Apr09

Fool a gobbler on his turf

by daverichey on April 9th, 2012 at 8:12 PM
Posted In: The Daily, The Field, The Woods

Choose your spot wisely and you’ll shoot a nice gobbler

Wild turkey's on home turf
Make the right assumptions and you will fool that gobbler on his home turf and enjoy a successful hunt.
photo Dave Richey ©2012

There are a great number of assumptions in today’s blog. I am assuming that you’ll roost a big gobbler the night before your turkey hunt opens.

We further assume you know which tree he will roost in, and which little wooded opening he will try into. For good measure, we’ll also assume the direction he and his harem of hens will take to the closest strutting zone after fly-down.

I told you there were many assumptions. And, if you think about it very long and hard, you will note such basic assumptions exist on almost every spring turkey hunt.

Now, the trick is to get into place within 100 yards (give or take 25 yards) of the roosted limb-hanger. The question of the day is simple: Does the gobbler fly down into the field or into a wooded opening?

If the open field is close, it can affect where you choose a stand. If the bird lands in the woods, the hunter can set up in the woods, along the path they normally travel to get to the field or near the field edge.

If you don’t assume correctly, you are counting on luck

There are hazards to setting up near the wooded opening. It is easy to bump a bird if you mistakenly get too close to the roosted gobbler and he or his hens hear or see you moving into position.

Another problem with setting up in the dark is it is lighter from above, and the bird can see down into the woods better than you can see while sitting down in the woods. The fly-down may come so early (minutes before actual sunrise), and it can fly down and the beard may not be clearly visible. The gobbler may walk past a hunter gobbling like crazy, and it’s easy to assume this is a gobbler (which it probably is) but it may have lost its beard. It wouldn’t be legal to shoot a beardless bird.

I prefer to set up fairly close to the open field, and call once or twice to get the attention of the gobbler, and sit back to see what happens. Just remember now to face the west when you set up or you may be looking directly into a fiery sunrise and not be able to see the gobbler as he moves past.

Pop the bearded bird if it flies right to you at fly-down

The trick here is to move 10 to 15 yards into the woods, sit down and be ready for a shot. The gobbler may twist off two or three lusty gobbles from the roost, fly down, gobble once again, and then move out without gobbling again.

If preseason scouting indicates where the bird roost, and it is a short distance (within 100 yards) of the field, I’d set up near the field edge. This provides perhaps the easiest and quietest place to sit up, and you can avoid spooking birds.

There is no need to be breaking branches at the last moment. If you’ve watched the birds walk out of the woods to the strutting area, once they move off across the field or back through the woods, find a key location, locate where you will sit, remove those broken stubs that stick your back or butt, clean away all dry leaves underfoot, and determine where you will put the decoys (if you use them).

Prepare such a spot a day or two before the season opens but make certain the birds are gone before you do anything. Take care of your set-up area, and move quickly away. Try to avoid being pinpointed by other hunters.

Get in place early and quietly arranges calls, and then relax and wait

Come opening day, I try to be in place at least an hour before daybreak. Sit back and relax, and don’t start second-guessing your spot. If it looked good by light of day, it should look good on opening morning.

Make certain you know how to get into the area without stumbling around. Turkeys are accustomed to hearing deer, raccoons and other ground-dwelling critters move around in the dark. A tiny bit of noise is acceptable but no talking.

Muffle box calls and push-button calls so they don’t squawk if you bump against a sapling or tree limb or trunk in the dark. I lay out all the calls I plan to use on a green or brown towel next to my left leg within easy reach.

Enjoy watching the woods come alive, and be prepared for that first gobble of the day. Shooting a gobbler is anticlimactic to hearing the first few gobbles and watching a snowball-white head come bobbing through the woods as the bird comes to the call.

Pulling the trigger is the least of my concerns. For me, calling and fooling a gobbler on his turf is what the hunt is all about.

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Apr08

Control turkey hunting nerves

by daverichey on April 8th, 2012 at 8:12 PM
Posted In: The Daily, The Field, The Woods

A jake; See gun barrel; Inch the barrel left and shoot for the head-neck

tom-in-site
A jake and a gun barrel ready for alignment and tagging.

