Turkey Hunting
KY Reports Record Gobbler Harvest
This post has already been read 1924 times!Views: 10 Related posts: KY: Record Harvest for Modern Gun Deer Season KY Turkey Record Weekend Strong Harvest Expected Gobbler at the Back Door KY Gobbler Season is Over This is Earth. Scratch One Gobbler PODCAST: Gobbler Attack on the Opener Angus Bags a Gobbler on the Opener
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Turkey Post-Mortem, 2026
We wimped out. If you really want to know, we stopped turkey hunting over a week ago. We were down at camp. We were going out, but our hearts just were not in it. Moose went to work on the food plots. I ran to Maysville on errands. Angus left for a visit with his sweetheart in Minneapolis. What caused our camp to give up? Weather I’d say that was the underlying cause. I think we got utterly spoiled by regular HIs in the 70s and 80s. We had beautiful weather through a lot of March and early April. Then … More . . .
Shaman Finally Scores
This morning marked the eighth time out to the Honey Hole this season. I had a lot weighing on me. Earlier in the week, I missed a gimme shot at a nice gobbler. I had trouble picking the bird up in my scope and finally saw a head and went for it. Drat! He and another bird took off and left me swearing. Several times this week, I’ve gone out with pruners and clipped shooting lanes in the ground cover to the west side of Honey Hole. It didn’t look all that bad, but it had been enough to knock … More . . .
KY Turkey Record Weekend
From KYDFWR: I wish somebody would tell the turkeys on my side of the ridge! This post has already been read 1970 times!Views: 10 Related posts: KY Reports Record Gobbler Harvest KY: Record Harvest for Modern Gun Deer Season Report from Turkey Camp 2008 On the use of Turkey Decoys and Going Old School Traditional Turkey Hunting Season Shamanic Turkey Hunting Tips Report from Turkey Camp — Sunday Turkey Camp 2018
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Angus Bags a Gobbler on the Opener
Angus was out at the blind at Blackberry this AM for the Opener of the 2026 Spring Gobbler Season. Just before 0800, a gobbler started to respond to his new Quaker Boy Easy Yelper. In the minutes it took him to run down from the opposing ridge, a doe and a hen both visited Angus’ decoy, which was blowing about in the stiff breeze. Both got spooked and ran off. However, the gobbler saw the deke moving in the wind and thought it looked inviting. He closed within 30 yards of the blind before Angus dropped the hammer. The bird … More . . .
Mooselette Gets her Turkey Gun
Mooselette finally got her turkey gun on Saturday. It was months late in coming, but she will have it for Spring Gobbler Season. It didn’t always look like that was going to happen. The shotgun is a used Mossberg 535 12 Gauge. I found it at a steeply reduced (should have been a hint) price just before Christmas. It had problems. I was at least able to show it to Mooselette on Christmas Day, but I had to resort to a gunsmith twice to get it into working order. The choke tube was stuck, as well as the magazine follower. … More . . .
Kentucky Afield TV- 2026 Spring Turkey Q&A Show
Good show from KY Afield This post has already been read 1578 times!Views: 21 Related posts: KY Afield Show Q&A on Turkeys Turkey Research in Kentucky Spring Turkey Rules are Out! New 2012-13 Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide The Run-up to Spring It’s Out! KDFWR Releases Spring 2020 Rules Spring Rules are Out Spring Rules are Out
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PODCAST: A Visit to S10
We have a blind overlooking Dead Skunk Hollow and Gobbler’s Knob. It’s the cap of my old S10 truck. It makes a great listening post for turkey hunting. I went out with the recording gear and captured a bunch of gobblers waking up on the south face of Gobbler’s knob. Podcast — A Visit to S10 This post has already been read 2976 times!Views: 31 Related posts: PODCAST: Out Scouting the Left Leg PODCAST: The Honey Hole PODCAST: Three Jakes at the Honey Hole PODCAST: Getting Thoughtful at the Thoughtful Spot PODCAST: The Midway Gobbler PODCAST: Return to the Honey … More . . .
