Turkey Hunting
Near Westcliffe, Colorado
with Outdoor Buddies
By Staff Sergeant Ian Newland
My trip started from Denver around 1430 on Friday, April 17th during Colorado’s second spring blizzard. After a grueling and very slippery four hour drive I finally made it to Westcliffe Friday evening. My wife, Erin, and two children, Haley and Dryden, decided to journey with me. After two deployments to Iraq and countless days in the field we try to do everything as a family.
We woke early on Saturday to even more snow, around two feet on the ground and it was coming down hard. We made our slow approach to Dwaine Robey’s house, and I prepared for my first turkey hunt. I brought along some great snow cameos and my 12 gauge Mossberg 500 with 3 inch 5 ounce turkey loads.
Our first push into the wood line through four and five foot snow drifts was a sign of things to come, lots and lots of snow. My guide Kirt Floyd made his first call with his all-weather box call, and we got three loud returns maybe 100 meters away. We pushed down a little trail and I set in under some pines, then I saw my first Colorado turkey. Kirt kept calling and the turkeys kept returning but they were hung up just outside my range. After about the fourth call a hen busted off and ran
out of sight and the rest all followed her. As quickly as I saw them they were gone. We sat in position for about an hour but the turkeys had moved on and were not returning Kirt’s calls.
We pushed deeper into the wood line and Kirt kept his calling going. We heard a couple of return calls a ways off up the hills. The snow began picking up and visibility was almost zero at this time. I sat in and Kirt pushed around behind my position calling and getting returns, but nothing came close. We decided to set back to the house for lunch, on the menu “fried turkey!”
Lunch was great as about 10 local neighbors all brought different items and dishes and everyone was very friendly. My son, Dryden, kept a few of them entertained. After an hour or so and some great food we set out again.
The third push we chose to go a bit higher on the hill and as soon as we started calling the snow came in again. We got some loud returns that sounded within 100 meters. Again I sat next to some pines, in the snow with my snow cameos I was a ghost, Kirt pushed up the hill to get in front of them and I waited for them to come down my direction. With a nice trail to my front and tons of tracks going back and forth I thought this had to be it. BANG! A shot echoed across the mountains! I crawled out from under the tree and began heading in the direction Kirt went. When he emerged from the snow, he looked at me and said “sorry, sir, but it came right to me”. I laughed and we made our way to his turkey with a “nice 10 inch beard.” By this time it was around 1900 and I was cold, wet, and tired, I had enough for the day.
Day two. I had planned on heading out around 0430-0500, but the day before had taken its toll on my legs so I rolled out of bed around 0645. I threw my cameos on and grabbed my gear. I was so tired it felt like Iraq all over again. We loaded up my four-wheel drive and the first thing I noticed was the sun was shining and it was not snowing. I kissed my wife, as she chose to wait with the kids at the hotel, and she said to me “this is the morning Hun I can feel it” I shared her enthusiasm.
As we approached the mountains the sun lit the peaks up in a bright pink, it was breathtaking. We got to the Robeys’ house and there were 10 turkeys right in the back yard. Of course, there is no hunting allowed near the house! I looked at Kirt and we grabbed our things and headed down the trail. We went to two locations where we had placed some decoys, and began calling. Right away we got two returns from two different spots probably 200 meters out. We started pushing up toward the
turkeys and they kept pushing further up the hills. I had told Kirt before we left I was not going up those hills again, but the turkeys had made that decision for me.
We walked very slowly around behind them stopping and calling, listening to them climb higher and higher. Every 100 meters or so Kirt would stop and ask me “are you sure you’re up for this?” I knew I had to keep going. I wanted this turkey and no hill, mountain or even a bear was going to make me leave empty handed.
The sun was shining and the snow was deep but melting, which added even more slippery obstacles to overcome. We bounded alongside the flock of 10 turkeys stopping and calling listening to them push higher. We planned a classic ranger ambush on this group, Kirt explained that once we get above them we can cut their movement off and catch them on the top trying to cross. I thought “great plan” but my legs were hurting like crazy as I have a lot of shrapnel inside them. We got to the top and he made another call and they gobbled right below me. I slowly pushed forward like a tiger stalking its prey; every step carefully placed not to cause too much movement as I learned the day before that turkeys can see you even in a blizzard.
