Turkey Hunting
What (Still) Makes a Great Turkey Gun
First off, I’d like to draw your attention to: What Makes a Great Turkey Gun? What Makes a Great Turkey Gun? March 18, 2011. It’s been the better part of a decade since I wrote that. I see everyone talking about their new turkey rigs. I decided to go back and look at what I said, and see if it still held up. Do I still believe it? Yes. But Shaman! What about all those nice 20 gauges? What about all those fancy heavier than lead turkey loads? My answer to that is, what about all the turkeys? They have … More . . .
Which is harder: Deer or Turkey?
Which is harder: hunting deer or hunting turkey? This is just one man’s perspective. I know this is going to have a lot of different opinions. However, I’ve been at both for nearly 40 years, so maybe I can at least lend a valid opinion. Twenty years ago, I would have said they were both hard to do. Why they were hard had nothing to do with the animals themselves. It all had to do with my lifestyle and my hunting opportunities. No animals to hunt This is first and foremost. It sounds silly, but make sure there is enough … More . . .
Ambushers and Old Schoolers
It was well over a decade ago when I witnessed an online war on the Turkey & Turkey Hunting Forum between a faction of self-styled “Old Schoolers” and the rest of the turkey hunters online. One of the biggest issues was that of ambushing. By the Old Schoolers’ way of reading things, turkey hunting should be done “by calling alone.” There was even a section in several states’ rules that mentioned this. Pennsylvania was one of them. At the time, I voiced the opinions that: 1) Fair Chase demanded that one obey the rules of the state. Since Kentucky did … More . . .
It’s Beginning.
Some years, the switch from deer hunting to turkey hunting just happens automatically. In a way it already has. I just don’t feel it yet. Back in the day, it was about this time of year that I would have to consult the rule book and see when my check had to be in so that I’d be included in the Turkey lottery. Thankfully, those days are long gone. Nowadays, it’s more of a look at the calendar. You realize it is 15 weeks to the Opener. On New Year’s Day, I finished putting up the last of the deer … More . . .
What Happened to the Turkeys?
I hunt in SW Bracken County, within sight of the Pendleton County line. As a result, I always try to compare harvest numbers between that county and as part of the NorthEast Region as a whole. I started hunting there in 2002, so my knowledge is limited to that time range. For about the first decade I was worried. Bracken had always been a powerhouse in the NE, due to its proximity to the Bluegrass region. It was always near the top of the standings in the NE. Pendleton has always been one of the top counties in the state–much … More . . .
It’s Over, 2019
Yesterday, the On-this-date widget that compiles all the posts for the current date stated Nothing has ever happened on this day. <em>Ever.</em> Turkey Hunting went out with a whimper on our Ridge. Things kept piling up and it finally left me coming home in the rain yesterday afternoon. For a start, it was going to be rainy on Saturday, so Moose decided to wait until the afternoon to run Mooselette down. I ended up hunting Saturday morning all by myself. It was just as well, because my allergies kicked up in the middle of the night, and I went out … More . . .
Mooselette Goes Turkey Hunting
#1 Granddaughter, AKA Mooselette, came down to Turkey Camp last night and went out hunting with her grandfather. It was drizzling, so we started off undercover at Midway. There was not much action on our side of the farm, so we headed in at 9, stopping for a while to visit the Honey Hole. Meanwhile, Daddy Moose and Angus went out to the Blackberry patch and rustled up a flock of 7. Angus managed to get himself in a pickle when he happened upon a hen that wouldn’t let him move for ten minutes. There was one gobbler that flew … More . . .
PODCAST: The End of Pepe LePew
I was missing some pieces, so it took extra long to assemble the podcast from the hunt yesterday. The reason for the name is that the gobbler chased a unwilling hen about 400 yards, trying to mount her unsuccessfully. I couldn’t figure out why this gobbler was zig-zagging in and out of the pasture and the adjacent woods, until I saw the hen. His over-zealous attempts at mounting her eventually led to his demise. I’m convinced the hen came towards me, because she was trying to fob him off on a more willing female. The original recording lasted well over … More . . .
I Shot Pepe LePew
I’ve been at turkey hunting since Reagan’s first term. I’ve seen a lot– not all, but a lot. This was a new one on me. Things started out pretty normal for this season. Since the Opener on Saturday, the gobblers have been sounding off whole-hardheartedly right before flydown. However, they clam up as soon as they hit the ground, and seldom make a peep afterwards. Over the years, I’ve learned that this is a sign of them still being in that post-breeding latent phase. They still have hens around, and the hens are not straying far. It is not until … More . . .
