Turkey hunting forum for turkey hunting tips

I just finished one of the most rewarding seasons for me to date as I hunted 7 states - FL, TN, IL, KS, NE, WY & SD. 
I was able to complete not one but 2 Single season Grand Slams and one of them was  A  SlingShot Slam!
I put 6 birds in the dirt with the slingshot, 10 with the 20 gauge and was part of 8 more as well that I watched other hunters pull the trigger on and feel blessed to have been there for each.

After discussing with a familiar publication I think the slingshot slam may end up in ink so I am just going to do a picture post compiled from a good portion of this season with a comment here and there.  If anyone has any questions feel free to ask as I am going to post many pictures over the next few days. 



   

Never heard of such.  Looks cool though.  Congrats on the slam

Congratulations John.  Glad you got it done, wish it would have worked out for you to have made it down my way.

Congrats!  :icon_thumright:

I will get back to turkey pictures after this but thought there may be some interest in the equipment as well. 

I am pulling 42 lbs draw weight at 29" and was shooting a full length arrow with blazer vanes.  The broadheads used were the Turkey D-Cap by Solid broadhed company and my personal 1st choice The Gobbler Guillotine 4"x4".

Stability in arrow flight was achieved with blazers due to an insert developed by a newer insert company out there called Ethics Archery.  There special insert spins very easily and thus keeps the wind planing down to a minimum.  The inserts do weigh in at 75 grains but speed is not as much factor here as KE with this set-up.  The knurled section you see between my fingers in the pic below is the only portion that gets glued into the shaft.

Quote from: Gooserbat on May 19, 2016, 06:00:22 PM
Congratulations John.  Glad you got it done, wish it would have worked out for you to have made it down my way.

Sam I would have loved to made it down but the time restraints just made it impossible to hit OK & TX this time around.  We will do it in the future though as I would enjoy sharing camp with you anytime my friend.

Some from Tennessee

(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/gslam95/DSC03225_zpsox5bowf2.jpg) (http://s66.photobucket.com/user/gslam95/media/DSC03225_zpsox5bowf2.jpg.html)

(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/gslam95/IMG_1494_zpslnxckoew.jpg) (http://s66.photobucket.com/user/gslam95/media/IMG_1494_zpslnxckoew.jpg.html)

Very cool . congrats.

(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/gslam95/IMG_1466_zps1k23evcm.jpg) (http://s66.photobucket.com/user/gslam95/media/IMG_1466_zps1k23evcm.jpg.html)
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/gslam95/IMG_1477_zpsarvz0udk.jpg) (http://s66.photobucket.com/user/gslam95/media/IMG_1477_zpsarvz0udk.jpg.html)(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/gslam95/IMG_1515_zpsl0jm0n8d.jpg) (http://s66.photobucket.com/user/gslam95/media/IMG_1515_zpsl0jm0n8d.jpg.html)

(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/gslam95/IMG_1462_zpsb8u04voo.jpg) (http://s66.photobucket.com/user/gslam95/media/IMG_1462_zpsb8u04voo.jpg.html)


(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/gslam95/IMG_1641_zps8bjkpft9.jpg) (http://s66.photobucket.com/user/gslam95/media/IMG_1641_zps8bjkpft9.jpg.html)

(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/gslam95/IMG_1635_zpsq6zqrlho.jpg) (http://s66.photobucket.com/user/gslam95/media/IMG_1635_zpsq6zqrlho.jpg.html)

(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/gslam95/IMG_1644_zpsoqsydnw1.jpg) (http://s66.photobucket.com/user/gslam95/media/IMG_1644_zpsoqsydnw1.jpg.html)

Congrats on a fantastic spring and some great pics as always!

Thanks for sharing!

Congrats, your very blessed!!

Very neat set up your shooting too.

Fantastic Season !!! Love the photos. Nice calls and unique weapon. I read Slingshot and thought surgical tubes and a marble or ball bearing.. :OGturkeyhead:

Congrats Sir!!

That is cool on so many levels!

Big congrats on quite the accomplishment.

Wonderful pictures!!
Congrats on a great spring.
What mass on that shed!!!!!
Greg

Great stuff!....Enjoyed it all!  Calling that weapon a slingshot is a stretch,...but what the hey!   It's cool regardless.  :D

Thanks for sharing.  Great pictures!   :you_rock: :you_rock:

What an incredible season!  Congrats!!

Unbelievable spring season for you, congrats on all of your personal accomplishments. Thanks for sharing!

Wow. That's awesome. Congratulations on a season for the books!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Awesome story & pics! Congrats!! The sling shot looks like a fun tool.