Watch those television hunting shows about chasing gobblers, and many of those good old southern boys can control their nerves although some hyperventilate a bit as a nice gobbler gets closer. They may get excited but they almost always appear cool and rock-steady.

They shoot gobblers with what appears to be calmness. I know some hunters who hunt a dozen states every spring, and they have plenty of time and experience to hone their skills to avoid moving at the wrong time or to make some of the other mistakes made when gobblers close the gap between out-of-range and time-to-shoot.

Folks, in about two weeks, Michigan’s first turkey season will open to hunters with the necessary permit. Two weeks doesn’t leave too much time to begin thinking about  calling in and shooting a nice gobbler. It may be time to tighten up your nerves before the opener.

Unless you’re a well-seasoned pro, most hunters lose their cool

I’ve had gobblers almost trip over my feet, brush against my elbow, and stand within three feet of my shotgun barrel and gobble in my face.

Are my nerves better than yours? I can’t answer that question, but when I hear a bird approach, stop to spit and drum, I know any movement or noise on my part would end this hunt fast. Once a bird came very close to me along a fence, and was near enough for me to grab had I been dumb enough to try.

Most people who grab supposedly dead long-spur gobblers off the ground by the feet when the bird is still flopping usually only make that mistake once. A bird with good spurs will rake deep cuts in your hand, and most require a visit to the hospital.

I was ready for that sneaky bird, and once he put a couple of trees between us, and stopped to fan out and display, I knew this hunt would end with a big and dead gobbler over my shoulder.

He gobbled once near the decoy, and when the decoy didn’t respond, he lifted his head to look around, and I shot him. Is this coolness under pressure or just a matter of experience?

Perhaps a measurable bit of both

To my humble way of thinking, it is more experience than ice water in my veins. So far this season I haven’t had the chance to test my mettle against a wise or gobbler because my season starts April 30.

There have been many times when a bird may circle. Your eyes can only track a bird just so far to the right or left and you lose sight of him. Just because you can’t see the bird doesn’t mean he or one of his chums can’t see you. Grit your teeth and hang tight.

These are times when so-called “nerves of steel” come in mighty handy. My hearing helps make up for my poor vision, and I can hear turkeys walking behind me and that helps me know their exact location. The trick then is to remain absolutely motionless, and wait for the bird to circle around in front of the shotgun. Sometimes they do and other times they don’t. It’s a part of the hunt we can’t control.

Think of yourself as a statue: immobile, rigid and incapable of  movement or sound. Trust me, it’s tough to do when a gobbler gets right behind you and rocks your head and hat with a tremendous gobble. Expect that to happen, and be prepared for it. If a gobble doesn’t come, that’s great, but it’s smart to be ready to avoid jumping.

I guided a young lady one time, and saw some birds cross into our woods behind us. I told her the birds may walk down the edge of the field near her, and to be prepared.

They did and she didn’t. The birds were 10 yards away when she went “Eek! There are some turkeys,” in her loudest voice. It took them about 10 seconds to put 200 yards between us, and she never got a shot.

She blew her only chance by screaming

Imagine a gobbler in search of a hen. Your shotgun should be up to your shoulder and balanced across your knees long before the gobbler gets close enough for a shot. The stock should be against your cheek, you eye lined up over the front bead, red-dot sight or scope. Once the bird is in the right spot, pinch off a push-button safety between thumb and forefinger, ease the finger up to the trigger, aim and shoot.

It’s sometimes amazing how motionless and quiet you can make yourself if you concentrate hard enough on it. Just take the occasional deep breath, ease it out softy, try not to hyperventilate, and enjoy the experience for what it is: an exceptional opportunity to achieve absolute calmness before the shot.

Then, if you shoot straight and a big longbeard lays on the ground 25 yards away, feel free to let loose with a silent scream of wonder and joy. An audible scream will probably spook other nearby birds out of the county and ruin any chance for someone else to score.

Turkeys often will stand and look when a shot goes off or they may run 20 yards, stop and turn around to look at their fallen friend. Occasionally they will take off and fly far out of sight before landing.

