Kate Boulos and English Setters

Kate Boulos and English Setters
Cedar Ridge Charm and Cedar Ridge Doll at Watermelon Pond Plantation

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Florida Deer Hunting; My Dream Buck



Florida deer hunting can be very challenging and the prospects of harvesting a large trophy buck are generally slight. I usually don’t deer hunt in warm weather but I had been scouting a big buck for over two months on the south tract of Watermelon Pond Plantation between Archer and Bronson, Florida. The many food plots combined with year round supplemental feeding and low hunting pressure make the chances of getting a trophy buck a lot better on these grounds. When not in rut, large bucks are generally smart, wary and very reclusive so it never hurts to level the playing field.
By the signs I had seen, which included a scrape, several large rubs and many big tracks, I knew this to be a buck with a rather large spread and considerable body weight. It had been very cold Friday with misting rain making it feel even colder. Saturday dawned foggy and cloudy and it rained quite a bit during the morning hours, although it was very warm. I had taken my boys, ages eight and eleven, to the dove shoot here Saturday afternoon and they managed to kill one between them. They were very excited and had hunting on their minds the rest of the weekend. I spent Sunday afternoon with them shooting gray squirrels in a large oak hammock north of the cabin. I will always remember how excited they were with the prospect of hunting after spending the morning in church and Sunday school. They are increasingly becoming better shots and are learning the importance of being still and quiet. I truly treasure the times we spend hunting together.
I did not have to be at work until 1:00 Monday, Dec. 14, so I decided I would have a try at the big guy. I wasn’t overly optimistic due to the weather conditions. It was foggy and warm when I drove to the area and parked under a large Live Oak tree. Dew was starting to drip off the long beards of the Spanish moss and the ground was still wet. I was pleased by this fact, knowing walking would much more quiet than usual.
I always walk when I deer hunt. I find this to be more successful than sitting in a stand. I am not the type of hunter who enjoys hunting from a stand. Perhaps I am a bit too hyper active and, I have to admit, I do not like to sit still. I do not dress in any particular hunting outfit and this morning I was wearing a camo shirt and jeans. I scraped up a large pile of pine needle, crushed them and rubbed them on my body to help cover my scent. I sat beneath a large Long Leaf pine for about 30 minutes and, to my surprise, saw nothing. From my scouting trips, I knew game regularly used this area so I waited another ten minutes. A large group of Osceola turkeys then came casually walking and feeding along the trail in front of me. I had heard them come down off their roost earlier. I marveled at he size of the lead Gobbler whose beard was nearly dragging the ground. I knew he would offer me a completely different type of hunting experience this spring and took a mental note of the direction from which they came. I felt very smug realizing I had already booked a weekend for spring Osceola Gobbler season.
I decide to walk. I carefully picked my way down the sandy trail being as quiet as possible, stopping every fifty yards or so, watching then waiting. I proceeded in this fashion for about 45 minutes, then turned to the west to make my way back to my truck. I was thinking this was not to be the day I would bag the big buck which I had been looking for so long.
Rounding the corner where the young planted pines begin, I caught something white out of the corner of my eye; nothing flashy, just a slight movement. I immediately stopped. I turned my head slowly to the left. There he was. What a magnificent animal; big broad shoulders, a beautiful head sporting a very thick and well shaped rack. Although it was obscured by the briars in which he was crouched, it appeared to be of 6 or 8 points.
He was very well camouflaged; his light, brownish gray coat blending in well with the broom sedge and maiden cane.
Even though we have only had one frost, all the grasses were turning brown. I always marvel at the ability to camouflage which Mother Nature has bestowed upon her creatures. He was looking directly at me. This is when nerves and adrenalin usually kick in and cause many a missed shot at a trophy such as this one. I oh, so slowly removed the Savage 270 from my shoulder. Detecting the movement, he immediately exploded from the safety of the large briar patch in which he was concealed. I followed him through my scope as he bulled his way through the briars, thick grass and limbs of the small pines. I knew I had only a small window of opportunity. This was happening at a rapid rate of speed but I tried to aim as carefully as I could under the circumstances. I knew shooting conditions could have been better but I figured I had a good chance, so I took my shot. I was lucky in the order. The first shot hit him squarely in the front shoulder causing him to stumble. As he was falling, the second shot found its mark in the right side of the chest cavity.
When he dropped, I knew this was a hunting experience of a life time. The anticipated mount, I knew, would bring back every detail of the morning in my mind’s eye every time I would look at it in the future.
I would like to thank Kate Boulos and Mark Brannan of Watermelon Pond Plantation for giving me the opportunity to harvest this buck of a lifetime. I have hunted many years for a buck like this one. I can’t describe how happy I was when I realized I had finally succeeded.
With a spread of 15 inches and 6 inch G2's, I was positive that this 8 point would truly be worthy of gracing the empty spot on the wall over the fire place mantle. I could clearly envision how it was going to look hanging there filling the void, not only on the wall, but also in my deer hunting success.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Tips on Hunting the Florida wild Osceola Turkey




