Such a trip took place this past weekend as I was a guest of Mark Clifford’s Premier Archery Outfitters in Hopkinsville KY. Mark is a former successful auto dealer from Greeneville South Carolina who was bitten by the outfitting bug and the beautiful land of western Ky. His lodge and 8,000 acres are the product of a lot of hard work and thought. Many of Mark’s properties have not been hunted in over 5 years. Premier Archery Outfitters is located in Christian County, KY which is rapidly becoming one of the nations largest producers of Boone & Crockett whitetails. The eastern wild turkey population is also enormous.

Also in camp this weekend was a crew of Mark’s friends from South Carolina including the infamous Chuck Mulkey, host of the popular radio show Southern Woods & Waters. The weekend started with a driving speed scout of the property we would be hunting in the morning. In 2 fields, we saw 7 gobblers, 4 jakes, and countless hens. After a quick dinner, it was back to Premier and Chuck’s lodge. The lodge consists of a great room/kitchen, 3 double bedrooms, and 2 bathrooms. It is spacious, comfortable, and loaded with good deer mounts.

5:00 came early and we should have made it 4:30 as we were late getting in the fields the first morning. With the sky graying rapidly, I counted gobbling from 7 different gobblers in what seemed like 7 different directions. I don’t go on many hunts hearing that many birds and not seeing one but it happened to Mark and I. The birds were seriously henned up and Mark and I spent a fruitless morning moving from field to field trying to locate a gobbler. Bo and Jimmy from South Carolina were at the other end of the 2,000 acre property and they completed a nice double on 2 mature 10″ bearded toms.

On Sunday, we were met by rains that bordered on being torrential. Mark and I utilized a ground blind in an attempt to stay reasonably dry and to also protect our camera equipment. That morning, we watched 5 different long beards, 7 jakes, and countless hens mill around in the middle of this large wheat field. The birds were content to chase each other and shake the water off between showers as none paid attention to our calls. Oh well, if you’re not going to take a bird, it is fun to watch them.

Besides offering outstanding turkey hunting, Premier really specializes in whitetail deer hunts. As mentioned earlier, this part of Kentucky is becoming know as being one of the places in America where Boone & Crockett caliber whitetails can be harvested. Mark had several deer in the 150″ class taken in his 1st year of operation and has seen deer in the area in the 170″ range. In our turkey scouting, I saw whitetail tracks that were as large as any I ever saw in Saskatchewan. I believe this place is a sleeper but not for long. They offer archery, rifle, & muzzeloader hunts in Kentucky’s long seasons. Mark’s rates are reasonable and he enforces trophy limits of 130″ for archery and 140″ for rifles. Shoot less and get the wallet out!

If you want to know more about deer and turkey hunting opportunities at Premier Archery Outfitters and other fine properties like this, give me a shout at huntfishlive@gmail.com or call me at 615-604-0581.

Tight Lines & Struttin Toms,

Lou Hoop

Keys to the Hunt:

Scouting! Scouting! Scouting! Do I need to say it again? Scouting! In tough conditions like high winds, you have to go to where the turkeys are to have a chance. By setting up on known scratching and strutting zones, we still were able to see a couple of Toms.

Try not to shoot with certain parts of your lower anatomy in your throat. I choked!

I was met by owner, Judd Whitefield, at the Kansas City International Airport for the 90 minute ride out to Buffalo Spings. We made a quick stop at Walmart on the way to pick up my Missouri over the counter non-resident turkey permit. The next morning, I was met at 4:30 by head guide, Bob Peetom. He told me he expected a quick hunt as he had roosted a big tom the evening before. We snuck thru a pasture and set up about 100 yards aways from a hillside overlooking the creek where Bob expected the big boy was snoozing. As the morning was turning light gray and the birds were singing, one tree yelp from Bob elicited not a gobble but a roar from the bird. He quickly flew down and marched into our decoy set where he was determined to beat up our gobbler decoy. He had a paint brush for a bear, big spurs and was standing about 17 yards away. I slowly sighted down the barrel of my gun and was just about to pull the trigger when the lens of my glasses fell out! I went from “focused” to “blind” just like that. I whispered to Bob: “I can’t see him!”. He whispered back: “What the heck you mean you can’t see him? He’s right there!” With that, the tom did his Roadrunner imitation and was gone. Bob turned to me wide eyed and with a question mark in his eyes. I slowly put my finger through the opening in my glasse’s frame and he understood. We both burst out laughing. This trip proved that you don’t have to kill a turkey to have a good time. Over 3 days, Bob and I roosted, yelped, cackled, fighting purred, and gobbled at multiple Toms over the leases that Buffalo Springs controls. I had several opportunities to take a Jake or a smaller Tom but that is not what I was looking for. I never got the big one but I had a great time. This place has got turkeys and some big ones. I saw several Toms weighing in excess over 25 lbs. and one pushing 30. Their lodge is small but immaculate and the food wasl outstanding. Judd has a real eye for detail and wants you to be as comfortable as possible. I’ll definitely be back!