PODCAST: The Ides of March
This was my first trip out to the Honey Hole this year. The gobblers and hens are just starting to warm up. This was not a spectacular trip, but sometimes it is all about making it out and coming back with some usable material. Podcast — The Ides of March Sleep well, Hanna! This post has already been read 5792 times!Views: 62 Related posts: PODCAST: Out Scouting the Left Leg PODCAST: The Honey Hole PODCAST: Three Jakes at the Honey Hole PODCAST: Getting Thoughtful at the Thoughtful Spot PODCAST: The Midway Gobbler PODCAST: Return to the Honey Hole 2018 PODCAST: … More . . .
Spring Rules are Out
Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources has released the rules for the Spring Hunting Seasons. There are no big changes. This summarizes what few there are: The full list of rules including spring gobbler and spring squirrel are here: This post has already been read 1920 times!Views: 13 Related posts: It’s Out! KDFWR Releases Spring 2020 Rules Spring Turkey Rules are Out! Spring Rules are Out Spring Rules are Out Spring Rules are Out The Run-up to Spring Kentucky Afield TV- 2026 Spring Turkey Q&A Show KY Spring Rules are Posted
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Push-Pin to the Rescue
For a lot of turkey hunters, a push-pin type call is the first call they master. Once they get on something else, they leave the push-pin behind. Yeah, I get it. A push-pin is kind of limited, but it does work. I especially like it for the terminal phase– for those last few calls before the gobbler sticks his head out. I’m passable with a mouth call. However, I always place a push-pin next to my right hip. I can’t count the times I: a) had the mouth call out of my mouthb) had a turkey hang up just out … More . . .
Scouting or Just Trusting Your Spot
From OldGobbler.com Here is my response: I have been hunting the same 200 acre farm in SW Bracken County, KY for 23 seasons. What I’ve found is that the turkeys are still roosting in the same spots and hitting the same pastures every year. We have a few honey holes that will produce gobbler sightings every season. I’m still out for the month before season scouting, but I try and avoid direct contact. What I do is go out with an umbrella mic and record the birds on the roost and what they are doing at flydown. Are there changes … More . . .
A New Gunsmith
The thought hit me in early December that the Mooselette could stand a full-sized grown-up turkey gun. I had not finished my first cup of coffee before I found a swinging deal on a Mossberg 535 that was receiving no bids. Bang! I had it. It was on the way to the FFL. I’d scored! The fact that this is titled “A New Gunsmith” should tell you this wasn’t as hot a deal as it seemed. Cosmetically, it was just fine. However, when I attempted to remove the included choke tube, it was a no-go. No problem. I knew what … More . . .
ENSO-NADA, The Turkey Dead Zone
I do a yearly shamanic weather prediction for another forum– what’s it going to be like on the Turkey Opener? I don’t claim to be a major expert. All I’m doing is going on https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/ and reading the tea leaves. I do it, more than anything to piss off the guys who tell me they don’t care. Some get angry and say I’m telling them to stay home. No. I’m all for going out, no matter what the weather. It’s just handy to know whether to pack shorts or a parka for turkey camp. I noticed something this AM that … More . . .
The Turkey’s Back
The big ol’ Gobbler that I took last spring is back from the taxidermist and I’m very impressed. I picked him up Sunday on the way home from muzzleloader hunting. The taxi is named David Noem of Noem’s Wildlife Artistry. If you look on his right leg you can see the green leg band the state put on him. I won a $45 gift certificate from BassPro for turning it in. Here is more detail from the hunt: This post has already been read 4747 times!Views: 61 Related posts: Do you hunt turkeys in a blind? what slate call do … More . . .
Update on the Banded Bird
On 4/14, I bagged a bird with a green leg band. I reported it on the website and got a response in the form of an emailed PDF certificate. However, the YouTube on the site talked about a reward for green bands. I kept writing and asking, and all I got back were automated emails with the same pdf file. I finally got through to a human, the program coordinator, Zak Danks. Here is his response This post has already been read 6551 times!Views: 17 Related posts: PODCAST: A Banded Bird at Dead Skunk The Last Yute Hunt — Angus … More . . .
Turkey Season Post Mortem, 2025
It’s over. The Shamanic Dream Team did not make it out for the last weekend. Moose had to stay home with Junior. Angus was dealing with a seasonal allergy. I was nursing a bad back. This all belies the real reason: nobody really wanted to be out in that much rain. The Score? Three gobs. One was a bird of a lifetime, the other two were nice fat 2 year olds. I wish Angus had been able to score. The same goes for Foxtrot Charlie. However, in the latter case, he is a lot further down the path to success … More . . .
