliage about shoulder high. As I crawled and worked my way in, I found bear tracks, scat, and where a bear had spent a lot of time. Every few feet there was a bear pile(scat) and tracks every now and again. All the grasses and limbs were matted down and I could see the depressions where the bear had enjoyed a little rest. Hound hunters were running dogs in the area so I'm sure the bear that occupied that ridge wised up and moved on. Still it was very cool to have snuck into his hideout, just wish he was home:) I tried different methods over the next few days bear hunting, including calling with a varmint call. Unfortunately I had no predators come to the call but some ravens. Regardless it is a fun tactic to try. You never know when something is gonna walk out into view. I eventually got tired of eating ham & cheese sandwiches or powerbars, so it being squirrel season I shot a few each day and cooked them right over the fire. The day before I planned on leaving back for the Valley, I tried to walk some thick Spruce thickets in hopes of finding another Blue Grouse. Working my way through these thick ridge tops payed off as I was able to pick off another great male Blue Grouse!

A good bear track

The time came eventually to return to my responsibilities too quick as usual. The Arizona deep woods are nearly indescribable in it's beauty. I cherish every moment I have to spend out there. It was great having my Father along for a bit too. The Blood Instinct runs through my veins and always will. Take time to enjoy your surroundings. I find my peace and time for meditation sitting next a good looking meadow as I wait to see what the the woods will reveal to me.

Always be respectful and kind to Mother Nature, but don't be afraid to take something from the fridge now and again.:)