Florida Turkey Hunting Tips
On our spring gobbler hunt in April 2009 at Watermelon Pond Plantation in Archer, Florida, We used the new “Primos” hen and jake decoys called She-mobile and Jake-mobile. I really like these decoys because they are made of soft plastic, do not make a lot of noise when carrying them and they have an iridescent paint job that makes them look life-like. The Jake-mobile only has a 3 inch beard which is less intimidating to wary gobblers and you can use real tail feathers on the Jake-mobile fan if you prefer.
Although the decoys roll up and fit easily into a big pocket on your hunting vest, some people do not like carrying extra “stuff” around with them. However, I really get a kick out of watching turkeys interact with the decoys and they can be a real asset in drawing the turkey’s attention if you need to draw a bow or pull the turkeys to a specific location for a camera shot. I have had some turkeys run from decoys in the past but have had really good luck overall with the new Primos turkey decoys.
Calling is probably the number one reason why people go turkey hunting. It is an exciting time of the year to be in the woods during spring-time with all the green plant life popping out. It is challenging to try to stimulate the long beards to let out monstrous love yodels in response to your calling. As such, most hunters have a vest full of calling apparatuses and practice diligently before the hunting season in the anticipation. We watch hunting shows, seeing all of the “successful” footage of other hunters calling in a turkey. If you want to be a good hunter you should try to mimic what happens in nature, not what you see in on TV. Don’t get me wrong, you can learn a lot from watching hunting shows but you can become a better hunter by spending more time in the woods while remembering that in the context of hunting shows you are only seeing a very small amount of the time spent in the woods to produce a successful hunt. Have you ever heard a hen continuously call all morning long, really loud, AND NEVER MOVE? In nature, hens usually only yelp once or twice as a means of locating a gobbler. When a hen hears a gobbler, she will go to the gobbler, if she is ready. As hunters, we have to remember this and try to outsmart the gobbler since we are not “going” to him but instead we are trying to get him to come to us.
Four tips that Josh and I used at Watermelon Pond Plantation that really helped our success included:
1).Two callers: Hunting with a buddy can increase calling effectiveness, by having more ability to fool a wary long beard. But it is important to have a plan for the day especially if the buddies are two different types of hunters. What I mean is one buddy might be the type of person to sit still all day long where the other buddy likes to move around, so it is important to talk about a plan for the hunt but remain flexible in adapting to new situations that arises. A successful hunt is much more enjoyable if you have a buddy there to share it with, plus, hunting with a buddy is much safer.
2). Effective Calling: Being effective means two things to me, being a good caller and knowing when to call. To learn this takes practice in the off season as well as many years of experience. My hunting partner, Josh is one of the best callers that I’ve ever hunted with. You can tell that he practices in the off season to mimic sounds that “naturally” occur in the wild, as opposed to sounds that would win a calling contest. He has a good friction call that he knows how to use. He is also very effective with a mouth diaphragm call. He can produce any natural hen sound with the diaphragm as well as a gobble! Try saying “tick-a-tick-a-tick-a” really fast to produce an immature gobble. This call can be very effective at fooling a true limb hanger.

