Turkey Hunting
Sighting-In Day 2022
Requiem for a Turkey Load I really cannot remember the last time I blew my wad at paper. It must have been ten years ago. I’ve been shooting pretty much the same load at turkeys since 1996, Federal Premium 3-inch 12 Gauge 2-ounce #4. The boxes have changed. The load has changed– twice in 25 years. Once, the load itself changed. That was when they introduced the Flitecontrol Wad. I got an idea about 8 years ago that Federal might be dropping it from their inventory, so I stocked up. I was right. I have not seen the load listed … More . . .
How Loud Should I Call?
From Old.Gobbler.com: I am always amazed at how sensitive gobblers can be and how far calls can travel. A good many of the turkeys I’ve killed at flydown have come from 200 to 400 yards away. Ones I’ve taken in mid-afternoon have come from much farther. Usually, I start off about as low as I can go. I try not to be first; I try not to be the loudest. Before flydown, I’m usually just letting them know I’m there. After flydown, I usually clam up. If a bird is interested, he’s going to start making his way to me … More . . .
When Should I start Scouting for Turkeys?
When should I start Scouting for Turkeys? That’s a very good question. It certainly is a timely one. As I write this, the countdown is just passing T-Minus 7 weeks to The Opener. I’ve been at it 40 years, and I can’t tell you a set formula. For the last 20 years, I’ve been on the same 200 acres and hunting the same flocks, and I still cannot tell you. Turkey hunting is such a perverse sport. I used to have this girlfriend. She kind of goaded me into getting engaged and then promptly dropped me. A few weeks later … More . . .
Bubba Paints His Turkey Gun Again
Back in 2009, I spray-painted my Mossberg 500 with Krylon Fusion and documented it for Turkey & Turkey Hunting. The story was well-received, and folks not only liked the paint job, but liked the way I described it. If you’re interested, here’s the original story: I can report that the paint job has held up. It has had a couple scrapes and scabs and such, but I have just touched up the larger patches, and let the here-and-there nicks be part of the charm of the gun. I can also confirm that after over a decade, spray painting the gun … More . . .
What is the best time of the day to hunt wild turkey?
From Quora:What is the best time of the day to hunt wild turkey? I’m going to limit my answers to Spring Gobbler Season as I seldom hunt in the fall. Gobblers can be taken at any hour during legal hunting times. However, several things impinge on this. A lot of states used to make it illegal to hunt turkeys after noon. I don’t know if any still do, but there are still a lot of old farts running around that think hunting birds in the afternoon is bad. It isn’t. I’ve had some good afternoon hunts in Kentucky. I’ve also … More . . .
My Life as a Turkey
It is currently showing 13F on the thermometer. There is about half an inch of snow on the ground. All the deer rifles have had their final cleaning. Something inside me flipped and now I am starting to think about turkeys. What really threw me over the edge was that I woke up at 0300 and could not get back to sleep and I poured myself some coffee and sat down with the remote and started to scan the web for stuff to watch. The first thing that came up was this: My Life as a Turkey It is the … More . . .
Turkey 2021: The End
As usual, I was home in my recliner to observe the end of Turkey Season. It was Mother’s Day. However, that was just an excuse. I was pretty well played out. The weather was cold and rainy all day Sunday. I was glad I came home. One of the stand-out aspects of this recently passed season was the number of gobbler encounters we all experienced. We only filled three tags– one each. But the Shamanic Dream Team had more than ample opportunities to fill more. I remember few mornings where I did not have at least one gobbler on the … More . . .
Turkey 2021: Third Weekend
Weekend #3 came and went with no gobblers to show for it. Mooselette, Moose and Angus came out.  Action was remarkably heavy, at least on the west side of the farm. Moose was over at the Westwood blind and managed to call up two gobblers out of Right Leg Creek. Then these were joined by another pair who appeared from Blackberry, having crossed the pasture from the east side of the farm. The two pairs fought each other just out of gun range. Moose eventually made it back to camp. My guess is that he had his box call … More . . .