Moose Nails a Good’n at Honey Hole
The Shamanic Dream Team has tagged a gobbler on the Second Saturday of KY Spring Gobbler Season. Moose and MooseWoman went to the Honey Hole this morning. MooseWoman does not hunt, at least not yet. She just went to enjoy the morning with her squeeze. It was a near-perfect morning. Friday had been hot and windy–up to 40 MPH gusts. It had stayed close to 70F overnight. This is the warmest we’ve ever hunted. The gobblers were already sounding off a good 10 minutes before legal hunting. Moose called a bit– thought he attracted some attention, but flydown came and … More . . .
PODCAST: A Banded Bird at Dead Skunk
I’m now tagged out in 2025. This morning, I went out to Dead Skunk Hollow and set up in some cedars overlooking pasture at the head of the draw. Yesterday, Foxtrot Charlie had gone there in the afternoon and worked a bird for a couple of hours before coming back to camp. While he was in the cabin, stowing his gear, I went out to the Thoughtful Spot. The bird that had given him fits had finally shown up and was parading out in front of the blind and gobbling his head off. When Foxtrot Charlie came out we got … More . . .
PODCAST: Gobbler Attack on the Opener
Yesterday, was the 2025 KY Spring Turkey Opener. I was out at the Honey Hole expecting a moderate sort of day at the Honey Hole. I’d call at some birds. I might get an answer. I’d get bored, take a nap and go in. It did not happen. It started off quiet enough. I only heard a few gobbles far off. In fact, I turned off the recorder with hopes of maybe hearing something later. A few minutes before sunrise, I heard a gobbler way the heck off. He sounded like he was in bottom of Left Leg Creeek, a … More . . .
Yute Season Washout
Here’s what the radar looks like right now. We’d be heading out the door in this if Mooselette was going Yute hunting. She’s not. She’s probably sleeping in right now. It’s bad luck for the Yutes, for sure. The good news is all this will be out of here by Sunday PM, and no rain is predicted through the first week of Gobbler Season. This post has already been read 6969 times!Views: 7 Related posts: Yute Hunt 2009 — Angus Counts Coup The Last Yute Hunt — Angus Bags a Bird Getting the Yute Ready for Yute Season PODCAST: Yute … More . . .
PODCAST: Jakes Galore
This is my first time out with the umbrella mic this spring. I’ve been holed up in town since the Super Bowl taking care of KYHillChick. She slipped in the garage and busted her kneecap. I’ve been taking care of her while the leg mended. Last Monday, the Ortho guys cut her loose. I went out to the Honey Hole as usual. The evening before, I saw a rather large herd of gobblers and hens out in the field. Things were looking good. Shortly after I got set up, I was surrounded by turkeys. The action was brisk and I … More . . .
Spring Rules are Out
Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources has released the rules for the Spring Hunting Seasons. There are no big changes. This summarizes what few there are: The full list of rules including spring gobbler and spring squirrel are here: This post has already been read 5687 times!Views: 12 Related posts: It’s Out! KDFWR Releases Spring 2020 Rules Spring Turkey Rules are Out! Spring Rules are Out Spring Rules are Out Spring Rules are Out The Run-up to Spring Kentucky Afield TV- 2026 Spring Turkey Q&A Show KY Spring Rules are Posted
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Eight Weeks to Go
There is still dip in the bowl from the Superbowl Party, but it is time to start thinking about Turkey in Kentucky. It is coming up on eight weeks to go before the start of Kentucky’s Spring Gobbler Season. It is about this time when I start looking for a day with a high temp of 50F or higher and no rain. That is solely for my comfort. The turkeys could care less. That is when I return to camp and go out scouting for the first time. I’ve already missed a couple such days that happened in January, but … More . . .
Gobblers Go Quiet After Flydown
From:Old Gobbler Forum My answer: Years ago, I discovered a disused logging road on the back of the property that had recent tire marks. I decided to hide out near it and see what was going on. The next day, nothing responded to my calls at the roost and I went over to the road and set up. I wasn’t there very long before a sandwich truck came down the track and parked at a little turnout. A little Korean guy got out and started opening up the sides of the truck. It wasn’t long before several flocks of turkeys … More . . .
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