BilletHead

Ok some of you were cringing when I spoke of keeping the wobbly bits from our wild turkeys, This was a loose term for the edible innards which I will be using in dirty rice again. The liver, heart and gizzard and actually you cannot discern the taste in the rice dish. Heck I don't even like liver in any form but it works in the dirty rice. Now I also talked about the turkey fries. The gonads, nuts or balls. In the turkey or any fowl for that matter they are no low hanging fruit like mammals. In the fowl they are actually tucked way up next to the kidneys. I like to try anything safely edible in the game we take. Not everything quite yet but working on that. I did the fries from one of my gobblers and saved the fries from Mrs. BilletHead's yesterday. So just a bit ago I cleaned, dusted in seasoned flour and a quick fry later she did the taste test. She said not too bad and had the same thought I had. Pretty bland but there is a small background taste that we have never tasted before. Now we can say we did it. Pat also said to not judge her looks this morning as she has been working in the yard and garden . The taste test . Actually I like this look better than the ones that hide the real person. BilletHead

Good deal Daryk , Volunteering like that is not only good for others like those kids but it is good for our souls too ! Thanks for sharing. You are helping. Molding those boys the right way, BilletHead

No truer words have ever been spoken. BilletHead

Yes it was Seth and the older we get the more we cherish the days like this, BilletHead

Looked in two different places this morning. Got a pretty good mess or three. We left so many already beyond harvest they were left in the woods, The paw-paws were blooming too, Better get while the getting is good, BilletHead

Something hunted, something foraged and something grown, Yes something bought too . Mrs BilletHead finished tagging out on turkey this morning. This will be the hunted part. Then we hit the woods once again for a mushroom expedition. Mission accomplished and the forage part was complete. Then there was the raiding party in our garden. The grown part done. A trip to wally world for cherry tomatoes and the new crop of Vidalia onions. Wild turkey, morels and a salad. Life is again good in BilletHeadVille, BilletHead

Mrs. BilletHead tagged out this morning, I have never seen a bird so beat up. He had been in a few fights and was not the victor. Even his face was messed up. Legs all spurred up and one leg was not salvageable. Ten and a half inch beard, inch and three eights spurs. After cleaning the bird we hit our morel spots and found a good mess. We had to leave some that had went beyond their prime, BilletHead

Well done Old Dog 417. We have another report coming later today. Morels included . BilletHead

Well as a matter of a fact you can. I have each secondary taped together in matched pairs. Will fix you up friend! BilletHead

There in the fridge with the wobbly bits that will be the base for dirty rice .

BilletHead finished up this morning, Up early and set up. There is one particular field where the birds work and at the North end two pinch points where the birds enter or exit at a fence row. I set at one and they use the other and vice versa. This morning it was more of the same. Not responding to calls early and doing as they please. I gave it a go and sure enough a tom excited in the other place and their was no gobbling here to speak of. I heard one jake on the roost. I took a break around eight and took some of my layering off, cooled down and went back out again. Forty acres away from the early set up. Sat and made a few calls. Heard one bird and it faded away. Circled back to morning spot looking in fields between. Nada. Between the pinch points is a patch of cedars and persimmons. Thick in there tangled mess of multiflora rose and honeysuckle. I worked on a spot with clippers making a shooting lane or two. Did some calling in the process. Hen call and then a gobble or two. Even checked OAF and read where Seth finished up. I then heard to the North a gobble. I crawled forty yards through the mess in the persimmon grove to see a tom heading my way. I called some and he hung up. I gobbled to him and he turned and ran away. I watched in horror. Crap. He entered some brush and then I seen him jump and he was being chased by another bird. Round and round they went. I began to get aggressive with my calls but to no avail. Then from the other side of the persimmon grove I heard a gobble close and I mean close. I crawled back to the trimmed out hide watching the exit point of the field. I made a hen call to nothing. Gobbled again and he answered really close. In the fence row it is so thick I cannot see the field and he was a mere five yards away. I watch the trail under the fence. Soft hen yelps and then I caught him ducking the fence. He cleared the fence eight yards away and when he stood straight I let him have it. When I did another tom that was with him came out and into flight. I went to the tom and on the other side of the fence when I cleared the tangle there was a third tom on the other side of the fence. Todays bird sported an 11 inch beard and 3/4 inch spurs.A bit better beard than my first bird and much shorter spurs. Go figure. This bird was killed at ten-thirty exactly. If Mrs. BilletHead wants to try for her second in the morning we will. If not I am going to sleep in! BilletHead

Way to go Seth! BilletHead

Nice, Anticipation! Like saying you can look but not touch , BilletHead

I am imagining how good it might be. BilletHead

Well you certainly did! Thanks again, BilletHead

I am liking your bride has found a few but bummed you are shut down. Get back to normal soon! BilletHead

