Hunting gobblers will teach a hunter how to sit still

A decoy can help divert some attention away from a caller.

 

My preaching about sitting still without making noise has become a mantra. Some people might think I keep repeating myself, but this is a most important thing for hunters to keep in mind.

Perhaps I do natter on a bit about it but there is a very good reason for my tedious repetition. If some folks aren't reminded, they tend to forget this very important part of hunting.

Move at the wrong time, and a deer has you pegged. If you are very lucky the deer will run off without blowing and snorting or spooking every deer within hearing.

Sitting still is second nature to me but not to many deer and turkey hunters.

 

The same thing holds true with making any noise. Click an arrow against the bow, or have brass cartridges rattling around in your pocket, and it's enough to send whitetails bolting for cover a half-mile away. It's just their nature to be jumpy.

Some people believe that because they are in an elevated stand or inside a ground coop that they are well concealed. That's not true. They may be somewhat concealed but movement or sounds are seen or heard.

Anyone who really wants to get an education on sitting without making a movement or noise should practice on wild turkeys. These birds seem to have X-ray vision, and their ability to hear sounds is second to none.

Some friends hunt turkeys with a bow. They are accustomed to sitting still in a deer blind, and it is second nature for them to sit still while turkey hunting.

I've often watched other people hunt birds, and almost all of them wind up spooking the gobbler long before Ol' Longbeard strolls within 100 yards. Think of it this way: all wild animals have the ability to tell almost precisely where a call they hear is coming from. It's almost uncanny how they determine a sense of place where a call originated.

Even a bull moose can pinpoint the position of a call.

 

Use a deer call on a whitetail passing 100 yards away, and if that buck comes, he will come to within 10 feet of where the call came from. If deer can do that, if moose or elk can do that, so can a turkey.

That bird may come fast or slow, but he will be coming directly to the hunter's location if possible. Some may try to circle a bit but they head straight for the call. So what happens when the bird is 100 yards away, and you decide to reposition yourself for a shot at the wrong time?

The gobbler will have you spotted in a heartbeat. There is an old adage about hunting gobblers that goes: If you can see the gobbler, the gobbler can see you. If a move is necessary, do so when his head is behind a big tree. Don't get caught when he is out in the open.

Cheating on a gobbler involves waiting until the bird goes behind a thick bush or a big tree. If a move must be made, make if fast, smooth and without noise ... and when the bird cannot see you. Never attempt any type of move if a bird is within 35 yards.

Eliminate all movement by being properly positioned for a shot at all times.

 

OK, if the bird is coming directly to your call, all you need to do is line up on the bird's head. You do have the shotgun stock to your shoulder and the fore-end braced on the palm of your hand and resting on your knees, don't you? It's like having the bow in your hand, the other hand on the release, and being back at full draw and waiting for the shot.

Success at turkey hunting means being prepared, doing everything right, and sitting still. A moving hunter or one that makes a noise other than that made by a hen turkey will probably scare off the bird. Once a turkey is spooked, he's not coming back for a visit any time soon.

That same analogy applies equally well to deer hunting. The sportsman that can't set still for an incoming turkey won't be able to sit still when the buck of a lifetime approaches his stand.

It's great training for those hunters who drew a spring turkey permit. If you didn't draw one, don't practice your sitting still exercises when other people may be in the woods. There is little sense in ruining someone else's hunt.

If you want a top-end experience of learning what and what not to do when game approaches. hunt gobblers. Make one mistake, and you'll have learned your first lesson, which should never be repeated.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Hunt late afternoon gobblers

This jake isn't huge but he's a legal bird

 

Many people think the only time to hunt gobblers is at the crack of dawn. Nancy and Roger Kerby of Honor know better.

Both of them have day jobs, and Roger can occasionally sneak away from his welding job for a bit of hunting. Nancy, a nurse at an Empire doctor's office, did the same thing several years ago during the first turkey season in Area K.

They got home about 4:30 p.m., jumped into their camouflage clothing, and Nancy grabbed the shotgun. Roger always goes for the last season simply because it offers him more hunting time while Nancy likes the earlier hunts.

Kerby knows his hunting area intimately

 

Roger hunts deer in the fall in Leelanau County, coyotes in the winter and gobblers in the spring. He knows what is state land, private land and what belongs to the Federal government as part of the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore property along Lake Michigan.