3). Mimicking a fly-down: I carry a turkey wing feather in my vest. If we are close to a roosted gobbler in the morning, I will use the wing to mimic two hens (while making clucking sounds) flying down off the roost. We used this technique to successfully fool the 12 ¼” bearded Osceola Gobbler on April 3rd!

4). Be patient and do not over call: Most birds I’ve killed have been taken between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm. You can use a crow call to stimulate a shock gobble and once you find one you have to be patient. If a turkey gobbles to your yelp then hush up and let him come. When you think it is time to get up and go, wait another 15 minutes. Too many hunters move around too much and call too much, and usually quit hunting at 9:00 am.
For me, hunting is also about enjoying nature and relaxing in the wild. I like to be prepared to spend the entire day in the woods. Sometimes I take a book to read. I also like to fill out my hunting journal during the afternoon hours with details from the previous day’s hunt. Take a nap while your buddy takes first watch. I love taking a nap around 1:00 pm on a spring day just after eating lunch, sprawling out under a Live Oak in the shade with a light breeze blowing – you never know, when you wake up, that big Tom might be dancing with your decoys!
Thanks again, Kate, for a great hunt at Watermelon Pond Plantation. We hope to return this Spring Gobbler Season for more great Florida turkey hunting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Training the Upland Gun Dog English Setter, Mitzie



I've trained a lot of upland gun dogs during my 28 years as a professional bird dog trainer. Many I remember, a great percentage of them due to their degree of difficulty in training. Some I remember more than others, perhaps because of the distinct personalities each dog possesses, others because of the relationships that have been formed with their owners.
One particular dog that fits both criterion, I have trained and boarded off and on for several years. She is an English Setter from excellent lineage. Her name is Mitzie. Her owner George Milligan of Orlando, Florida is an avid upland bird hunter and fly fisherman. George never fails to bring me some goodies from his recent fly fishing adventures throughout the world. The Alaskan Salmon is particularly delicious.
My nickname for Mitzie is "Princess" due to the fact that she is unbelievably spoiled and also very hard headed. Her intelligence makes her very difficult to train as she always seems to be one step ahead of me. She is constantly a work in progress. Retrieving, I would put mildly, is not her forte. Getting her to fetch a dead bird was a battle of wills, which at most times, I believe she won. Gradually, we have made progress and she has finally resigned herself to begrudgingly deliver a bird almost to hand. George and Mitzie share a great bond and hunt in many different areas of the country. She has an exceptional nose, loads of drive and tons of stamina. She has becoming proficient in handling many types of upland games birds, including quail, grouse and woodcock. Although she has been trying at times, I have a special place in my heart for her and always look forward to the times she spends with me here at Cedar Ridge

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Rainy Day Dove Shoot by Jason