Turkey 2021: A Progress Report
Our last bird was taken on 4/20. Since then, things have been fairly quiet. The next morning, we got 2 inches of snow dumped on camp. My hunt consisted of brewing a cup of coffee and standing at the open bedroom window and listening. I did not hear a gobble. The snow lasted until Noon. I went home and worked a couple of days. The Shamanic Dream Team reassembled on Friday night and hunted all weekend. The birds were tepid. However, we did have a visit from the Galloping Gobbler. He hopped down from his roost over on the north … More . . .
Moose Nails a Whopper
Moose and Remnar went out to the new blind at Dead Skunk this morning. I went out to the Honey Hole. This was Remnar’s first turkey hunt. He had expressed interest in hunting the birds over the winter, but work intervened. I was sitting in my blind at 0738, having a very mediocre morning. All of a sudden a blast came from behind me, followed by a lot of whooping and cheering. What had happened is that Moose had bagged a big one at 25 yards in rather spectacular style. The way it was told to me, they were working … More . . .
The End of the Garbage Pit Bandit
I do not usually miss a turkey. Missing two the first week is unheard of in my long career. However, this morning was saw my second since the Opener. The first was due to taking a shot without being properly situated. The one this morning has me scratching my head. The gobblers were already sounding off a good half-hour before legal hunting this morning. It was warmer than it had been, about 48F when I sat down. That probably had a lot to do with it. I had gobs sounding off all up and down on both sides of me. … More . . .
PODCAST: Another Galloping Gobbler
I’ve got a theory about gobblers. It is all about gobblers’ personalities. You see, I’ve been watching many generations of turkeys live and die on the property. Some traits, like the motor-mouthed trait that I first saw in Mister Moto, seem to be genetic. However, there are some traits that seem to go with the land. If a gobbler starts inhabiting a given section of property, they seem to inherit the traits of gobblers that have come before him. That is how I seem to have many Mister Naturals that all seem to select that same strut zone out behind … More . . .
Yute Season 2021
The Mooselette got a chance to get out and deal with the turkeys on Saturday. It wasn’t quite the show we had hoped for. The cold snap had made it a rather subdued affair, and every gobbler seemed to be henned up. However, honorable Number One Granddaughter was able to get a gobbler to honor her calls. You could see she no longer sees turkey hunting as something happening to her; she is now making it happening. The gobbler in question was roosted with hens somewhere over in Virginia, a long finger ridge running parallel to the one we were … More . . .
ODNR Announces Proposed 2022 Turkey Season Changes
From OldGobbler.COM Ohio is proposing a change to the bag limit. The new proposal taking effect 2022, if passed, would limit you to harvesting one bearded bird from public land. You can still kill two, but only one can be from public land. Oddly, they site poor reproductive years, but they leave the fall season intact. Of course, the fall kill is a very small fraction of the spring harvest. Annual fall harvest is around 1200-1500 birds and about half and half on sexes. While spring harvest averages around 18,000 -20,000 bearded birds, almost all gobblers. Also: It splits the … More . . .
PODCAST: A Little Bit of Everything
I finally got enough audio for a podcast. The turkeys have not been cooperating this year. This AM, I managed to catch them at the Honey Hole. It’s a long one, and it has a bunch of gobblers, hens and crows sounding off. This is one you’ll want to just lay back and listen to. Just click on this link: Podcast –At the Honey Hole, 2021 This post has already been read 5348 times!Views: 8 Related posts: Requiem for the Honey Hole Honey Holes On Learning to be an Expert Turkey Hunter PODCAST: Another Galloping Gobbler PODCAST: The … More . . .
On the Subject of Camo
https://www.kentuckyhunting.net/threads/camoflauge.178148/ I feel blessed that I live in a time where there is now an abundance of birds. Going out and finding a gobbler is not such a big deal anymore. I remember a time when just hearing a gobble was a victory. I can also attest to going the first twenty years thinking that a better camo or a better call would somehow provide the winning edge. I am here to tell you that there is no winning edge in turkey hunting except what is between your ears. Maddog Mattis once called it the most important 6 inches in … More . . .
Turkey Season Transitions
I have seen a bunch of articles written over the years about the various stages of the wild turkey’s spring breeding. I have been watching this firsthand at the farm for twenty seasons now. I am going to give my thoughts on it. Remember that I am about 10 miles south of the Ohio River in the Northeast of Kentucky. What is going on in the southern part of the state is considerably different. Ohio’s season starts a week later than mine, so everything I say here is predicated on my location and my experience. To begin, let me review … More . . .