A loud scream will send them wildly on their way. So learn to conquer your nerves, and it’s surprising how easy turkey hunting can be … once in a while.

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Apr03

High gas prices hurt consumers

by daverichey on April 3rd, 2012 at 8:12 PM
Posted In: The Daily, The Field, The Water, The Woods, Thoughts

Dave Richey holds up a nice mint-silver steelhead

daverichy-silversteel
Knee-deep in a spring steel run may be replaced by knee-deep in too costly fuel prices to even get there.

Well, duh! It’s true that the price of gas is affecting everyone. It’s hurting the economy, and yet two major oil companies announced recently they made record profits last year.

And just think, they feel proud of their accomplishment. And they probably wonder why everyone is ornery with them.

We had to go to a downstate funeral last weekend, and I got to chatting with one of the people at the funeral home. They told me that spring fishing trips were no longer being factored into their budget. They said they no longer could afford to drive north to fish for steelhead.

I’m not seeing the heavy steelhead pressure of the past

Another person told me that although he drew a tag for the first turkey season for Area K, he wouldn’t be hunting this spring. He also said that money was tight, fear of layoffs at Ford and General Motor, and a lack of money would keep him near home.

Frankly, where I live at Traverse City, people are accustomed to the local gas stations raising prices Thursday afternoon, and dropping them slightly on Monday morning. They try to tell us that demand dictates the price, and to a point that is true.

However, gas stations have known for years that more people fill up prior to the weekends. So … the fuel prices get cranked up.

I read somewhere that Michigan tourism wants to get more people traveling around the state. Good luck on that one, because many folks are having a tough time just buying enough gas to drive to work.

Sure, people can car pool but most don’t want to. There may come a day when people will be forced into carpooling whether they want to or not. We, as a nation, have become so dependent on low-priced fuel that we’ve been spoiled.

So what happens? Big Oil figures it out, and starts jockeying prices, and what happens, they have record profits in 2005. Does anyone need a road map to figure out how those profits came to be?

Massive profits only help Big Oil get bigger and richer

Many local fuel company owners claim they do not manipulate the prices, but any second-grader could figure out why they raise prices on weekends. I’m not a big fan in trying to get people to do things, but …

I’ve often wondered what would happen — if anything — if everyone took a week vacation and stayed home. No trips to town, the bowling alley or onto Lake Michigan to fish. How much impact would that have on local oil companies? Would it get their attention?

We all know the oil companies could ride that out, and could probably ride out a month-long boycott, but somehow, some way, this business of high-priced gas gouging must end.

The automakers are working on cars that will run on alternate fuel. Is anyone naive enough to believe that this alternate fuel will become just as expensive as fossil fuel?

And then, one trip into downtown Traverse City, and we’ll see foolish drivers going 15 miles per hour over the legal speed limit. They weave in and out of traffic, and crowd up on the next car’s back bumper, goose it hard to get around, and then sits idling at the stop light.

The roadways are filled with high speeding motorists

They’ve gained nothing but have wasted enough fuel to ruin any chance for better gas mileage. So I ask: Are gas prices affecting sportsmen?

Absolutely. The spring steelhead run seems to be sputtering along but the number of anglers are down. I don’t see as many people trolling the harbors for spring brown trout.

Let’s face it. An angler that lives downstate, and wants to drive anywhere up north on Friday night, fish hard on Saturday and Sunday, and drive home Sunday night, will probably spend $60 to 100 on fuel. Add meals and perhaps lodging, and it will cost them a minimum of $200 for a weekend.

If I were working at Ford, General Motors or any of their parts suppliers, I’d think twice about making the trip. I talked last week to a guy that wanted to drive up to fish steelhead, but changed his mind and fished a nearby river for suckers. He caught some fish, they put a bend in his rod, and he had fun. His total expense was 10 bucks.

Anglers and hunters, if the fuel costs continue to soar so greedy gas companies can make greater profits, they may soon learn that doing things closer to home will be their thing this summer. And, Michigan tourism, bless their souls, may find fewer and fewer people making the trek up to the north country.

And they don’t have to look any farther for someone to blame than the national and neighborhood gasoline companies.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

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