Shamanic Dream Team Line-up Changes
They say one door closes and another opens. I talked to my best hunting buddy, SuperCore, this week. He was late checking in after his return from Florida, and turkey season was nearly upon us. The news was not good. He’s hanging it up– no more hunting. He’s battled back from all sorts of things– several bouts of pneumonia, a heart attack, and a quad bypass. However, time has just taken its toll. He won’t be coming to camp tonight. We spent a decade hunting turkey and deer together. Before this, he’d never hunted. I’m going to miss him mightily … More . . .
Yute Hunt That Wasn’t
This should be a great story about how the Mooselette and I went out Saturday morning and called up a turkey. She’s still too young to shoot a shotgun, but she’s at the right age for everything else. Everything was set. Moose and Angus were going to come down Friday evening and bring my granddaughter down. Thursday night, I got a stomach bug and ended up in the worst multi-day hurl in 40 years. I spent Friday evening in the Emergency Room with an IV bag on me. Drat! Instead, Angus and Moose took granddaughter #1 to Wright-Pat to the … More . . .
No Podcasts, but. . .
There will be no podcasts of my scouting trips this year. I tried. I failed. Nothing went right. It all went wrong. The turkeys did not cooperate until this past weekend. Normally, I’ve been out three or four times before this time of year. However, I did not hear a peep out of them until last weekend– nothing I could record, but they were at least there. I got down to the farm well before sundown on Friday. I had a nice treat. There was a gobbler roosting just behind the Tobacco Barn, less than 200 yards from the front … More . . .
Return to Turkey Camp, 2019
I made it to camp well before dark on Friday. Normally, I make the first trip back on a Saturday. In the past, I never knew what I would find. With the new security cameras, it takes a good deal of the suspense out of the process. The big question has always been power. Yes, the cabin remains habitable without electricity. However, it is not at all pleasant. I’ve got a wood stove and kerosene and gasoline lanterns. However, you need electricity to run the pump for running water.  Sometimes the power has been off for six weeks at a … More . . .
How should the beads line up?
From: OldGobbler.com  Author Topic: Shotguns with 2 beads, how to line them up  (Read 232 times) ugaDAWGS09 Jr. Member Posts: 16 Shotguns with 2 beads, how to line them up « on: February 20, 2019, 07:45:35 PM » I’m trying to get my new A5 dialed in for turkey season and I’m shooting about 6 inches low and a couple inches to the left at 20 yards. Would stacking the beads like a figure 8 raise my point of impact? I’m doing my best to mount the same every time to my cheek and look flat down the rib with … More . . .
Am I a Successful Turkey Hunter?
If you find me out on the web still listed as somebody’s pro-staffer, you’ll see that I never claimed to be an expert turkey hunter, only an expert beginning turkey hunter. If you want to look at what makes me a success, it is that I have looked at it as routine. I always try to approach each season as though it is my first. I always strive to keep things simple, and I always try to learn from whatever I am doing. It’s been nearly 40 years, and I’m still pretty much that guy who pulls on his box … More . . .
Nearing the Half-Way Point
With the Polar Vortex about to sweep down from the North, and the Super Bowl nearly upon us, I thought I would check in. I normally look at Super Bowl Weekend as the half-way point in the wait between the end of Deer Season and the beginning of Turkey. It really is not; I mean don’t go breaking out a calendar and start counting. It used to be that you had to have your turkey tag request in the mail by about now, or else Ohio wasn’t going to let you hunt in the spring. Thankfully those days are long … More . . .
KY Non-Resident Fees Hiked
From: 2019 Licenses on Sale FRANKFORT, Ky. (1/12/19) — Licenses and permits to fish, hunt and trap in Kentucky in the coming license year are on sale now. The 2019-2020 license year starts March 1. License and permit fees for Kentucky residents for the 2019-2020 license year are unchanged from the 2018-19 license year. Prices on some options for non-residents have changed and include: Annual fishing license, $55; One-day fishing license, $15; Seven-day fishing license, $35; Annual hunting license, $150; Statewide deer permit, $185; Spring turkey permit, $85; Fall turkey permit, $85; One-day hunting license, $25; Seven-day hunting license, $65; … More . . .
