As much as I liked the TC Compass I bought last fall, there were a few niggling problems. First of those was the aesthetics. I’m a sucker for wood. The factory stock was about as nice as I’ve seen in a plastic stock, but Tupperware is just not my thing. … Continue reading →
From a recent email (address witheld) Shaman, I hunt in almost identical circumstances as yours– pastures, cedar thickets and oak groves. Am I to understand that you don’t recommend lever actions for deer hunting at all anymore? I would think that a nice 30-30 would be ideal. Dave in Warsaw … Continue reading →
I really don’t have an explanation for this. On 8 May, as Turkey Season was coming to a close, I took a 50 lb sack of mixing salt and went out to the Campground Lick and refreshed it. This is a lick that I have had in the same spot … Continue reading →
You may have noticed that the shaman has not been all that prolific since the end of Turkey Season. It’s true. I have not been posting all that much. However, I’ve been doing a lot with the weblog. Some of it has to do with adding functionality. A good deal … Continue reading →
No, I didn’t get attacked by cicadas.No, I did not fall down the well. I’ve been fine and fit. All is well. I’ve just been busy. The day job has been extra busy since the end of Turkey Season, but the main thing keeping me away has been moving. It’s … Continue reading →
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 … Continue reading →
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 … Continue reading →
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. … Continue reading →
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 … Continue reading →
I do not usually miss a turkey. Missing two the first week is unheard of in my long career. However, this morning 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 … Continue reading →
This all gets complicated, so I will lay it all out in chronological sequence. The Shaman Muffs It To begin, I had a few gobblers out in front of me at the start of legal hunting, arrayed out in front of me at the Honey Hole. As soon as I … Continue reading →
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 … Continue reading →
The Mooselette got a chance to get out and deal with the turkeys on Saturday. It wasn’t quite the show we had hoped for. The cold snap had made it a rather subdued affair, and every gobbler seemed to be henned up. However, honorable Number One Granddaughter was able to … Continue reading →
From OldGobbler.COM Ohio is proposing a change to the bag limit. The new proposal taking effect 2022, if passed, would limit you to harvesting one bearded bird from public land. You can still kill two, but only one can be from public land. Oddly, they site poor reproductive years, but … Continue reading →
I finally got enough audio for a podcast. The turkeys have not been cooperating this year. This AM, I managed to catch them at the Honey Hole. It’s a long one, and it has a bunch of gobblers, hens and crows sounding off. This is one you’ll want to just … Continue reading →
https://www.kentuckyhunting.net/threads/camoflauge.178148/ I feel blessed that I live in a time where there is now an abundance of birds. Going out and finding a gobbler is not such a big deal anymore. I remember a time when just hearing a gobble was a victory. I can also attest to going the … Continue reading →
I have seen a bunch of articles written over the years about the various stages of the wild turkey’s spring breeding. I have been watching this firsthand at the farm for twenty seasons now. I am going to give my thoughts on it. Remember that I am about 10 miles … Continue reading →
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources has changed the rules a wee bit. Turkey hunters can now use .410 shotguns, and can use smaller shot. Deer hunters can now use breechloading muzzleloaders (there’s an oxymoron) like the Traditions Nitro system. See: Administrative Rule (Regulation) Changes Full text here: … Continue reading →
I finally got the fake stump installed at the Honey Hole this afternoon with the help of Moose and the Mooselette. This is the culmination of several years’ worth of planning and fretting. It all goes back to 2016. I had been turkey hunting with my back against the same … Continue reading →
I got Turkey Camp opened up Saturday. I have learned that it is not wise to show up on a Friday night. You never know what you’ll find. I always wait for Saturday morning to go down. The place was just as we’d left it. My sons came down a … Continue reading →
I know I’ve told this story before, but it bears repeating. Back when I started turkey hunting– we’re talking Regan’s first term– A good turkey gun was any gun that could put 2 pellets through a Dixie cup at 40 yards. You put a Dixie cup on a stake and … Continue reading →
It’s funny. I looked over on the left at the “On This Day” box and it said that I had reported the Kentucky Spring Hunting Guide had been posted in 2013. Sure enough, I went to look on the KYDFWR site, and look what I found: I could not … Continue reading →
Covid hit the family, and knocked the snot out of me. I was down for the better part of a week, and I’m just starting to feel like myself. Yesterday was the first day I had to actually use the Hornady Auto Charge to load rifle rounds. The results were … Continue reading →
I want to clean up a bunch of questions that have been asked of me. Some have been recent; others go back a ways. Mostly, this is about ambushing, but there’s more. You keep talking about ambushing being good and stalking being bad. Why is that? Let me explain some … Continue reading →
In case you are not from Cincinnati, let me clue you in on Goetta. It is a German-inspired breakfast dish. Cincinnati and its general vicinity were settled by Germans in the early 19th Century. If you were to ask a modern German, they would have no clue what Goetta is. … Continue reading →
