Hunting-moon!

When most people think of Honeymoon destinations, the thought is an island, cruise, or beach somewhere. Well, not the new Mr. and Mrs. Nuckols, we wanted our honeymoon to be something that we actually do for fun! Of course that means in our world, HUNTING! Which destination/animal did we chose you ask? Pheasant, duck and turkey in Nebraska of course.

We hunted Pheasant for 5 days in Alliance Nebraska, in combined corn fields and open prairies.

When you hunt for pheasant you flush the field while walking in a zig-zag pattern and with your best hunting pups!

The male Pheasant is called a Rooster and they are the only ones you are permitted to harvest!




We had such a great time, and we must have walked at least 20 miles a day! Hunting in Nebraska is a great work out! :)

While we were hunting we were lucky enough to run into some farmers that showed us around and explained how corn is harvested.

Their combine was a truly amazing piece of equipment.

 Nebraska was some of the most beautiful country I have ever seen! It truly is God's country out there!

After our pheasant adventures had come to a close we moved over to get some duck action! The quack attack was back for a day!

We hunted for ducks in the sand hills of Nebraska, and we did some puddle jumping!
Luckily for me my new Hubby is awesome on the duck call, so we ended up with a few green heads, and a pin tail!     

 On the 7th day of our hunting moon, we turned our attention the the illusive Merriam turkey, as you all know I am in pursuit of the Turkey Grand Slam, and so when we were offered a chance to harvest a Merriam we JUMPED at it. 

We took about an hour drive into the Black hills of Nebraska to get to the property where the turkeys were residing! I cannot stress to you enough, and the pictures do not do it justice, just how beautiful this country was, simply breathtaking!

 Our good friend Logan Dietrich was an amazing Turkey hunting guide. We limited out on Merriam's that day and had one heck of an adventure!

 Our final stop on our hunting moon was to the astonishing Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. It was a 3.5 hour drive from Alliance, but it felt like 15 mins because of all the beautiful scenery. We even found a mountain goat with her baby, and saw some cool wind turbines along the way. 

 I do not believe there is any other couple on the planet that had more fun, or a bigger adventure on their honeymoon that we did!

We had a blast and cannot wait to go back again, we met some truly wonderful people and spent many hours out in the fresh air, and it doesn't get any better than that!


"Let all you do be done in love." 1 Corinthians 16:14

Tuesday's League

Lately I been working 2 jobs, 60 plus hours a week, planning a wedding, buying a new car, and on top of it all I'm supposed to diet and exercise like a good person! Who am I? Superwoman?

Needless to say, I've been finding every excuse I can to get outdoors and take my mind off the craziness of my current life situations. The solution?.... Tuesday morning sporting clays league, and I use the word "League" loosely.

A group of old farts and me meet up on Tuesday mornings at 9am to shoot the bull and some orange clays,...if we have time in between all the bull! So today, I thought I would let y'all in on the talent that comes out every Tuesday morning to shoot Fishhawk Sporting Clays.

When you embark on a journey to the sporting clays range it is very important that you check and make sure you have everything you will need before you leave the house. On your checklist should be ...

1. Gun! You won't get far with out it. A shotgun to be exact. I use a 20 gauge, but most of the old farts use a 12 gauge.

2. Shells aka "bullets". We usually shoot a 50 bird course, so I always make sure I have at least that many with me, if not more. Lets face it, I'm not that good of a shot, I always bring extra!

3. Shooting glasses. Don't get pelted in the face with a kamikaze shell, or sprayed with clay dust.   

4. Ear plugs! So important not to forget these, not only do you not want to destroy your ear drums, you also are not allowed to even shoot the course with out them, same goes for your glasses.

5. Coffee! For obvious reasons, this is the most important!

Once we have arrived at the gun range, we load up a rented golf cart with all our gear! They conveniently come with holders for the shotguns, and a front baskets for our bags of shells.