I would say these roost trees get used year round and year after year by generations of turkeys judging by the droppings underneath. 
I witnessed up to 8 hens in each tree one evening as they were flying up.  I was camping within a 1/4 mile of them and at 11pm I went out and scattered those hens off the limb.  The next morning was an easy and short hunt as I was set up within 80 yards of where the Gobblers were roosted.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/gslam95/IMG_1746_zpsfub0l7yz.jpg) (http://s66.photobucket.com/user/gslam95/media/IMG_1746_zpsfub0l7yz.jpg.html)(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/gslam95/IMG_1741_zps5jytvxmu.jpg) (http://s66.photobucket.com/user/gslam95/media/IMG_1741_zps5jytvxmu.jpg.html)

(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/gslam95/IMG_1747_zpswcsbhhhl.jpg) (http://s66.photobucket.com/user/gslam95/media/IMG_1747_zpswcsbhhhl.jpg.html)

(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/gslam95/IMG_1739_zpsbnxa2nsx.jpg) (http://s66.photobucket.com/user/gslam95/media/IMG_1739_zpsbnxa2nsx.jpg.html)

(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/gslam95/DSC03273_zps4oz6lhjn.jpg) (http://s66.photobucket.com/user/gslam95/media/DSC03273_zps4oz6lhjn.jpg.html)

I'm absolutely blown away by those pictures. Thanks for sharing, what an awesome experience that must've been. 

Quote from: GSLAM95 on May 20, 2016, 01:33:19 PM



I witnessed up to 8 hens in each tree one evening as they were flying up.  I was camping within a 1/4 mile of them and at 11pm I went out and scattered those hens off the limb.  The next morning was an easy and short hunt as I was set up within 80 yards of where the Gobblers were roosted.

Some amazing pics and great hunts.

Don't take this the wrong way, but you seem like a better hunter than to have to resort to busting hens off a roost at 11PM so you can kill a tom the next morning.  To me this smacks of wildlife harassment and a 'kill at all costs' mentality.

I'm a big supporter of if it's legal and it fits within your personal ethic, go for it, but intentionally disturbing/running wildlife off isn't legal here.  Maybe it is where you took that bird.

Anyway, lotta neat birds with the mini bow.

spaightlabs,

Sent you a PM
#1) Small tract of property to hunt.
#2) Was leaving for another state late morning the next day, so yes it was a last ditch effort.  I have seen this tactic backfire as much as I have seen it work as vocal smart hens the next AM can take a Tom to the next county in a hurry.
Sorry you feel the need to question my ethics.  Hopefully you don't live in a glass house..

PM received and replied.

Not saying you are unethical at all. Like the fanning discussions that have taken place here, or in waterfowl hunting, the conversations about using spinners or roost jumping snow geese.

Thanks for the conversation and hope the rest of your season goes well.

You definitely get some miles under your boots to do what you did.

Congrats John! Mighty fine spring!

Amazing pictures and what a season you had. Congrats!

O.k....Now I can die at peace. I've seen everything...A slingshot. A slingshot! WHAT???!!!
Congrats man. That's quite an accomplishment! And the pics...Awesome! I worship at your feet   :)

Dream season! Congrats!

Interesting choice of weapon, not my cup of tea but who am I to judge.  I've read of folks bumping turkeys off the roost with the hopes of making the gobbler love sick the next day, never done it but what's legal is legal.  Congrats.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Congrats on an incredible season!  :icon_thumright:

Congratulations on your accomplishment. It's not an easily achieved goal, and yours was made increasingly difficult with the choice of weapon. A lot to be proud of here.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Cross that off the ole bucket list!! Pictures are awesome.T thanks for post :z-winnersmiley:

I feel even more inferior now...

Congrats on a great season

Thank you for sharing! Looks like this year will be hard to top. What's the FPS and KE of the sling shot?

Quote from: KYHeadhunter02 on May 24, 2016, 06:38:30 PM
Thank you for sharing! Looks like this year will be hard to top. What's the FPS and KE of the sling shot?

At 29" draw this slingshot has a draw weight of 42lbs. 
The full length arrow I was shooting weighs in at 498.5 grains which is heavy but the Ethics archery spinning inserts are made of steel and weigh in at 75 grains themselves plus the Guillotines are 125 grain head also.   

This set-up is shooting 160 FPS through the chronograph for a Kinetic Energy of 28.34 ft lbs.

What a cool new way to hunt turkeys. Ya know it would have been more impressive if you used throwing stars or maybe even spit wads, lol :OGani: Thanks for sharing the pics and stories

Congrats on a heck of a good season. :icon_thumright:  Great looking country and great looking birds. I'm assuming that you're an IL resident.  I grew up and lived in Southern IL until 2006.  I hunted the Shawnee in Pope and Massac Counties and miss hunting Easterns there, but sure do love the Merriam's out here.

PM Sent

Congrats!  Man and I thought I was killing some birds.  Awesome season!  Those are some sweet pics also. 

 :icon_thumright: :icon_thumright:

Not really a sling shot, more like a mini-bow. Either way, it's quite an accomplishment!! Congrats on your slam!! :icon_thumright:

Very cool photo journal...