Knowing the terrain is a key to successful turkey hunting, and he had been preseason scouting for gobblers before the late-seasom opener. Nancy couldn't get away on Monday so they headed out Tuesday afternoon.

They cruised down some of the same roads, scoping out the state and federal lands they hunt during the fall, and it took 30 minutes to spot a big gobbler out in an open field. Much of this land offers long-range spotting conditions, but the hardest part is moving in close enough to call to a gobbler.

It was that in-between time when the gobblers are off on a stroll and before they meet up with the hens at fly-up time. This bird was by himself, on the move, and they watched for several minutes to determine his direction of travel.

Knowing travel routes tell them where to set up to intercept birds

 

"We got him figured out, turned around, and drove around the mile-square section," Nancy said. "We knew where we could get into the timber, get fairly close to him, and with luck, call him right in."

They parked the vehicle, uncased her shotgun, and she loaded up, checked the safety, and they headed off at a fast walk. Five minutes later they spotted the gobbler at a distance. He was still heading in their general direction, but had stopped to watch traffic out on the road.

Roger gave a soft yelp and the gobbler greeted them like he'd been waiting for a long-distance phone call. The bird went into a strut, danced around in a circle, and gobbled again. He didn't seem ready to head their way so they decided to duck into a nearby gully and move closer. This bird acted like he expected the hen to come dancing his way.

They ducked down into the gully, and ran down it for 100 yards while remaining out of sight of the gobbler. They finally ran out of cover, and stopped. The bird was still 150 yards away, and he was still at full strut, wingtips dragging in the dirt, but wasn't coming any closer.

Nancy got set up for a possible shot, and Roger climbed a hill just behind his wife, and they sat motionless watching the bird display. Finally, the bird decided perhaps the hen he had heard wasn't coming, so he gobbled again. Roger stayed silent, let the old boy get himself worked up a bit.

The longbeard gobbled, and still Roger remained silent. The bird strutted, his tail spread in a broad fan, and gobbled again. He then double-gobbled, and his head was flashing red, white and blue.

Roger decided the bird might be ready for a little persuasion. He stroked out a soft yelp, and it was immediately answered by another double-gobble. He stayed silent,and the bird gobbled again, and one more soft yelp got the bird lined up and headed their way.

He strutted, gobbled, and came 20 yards closer. Roger stayed silent, and the bird gobbled two more times, and took a few tentative steps in their direction. He gobbled yet again, and Kerby whined and clucked, and that did the trick.

Watching gobblers and figuring out where they'll go is the secret.

 

The bird had his running shoes on, and came charging right up to within 25 yards of Nancy as she sat with her knees up and the shotgun to her shoulder. The bird stopped 25 yards away, his head tucked into his shoulders, went into a strut, and as his tail fan started down, Roger whispered "Get ready" and clucked softly.

The gobbler's head shot into the air as he tried to spot the hen, and with one shot Nancy downed her gobbler. The bird had a 10 1/2-inch beard and weighed over 20 pounds.

"The neat thing about turkey hunting," Roger said, "is working the bird. They don't always come to the call this well, but when everything comes together, it is a wonderful afternoon in the woods. And best of all, hunters have very little competition for birds."

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Me and Mr. Murphy and the turkeys

Watching jakes is fun but watching adult gobblers is something special.

 

Remember Murphy's Law? I wrote about it a week or so ago.

This quirky rule states that when hunting wild turkeys, if anything can go wrong, it will. Yesterday's hunt could serve as a great example.

It had rained a bit during the night, the skies were overcast, it was darker than the inside of a black cat, and I was walking across an open field on my way to a wooded ridge line. I woke up at 4:45 a.m., and not wanting to wake my wife, I fumbled in the closet for some pants and a shirt. I grabbed some jeans, pulled on a shirt and some sox, went out and got the newspaper, came back inside and dressed for the hunt.

Oops! Something was wrong.

 

I was midway across the field when it became obvious that I'd pulled on some jeans that were really too loose. I seldom wear a belt, but with every step, it was becoming more of an issue about my britches. I was 100 yards from my destination when I finally had to stop.

My trousers, underneath my rain gear, were down around my knees, and I was walking like a waddling duck. It may have been more meaningful if I hadn't been wearing rain pants, and if it hadn't been dark. I laid down the decoys and my Remington 870 pump shotgun, unhitched my rain gear, dropped those pants, pulled up my jeans, got an owl hoot (perhaps by an all-seeing owl), and continued on to my hunting spot.