Its so organized....;)

We start off the morning by each choosing a station (1-16) that we want everyone to shoot. Today I chose station number 2! I really struggled with this station last week, and I wanted to see if today I had any better luck....spoiler alert....not much!

Each station is assigned a number and has instructions on the railing about how each bird at that particular station will fly. For example, in this picture of station number 14, bird A (which flies first), is flying left to right, and is outgoing. Bird B is the second to launch and it flies left to right and is also outgoing. It is also a true pair station which means that both birds are launched at the exact same time, as opposed to a report pair which are launched in succession, one right after the other.

Like I said earlier, you must wear glasses and ear protection at all times when you are on the course. Incase you forget, there is signs to remind you! Underneath the sign is the station key box, which when a rented key is put inside allows you to be able to push a button and throw your clays. PULL!!!

The trajectory of the birds are constantly being changed by the owners of the range. Every week we are greeted with new and more challenging birds! They like to keep us on our toes. ;)

Clays can come from a tower, and fly in towards you, as featured above. They can also come from the ground and go up and away like pictured below.

I look forward all week to meeting the group and getting in some practice! The range is such a beautiful and fun way to get outdoors for some adventure, and with the Tuesday league there is never a shortage of good times and laughter.

Duck, dove and pheasant will all be in season soon, and our weekly range practice will surely turn us into bird hunting machines!

After all the shells have fallen, every clay busted, and the smack talk has calmed down, we head out to our favorite lunch spot! 

It's not officially Tuesday until we get our Silver Ring Cuban sandwich fix, that can only be paired with a big ole' glass of sweet tea. Lunch is more than just food to eat, it's a chance to catch up, slow down and enjoy each others company.

Sirach 6:14-16

^"A faithful friend is a strong defense:

and he that hath found him, hath found a treasure.

Until next time!

-TGO

Spring Hunts 2015, the Grand Slam pursuit continues!

As we zero in on opening day of Spring Turkey 2015, I am once again reminded of the goal I set for myself two years ago. The prestigous turkey Grand Slam, a lofty goal that takes time, patiece and alot of early mornings in a blind! A goal however, in this hunters opinion, worth the effort. Alot of turkey hunters set out to capture the renowned Grand Slam, which yeilds a lifetime supply of bragging rights, but fall short. The hunters that do achieve Grand Slam status however, usually only do so after several years of planning and traveling. If youre wondering what in the world a turkey Grand Slam is and why im yamering on about its illustrious appeal, let me explain. The turkey Grand Slam is when a hunter hunts and kills all four species of  North American wild turkey, these species include the Eastern (pictured below), found along the East Coast of the U.S.A., and in parts Missouri, Michigan and even in parts of Canada. The Eastern wild turkey is the most populated turkey in North America.
 
the Merriam, (featured below) that can be found in South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, and New Mexico.
 
the Rio, (featured below) which can be found in Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Oregon.
 
and of course my personal favorite the elusive Osceola, which can only be found in South Florida. The Osceola is the hardest for hunters to get because of the small area they populate.

.
There is also a very colorful breed of turkey found in different parts of Mexico that some hunters are adding to their collection, the vibrant Ocellated wild turkey, .
 Hunters that have set out to fulfill the Grand Slam goal, like myself, take years to actually achieve it, the process involves years of planning, scouting and paying for trips across the U.S in order to hunt the various species. Last year I took my first Osceola (see post entitled "An Osceola Occasion"), and this year the goal is set on the Eastern wild Turkey. T.G.O. has been invited to use private property in south Georgia to facilitate this aspiration, and has very high hopes for a successful season. Eastern turkeys compared to Osceola, this hunter has learned are a lot more vocal during the spring time. Hopefully this makes for a smoother hunting experience, and T.G.O. can get some good back and forth calling. Decoys will be packed and pot calls scratched soon, so stay tuned to see the results of one more chapter in the Grand Slam pursuit series.


"Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hut game for me." Genesis 27:3