Old School I am Not
Lately I have been exposed to a set of attitudes that really sort set me back on my heels. I guess these attitudes have been out there for quite a while. I just had not seen them. I don’t get off my ridge that much. For want of a better term I will call these “Old School” turkey hunting attitudes. The general gist of this is that only certain turkey hunting practices are okay, and that these practices are a subset of what is legal in most states. I really did not know what I was being called last year … More . . .
Traditional Turkey Hunting Season
I want to start a petition around. It is going to be in favor of a resolution to the state legislature to incorporate a Traditional Methods Turkey Season into the Schedule. Black Powder Shotguns of up to #4 Gauge will be allowed Breech loading rifles will be allowed with straight-necked cases up to 50 cal. Muzzleloading rifles of any caliber will be allowed. Shot of any size, gravel, and roofing nails will also be allowed as ammunition in the muzzleloading weapons. No camo will be allowed. Hunters must hunt in an old suit with the elbows mended. Mouth calls cannot … More . . .
Tipping Point
It is a state of mind. You wake up one morning, and you are no longer a deer hunter with a full freezer, remembering the season just ended. You look out the window at the cold dawn and realize that you are a turkey hunter and have about a hundred days to the start of season. Usually this happens sometime during the NFL Playoffs for me. Somebody gets caught in a ridiculous blow-out and I get bored watching the slaughter and go to turn off the set. An unplayed DVD catches my eye, or I go outside to catch some … More . . .
The Season So Far
I have had a moderate season. For everything that has gone right, there has been something else impinging on it. As things go, last year was the best year for us ever– just about anything would have been a let down. For starters, the big influences on our hunting this year were: 1) Hurricane Ike 2) The Drought I’m not going to say it was going to be a banner year for acorns without Ike. This was our second year of drought. However, we have had extraordinarily good luck with acorns in 2006 and 2007, and this year was flat. … More . . .
Angus Bags a Bird
“I always thought it was hard killing a turkey,” said Angus. “But then there it was, and it was all over.” That was Sunday morning. We had gone back to the place he had shot his first turkey last evening. He had a squirrel already in his bag, and the sun was barely up. He was on a roll. Angus, Moose, and I had come down to enjoy the two-week bye between Kentucky deer seasons. Angus, 10, had taken his first deer during the Kentucky Yute season. Moose, 16, had gone out alone for his first deer hunt the next … More . . .
Turkey Hunt Ends — One last humiliation
It’s over. Angus and I came out of the woods around 10, but not before giving a long look over last year’s food plot, and off into the forest filled with dogwood and redbud, and wishing that the season would go on forever. We took the long way back, walking through the woods instead of going back through the pasture– one more time in the Spring woods before hanging it up. The weekend was not without its treasures. On Saturday I got a humiliation at the hands of a gobbler. From 0400 to 0830 we had pouring rain and 15 … More . . .
Losing Stuff — Requiem for a Hat Pt II
From the Heirloom Turkey Call Forum Re: Losing Stuff — Requiem for a Hat Postby Brian on Sat May 10, 2008 1:29 pm Just a quik update in Bill’s losses. His call has been replaced or will be shortly. As soon as he gets his mail in the next day or so. AND they have told me that the forgetfullness will come and go, I just can’t rememebr where it goes to or I’d send it back myself….LOL Brian Warner Heirloom Turkey Calls http://www.heirloomturkeycalls.com Haughton, Louisiana 318-949-9008 Brian __________________________________________________ Re: Losing Stuff — Requiem for a Hat Postby Toby Benoit … More . . .
Losing Stuff — Requiem for a Hat
I was asked to join the pro staff of Heirloom Turkey Calls this year. Brian sent me a bunch of calls to try, and after bagging a good gobbler, I managed to lose one of the calls. It was one of his Single Barrel calls– easily the most beautiful call I’ve ever used — a turned wooden scratch pot with matching stained glass and a picture of a gobbler under the glass. I went back time and again to the spots where it could be, but it was not there. The good news is that the call was fantastic, and … More . . .
The last Moose hunt
Sunday was Moose’s last hunt as a Yute. He will turn 16 in a few weeks. It passed without much notice or fanfare. We went out to the honey hole and waited for the light to come up. Nothing. After 10 minutes of silence. I finally spoke. “That’s how I went through so many seasons.” I said. “I’d drive 200 miles– go out in the dark. The light would come up. Nothing. I’d call a bit and then go back to my car and go home.” I had started hunting turkeys only a few years after the modern seasons were … More . . .
what slate call do you like for calling turkeys??
I’ve had a Quaker Boy for over 20 years that worked here and there. Over the past couple of seasons, I have taken to making my own scratch pots from slate, glass, slate-over-glass, and aluminum. The parts can be got from Shipley’s In fact, I called in a nice one last year with the slate over glass. However, I was still learning, I had used the wrong glue, and the glass detached as I made a loud cutt. It was enough to bring in the gobbler, though. This year I’ve been invited to join the Pro-Staff of Heirloom Turkey Calls … More . . .
Turkey Week 2008, Recap
I’m back. My turkey hunt is over. There’s one in the freezer, and I am glad he’s there. The birds were quite uncooperative overall. Angus and I went out again this morning. The gobblers have been making good sounds from the roost, but they shut up and crawl in a hole immediately after pitching down. The trees are a good week behind their normal schedule. Maybe the turkeys are too. I think it has been a confusing year for them. This morning was no exception. We had five gobblers responding to us, but none showed up. We saw a lot … More . . .
Youth Hunt Results
In a better world kids would come with slider bars and radio buttons. When things get rough, you should be able to got to F)ile P)roperties and start jiggling the settings until things come out right. Kids don’t have those kind of adjustments– at least none that easy. I guess that’s why there’s dads. #2 Son, Moose has been a lover of firearms from the start. He’s also a recoil hound. He was shooting 357 Magnum and 44 Magnum before he shot 22 LR. Whatever got him going, I would love to have cloned and replicated into #3 son, Angus. … More . . .
The Son of Natural
History never does really repeat itself. I wish I could go back in time to 2003 and really hunt my arch nemesis, Mister Natural. We fought each other all through season on 2003. He won. I ended up with bronchitis. It’s a long story. Mister Natural and the Incident at Broken Corners I haven’t had the urge to go back and repeat 2003’s season over again, at least not how it played out back then. As a result, I’ve shied away from the barn at Broken Corners. However, the day before, I’d been on the phone, pretty much where you … More . . .
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