Turkey Poults in the Yard
This is just plain cool. I don’t care who y’are. Saturday afternoon, I was taking a nap when I heard a noise. I rolled over and found a hen turkey peaking in the bedroom window. This isn’t the first time it’s happened. They just walk right up to the screen. So I started to roll over, and this spooked the hen. She went putting off. I looked out and saw a bunch of turkeys, hens and poults running off into the back yard. Later, I checked the security cameras and found two videos. Here’s the same bunch exiting through the … More . . .
Turkey Season 2018 Post-Mortem
As you read in the last post, we pulled the plug on Turkey Season a little early this year. Before I put everything away and start thinking ahead, I first want to thank everyone for the kind words, thoughts, and prayers for KYHillChick. The surgery is tomorrow. We’re are hoping for the best. She is on 24HourCampfire.com, so you can email her over there or leave comments here. She has been really appreciating it. I also want to throw out a few items of gear that stood out this year. This season was all about staying warm and dry. First … More . . .
I’m Done!
It’s over. Turkey Season still has another week to go, but it is over at our camp. Angus tagged out. He pulled 2 gobblers off the west side of Gobbler’s Knob SuperCore was benched for the season with pneumonia. I never got a shot. I’m not sure a gobbler ever honored my call all season. I freely admit that I’m not all that great a caller, but I’m not THAT bad! Statewide, I expect the harvest numbers to be way down. Bracken County is off by a third compared to last year. Pendleton is down by a quarter. We still … More . . .
Angus Tags Out in 2018
Angus is making it look easy. This one flopped down from his roost and came running over with less than a half-hour’s legal hunting on Saturday. Angus said he was working a more mature gobbler that was back behind Broken Corners when this fellow flew down from the roost and ran practically up Angus’ leg. Angus shot him at under 10 yards. This was a 2 year old gobbler with 1/2 inch spurs and a 9.5″ inch beard. However, you wouldn’t know it. Angus’ shot gave the gob a quick beard trim. Me? I went birdless again this weekend. What … More . . .
Something Snapped
At 1630 ET last afternoon, I looked at the updated forecast and saw the following progression: Thunderstorms, high wind and rain before sunset Overnight wind and falling temperatures Low was to be in the low 30’s First light: Snow, wind, cold Changing over to wintry mix and wind Changing to rain by 1100 ET Something snapped. I’d just spent too many days this season with too much cold, rain, wind and wintry mix for there to be anything left in me. What’s more, I’d not seen a gobbler, nor had one honor my calls. My son got his gobbler in … More . . .
Angus Scores in Rainy Opener
Saturday was, hands-down, the best bit of turkey hunting weather I’ve ever seen for an Opener here in SW Bracken County. There was only one thing missing: turkeys. Angus and I stayed out to 1100. There were a half dozen shots all morning. Maybe a third of what I’d expect. Only one was relatively close. I had one gobbler honor a call shortly after flydown, but that was the last I heard of him. The other thing missing was SuperCore. He’s down with the New-Mown-Hay. (Pneumonia). This is the first Opener he’s missed in a decade. Bummer. The Shamanic Dream … More . . .
Turkey Camp 2018
I just thought y’all would like a pic of a truly beautiful day at the Thoughtful Spot. It’s on the cusp of Spring Gobbler Season. It’ll probably hit 70 today. There are gobblers gobbling like crazy. It also shows off my new panorama viewer. This post has already been read 887 times!Views: 0 Related posts: Turkey Camp, 2002 Turkey Season Transitions Stalking vs. Ambushing (Mostly about Ambushing) I’m Done! The Run-up to Spring The End of the Garbage Pit Bandit Turkey Hunt Ends — One last humiliation If I was the NewGuy at Turkey Camp Part 3
More . . .PODCAST: Return to the Honey Hole 2018
There is something that seems darn near-miraculous in the way an old turkey hunter can stroll out in the thin light of pre-dawn, over a ridge socked clean in with fog and come up a half-mile further on, set up next to an old log and wait, to be rewarded a quarter of an hour later with hearty gobbles from a host of turkeys that he left almost a year before. At least that is how it felt to this old turkey hunter, guided by nothing much more than a lot of faith and wee bit of moonlight peaking out. … More . . .
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