I saw a turkey move right out into the open, a hen, problem was she saw me as well. Now I did not mention that the day before we were almost in the same spot, I had a Jake walk right out in the open but we had pushed so hard through the snow when I got my shotgun up my glasses were so fogged I could not see and could not get a shot off. I was not going to make the same mistake twice. I just slowly sat down in the snow and calmed down. The hen looked up again and I guess she did not like what she saw as she busted out into a full run. I thought “crap, she just scared the whole flock down the hill where we started our movement from!”
Kirt, being the best guide you could ask for noticing my demeanor change, and knew what had happened. He started calling like I had not heard yet, and got a gobble. I saw a Tom about 100 meters down the hill stop and turn around and call. I pushed up behind a dead tree, laid my barrel across a branch at kneeling level. I placed my bead sight on the top of his head and watched him slowly walking up and across from me. He first stopped about 75 meters behind some pines and he gobbled again, at that moment I became a turkey hunter knowing if I waited he would come into the open. He walked up another 20 meters and stopped right out in the open maybe 45 meters in front of me. I could not see his beard so I moved my boot around nice and slowly, right then he lifted his head, beard hanging out in the open. I slowly pulled back on my trigger until “BANG”, he flipped and kicked and he was down!!
Yells filled the canyon and hillsides and Kirt jumped in the air higher than the turkey. We moved down to him and it was amazing. I cannot say enough about this great group of men; Dwaine Robey, Randy Olson, Dennis Floyd, and Kirt Floyd who helped me with my hunt.
My experience with Outdoor Buddies as my first hunting trip ever will be some of the best memories I will carry for life. I laid to rest 45 friends during my second tour in Iraq; I was wounded by an enemy hand grenade that was thrown into my vehicle in Baghdad in 2006. My recovery has been very painful, but these guys have given me a weekend where the only thing that mattered was fun!
My only concern with this organization is that not enough people know what power to heal they possess. I give a huge army salute to Kirt for teaching me how to hunt turkeys here in Colorado and catering my hunt to me. Not only do I have turkey in my crock pot, but I have made lifelong friends who have shown my family and me, by sharing their expertise, hospitality, friendship and the great outdoors, how much fun you can still have being disabled.
God bless Outdoor Buddies!
Be Prepared ...
The Story of Spencer McMillen’s Elk Hunt
By Rick White
In September of 2004, Spencer McMillen, came to the Outdoor Buddies sight-in at the Lockheed-Martin shooting range southwest of Denver all the way from his home just east of Greeley. His mission was to make sure that Outdoor Buddies was confident that his shooting skills and safety met the criteria needed to harvest an elk near Estes Park. A long time friend Roger Viefhauf accompanied Spencer.
Spencer at his 1st sight-in
Now this story does not seem out of the ordinary, as most Outdoor Buddies Handi-Buddies have gone through the same situation. What makes this situation unique is that Spencer McMillen is blind! When asked what he can see, he responded that what he sees is like dark dusk all the time. While he sees some imagery, for the most part there is no clarity in what he sees. Thus, finding an elk in the cross hairs of a scope was, of course, impossible.
Sid Sellers, Dwaine Robey and Larry Davis all attended the sight-in day at the shooting complex. Sid was most concerned that Spencer might not be able to get ready for a shot at an elk quickly enough and also was concerned that by having two people look in the scope there was a high probability that a clean harvest of one of the Estes Park elk might be compromised. It was decided that Spencer, with Roger’s help, would need much more practice. Thus Spencer left pretty dejected when he was told he was not going to get to hunt that fall.
All felt that Spencer and Roger needed to develop a method that would allow Spencer to stay locked in on the elk, rather than move his head and perhaps pull himself off when he moved.
