turkeyfeathers

FYI : you're going to be addicted to spring bird hunting !!! Venison fills my freezer, turkey hunting fills my heart . 1) I've noticed a lot of turkey guns have different length barrels. Mossy Turkey Thugs model is a short barrel but my Remmy 1187 SPT is a long barrel. Never really got into pros or cons of either. As long as it petterns well. I shoot a Nitro Company .660 tube. Jellyhead performs really well in my daughters youth Remmy 20. 2) I mainly use a slate call (HS Strut) and a custom slate. Have a Lynchs Fool Proof 101 boxcall I've had for 35 years. Not a fan unless it's windy out. Really tough for me to "quiet " it down. Main objective of calling birds is call soft and infrequently. Cut what you think is soft in volume to have that. My nephew and I hunted together. We hunted about 30 yards apart. Neither of us could hear each other call. 3)Process should be a lot of scouting pre season. Find the patterns of the birds. Where they roost, where they head thru out the morning etc. 4) All depends. Birds have "field mode" .Rainy days they may hit the fields out of their patterns. Rain will dampen their hearing and may hit the fields for safety. They'll hit fields to pick bugs or dandelion heads. I called in a gobbler years back that was running into me. Fields were about shoulder height on him. I could see him eating and dandelions flying the whole way in. I have killed I believe 10 birds from under the same exact tree. I'm about 30 yards inside the woods from the field edge. If i set my deke out when he nears my decoy I know he's inside range. Also less likely to see me where I am as opposed to sitting right on edge of field. My spot is close to a pinch point of two fields. They roost about 300-400 yards from here. I can't get any closer as it's posted. 5) I shoot Heavi shot magblends 4 x 5 x6's. My daughter's gun likes em too. At 40 yards it's holding very tight. Guys brag about shooting birds out to 70 yards. I'm sure my gun is capable of it but NEVER going to beyond 40. Golden BB shots aren't for me. I do not want to wound a bird and if he isn't inside 40 yards you haven't fooled him . Crap, some states allow rifle for birds. Jeesh, that's fun (sarcasm) I like the blends as you get knockdown and pattern density. Not a fan of only #4's as some guys shoot. No density . Start saving your money and or pick up a box of this and a box of that along the way of different loads. The same exact combo may like something different. Oh ya, have your buddy shoot them all, lol. After the initial pattern testing you may only shoot once or twice a year to check gun and hopefully tip one over. 6) Tips: don't watch turkey hunting TV programs! The volume of their calling is amped up. They splice footage and make it look easy. Knock on doors now asking permission if you don't have property. Again, call soft and infrequently. If bird is inside 100 yards, don't call. He knows within feet of where you are. Scratch behind you (sounds like a hen scratching) You want him to hit your call and cut you off. Not you calling after hearing him gobble. Scouting, scouting and scouting ! I'm not a run and gun guy. Hunt 70 acres. I've tried to move 2x over the years. Yup, both times I got busted by silent birds real close. If there's 10 gobblers in your woods. You may hear all 10 (doubtful), hear 5, hear 2 or hear none. Full moon seems to screw with the birds. A lot of times they won't fly down til much later. If gobblers are henned up, get nasty bitchy hen. You want to pizz off the lead hen. If she yelps 3x, you yelp 4x. Idea is to call her in and big boy will follow. Crow calls make great locaters. Sit still. They may come in silent. Bug spray is your friend . Do not sit under that nice large tree before looking for coon crap (not that I've ever done that ) Do not sit in wild leek patch when hungover (again) Have I mentioned scouting !? "Listening to the woods wake up" as my now 12 yr old daughter called it many years ago is precious. Been taking her scouting since I had to carry her. She now hunts with me : ) Oldgobbler.com is a good website and can answer many questions. Good luck and enjoy

I asked Santa for Heidi Klum. But the wife is going to be pizzed I can dream can't I ?!

Tuesday Dec 16 Last day of ML season. Took my climber out for the last hurrah. Skipped food and coffee for the all day sit. Heard lots of shotguns all day. Distinct "kaboom" and not a crack of a ML. Multiple shots were dead give away too. Rained for a good portion of the day. Thank goodness for the camo umbrella. Didn't see anything. Did have a bird of prey fly directly under my climber. Time to break out the Johnny Stewart and send some #4 buck at some coyotes. May 1 turkey opener hurry up !! Frying up my 5 leftover tags with Spam and Franks hot sauce, not bad

Monday Dec 15 Sat dark to dark in ladder stand. Only took thermos of coffee to get me thru. Saw a set of legs at 8 15. Long day Did see platoon of opossum tracks in the snow. That's about it for excitement

Have 2 8g and a 9h Will trade for ..... Oh never mind

Going home to fry up some spam and 5 tags for dinner

A holes ain't fooling anyone or least not me with the shotgun in these hills. Single shots are kabooms and not ml. And the multiple shots says it all

I'm in 9h. Send him my way : ). Yup , umbrella just went up.

I'd take a stupid doe as well.

Decided to break out the climber for the last hurrah. Dark to dark yesterday and again today. Can't say lack of effort on my part. Good luck today everyone. Counting days til May 1 for turkey opener after today.

5 hours in stand so far. Only saw a set of legs off aways. Still have thermos of coffee so hunting til dusk it is. Should have brought food. Think pizza delivery dude will follow my footprints, cross the creek for a 20 spot ?!

9h here. 34 degrees light west wind. Nice quiet snow to walk into. Cut lots of tracks , yesterday's n last nights. A lot off trails and just meandering thru woods. Dark to dark for me today

{{my hole is open, i make sure to clean it}} Wayyyyyyy too much info

Ha, many many years ago I was crossing a beaver swamp. Ice had nice coat of snow on it. Well I found out the hard way. Beavers had wore ice thin right in the middle of their run. I'm quickly in 4 feet of water wearing snowshoes. Dang scary ! We were trapping muskrats. Gloves were soaked trying to paw my way back out. I skinned 2 muskrats and wore them fur side in as mittens. Had a good mile and a half trek back to car. I laugh now but what could have been wasn't so fun at the time

My buddy shot a very similar high rise 6 a few years ago, Very neat looking rack(s)

12 year old daughter has 3 guns in the safe. Last night she was Clara in the Nutcracker. One of the most precious moments of my life. On the way home she asked now that deer season is almost over if we can set some more muskrat traps together. Took her 3x spring turkey hunting this year. Woke her at 3 am and dressed at 3 02 ready to go. On pointe for ballet each of those 3x. Never regret not having a boy because I have the best little daughter wrapped up in one : ) Buying a buddy stand this off season so she can sit with me early gun season when "hopefully" it's not too cold next year.

It's my happy place. What I bring home to the freezer is only a bonus

Season went from 14 deer seen on opener, 2 on opener Monday to only 2 seen in last 4-5 outings and spending many hours in stand. Deer seem to have gone nocturnal but don't get that as nobody hunts within a mile or more of where I am, These deer aren't getting shoved around the woods but yet they aren't moving freely either. Every year it's the same scenario. Don't get it.

Have had my Tubbs snowshoes for some 25 years now. 12 year old daughter has a pair and we love them. I've put a lot of hunting miles on mine.

Good thing you didn't shoot, pass thru hits gas tank

Don't quote me but i believe you have to be a member of a tribe in order not to abide by it.

I have a similar theory on strippers too

Number 1 reason : NYS DEC released mountain lions got all the deer end thread/

I have 2 bucks and 3 does to shoot Monday and or Tuesday. On my way to the store for beer now