The shame of it all. My unintentional strip tease in the misty rain seemed to set the stage for things yet to come. A quarter-mile away, in the black stillness of night, I heard a turkey crash down off his roosting limb, and it was followed by strong wing beats fading away into the night. Apparently one unseen bird was frightened from his roost by a half-naked stranger.

That thought put a weird smile on my face.

Moving in where I'd roosted birds the night before.

 

I reached my naturally camouflaged blind, put my shotgun flat on the ground where I wouldn't knock it down while wiggling in among some tree trunks, and then returned to the field to set up the decoys. I'd killed gobblers here before, and knew where the birds would come from, and placed the decoys with the jake-fake 35 yards out in front of me and the hen decoys about 45 yards out. This should make any live gobbler walk out in front of me and produce a good shot.

I put down my butt pad, wiggled around like an old lady pulling on her girtle, balanced the shotgun across my knees, and dug out a slate and box call, and laid them on a brown wash cloth next to my left leg. I leaned back, comfortable, and remembered pulling up my drawers in the middle of the field. I guess you had to have been there to appreciate it.

Thirty minutes passed before the tweetie birds began talking, and the first crow of the day flew over, cawing like a mad man, when a gobbler sounded off with a distant gobble. Another bird, much closer and behind me, joined in with a deep rumbling gobble, that shook the early-morning stillness.

I sat still, my calls and shotgun at the ready, and waited. I didn't want to join this party just yet. I wanted to see how many birds were nearby. Within 15 minutes, I'd located five gobblers, and they were mixed in with several muttering hens.

I held off calling until all five gobblers were dialed in.

 

I rasped out a soft little yelp, one that seemed nearly impossible to hear, but the keen-eared gobblers caught the faint sound and all five tuned in. I wouldn't answer, and waited five more minutes until one love-sick gobbler couldn't take it anymore. He gobbled lustily, and I called softly again, and he cut me off with a roar. I returned the favor with another soft yelp, and suddenly all five gobblers were cranked up.

Each Tom called to me, and I teased each one in turn, and finally only two birds -- obviously both without a hen -- remained. All of this had taken up more than an hour, but the two birds were still interested in coming to visit. They came in behind and downhill from me, and were close enough to hear their spitting and drumming. I did a tiny J-stroke on the slate just as the skies opened up and the rain poured down. The monsoons had arrived.

That didn't deter them. If anything, it seemed to re-ignite their fire, and both birds shook the ground with their gobbles. My shotgun was to my shoulder and steady across my knees when I heard the snap of a semi-dry twig. I was expecting it, didn't move, and then the landowner came over the nearby ridge with his tractor and manure spreader, tossing turds out onto the ground.

A tracker and manure spreader spooked them and I didn't get a shot.

 

It was too much for the skittish gobblers. They apparently whirled around and hauled tail feathers for someplace else. Just that quick, what had been an entertaining day was wrecked by Mr. Murphy and his weird sense of humor. I never saw the birds nor did I hear any other gobbles after that.

I was soaked to the skin by the time I got home. No turkeys, no shots, but one interesting and rather funny day afield. I thought perhaps you might be interested in how Mr. Murphy messed up my hunt but he didn't ruin my day. There's more to turkey hunting than shooting one, and my experience yesterday is proof of that.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Stay focused

Taking a big buck like this one shot by David Hale is a matter of staying focused

 

Shooting a whitetail buck is easy. Actually, the more deer a hunter shoots with a bow, the easier and more focused the hunter becomes.
People ask what my secret to shooting is. One of these days I may write a book and share all of my secrets, but maintaining our focus from beginning to end of the shooting process is a major item and there is no way to shortcut this process.
It must be stated that being very familiar with the bow, and knowing where the arrow will hit on each and every shot, is a must. People who have no clue where the arrow will hit will not be very proficient.

Focus on total concentration and making arrow contact with the proper location

 

Hunters who have the ability to concentrate are the ones who make wise decisions, don't get overly excited, have the ability to stay focused and not lose their cool, and they end up making a good shot.

Practice at shooting from various angles and heights will help. Shooting often enough to make a smooth and easy draw and releasae is important, and it's of the utmost importance to maintain a constant anchor point. Allow your anchor point to creep forward while aiming will not lead to consistent arrow placement.