Not wanting to leave Spencer without better direction, Outdoor Buddies Larry Davis and Dwaine Robey did some research into available special equipment that had actually been used by blind hunters and proven to be successful. After some research, they found Wildlife Optics, via their Internet web site (www.wildlifeoptics.com), located in Denham Springs, Louisiana. Wildlife Optics had developed a device they call Trophy Shot. The Trophy Shot mounts on the scope of a gun and displays the actual scope picture that you or I would see onto a screen. With that screen clearly visible to Roger who looks over Spencer’s shoulder, what Spencer would be seeing in the scope could be seen by Roger without anyone having to move. Spencer could align and shoot without ever moving once the shot was set. This device seemed perfect!
Since it is not the policy of Outdoor Buddies to purchase special equipment for any individual hunter, a few people raised the money and the device was purchased. (Wildlife Optics did sell us the device at cost. A large Outdoor Buddies thanks to them for developing the device and discounting it back to Outdoor Buddies.)
Upon obtaining the device it was shipped to Spencer for mounting on his firearm and the practicing began almost immediately. As Roger and Spencer worked on the best method to use the device, they also decided that they should be able to get on an animal quickly and practice enough for them to be able to get both horizontal and vertical adjustments done swiftly.
With that in mind, Spencer and Roger devised another apparatus for the hunt. Roger, having worked for the Weld County shops for years was very clever in developing a two-seater shooting platform. It was mounted in the back of a truck. (Yes, Spencer did have his permit to discharge a firearm from a vehicle.) The device seated Roger behind Spencer and then it pivoted quickly to a position that was vertically in place. All that was left then was for Roger to give Spencer some hand signals whether to raise or lower his firearm. Roger signaled with squeezes on the shoulders. The system was used during practice session after practice.
The team was now ready to try the Outdoor Buddies hunt readiness test again. In early November, Roger and Spencer traveled to Estes Park to prove to Larry Davis that they could now pass the test. As hunt coordinator, Larry called me almost immediately to inform me that they had passed with flying colors. They were able to get on the target quickly and shot a very impressive pattern at 100 yards. After a year of preparation and numerous trials and errors, the two were ready to go elk hunting.
December17, 2005 found Spencer and Roger in Estes Park teamed with Lowell Fairchild, a Handi-buddy from Kansas and his long time friend JR Heldenbrand. JR is the President of Outdoor Buddies of Kansas, located in Kingman, Kansas. Outdoor Buddies hunt coordinators Larry Davis and Rick White joined these hunters.
It was a beautiful day and lots of elk were seen, but no cow elk were on any property that Outdoor Buddies can hunt on.
The morning of the 18th started the same way. About 7:30 A.M. some elk were spotted just behind one of the properties we have permission to hunt on. The elk however, had different ideas than to wonder through our property. While Roger and Spencer were in the shooting device and waiting for the elk to come to us, the elk sensed the danger and went the other way! While we were sitting there, local residents, Steve Toms and his son were searching for an elk. They know Larry and stopped to inquire what was happening. Larry explained what we were doing and the locals asked if they could help. Larry said no thank you, unless you could make some elk appear! With that the groups split up and we went back to hunting.
As we rounded the next corner, here was Steve whom we had just met waiving us down. He informed us that there were three elk, two cows and a spike bull, on a piece of property that they had permission to hunt.
They opened the gates, the truck was pulled in out of site until Spencer and Roger could get back into position. The truck was backed up to put Spencer in position for a shot. Spencer made a good shot on the elk and the fat cow was his. As is often the case, high fives were given, pictures were taken, a little remorse was felt, and a slap on the back was given to all who helped.
This ‘Blind Hunter’ hunt epitomizes Outdoor Buddies. It takes perseverance to over come each individual’s limitations. It takes preparation and practice in real life shooting situations. It takes Able-Buddies who care, who want to help in any way they can. It takes cooperation from landowners who allow us to hunt and from hunt coordinators who sacrifice their days off to be part of these great hunts We are blessed to see God’s awesome creation, the Rockies, the elk, coyotes and deer; and if God so allows us that day, it all comes to fruition. If we do not harvest an animal that is OK too, but with the harvest comes the icing on every hunter’s cake.