I woke up this morning to pouring rain here in Gainesville, FL. My spirits were also a bit damp as I had plans to go to Watermelon Pond Plantation in Archer, FL to work my German Shorthaired Pointer, Hank, with bird dog trainer extraordinaire, Kate Boulos. A dove shoot was planned for the afternoon. When the rain stopped around 12:00 pm, I was happy. My fiancee and I loaded up Hank and headed out with a cooler full of cold drinks and a mullet dip for the cookout. I prepared it last night after a great day of red fishing out of Cedar Key. It turned out great and everyone seemed to enjoy it. We arrived in plenty of time to grab a quick snack of delicious bar b qued pork, chili cheese dip and baked beans and then headed out to the quail woods.
We stopped at the pond flat and shot at a few snipe, none of which I hit. We worked Hank up into the piney woods and he nailed a single right off the bat. I killed it and he made an excellent retrieve. We continued on and he pointed again, this time very intense and stood until I flushed. I got a bit carried away and hurried my shot. Unfortunately, there wasn't much bird left for Hank to retrieve. Hank continued to improve as the hunting progressed and he located a small covey on the edge of the woods in some scrub oaks. I managed to make a good shot on one; the others were flying too fast. Kate was working a nice Brittany named Spud. He pointed several times and had the birds well located. We had a backing session with Hank and he seems to be getting the idea. Spud had 2 more finds which gave me more opportunities to make Hank honor his point. I also made Hank watch as Spud made the retrieves. We finished by giving Hank, Spud and one of Kate's beautiful English Setters, Biz a good run.
We headed back to the camp, ate some more and then proceeded to the dove field. Although the weather was damp and the sky gray, the doves came in pretty good, although sporadic. We had some good groups come in non stop for about 30 minutes in the late afternoon about an hour before sunset. My dove shooting was not as good as my quail shooting, but I managed to bag 10 and gave Hank more retrieving work. It was a great day and I can't wait to get back out to the woods next weekend for more dog work, quail hunting dove shooting at Watermelon Pond Plantation.

Stalking the Florida Turkey: Osceola: Osceola Spring Gobbler Hunting in Florida




What a hunt! What a hunt! We arrived at Range 17 Farm at Watermelon Pond Plantation between Archer and Bronson, Florida on the afternoon of April 1. Our hostess, Kate Boulos was very gracious and accommodating. We would sincerely like to thank Kate for letting us hunt again this year.
My hunting buddy, Josh Thrash from Brandon, Mississippi
roosted a large Osceola gobbler on Wednesday (April 1) evening just before dark in the field to the north of the cabin. We had sandwiches for dinner and tried to go to bed early. The cabin was neat and clean and the fridge was well stocked with goodies. The beds were very comfortable and the fan and AC cooled us off nicely. We were so excited with the expectations of the morning hunt, we did not fall asleep easily.
April 2: We set up under a big Longleaf Pine in the field north of the cabin with the decoys and listened to an Osceola gobbler gobble about 250 times between 7:00 and 11:00 am. He would not come into the field, so we relocated a little closer and tried for a better setup, which turned out to be great. He saw the decoys at 11:15 am and came walking in, impressively fanned out and Josh shot him at a distance of about 30 yards. He had a 10 ¼” inch beard and 1 3/8” spurs. He was a beautiful specimen of a Florida Osceola turkey.
We headed back to cabin and cleaned the bird. We then ate a quick sandwich before driving over to the east side of the property by the old milk truck. We set up on the road under a gorgeous and picturesque Live Oak tree and took turns taking 30 minute naps. At 4:30 pm a hen stepped into the food plot followed by a gobbler. The big Osceola gobbler never came within 80 yards so we did not shoot. We headed back to camp to cook turkey (marinated in Dale’s seasoning), a marinated deer tenderloin, and deer sausage. Oh, I wish you could have been there for that awesome feast!
April 3: We set up in the small field just west of the old milk truck. The mixture of elegant grand daddy Live Oaks with their profusion of Spanish moss swaying in the breeze and Long Leaf pine give one the feeling of being back in “Old Florida”, far removed from strip malls, traffic and tourist towns. It is truly a beautiful spot!
The wild turkey gobbler was roosted about 100 yards south of us. We set up two decoys, yelped a few times and he came to us like clockwork. Josh put him down at 7:30 am. He sported a 12 ¼” beard and a 7/8” sharp spur (one was broken off from fighting). I think he was an old bird starting to go down hill. The coloration of his feathers was an amazing mixture of iridescent greens and gold. We headed back to camp, had a REAL turkey sandwich, cleaned up, and then drove up to Lake City for some more good action on Eastern wild turkeys. Our Florida turkey hunting experience was one we will always remember