Focus on just one point on the deer. Don't focus on the entire deer. Once you decide the buck has antlers, and they are what you want, forget about the bone growing out of the buck's head. If your mind stays focused on the antlers, the chances of hitting the deer in the antlers is not very good.
Forget about the antlers. Instead, watch the deer closely and be prepared to draw, aim and shoot on a moments notice. Wait for the deer to turn and offer a high-percentage shot. I've lectured on this many times, and it continues to bear repeating: wait for a high-percentage shot. Don't take a marginal or low-percentage shot.

Wait, and when the buck turns to offer the ideal shot, begin the draw. Make it smooth, and concentrate on nothing else but where the arrow must go to kill the deer.

A smooth draw, and arrow release, is the result to staying focused at all times

 

I tell people to pick a precise spot. Behind the front shoulder is the standard advice people give other hunters. That is fine, up to a point, but concentrate on a precise spot. If your vision is keen, pick out a specific hair and aim to hit that hair at the right point behind the shoulder. Good things will happen when you do it right.

People must guard against losing their focus. They get to thinking so much about the fact that here is a deer, a buck with fine antlers and it is standing in front of them, they go through the motions of aiming at the proper spot to kill that deer, but they loose focus. If they are not careful, it's very possible that the arrow could hit several inches from where they want it to go. Go after that precise spot like that deer owes you money and the only way to collect is to shoot the animal.

We've all seen these sorry situations. A hunter shoots a deer, and when asked where it hit the animal, they almost always say in the heart or lungs. It's where they think they were aiming, but upon recovery after a lengthy trailing job, they find the deer.

It was hit through the intestines, and may have traveled a mile before succumbing. The reason for the arrow hit in that location was because the hunter lost his focus.

Like all things, accurately shooting a bow is a matter of total concentration

 

This is some pretty heady stuff, this shooting of deer, and the great anticipation, adrenaline rush, the heavy breathing, the jerk-back-and-shoot philosophy often takes over, and the buck is wounded. The hunter can't understand why it was hit there when they were aiming right behind the front shoulder.

Somewhere between the bow being drawn, and the shot being taken, the hunter forgot what he was doing. A lack of total concentration and focus make it nearly impossible to accurately place an arrow.

Some hunters, on thinking back on the shot, were thinking of the bragging rights they would have over their hunting buddies. Some were already viewing the mounted rack on their den wall. They went into the hunt with everything in their favor, and came away from the hunt knowing full well they messed up a golden opportunity.

Concentration is a so critical to success. I can tell you what to do, but I can't crawl inside your skin and make you do it right. This is where self-training becomes so important, and only you can do that.

Focus, concentrate on maintaining your focus, and with luck and a newly acquired skill, when that shot comes this fall, you will be willing and able to do it right.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Gobbler hunting with a bow

Kay Richey with a jake gobbler she shot with bow and arrow.

 

There are any number of ways to hunt these sharp-eyed birds, but one thing is a constant. Hunters must have some way of concealing the movements necessary when drawing a bow on a strutting gobbler.

Trust me, it's not easy. Turkeys see well, hear well, and there often is enough of them around a gobbler that coming to full draw isn't easy.

One way of doing it, and the most effective way, is to use a pop-up ground blind of camouflage material. These blinds take hardly any time to set up, and a bit of natural grasses or broken tree branches can allow a hunter and his blind to blend right in.

One way to do it is to locate a gobbler or two the night before, watch them fly up to roost, and return the next morning well before dawn. Set up the blind in the dark as quietly as possible, climb inside, sit down and stay quiet.

Sometimes gobblers will gobble first, but often small birds will be chirping and then the crows start to fly. The cawing of crows often triggers a spirited gobble.

Don't get impatient and hurry a bow shot before it's time.

 

I prefer to let the birds gobble two or three times before making a soft and short yelp. That's it, just one very soft call. Gobblers aren't deaf, and if they hear it and haven't been spooked, they will answer.

Just sit tight. It's not necessary to answer every gobble. In fact, let them gobble one or two more times, and make one more soft tree yelp. Listen for the birds to gobble from the roost, and then beat old turkey wing feathers against tree branches like a hen flying to the ground.

The gobblers will hear that, and often gobble again, and one more soft yelp is usually all it takes. If you are using decoys, there are different schools of thought on decoy placement.

