Turkey Hunting
Report from Turkey Camp — Wow! What a Ride!
Angus and I could have filled all our tags if things had just been a wee bit different. We went out to the Honey Hole this morning for Opening Day of KY Spring Gobbler Season. We had a half-dozen gobblers sounding off first thing. A little past sunrise, the sandwich truck must have showed up, because every turkey on the ridge suddenly clammed up and went down to get a cup of coffee and a honey bun off the roach coach. A little later we saw hens coming way– swear I saw a styrofoam cup under one wing and some … More . . .
Angus’ Yute Hunt
Well, we’re back in. Angus is doing a load of dishes before we pull out of camp. Yute season was a bust. We spent two days waiting for something to happen. About all we had to show for it was a single gobble about 200 yards away. Saturday, there was gobbling, but it was well off the property and it died out shortly after sunrise. On Sunday, we were greeted by remarkably high morning temperature (usually a sure ticket to early season gobbles), but things were deader than we had seen it in quite a while. My theory is … More . . .
PODCAST: The Honey Hole
They say there is no such thing as a honey hole in turkey hunting. Well, I have a honey hole. Angus and I were out scouting it in preparation for the beginning of Yute Season next weekend. I will let you be the judge. PODCAST: Angus and Dad at the Honey Hole PT 1 PODCAST: Angus and Dad at the Honey Hole PT 2 NOTE: You may find that the links load slowly. If so, try right-clicking on them and downloading them to your system before playing This post has already been read 4070 times!Views: 2 Related posts: Congrats shaman…you … More . . .
PODCAST: Locator Calls up on Gobbler’s Knob
It was cold and snowy on Sunday– didn’t know if I would be able to make it back to town, so I stayed back and finished off a podcast from my last trip down to turkey camp. This one was neat, because it had a whole bunch of things other than gobblers in it. There were hens, crows, owls, and even a hawk. I collected all this in the half-hour either side of sunrise last weekend in a trip up to Gobbler’s Knob. I was sitting in my favorite spot, about 20 yards behind the Jagendehutte, up on top of … More . . .
Strategies for Turkeys on a Small Plot
My strategy for hunting turkeys is different than most professional turkey hunters. It is different than most guys who travel to hunt turkeys in far-off destinations. It is different than a guy who hunts public land. My situation has determined a lot of my strategy. Back in 2001, I acquired 200 acres of prime turkey land in Bracken County, Kentucky. It has about 40 acres of pasture and the rest is second-growth Oak Hickory savannah and red cedar thicket. My land is on a long ridge that falls off into the Licking River flowage. I limit myself to just those … More . . .
When to Call (And When Not to)
When to Call . . .and When Not to I have previously given y’all my basic strategy for calling. It is actually a bit more complicated. For starters, I have mostly given up on locator calling. I hunt in an area that has surrounding farms and a lot are still actively engaged in farming. If I am patient, the gobblers will sound off at a lot of things. Cows, dogs barking, my favorite for years was a donkey that would bray clear over on the next ridge every morning. If I wait, usually the gobblers give themselves away. I am … More . . .
The Turkey Rules are Out!
Kentucky has published the rules for Spring Turkey and Squirrel Season, 2013.. Everyone ought to download a copy and read it thoroughly. This post has already been read 1068 times!Views: 3 Related posts: The Role of Personal Ethics in Hunting Know Thy Game, Know Thyself Personal Ethics in Turkey Hunting Angus’ Last Yute Hunt From the KDFWR: Outstanding outlook for the hunt Spring Turkey Rules are Out! Ambushers and Old Schoolers Turkey Season Transitions
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Keep Your Turkey Kit Simple
As I set this down, the countdown is passing exactly 8 weeks until The Opener. It has been a month since my last post. I was quite unwell– worst case of flu I’ve had in 20 years. It left me creeping around for weeks. It was just the wrong time, too. The new job really cranked up all of a sudden, and I’ve been whizzing about. This all set me back pretty much as far as my turkey preparations. I had already resolved to keep it simple this year–no big new projects. I just want to keep it simple. Although … More . . .
