jode hillman
Well-known member
Thanks for sharing the season Jode. I know how frustrating it can be to have seasons like that and no matter how many times folks remind you "at least you got to spend time in the woods, etc." there's a part of you that agrees and another part REALLY wanted to pull the trigger.... or maybe it's just me.
That's a beautiful decoy. Have you ever had any requests for strutters or mature gobblers... either for decoys or decorations? Don't know that I've ever seen a life-size carving of a tom in full strutt and that's probably because no one is crazy enough to accept commissions for something like that, ha!
I've got a few seasons worth of fans, beards, and spurs I'm workin on to prepare "wall garnish" for my man room and a couple of friends... the same way decoy carving extends duck season for me, defleshing, boraxing, and epoxi-ing turkey parts to various structures extends my turkey season.
Oh believe me Kyle, I would love to enjoy all the things I did, and tag a few birds, but it didn't happen for me this year! I Have a friend with a standing order for a half-strut Jake. I am not sure if I will ever make it or not! He doesn't use a hen decoy, jake only......his reasoning is a big gobbler already thinks a hen in is the area because of the calling. If he sees a single jakes he is more likely to run in and try to bully him off. He concludes if he see the hen he may just lock up and start to strut and let the hen come to him......
I don't know either way, but I do know that would be one heck of a project. If I ever make it I'd be sure to share it here.
Keep us in the loop as to your project, you can only collect so many than you beging to run out of ways to display them....