I like to use two hen decoys and one jake decoy. I like the jake decoy facing the blind and the hens five or six yards farther out. When the gobblers come to the decoys, it's best to place the jake about 18 to 20 yards away and facing the pop-up blind. This will normally put the live gobbler between the jake decoy and you.

Gobblers almost always will head for the jake decoy, and I've watched adult gobblers jump up on the jake decoy, knock it over, and start putting the spurs to the decoy.

Shooting the gobbler is pretty easy with a shotgun, but it is much more difficult with a bow. Gobblers can stand still for long minutes, but when they come to the call and decoys, they are moving around.

Two certain shots are possible. A shot taken at a gobbler facing directly at the hunter is fairly easy but I know many people who wind up killing the bird but slicing off the beard in the process.

Wait for the bird to drop his wing-tips, spread his tail feathers, and prance around. Once the bird stops, aim for a spot just below where the beard comes out of the chest, lower the sight three or four inches, and try to hit just to one side or other of the beard. Done properly, this will kill the bird quickly.

The other way is to wait for the bird to start strutting, and let the gobbler turn all the way around to face the jake decoy. Aim for the center where all the tail-feather quills go into the back end of the turkey, and take a well-aimed shot.

Place the jake decoy in front of you and shoot when the gobbler goes to it.

 

A mortally wounded turkey will almost always shoot 10 to 12 feet straight up into the air, and fall back dead. I strongly suggest using a Game Tracker unit, because if the bird is not mortally wounded, it will fly or run off. The bird may not travel too far, but if it goes out of sight, they can become nearly impossible to find. A  string tracker can be a big help in recovering the bird.

Do not take side shots at a gobbler. The wing bones and feathers are heavy, and it's difficult to place an arrow through the wing feathers. I've talked to a few turkey hunters who say they shoot their bird at the juncture of the head and neck with an arrow, but it would be a difficult shot because a gobbler's head is always moving.

Of utmost importance is to position the blind so a shot can be taken sitting down. If the tent has horizontal and vertical windows, position a vertical window in front of you. Sit back, with full camouflage on, and wait for the bird to get into the proper position for a shot.

My wife has shot two gobblers with a bow.

 

My wife has shot two nice gobblers with her bow, and everything must into place in order to be successful. It is even more of a heart-pounder if a longbeard is taken with stick and string.

Turkey hunting with a bow is a major challenge. It's not easy with a bow, but when it works, it offers a surge of adrenaline that will be hard to forget.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

My turkey opener was slow

Gobblers hit their strut zones from 8 to 10 a.m. Locate these areas and hunt.

Hunting conditions seemed perfect. Just a soft breeze, and a bit of lingering fog as the sun bathed the woods with sunlight. I was in place long before daybreak, put out my decoys within 150 yards of the roosted birds, and sat back for everyone to wake up.

It took a long time, and as best as I could determined, there was only one gobbler. He gobbled mightily from the roost, but this bird wasn't where I'd bedded down the others. Those birds had a bad case of shut-mouth.

The bird that gobbled was a half-mile away, on a piece of land that I don't have permission to hunt, and we traded sweet-nothings twice. I gave him some time before calling the third time, and he didn't respond.

Roost gobbling and then silence

I'd talked with a pair of hunters with first-season turkey tags, and they had ended their hunt yesterday. Today was my opening day, and only one thing could have made it more delightful -- seeing a bird. There was no way for me to know for certain, but my chat with the other hunters gave me a clue.

They told me each bird they would put to bed would gobble once or twice from the roost tree, fly down and shut up for the rest of the day. I've seen such situations on other occasions, but it's often weather related.

The early period after fly-down, is often when gobblers are vocal as they patrol one to four or five strutting zones. Temperamental longbeards may have several strut zones where they go to meet up with the hens, and this is usually a great time to work a bird.

However, it's been my experience not to call much unless a gobbler is rattling the trees with loud gobbles. Often, if many of the hens have been bred, they quickly move away from the big Toms to head back to their nest.

Sleep in and hunt the mid-day hours with minimum calling

What works? Try hunting at mid-day, don't call too much, and if you have a response, don't get too eager to reply. If a bird gobbles the second time, give him a soft call, sit back and be patient. A bird might come running in looking for a hen, but chances are equally good that they might sneak in without making a sound. Don't get too antsy about calling.

It goes against a gobbler's basic nature to come to a call. They expect the hen to come to them, which means hunters must be patient, and wait for him to edge closer. Play these birds with a cool hand, and don't try to hurry them.