Scout Your Way to Success on a Small Plot
A lot of guys say you should not scout before season. It gets the birds skittish. Ben Lee used to call such a thing “False Hearsay.” If you do it right, the birds never know you are there. If they do, do not think busting an occasional flock is going to doom your season. I usually get on my flocks about a month before season starts. I am out at every opportunity. It is illegal to call to turkeys before season, and I do not recommend it. However, get in as close as I can and listen. The turkeys take … More . . .
New 2012-13 Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide
KYDFWR has just released the new Hunting and Trapping Guide. 2012-13 Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide So far I don’t see any big changes for what I’m doing. This post has already been read 2161 times!Views: 2 Related posts: From the KDFWR: Outstanding outlook for the hunt KY Turkey Poacher Fined $44,000 Indiana DNR Rule Changes KY: Record Harvest for Modern Gun Deer Season Know Thy Game, Know Thyself So you want a new deer rifle for Indiana Shotgun Vs. Rifle Yute Season
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Turkey 2012, a Post-Mortem
I am now cleaning all the guns and putting all the clothes in a big pile to do up for fall. Season is over. This was my first really good season in several years. Last season was miserable, even though I got a bird on The Opener– something I had never accomplished before. The big problem was my health– a bad cold that would not quit and finally settled in my lungs. The other big problem was weather, and that probably did a lot to bring on the former. This year, the weather was probably the most to blame for … More . . .
PODCAST: Angus Scores in Last Minute Hunt
This was going to be our last chance. Angus and Supercore both had gone dry going into the last day of season. Saturday had been plagued with rain that had kept the gobs quiet and the hens hiding. Angus did manage to nail a coyote around sunrise that came to our calls. We could not recover the carcass. This was it– last day of season. SuperCore went out to Broken Corners. I took Angus to Quarterway– halfway between the Honey Hole and Midway. We heard nothing except a gobbler off the property getting cranked up, but there were a bunch … More . . .
PODCAST: Tagged Out in 2012
Things developed slowly today, but the gobbler I podcasted the other weekend back at Virginia came in through the back door, cakewalking down the road like he owned the place. He got to the gate leading to the Honey Hole and met up with some #4 Federal from my Mossberg. Podcast — Tagged Out in 2012! Here are the all-important stats: Weight: 22 lbs Beard: 11 inches Spurs: L: 1.5″ R: 1.25″ That’s it for me, but Angus and SuperCore still have plenty of tags. SuperCore was out with me this afternoon. We were pinned down by five hens out … More . . .
Update: Podcast is working now
It was brought to my attention that the third part of the podcast I posted yesterday had a problem. It’s fixed now. Go ahead and give it a try. Podcast –KY Opener 2012 PT III I just got in from hunting with SuperCore. We went back to the Honey Hole and got blanked– nothing. The winds are gusting to 20MPH and are expected to hit 40 MPH before the end of the afternoon. This is one of those rare occasions that the wind is going to keep me in. I was out in the woods during Hurricane Ike, and I … More . . .
PODCAST: The shaman scores in KY Opener 2012
I went out this morning with low expectations. Rain was due before Noon. I figured that there would be nothing particularly hot, but the opener is after all The Opener, right? Angus and SuperCore went out to Broken Corners. We are fairly convinced that gob that I caught on the Podcast a couple of weeks ago is indeed Mister Moto. That makes the third season he’s been gracing the Hundred Acre Wood. Angus and SuperCore went out to kill him. I went to the new blind Angus and I prepared halfway between Midway and the Honey Hole. Halfway to Midway. … More . . .
PODCAST: Gobbler At Broken Corners
It’s the day before the Ky Yute Opener. Angus and I did some last-minute scouting this morning and found a gobbler less than 60 yards from us at Broken Corners. PODCAST: Angus and Dad at the Honey Hole PT 1 PODCAST: Angus and Dad at the Honey Hole PT 2 NOTE: You may find that the links load slowly. If so, try right-clicking on them and downloading them to your system before playing>Podcast –Gobbler at Broken Corners NOTE: I broke the previous podcast into two parts after some folks said it was too slow to load. I’ll try and … More . . .
