PODCAST: Closing the Deal
This is the first podcast of 2022, and it is a good one. I got out to the Honey Hole just as a roost of hens to my left was pitching woo to a roost of gobblers to my right. Over a half-hour the loudest gob and the most vocal hen decided to hook up. The gobbler practically ran the hundred or so yards between the roost trees, and met up with the hen and her girlfriends at the base of their roost. The deal got closed. I just let the audio roll without comment. I hope you enjoy it. … More . . .
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 . . .
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