Uncle Nicky

I seriously doubt there is any rhyme or reason to it. They are turkeys, and that's about the only explanation I can offer. I don't think they even know why they gobble.

I've had good luck with Muck boots, on my 3rd pair in 12 years. Before that, I was lucky to get a year out of a pair of rubber boots before they leaked. I'll agree, they don't fit as well as leather boots, I just wear 2 pairs of socks when I put them on, as long as it doesn't get into the 90s, I'm fine. My only gripe is that the neoprene tears when you walk in briars with them on.

Biggest to date was a Tennessee farm bird, 24#, 1 3/8" spurs, 10" paint-brush beard. He's almost as big as me in this picture.

When I was first getting into turkey hunting, I had this idea that I needed to learn, own, and use every call that is out there. Experience and time has taught me that all locator calls work sometimes, but not always. Being in a prime location is your best bet, and if a gobbler is going to sound off, more often than not, the sounds of nature or man-made noise (a fence gate or mindmill creaking, a jet, motorcycle engine, or distant gushot) will do the trick. If I'm trying to roost birds the night before, I'll either try an owl hoot with my own voice or use a coyote yelper call.

My 835 seemed to like Kick's Gobbling Thunder best of all the chokes I tried. I still wasn't happy with the pattern, and sent it to Rob Roberts/Gobbler Getter in Arkansas. He sold me one of his chokes (Pure Gold), and tested every shell available at the time, got my best pattern with Winchester Hevi-Shot #6s (now discontinued), best $200 I ever spent. I switched over to Hevi-Shot Mag-Blend last year when I ran out of Winchester Hevi-shot. I am confident out to 60 yards if needed, but keep them within 50.

I've been getting them for the last 25 years, I don't think it's age related, more to do with excessive time spent on my feet, or strenuous walking (climbing mountains, deer drives). Not a whole lot that I know you can do about them, but work through the pain when it comes (and it IS brutal). The first dozen times I got them, Mrs wanted to call 911, I told her they weren't coming out for charley-horses, and sorry about screaming like a baby, but they ARE painful. I usually try to drink Gatorade when I sense them coming, that helps a little.

I hunted with Chris Barnes/Strutn Tom Outfitters, had a great time. He's in Tennessee, just a little north of the Alabama state line. No lodge, you'd have to get a motel room and eat in town, but the two buffet restaurants in Fayetteville were out of this world! He also has leases in Florida for Osceola hunting. You can hunt all day there, I think all 3 gobblers I killed were shot after 12:00. If you're going DIY, I'd look into hunting public land in Alabama. Lots of land to hunt, and lots of birds, almost as smart as PA or NY mountain birds.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes (usually refers to someone heading to jail).

Not quite as cold here as NY, but still frigid. Shovel the snow that fell, take Mrs. out for breakfast, and work on tax returns (my seasonal job that pays for hunting & fishing trips).

And THAT is when World War III began....

Mrs. Uncle Nicky told me today, "I want you to take me somewhere new, where I've never been before". I told her "That should be simple, start with the kitchen". And that's when the fight began....

I've shot 2 in my life...one dropped on a logging trail (sweet), the other ran into a river and died (not so sweet). Congratulations on a nice bull!

Good luck to you, I'm planning to pull the plug on the corporate world soon myself, just hoping I survive 4 or 5 more years until I see my way clear. Money isn't everything, and a lot can be said for maintaining one's integrity. Mrs. is on board with the idea too. Can't happen soon enough, as far as I'm concerned.

I'd be willing to bet it happens a lot, but no company is going to proudly admit that they pay shills to write comments or reviews in their favor. It's the world-wide-web, and everyone is an anonymous screen name. I wouldn't be surprised if they are paying people in India or the Philippines $10/day for trolling work.

Great day, only had to shovel 2 inches of snow, corporate panicked & closed the office down last night, so I got a good-old-fashioned snow day. Life is good!

I can honestly say I've had very little luck squirrel hunting in the winter. I don't know if it's because the leaves are off the trees and they pick me out, the predators are on the prowl, or if they just don't like coming out in the cold. Never had a problem killing a limit in September or October.

Hunted near Mt Kitadhin in Maine, killed one that was 240#, the outfitter called it a "mahn-stah". Most of the others killed in camp were 125-150#, this was at the end of summer while they were fattening up for the winter. Killed one in Quebec near Lake Kipawa that was 300#, this was in the spring not long after ice-out. Big country in Maine, mostly owned by logging companies. Even bigger country once you get into Canada. Not really a lot of pressure like you would see here in PA, no organized drives, but there are more guys hunting less bear in Maine than there is in Canada.

Yep. And a Thermacell. You are going to need both. A couple guys asked "Why not Maine"? I've hunted both, seems to me the bears in Maine are smaller & more pressured than they are in Quebec, Quebec has a spring season, and you can fish for walleye & pike in the mornings, bear hunt in the afternoon.

I've been at this a while, on my 3rd smoker in the last 25 years. I have an unfair advantage, I went to restaurant school years ago and ran a deer processing business for a while, so I have a fair amount of experience. During the fall, I make sausage & jerky in the smoker, in the spring I'll make a ham or two, and in the summer I'll make brisket, chicken, or pork roasts. Oddly enough, I've never made ribs in a smoker, one of these days.....

The very first smoker I had was made from an old freezer box and electric hot-plate burners. It worked pretty well, and through trial & error, I was able to regulate the temperature pretty well. Sounds like it might work, but it would probably be much simpler to sell your current setup and get an electric or propane smoker.

Personally, I can't eat much jerky, I'm on a low-salt diet. But, I've found a batch does not last very long. It can be frozen for a month or two, probably longer if you have a vacuum sealer. It will last in the refrigerator quite a while, but the taste will eventually "fade". I've never seen it turn rotten, but if you leave it in the refrigerator for more than a month or so, mold will form on the outside (but can easily be wiped off with a mixture of lemon juice or vinegar & water).

No, I have never used curing salt for jerky, most people don't. I know nitrates aren't particularly good for you, and provided you have the dampers open wide enough, the meat will dry out before bacteria sets in, plus the amount of salt acts as a bacteria retardant.

Glad to see I made a difference, maybe someone who has Photoshop can put a gold star on my avatar? Here is my jerky recipe: 5# venison leg meat (top round, eye round, bottom round), cut with the grain, 1/8-1/4" thick 1 quart cold water 3 oz non-iodized salt 4 oz sugar Healthy shot of soy sauce & garlic powder Marinate venison strip overnight in brine solution (or 12 hours). Remove from brine, rinse well, allow to air-dry slightly (about an hour). Place in smoker set at 130 degrees, with dampers wide open, on fairly light smoke (I have an electric smoker, so I have to use a fan to draw the moisture out while it is drying). I usually rotate the racks so the meat dries evenly, this takes anywhere from 18-24 hours. You want the meat to be dried, but still flexible; too much time in the smoker and it will become brittle. Good luck!

I would still deer hunt, but I'd be less motivated.

Eagles fan here, still hoping they win the big one some time during my lifetime. Youngest kid is a Cowboys fan, which certainly doesn't win him any popularity contests. We'll probably be watching the game together today.