turkey hunting

[harwellplant]

spring turkey season starts in this neck of the woods at the end of the month. good luck to all of you hitting the woodlines, and especially to my good friend mel in the eastern third.

[Colt45]

Good luck guys. I think Mel just likes to wear the makeup - I mean the

"hypoallergenic-anti-turkey-detection-camouflage-face-paint" ;-)

[Cam]

Turkeys are so stupid but really funny when they gobble, good luck boys, god speed OH-RAH!

[Mel]

Oh hell I've had turkey brain for a month. I have been scouting for four weeks now and am consumed by the whole deal. I took some of last years harvest by the Mexican resturant and we are having pavo con mole ***** tomorrow evening for dinner. I think I'm about to crack a fat.

[Cam]

Is it true the US president pardons a turkey at thanksgiving I have to ask, come on guys, does the commander and chief have a soft spot for turkeys.

[harwellplant]

» Oh hell I've had turkey brain for a month. I have been scouting for four

» weeks now and am consumed by the whole deal.

only four weeks?!? why so late? lol.

we cooked up every last bit of last year's birds while we were tailgating before titans games this past season. a few ducks and geese, as well.

[CelticBasque]

» Is it true the US president pardons a turkey at thanksgiving I have to ask,

» come on guys, does the commander and chief have a soft spot for turkeys.

It's true.... it's true.....

In fact, a local 4H bird was nearly spared based on its physical merits but, alas, even the President of the United States couldn't keep that fowl from its date with destiny.

:-P

[Mel]

» » Oh hell I've had turkey brain for a month. I have been scouting for

» four

» » weeks now and am consumed by the whole deal.

»

» only four weeks?!? why so late? lol.

»

» we cooked up every last bit of last year's birds while we were tailgating

» before titans games this past season. a few ducks and geese, as well.

We tried for some ducks a while back but did not kill one. We are setting beaver traps tonight maybe tomorrow we will eat beaver.;-)

Hey Colt, camo is cool. Come over here and I'll learn ya thing or two bout makeup.:-D

[Ziggy]

We are setting beaver traps tonight maybe tomorrow we will eat beaver.;-)

Lot of beaver here in Florida. Man I love to eat beaver.:-D

Zig

[El Presidente]

»» tomorrow evening for dinner. I think I'm about to crack a fat.

Thanks for the visual Mel.....beautiful

[Cam]

I can see it now, United States Homeland Security - Turkey protection division..

[Cam]

can you eat beavers?? I didnt even know they had a purpose.

[Freefallguy]

I enjoy getting out for the spring season as well but I’m nowhere near the pro you and Mel are… however, less than a mile from my house two weeks ago a flock of 10 trotted across the road and not a blue head in sight. Against the snow I could plainly see every one as they went single file up the hill… all with beards from 3” to 8”. Boy did that make the trigger finger itch!

Unfortunately they’re on private property. :crying:

[Mel]

» I enjoy getting out for the spring season as well but I’m nowhere near the

» pro you and Mel are… however, less than a mile from my house two weeks ago

» a flock of 10 trotted across the road and not a blue head in sight.

» Against the snow I could plainly see every one as they went single file up

» the hill… all with beards from 3” to 8”. Boy did that make the trigger

» finger itch!

»

» Unfortunately they’re on private property. :crying:

Call em over fer a killin. Typical prebreeeding flock of all males. They will not fool with the hens till they are ready for sex. And somebody said they were dumb??? Tell me guys why fool with a woman who ain't gonna??:-D I saw the perfect strutter the other day watching over his group of ten lovely ladies. He was ready for sex but they were more interested in feeding thier faces. I thought I was right at home.

[El Presidente]

» Call em over fer a killin. Typical prebreeeding flock of all males. They

» will not fool with the hens till they are ready for sex. And somebody said

» they were dumb??? Tell me guys why fool with a woman who ain't gonna??:-D

» I saw the perfect strutter the other day watching over his group of ten

» lovely ladies. He was ready for sex but they were more interested in

» feeding thier faces. I thought I was right at home.

One of the most enviromentally sound and sensitive posts I have read.

[Freefallguy]

» will not fool with the hens till they are ready for sex. And somebody said

» they were dumb???

They're far from dumb, but you gotta love it when they gobble at the truck door being slammed.

Mel, do you smoke while hunting(in the woods)?

[Mel]

» » will not fool with the hens till they are ready for sex. And somebody

» said

» » they were dumb???

»

» They're far from dumb, but you gotta love it when they gobble at the truck

» door being slammed.

»

» Mel, do you smoke while hunting(in the woods)?

Absobloodyluty. Since the turkeys don't smell like the deer you just have to keep motion to a minimum. I build blinds out of rocks, sticks and leaves and set up ambush style with calling only sparingly. A cloud of smoke coming from a bush must be a normal occurance for them. Nothing better than an early morning smoke while the turkeys gobble.

Oh and as to gobbling at odd stuff try shooting one and being still the other might gobble at the sound of the gun. I know they sound off to thunder and guns in the distance. Three years ago after season I had one gobble every time I started my chain saw.

