Turkeys are not particularly ” attractive” birds, most of the time.. but their bright iridescent colors are amazing..

After spending hours upon hours editing turkey photos last week, I decided to switch a few over to black and white.

Iridescent colors or not, I still think they are pretty cool birds.

Finally finished the FREE May desktop calendars.. again I am offering two options.. feel free to download either one or both.. Click here to download FUZZY~ and for those who are unsure how to set them as backgrounds.. just follow the instructions.. all desktop calendars are FREE so don’t worry about the pay links unless you would like to make a donation..

Again.. the calendars are my way of saying “thank you” to my readers and those who have purchased images.. 

In honor of Turkey season.. I also put together this collage of photos I took this spring.. To download your free copy of Turkey Season.. Click Here

Please take a moment to leave a comment to let me know what you think..

Turkey season’s are opening all over the country..

We took our boys and their long bows out last Monday and Tuesday..

and though we didn’t harvest any birds

(yet~ we don’t give up that easily)

we did have a great time. We allowed both boys to chose their own hunting (hiding) spots and they both did great.. sat perfectly still for hours, allowing the turkeys to come right in on them.

At one point they where both surrounded..but as often happens when hunting, our oldest had hens all around him, blocking a good, clean shot.

our youngest concealed himself in a bush using brush, sticks and mud(aka turkey poo) for camoflauge..

and the turkeys got so close, he could not move to pull his bow..

I know.. hunting is supposed to work the other way, but the grins and memories they brought back to the truck make it all worth while..

Our turkey hunting spot is several hours drive from home, so we will try to return again before season ends..if we can work it in between life, jobs and school..

Sometimes I really don’t like having to be a responsible adult..:-)

Spring has sprung and love is definitely in the air!

Turkeys as they began to fly in to the roost tree.. a sight I do enjoy, and look forward to each year..

Spring is in the air, and the time change is just around the corner.. rise and shine.. stretch out those wings and lets enjoy another beautiful day~

Once again I have created a monthly desktop calendar~ but this month I chose to give my viewers an option of the Wild Mustang photo or a flock of Turkeys in North West Wyoming.
Last month I gave away over 50 calendars to my viewers.. as you can imagine, checking email accounts and sending them out became quite time consuming and with the additional calendar option this month, I was concerned that I would miss someone or send out the wrong one… sooo
With this new web page, I am now able to upload the calendars to the site and those of you who wish to have one can simply download them yourself.. no waiting for me to find your requests in my email.. a huge time saver for all involved
to get your copy of either of these monthly calendars ~ please click here
and follow the instructions provided~

At this time, I have no way of tracking how many download the calendar, so please take a moment to leave a comment so I can keep track.. and let me know what you think ~

Thanks~ Stacey

Spot and stalk turkey hunting



One that got away

And one that didn’t



It “IS” about more than just the harvest…

With the arrival of spring we found ourselves once again headed over the mountain with the boys in the early morning hours.. Both boys once again decided to try to harvest a turkey with their bows..For the boys there was no Spring Turkey Harvest.. But for all.. it was a very successful hunt..They spent two days watching, listening and learning the language of the spring turkey..Spent another (much warmer) night under the stars at the base of the Big Horn Mountains..We saw elk, moose, white tail deer, mule deer, turkeys strutting, quail, pheasants, cotton tail rabbits, hawks, eagles, owls, and more song birds than we can name. The boys witnessed cattle giving birth and even got chased across a field and over the fence by one particularly protective bovine mother.

No, our children do not own video games and no, they don’t have a favorite television show, character or sport or team.. But ask them about what their favorite animal is and I bet they can’t name just one, but instead they will give you a list, and explain to you what is special and unique about each of them.

Hawk and the boys returned a few weeks later before season ended and spent another couple days chasing turkeys.. Josiah and Tyler filled out in the deep snow on a crisp cold December morning.. they got to spend the night in the woods with their dad, being boys, and all three returned home excited to share with me the stories of their adventure.

Josiah and Tyler took their single shot, shot gun with them this time.. as they realized just how smart these amazing birds actually are.

And Hawk continued to hunt with his longbow

My three hero’s with their birds..Wonderful food for the table, feathers for arrows, wing bones to make calls from, and memories to last a life time.

Our boys learn more on these trips than just how to hunt.. they learned how to read the sign around them to see what other animals are also in the area.. they spent time watching and listening to the wildlife and learning their language.. the calls they make to each other when they are feeding.. the sounds and body language that alerts everyone to danger.
And most importantly they learn respect and responsibility. I hope that as they grow into men, they take these things with them, the ability to take responsibility for their actions, and the respect for nature that will carry them through their adult lives, no matter who or what they choose to be.

My guess would be cuz they heard that these two were here…lol

After setting up for the morning hunt and a few unsuccessful stalks, Mike set the boys up in a spot were we knew the turkeys would come through feeding..I stayed back so that I wouldn’t spook the birds as they have fantastic eye sight and can catch the slightest movement.. besides I always get in trouble for snapping photos and scaring them away..

(oops!!)

(I got one.. two.. three.. etc.. etc.. how many have you got boys?)

Although none of them harvested a turkey on this day.. there were still some great times and wonderful memories made..
Mike set Josiah in a spot were the turkey would not be able to detect him until they were right on top of him.. He sat patiently waiting.. holding his longbow and home made arrows at the ready.. waiting and waiting and o- so patiently waiting.. well after a while he confessed that he got tired of standing there and sat down to take a break (bow no longer at the ready)..A few minutes later, out of no where a large turkey came rushing around the corner and ran face to face with one very surprised 10yr old boy.. I would have loved to capture a photo of that moment when they both found themselves nose to nose..lol.. but it was over in a second ….. and needless to say.. this is the last we saw of the turkey that night

After an early morning drive and a long day of hunting in the snow and rain we head up the mountain to build a campsite.. Mike and I blow up the air mattress(yep.. I demand and air mattress) and throw it out on the ground to spend the night next to a camp fire watching the stars and listening to the stories our boys have to share from the day..

(Collecting turkey feathers for arrow fletching)

With the approach of Thanksgiving I thought I would share with you some photos taken during Fall and Spring Turkey season, hunting with our boys..
We have a blind. but the boys like to hunt with their longbows, and it is a small blind, so that doesn’t work..and 4 people really don’t fit inside of a small ground blind either.. at least we don’t… not without freaking out every animal within 5 miles.. as they run in fear of the big camo blob that won’t stop shaking..

(Early morning~ turkey in the roost tree)

And the age old question.. does it taste like chicken?

I am always amazed at the wonderful sights that we see when we are out enjoying nature..
We woke our children in the we-hours of the morning to drive three plus hours over the mountain to our super secret turkey hunting spot… Mike and I were both privately hoping that the boys would sleep on the trip over the mountain, but alas.. even the best laid plans are sometime foiled.. Josiah is so overly excited at the prospect of harvesting his first turkey that he can barely contain himself.. We pulled into “the spot” just after day brake and are greeted with the beautiful sights and sounds of turkeys waking in their roost tree.. The day progresses into a cold and snowy late Fall day, but even the weather cannot dampen the boys spirits..They are here, hunting with their dad for Thanksgiving dinner.. what more could a boy want, or need….except maybe a bigger bird than his brother…(to be continued)

The wild turkey is a true American icon.