Pygmy

The weather, although most populations are down. I am hunting areas where I KNOW there are gobblers present. They just are not gobbling.. I predict that there will be days before the end of the season when the birds gobble well. Perhaps only 2 or 3. If you want to kill one you should be there when they want to gobble.

Deer hunting for me is a pleasant diversion leading to my winter's meat supply..Turkey hunting is a passion. For me. The thing that makes turkey hunting so special is the AUDITORY interaction with the game. Not only is it possible, but it is very common to have an extremely exciting hunt that lasts sometimes for hours, and never even lay eyeballs on the game..Try THAT with deer hunting ! Tom Kelly said it well in his classic book " The Tenth Legion." "If you persevere, you will eventually kill a few turkeys that you don't deserve, but in the long run you will DESERVE many more turkeys that you don't kill."

Tomorrow is another day. They gotta gobble SOMETIME. May The Great Warty- Headed Turkey God cast his blessed snood upon you all.....

That wind was BITTER this morning...Nevertheless I had 3 hens and a jake with about a 5" beard come in.. About an hour later I was sitting in the blind freezing when I thought " Isn't this stuff supposed to be FUN ? " I packed it in and went home to make a breakfast of pancakes and sausage for me and The Mermaid...

I'm sorry to hear of your loss..

Yup ! That's the same kind of fish I caught.

Actually, Bill, it is 43 years of spring turkey hunting..I hunted 1973 and 1974 and never killed a bird until 1975. There was not a lot of turkey hunting info available at that time, and remember saying, out of frustration, " If I ever KILL one of these dam things, I'm going to GIVE IT UP, but I'm going to kill one". Then, of course, after I finally shot one, I was hooked.

I have never seen two barred owls that close together. They must be in LOVE <<grin>>... I have heard a good number of them while hunting this year, however.. I even heard one up in Ontario, and they are scarce up there..

Good luck, Growie ! I hope they left you a big one...

Forty one years ago today, I killed my first spring gobbler. He was a 14 pound jake with a four inch beard. I was thrilled and hooked for life. I still have his wishbone hanging on my memory shelf, labeled May 15, 1975.

Sea robins are actually kind of pretty in a grotesque way. I never tried to eat one. Some of those sculpin type fish are pretty ugly. Last September fishing near Wilmington, NC I caught a big sculpin that my host called a " mother-in-law" fish.. He calls 'em that because they have a big mouth and are ugly as hell !

Don't hesitate to use follow up shots if necessary. Having a few extra pellets in the bird is better than losing one that is hit. Over my many years of turkey hunting , there have been several times when a quick second shot ( even a THIRD a couple of times) saved the day. We always hope to make the first shot count, but it doesn't always work out that way. That's why they make repeaters.

I have talked to guys who have done well with them..Sometimes being a little "different" makes the difference.. As por MOI, I'll stick to something that sounds more like a turkey to me...Not saying they are not effective...I guess that what sounds good to the gobbler is what is important.

Sorry to hear you lost one....It sucks...Compost occurs...

Nope....I've spent lots of time fishing Seneca, but never fished the Derby... I've launched at Roy's a number of times, but it was for perch rather than trout.. I've done most of my trout fishing out of Severne. Closer to home and a more convenient launch & parking than Roy's..

Sounds like a chipmunk to me... I have no doubt that people kill turkeys with them, but I have never been impressed by anyone I have ever heard running one, including that guy in the video. I have two beautiful custom wingbone calls hanging on display, which were made for me by friends of mine. Pretty to look at, but I never take them hunting.

Cool rig, G-Man....That truck is almost as old as I am. Got a ways to catch up with Doc and Fasteddie, Tho.....<<GRIN>>..

You're my HERO, Larry !! If I ever break my leg I'm going to ask for YOU when I call 911.. At my age it will probably be tomorrow.. Keep your cell phone on....<< SMILE>>..

Nice bird, Wellsville... CONGRATS !! Buck up for your Pa tag or go fishing...

I'm hunting a different spot tomorrow.. I may not hear anything, but I'll enjoy the change of scenery. <<grin>>....

Speaking of Monica, do you realize that she just turned 42 ?? They grow up so fast...Seems like just the other day she was running around the oval office on her hands and knees putting EVERYTHING in her mouth....

As I am sure you know, often killing a good bird is a matter of BEING there on that one day, or perhaps the 2 hours, that he happens to be WITHOUT hens... The more time you can spend in the woods, the better your chances are of being there during that often brief period of time when that bird is vulnerable.

I couldn't hunt this morning..Had to take The Mermaid to a medical appt... Tomorrow, I'll be on the property frown pre-dawn until noon... I know the bird I killed Saturday is not the ONLY longbeard on that hill..

One good reason NOT to call to a bird on the roost is that it sometimes encourages him to stay in the tree longer and gobble more waiting for the receptive "hen" that is calling to him to show up under his roost tree.. This increases the chances that he may gobble in a real hen, or just as likely, other hunters. Let me tell you of an extreme example of just such an event, that occurred down in PA a number of years ago . I was set up on a ridge slightly uphill from a bird gobbling on the roost.. After a few minutes, another hunter parked by my truck and started calling to the gobbler from a position across a creek and downhill from the bird. The gobbler loved it...The guy called..The bird gobbled. This went on for two hours. Finally at 7:30 AM, I got up and started back to my truck, because I had to be at work at 8:00. On my way out, I ran into another hunter who had been attracted by all the gobbling. He asked me " Why weren't you calling to that bird ? " I answered, " Because he is still in the tree, and he may stay there as long as that joker down in the creek keeps calling to him". When I got to my truck, the guy was still calling, and the gobbler was still gobbling merrily away at him. He may STILL be gobbling..I'd bet next month's social security check that guy didn't kill him...<<grin>>...