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Post by E.T. on Dec 20, 2004 10:46:51 GMT -5
Look forward to visiting this location more often and learning from more experienced hunters here. I believe a basic background is in order. Here in Ontario Canada the Wild Turkey was extinct for about 100 years until a reintroduction program sometime in the 80’s re-established a resident population of about 1000 birds in a few locations. Now the population exceeds over 60,000 or so I am led to believe and rapidly growing still. Birds are being netted and moved to other locations almost every year and the areas the birds now habitat has expanded immensely. Just last year I was made aware of acquiring 2 tags for bearded turkeys only for the 5-week Spring season instead of just 1. Hunting time is ½ hour before sunrise until 12 noon with check-in stations open till 2pm. You must check in a tagged bird so that the MNR can follow harvest quotas in given areas. Also you may only tag 1 bird a day. Have only begun hunting these birds for about 4 years now and really have a respect for their eyesight. Most fellows that I know prefer the plunger type box calls and have had good success. My favorite time to try for Turkeys is during the latter part of the season when calling appears to be more effect for Toms who are seeking any leftover un-bred Hens. Because of my line of work sometimes acquiring time to pursue any hunt is limited so I definitely have to learn to hunt smarter. As this board has immensely helped me with a better understanding of the Savage 10ML I can see no less with Turkey Hunting. Look forward to visiting here more often and hope to participate in some small way.  Ed T |
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Post by Bayouman on Dec 20, 2004 15:06:55 GMT -5
Ed, believe me the process of becoming comfortable with the 10 ML-II is a cake walk as compared to mastering the Art of Turkey Hunting. It is one of the most challenging/rewarding sports on this earth for sure. Been at it many years, have the best of turkey guns, chokes, ammo, calls, decoys etc. and Mr. Gobbler still usually is in charge of the program. ;D Look fwd to sharing experiences here. |
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Post by E.T. on Dec 20, 2004 22:57:16 GMT -5
Bayouman
Sharing experiences is something I really look forward too. The one thing I can offer is numerous mistakes to avoid that were learned the hard way through experience. One golden rule shared with me was if you are in an area where there are definitely Turkeys and not seeing any then they are seeing you.
But you are right in saying the gobbler usually appears to be in command and I found unpredictable as well. But what really hooked me good was being able to watch one being harvested by my deer-hunting partner. After 1-1/2 hours of coaxing a tom with calling and seeing him appear out of nowhere was thrilling in itself. But the addiction came from having the senses staying alert for such a period of time knowing he was approaching nearer with gobbles and trying to figure out where and when he will appear.
The 2005 Turkey hunt will be really enjoyed because of the fact that I will be staying at my hunting partners home as I do deer hunting. Not far from his home is a beautiful 200-meter shooting range that we have spent a lot of time together there. Turkey hunting till noon and then numerous experiments to try with my 10ML-II in the afternoon for at least 4 consecutive days will be a real treat. The only fly in the ointment could be the weather conditions. ;D
Ed T
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Post by Bayouman on Dec 21, 2004 16:07:48 GMT -5
Sounds like some good turkey huntin times ahead there Ed! PA's Spring Gobbler opens up 4/30/05 and runs till 5/28. Will be here before you know it. I saw several large flocks this past month during deer season so things look good for Spring pending not too harsh of winter and those ole Yotes behavin themselves. ;D |
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Post by RAF on Dec 21, 2004 22:46:56 GMT -5
I'm jeolous. Only turkeys we have around here are in the grocery store and the anti gun politicians
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Post by scott41069 on Dec 23, 2004 17:10:54 GMT -5
Bayouman, you are very correct with your statement!
Turkey hunting can be as challenging as anything you have ever done one day and as easy as pie the next.
There are a lot of things you can do to coax the tom to you.Not only should you know how to call but you also have to make the call sound realistic. I use Diaphram calls mainly but will also use my box call or slate call from time to time depending on the weather conditions.Decoys are a must with me.I have had great success using them.I normally use one hen but will put out a jake or another hen sometimes.
As with deer hunting , scouting is the best benefit i have found towards success. Find the birds then find where they are roosting and you will be going in the right direction. Calling them off roost and to your set up is when the fun begins. There is nothing that compares to a gobbler answering you call or seeing him come in strutting all puffed up.
I am ready to go now!!
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Post by E.T. on Dec 24, 2004 1:34:54 GMT -5
Bayouman During the fall deer hunt was also fortunate to observe a group of toms feeding together in a harvested cornfield. They were nice size birds but awful weary and always alert. Didn’t see any coyote signs or tracks in that area on this hunt but know a few are around. A lot of the local boys keep the numbers in check and with an outbreak of mange a few years ago their numbers appear to still be down so the turkey population should really boom. Hope to tag one of these birds in the spring. Scott41069 Scouting and patterning bird movements is the approach we (my deer hunting partner) use also even if it means sacrificing a morning hunt just for observing from a vantage point. For some reason we have not had much luck with decoys as the Toms tend to ignore them especially during the early part of the mating season. Calls will attract a Jake sometimes during this period and is usually the first bird harvested. But where calling pays off for a nice Tom is the latter part of the mating season when most hens are bred. Again for some reason we do better without decoys and find that the Tom really scours the area for the hen that is reluctant to come to him. A possible reason the decoys are not so affective for us is that other less experienced hunters have educated them. But you are right in your expression about having a strutting Tom come to a call and then tagging him is the icing on the cake. Ed T |
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Post by Bayouman on Dec 24, 2004 9:23:11 GMT -5
Same thing here Ed. While deer hunting during November I had a large flock of turkeys feeding around me for about an hour. Some were that big there were waddling like a duck while they walked. ;D My New Years Resolution for 2005 is to spend more time turkey hunting for sure! |
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