Thanks Ronnie, Those squirming slimy trout wiggling around you had to do things quick to get the picture. That and your dealing with a hack behind the camera, BilletHead

I tried pictures again. I accidentally did a double post and then deleted one. Are they there now? BilletHead

Yes Poppers what were you thinking ? BilletHead

Double post oops

Another one is in the books, Thought I would do a report. This one is a bit more special to me as I got to meet and be a reel buddy to two of our own members here from OAF. The first evening everyone comes together to dine as a group. The participants, the facilitators and the river buddies which I am fortunate to be a part of. The river buddies try to work our way in and sit amongst the participants to visit and become part of the group. Some of the guys are pretty quiet and some are not. We don't like quiet we are here to have fellowship and have a good time. After dinner the River buddies are run off to our lodging while the participants and facilitators do there thing, what ever that is. Top secret stuff I suppose . Next morning early the Buddies get up and rig rods and reels for the guys who don't bring their own. Some of these good fellows have never had a fly rod in hand. We all eat breakfast and get ready to pair up and hit the stream. We had nine men attend this year. We try to get ten but things happen and some cannot make it for various reasons. One of the things that is done is the vest signing. There is a set of traveling vests signed by all the men going through this program. some vests have been retired because they are filled with names. When you see the names on here it really makes you think. I have two very close friends that have signed vests that are not with us now. Both were members on here. Then we have a shot of eight very special men from this retreat,Two of these guys are our members.Can you find them. With all this stuff the first fishing session is pretty short. I got to go out with Rusty. Rusty is not a member on here but his cousin is. Rusty is JDmidwest's "little cousin" I thought little cousin my rear as Rusty towers over me and way over JDmidwest ! Rusty had fly fished some and soon got to hooking trout. We worked on his skills and he was mending line like a pro in the fast water, We changed places and flies often. Some of the fish in the stream had been very educated by the time we got to them. We were called to lunch and after that the guys all changed river buddies for the next session. So here we go again and I had the pleasure to fish with our own OAF member patfish . Pat knows his way around a fly rod and it showed. We hit a place where the spring creek and dry creek have a confluence. i knew some of the guys in the morning session had stripped small buggers and caught I gave Pat a small black seal leech and he began to put the smack down on fish. after catching a few we passed the spot on to other men and their buddies. This is what we all do so everyone catches fish. We worked our way up the stream catching here and there. We talked about everything you could think of as we fished. I knew right off I had met another special person that will have a place in my list of friends, We hit more spots and worked our way back for dinner. Pat wore me out . A break was taken and we all met back for dinner, more fellowship and then the buddies were once again run off from the group. Next morning we got breakfast and there was a guy cooking omelets to order. With that done we paired off again and I got to fish with another OAF member JDmidwest . Again another one knowing his way around a fly rod. I asked him what he was looking for fishing this morning. His response was away from the crowd ! We dropped down below, way below where the others were fishing. After the confluence of the spring creek and dry creek come together there is a stretch still owned by Westover. Then more stream leased. We took a walk to a place down there where Pat and I had ventured the day before. This was pretty thin water with a slot that has a limestone slab. JD worked this over pretty good. Had a few hits but nothing serious. He finally hooked a minnow and bringing it in a trout tried to get the minnow. fished a bit more there and then worked our way back to the crowd. We were needing a hero shot and I knew of the place. We messed there for awhile , caught fish and got the hero shot. I think JD and I did more talking than fishing. We talked hunting, more fishing adventures and of course bee keeping, I got many tips from JD, I am truly blessed to have had one on one time with these guys. More friends to add to my list. I wish I could of fished with each one of the eight men attendees. I did get to visit with each of them and learned from the other Buddies their stories. We had a quick lunch and then closed out the retreat. One more thing to share. I was handed something special from Pat before he left. Am now a card carrying honorary member, I will take it but am sure I could not keep up with this group. I am also sure that I would end up in an early grave trying to. Be well fish on! BilletHead

Nothing wrong with a Jake. If I have the opportunity to get one when I get back I will so I can go fishing. If birds are not available I may go fishing anyways! BilletHead

I am away again at reel recovery. Mrs BilletHead took herself on a solo turkey hunt. I get a text this morning. I get this picture and then this text, Went to our spot in the corner. They didn't gobble much but the I heard them fly down to the west. I say a little while and then went across and went thru woods to the west. I sat there and watched 4 hens walking around and the jakes 3 walked around the north side of the back field. They got all excited when deer jumped around...I didn't see them. They started to walk away and I started calling. They pretty much came right to me. One started to go to my right but turned and met his demise!!!!😘 She will not use my calls but uses her voice to make a call. Have I told you all how lucky I am? Saying it again. I am truly blessed! BilletHead

You are very welcome my friend! BilletHead

Ummmm Good and I see peas peeking out, BilletHead