Indiana DNR Rule Changes
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources has changed the rules a wee bit. Turkey hunters can now use .410 shotguns, and can use smaller shot. Deer hunters can now use breechloading muzzleloaders (there’s an oxymoron) like the Traditions Nitro system. See: Administrative Rule (Regulation) Changes Full text here: The Natural Resources Commission (NRC) gave preliminary adoption to the changes listed below governing muzzleloaders for deer hunting, beaver trapping, and wild turkey hunting equipment at their meeting on Nov. 17, 2020. The public comment period has ended, and the NRC will vote on the proposed changes at their meeting … More . . .
The Fake Stump
I finally got the fake stump installed at the Honey Hole this afternoon with the help of Moose and the Mooselette. This is the culmination of several years’ worth of planning and fretting. It all goes back to 2016. I had been turkey hunting with my back against the same dead tree for a decade, when the inevitable happened and the old tree fell over. Requiem for the Honey Hole Here is how it looked back in the day: I tried several other trees in the vicinity, but it just was not the same. I finally decided to erect a … More . . .
The Sons of Moto
I got Turkey Camp opened up Saturday. I have learned that it is not wise to show up on a Friday night. You never know what you’ll find. I always wait for Saturday morning to go down. The place was just as we’d left it. My sons came down a few hours later and went out for a late-season squirrel hunt. I ventured out mid-afternoon to check out The Honey Hole. It was pretty much as I’d left it last Yute Opener. I was out getting audio for a podcast when I got a call warning me that NR license … More . . .
Picking your Turkey Load Back in the Day
I know I’ve told this story before, but it bears repeating. Back when I started turkey hunting– we’re talking Regan’s first term– A good turkey gun was any gun that could put 2 pellets through a Dixie cup at 40 yards. You put a Dixie cup on a stake and backed up given yardage and shot. 2 or more holes through the cup meant you were good to go. Someone had figured out that was enough to kill a turkey. It had probably been a measure for pheasant or geese and they just adapted it. I went the extra mile … More . . .
Spring Turkey Rules are Out!
It’s funny. I looked over on the left at the “On This Day” box and it said that I had reported the Kentucky Spring Hunting Guide had been posted in 2013. Sure enough, I went to look on the KYDFWR site, and look what I found: I could not find all that much new that interested me. The Hunter’s Ed requirements have changed, due to COVID. The training is online and you submit a video in lieu of attending a Range Day. Also, the first time Hunter exemption is now free. If memory serves, it used to be $5. … More . . .
Stalking vs. Ambushing (Mostly about Ambushing)
I want to clean up a bunch of questions that have been asked of me. Some have been recent; others go back a ways. Mostly, this is about ambushing, but there’s more. You keep talking about ambushing being good and stalking being bad. Why is that? Let me explain some things the way I see it, and maybe you will understand. This question is probably in reference to a piece I wrote a while back where I stated that hens go to gobblers and not the other way around, I meant this in a general sort of way. This is … More . . .
If I was the NewGuy at Turkey Camp Part 4
. . . and having said all that,  let me do a complete about-face. Do you want to know what made me a successful turkey hunter? It came down to exactly one principle: Become your own expert. I have been giving you an introduction to turkey hunting as best as I can. It is the culmination of 40 seasons. I never claim to be an expert turkey hunter– not even a particularly good one. I am an expert in being a beginning turkey hunter. I never really was much of a turkey hunter until I purposely took off the big … More . . .
If I was the NewGuy at Turkey Camp Part 3
I’ve talked about the kit. Now, I am going to put it all together and talk you through what to expect. First off, let me tell you what does not work. If you’re a beginner, you read a lot about master turkey hunter tactics like Run & Gun. Forget it. You are not going to be Runnin’ and Gunnin’ at our turkey camp. The reason is simple: It’s about a 15-minute walk from the house to the back of the property. You run out of room in the first half-hour. A lot of turkey hunters are mobile. We are not. … More . . .
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