I would be curious as to the weapon you used though...  How does it classify as a sling-shot as opposed to a bow and arrow?  Is it capable of shooting other projectiles?  Fill us in on that weapon, as I am sure that it is unique to many of us reading this post...

Quote from: Marc on June 14, 2016, 05:39:15 PM
Very cool photo journal...

I would be curious as to the weapon you used though...  How does it classify as a sling-shot as opposed to a bow and arrow?  Is it capable of shooting other projectiles?  Fill us in on that weapon, as I am sure that it is unique to many of us reading this post...

Marc,
My apologies for not seeing your questions sooner.  The "Slingblade" in my opinion is a Hybrid version sling shot.  If you go back to the first page of my post I described the specs and poundage that I am pulling. 

The Slingblade is not your grandpas version of a sling shot for sure but everyone that I have seen shoot this thing for the first time always has a problem setting it down and wants to shoot it more as it simply puts a smile on your face because of it's unique feel.  It's smooth, quiet and quite accurate with some practice.

Tim Wells who is one of the best shot with a bow at moving targets that I have ever seen helped Paul and Skip at Gearhead Archery develop this weapon.  I know there are some upgrades coming out very soon that will make the sling blade even more interesting. 


Here is a link with what Tim Wells had to say about the Slingblade while at the ATA show.  https://youtu.be/r5wty0pLSFQ

Quote from: GSLAM95 on July 02, 2016, 02:34:33 PM

Marc,

My apologies for not seeing your questions sooner.  The "Slingblade" in my opinion is a Hybrid version sling shot.  If you go back to the first page of my post I described the specs and poundage that I am pulling. 

The Slingblade is not your grandpas version of a sling shot for sure but everyone that I have seen shoot this thing for the first time always has a problem setting it down and wants to shoot it more as it simply puts a smile on your face because of it's unique feel.  It's smooth, quiet and quite accurate with some practice.

Tim Wells who is one of the best shot with a bow at moving targets that I have ever seen helped Paul and Skip at Gearhead Archery develop this weapon.  I know there are some upgrades coming out very soon that will make the sling blade even more interesting. 


Here is a link with what Tim Wells had to say about the Slingblade while at the ATA show.  https://youtu.be/r5wty0pLSFQ

I think that Slingblade is perfect terminology for this weapon.  A "mini-bow" capable of "slinging" arrows at over 200 fps...  Impressive and fun looking little weapon.

Thanks for posting up the photos and story of your Spring. I have been fortunate to be able to recognize several of the different landscapes in those photos.
Someting about the lure of new places and challenges that make this addiction even worse.
I can't say that the slingshot deal is something I will ever try, but I can certainly appreciate what it took to accomplish.
Thanks again for posting. I look forward to seeing what next Spring holds for you.
As for me, my wife has caught on that our camping trip to the mountains of New Mexico in a couple weeks is really a scouting trip for Spring 2017!

Congratulations felt like i was along for the ride, awesome pictures!!

Got my first slingshot slam when I was 8 or 9. Sparrow, starling, and pigeon!  All in the same day too. But the definition of slingshot seems to have changed a bit since then!

Great accomplishment!

However, I agree... this is not anything close to a slingshot.

In reference to the two replies above questioning what this weapon is I have never said it was your stripped down tree branch with a piece of leather and chunk of tire inner tube that some of us actually made and shot when we were kids. 

Yes the slingshots of today have evolved just as Firearms and Archery equipment have in our lifetimes.  Along with just about everything else we used when we were kids.  There are post in this thread where I have linked video reviews and the announcement of this weapon at the ATA show. 

This weapon the "SlingBlade" is a Hybrid Slingshot.  Consider it a slingshot on steroids as it has all the features of a wrist rocket with heavy rubber tubing and a arm brace.  It is then given the added power of miniature recurve bow limbs with a very comfortable grip.

I will simplify by saying this: In 40+ years of shooting I can say that guns are a rewarding weapon to hunt with for me, a compound bow is an even more rewarding weapon for me to shoot and hunt with but neither of the two weapons from my experience even come close in difficulty to shoot and hunt with so it was another step up in challengeable weaponry for me to turkey hunt with. 

The SlingBlade is not for everyone but for anyone who has shot a slingshot growing up and some kind of archery as well I would highly recommend picking one up and giving it a try. 
If it doesn't put a smile on your face and a sense of pleasure then it's doubtful to me if you really enjoyed shooting either weapon growing up.

To all my turkey hunting brothers who have respectfully commented and sent PM's along the way I thank you and enjoyed sharing the journey of this past spring.  Take care and good luck afield.   

 I apologize for not including something in my post. Great accomplishment and congrats!!  Even though I don't feel it's a slingshot by my thinking, it's still an awesome achievement and one I'm sure I will never match. Again, congrats on the slam!!

Really a crazy looking thing. Thanks for sharing your experience. I cannot wait to try one and will pick up the first one I see or at least beg to shoot it. It may not be for me but I have got to try one!

Very cool. I love those pins. Congrats.