PODCAST: A Walk Through Virginia
It’s April Fools Day, and the gobblers played a trick on me– had me running all over the farm. However, I finally got close to one out on the tip of Virginia. NOTE: I broke this podcast into two parts after some folks said it was too slow to load. I’ll try and keep these to about 15 minutes per segment in the future. Podcast –A Walk Through Virginia Part I Podcast –A Walk Through Virginia Part II Virginia is a “finger off a finger.” Our place is centered around a knife-edge ridge running N/S. There are a couple of … More . . .
PODCAST: Where do the Turkeys Go?
Here is another podcast. I did this one this morning while Angus and I were out scouting at the Honey Hole. Podcast Where did the Turkeys Go This post has already been read 1688 times!Views: 1 Related posts: Requiem for the Honey Hole Went scouting and never left the bedroom The Last Yute Hunt — Angus Bags a Bird Honey Holes PODCAST: The shaman scores in KY Opener 2012 PODCAST: Gobblers at the Honey Hole On Learning to be an Expert Turkey Hunter PODCAST: Gobbler At Broken Corners
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PODCAST: Out Scouting the Left Leg
It stormed pretty heavily last night. I got up wondering what that had done to the turkeys. So I grabbed my coffee thermos and a boat cushion and headed out. Lily the beagle found her way out of the house and came along too. We went as far as the entrance to Virginia before encountering a gobbler still on the roost at the head of The Left Leg, a small creek running down the east side of Virginia. I set up in a treeline and recorded about 15 minutes of gobbling. Shortly into it, another gobbler, The Garbage Pit Bandit … More . . .
Observations on Daylight Savings Time and Turkeys
I’m back in from the morning’s activities. My goodness! You would have not believed the difference a day can make. Yesterday there were only two gobblers active, both well off the boundaries of the test area. This morning? Let me give you some stats: 1) The gobblers went active 50 minutes later this morning. That’s ten minutes sooner than would be predicted by assuming the time change had no effect. 2) Gobbling continued clear up to 2 hours after sunrise. Yesterday, we had a two gobs give a couple of quick gobbles right at sunrise, and then that was it. … More . . .
Turkey Hunting and Daylight Savings Time
As you may know, I just love pulling this prank every year. The change to Daylight Savings time comes around, and I try to get as many people on the hook as possible. I just started a thread over at Turkey & Turkey Hunting Forum: http://www.turkeyandturkeyhunting.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=8601 Please log in and give your most over-the-top description of how the changeover to DST causes trouble with the turkeys. This post has already been read 6425 times!Views: 5 Related posts: Daylight Savings Time Hoax More on Deer Porn Know Thy Game, Know Thyself Evolution of a Hunter Personal Ethics in Turkey Hunting The … More . . .
Ode to a buttpad
I don’t usually get gushy about gear. If you’ve been reading my stuff, you know I’m . . . well, don’t send me something to review unless you want my honest opinion. I was looking for a buttpad for Moosegirl. She will want something to sit on when she goes turkey hunting for the first time this spring. Comfort is often times one of the chief determiners in making or breaking a first timer. Some times it is the little things. I was on Amazon.com looking for a buttpad, and I found one for under $10: Click on the image … More . . .
Deep Woods vs. Fields for Turkeys
From T&TH Forum Where would you go? by Virginia Boy » Tue May 17, 2011 4:18 pm Here’s a question for some of you long time turkey hunters that has been puzzling this newbie for years. If you had a parcel of land in farm country that was a mix of timber and fields (cut corn, last years soybeans, etc.) – which would you choose to hunt in? Would you opt to set up on the field edge and call them out into the field? Or would you go into the woodlot and set up there? Decoys – yes or … More . . .
PODCAST — Turkey Opener 2011
The tale of the tape: 24.5 lbs, 10.5″ beard and spurs starting to hook– I’m guessing a 3 year old. He was fat enough that he broke the stick I was using as a handle for my turkey tote.
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New Calls for Moosegirl
This has been a busy off-season for me. Moosegirl, Moose’s squeeze, has shown an interest in both Turkey and Deer Hunting. Putting together a good starter kit for her for Spring Gobbler Season has had me scouring the web for good deals, collecting up turkey porn, and rummaging through the closets. I found a few nice things for her, including a pink Quaker Girl Lady Hurricane from Quaker Boy, and matching turkey purses for her and little Mooselette (due sometime between now and the Super Bowl. It also got me thinking about some pot calls. Now I have to admit … More . . .
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