[harwellplant]

» They're far from dumb, but you gotta love it when they gobble at the truck

» door being slammed.

its called "shock gobbling". many will do it at any common noises, such as thunder, loud mechanical noises (tractor starting, etc.), or other wildlife, like cattle or crow. like most others, i use an owl hoot as a locator. works especially well when they are still on the roost in the early a.m.

[Shooter]

I can vividly recall my first Turkey hunt year's ago. I was reading everything under the sun about the "game." I do a pretty good hoot-owl impersonation and halfway into the dark, unfamiliar woods as I followed my companion I stopped him and said, "Wait--I've got to try this." I "hooted" and instantly got a bone-chilling long "gobble" from a nearby bird!! I repeated the hoot and he gobbled again! You could have pushed me over with a feather! I was giddy with delight!

The short story is that I set-up and "talked" to him and others with my box-call but got impatient when the gobbling stopped and decided to move. Dumb move it was; as I slowly stood, a 20-plus pound Gobbler was just 40 yards away--coming to me quietly. Let's just say he didn't stick around for invitations! Still, the day was worth it.

Turkey hunting is as thrilling a hunt as it gets.

[harwellplant]

» Turkey hunting is as thrilling a hunt as it gets.

patience and more patience. you tend to get more antsy if you haven't scouted the birds or don't know much about daily travel patterns.

i agree with you 100% about the thrill of turkey hunting. it doesn't seem very difficult to the casual observer (or to my wife, who doesn't understand why they are so hard to kill when you can see them all the time as you drive around the countryside or go to state parks). still, calling a trophy longbeard into shotgunning range (65 yards at best, and that with good load; usually try for 40 or better) can be extremely difficult. it takes a good combination of setup, calling and, optimally, decoying. while the birds may be "dumb", their dumbness makes them EXTREMELY skittish - any little hiccup or questionable movement in their environment will send them off or, at the very least, will make them stupidly wary to work in closer to you. couple that with excellent eyesight, and its a chore.

i do alot of other fowl hunting, especially waterfowl. while those hunts are fun as hell, they don't match the heart pounding you get with turkey hunting. sitting in the woods at dayrise, hearing the gobbling, drumming and spitting all around you - incredible.

unlike mel, i don't usually smoke in the blind - unless its a slow afternoon or the like. i usually save my cigars for the victory weigh-in at the checking station. maybe he doesn't get the opportunity to do that much, and that's why he goes ahead and smokes during the hunt. ;-)

after all, as my great turkey hunting mentor once said - "there are a number of turkey hunters, but not so many turkey killers."

[Mel]

»

» unlike mel, i don't usually smoke in the blind - unless its a slow

» afternoon or the like. i usually save my cigars for the victory weigh-in

» at the checking station. maybe he doesn't get the opportunity to do that

» much, and that's why he goes ahead and smokes during the hunt. ;-)

»

» after all, as my great turkey hunting mentor once said - "there are a

» number of turkey hunters, but not so many turkey killers."

Ok Harwellplant the gloves ar off.;-) My gun has a name and it is blunderbust. The 10 gauge is a turkey murderer. We do not hunt turkeys we kill thier fu----ing asses and eat them.

Shooter I used to scare more birds off than you could imagine because I could not wait more than 10 minutes for the bird to come in. Now I just sit for hours and wait to kill one. The trick is hunting where the birds will walk. Callinn ain't fer ****, shootin straight is.

Hillbilly death is what we is.

[mgillett]

Do you guys get into sporting clays much over there? I hear it is pretty big outside your hunting seasons to keep you sharp. I have entered a few tournaments here but have to travel hours to get to one. Very challenging sport.

[Freefallguy]

» Ok Harwellplant the gloves ar off.;-) My gun has a name and it is

» blunderbust. The 10 gauge is a turkey murderer.

I’m thinkin’, that if you really want to make it a competitive hunt, you should nock some white ash bows with self-fletched cedar shafts, stone heads and use a blade of grass for a call. Now that, THAT is hunting. ;-)

[harwellplant]

» Do you guys get into sporting clays much over there? I hear it is pretty

» big outside your hunting seasons to keep you sharp.

i do clays on occassion, but i do not shoot competitively. i need another hobby like another hole in my head. a number of my hunting buddies do shoot competitively and, in fact, four were champions at a recent regional shoot. one of them is 65+ years old!

[harwellplant]

» I’m thinkin’, that if you really want to make it a competitive hunt, you

» should nock some white ash bows with self-fletched cedar shafts, stone

» heads and use a blade of grass for a call. Now that, THAT is hunting. ;-)

bullshit, that is not hunting - its historical re-enactment. if i want that, i will head over to Shiloh on memorial day with the boys in gray.

the way i see it, if the Lord blesses firearm manufacturers with the insight to craft specimens that can throw a handful of composite metal 50 yards from a synthetically camo covered 23" barrelled cannon, and that with exceptional patterning, who are we to neglect that gift? would you anger God in that way? not me.

:-D