Take a page out of the gobbler's book, and take your time. I've occasionall spent two hours patiently wooing a lusty gobbler away from other hens. It can be done but all sorts of things must fall into place.

Proceed slowly and don't try to hurry a gobbler

Rushing a bird at this point can lead to failure. But, using my example today, I try not to call to a roosted bird. Sometimes it helps, more often I think it hurts your efforts, and wait for the bird to fly down. Talk to him a little bit on the ground, and don't try to hurry up the process.

If he comes, there's a good chance he'll come all the way to you. Get up and move too early, and you may lose your only chance of the season.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Take common sense into the turkey woods tomorrow

Cathy Beutler with a nice gobbler she shot while hunting with me.

Turkey hunting mistakes and the shotguns we use don't necessarily go together, but in many cases, they may come together whether we like it or not. People with much better eyesight than me can get along just fine, thank you, with just the bead on the front end of a shotgun.

They believe there is no reason to trick out their shotgun. That doesn't work for me or my wife. I use a scope while she uses a Bushnell Holographic sight. Each one works well for us.

My 3-inch magnum 12 gauge shotgun wears a scope with crosshairs. It more than allows me to aim with confidence at an incoming gobbler. A well identified gobbler can be seen with the naked eye but the scope helps me pick a hole in the brush through which I can positively identify and shoot my bird. It helps reduce wounding of a turkey as well.

Hoping that today's weather holds for tomorrow's turkey opener.

Kay's Holographic sight has a red ring that can be placed on the gobbler's head and neck, and the brightness can be turned up or down to match her needs on a bright or very cloudy day.

They were both sighted in a month ago, and we'll add new batteries just before our second-season hunt begins. We are fine as long as we don't fall or bang the scope or sight off a tree limb or a big rock. I once fell while hunting in southwest Texas, and knocked my scope so far out of kilter that I couldn't have hit the inside of a barn if I'd been standing inside it.

Several states are under my belt when it comes to turkey hunting. And even though the Michigan turkey season will be opening tomorrow, anyone who ventures out for wild turkeys this spring  should have some type of checklist. It certainly will help prevent forgetting some key element that is needed. I made that mistake once, got into my position well before the dawn, and reached  for my shotgun shells and they weren't there.

I then remembered leaving them sitting on the table as my coffee was hurriedly quaffed. My hunting vest was pulled on, my empty and cased shotgun was picked up, and out the door I went. It was a wonderful morning, and two longbeards slipped in to within 35 yards even though I wasn't calling and there were no decoys set out.

I sat still, watched the birds without spooking them, and still had a wonderful time. But hunting is not quite the same without a bow or loaded shotgun in hand.

In the heat of the moment, it's easy to forget where items are or which pocket they were put in the turkey vest for safe keeping. I generally go through a mental or written checklist the day before a hunt, put everything in my car, and it stays there until I finish hunting that season.

A mistake made on opening day several years ago.

I write occasionally about turkey hunting mistakes. Here is one of mine. I took off one morning, drove to my hunting area, got there long before sun-up in preparation for a half-mile hike to my chosen hunting area, slipped on my turkey vest and reached for my shotgun. It wasn't there.

It had rained the previous day while hunting, and I took the shotgun in the house to dry it off, clean it up, and forgot to put it back in its case and in the car. So, by the time I drove home, the sun was well up and another great turkey-hunting opportunity had been wasted.

What should this turkey hunting checklist contain? Obviously, it should have everything you'll need for turkey hunting. Once pulled together, leave all gear locked in the vehicle to avoid a problem like mine.

We'll start with the bare essentials. This would include

• camouflage clothing
• face mask, boots
• camo cap
• gloves
• turkey vest
• bow or shotgun

Don't forget the shotgun shells and rain gear if needed. Of great importance is your spring turkey hunting license. It must be carried with you while hunting. Don't leave it in the car or truck.

Next comes the less obvious but very important items. Anyone who checks many places for bird sign, and has patterned turkeys in several areas, should have a map showing these locations along with details of where birds roost, travel at dawn, move during the day, and how they return to their roost site. A handheld GPS unit can store a bunch of turkey hotspots, and it doesn't take up much room.

Decoys have become an important part of a turkey hunter's gear, and don't forget them. Some people roll them up and stuff two hens and one jake decoy in the back of their hunting vest. I don't because if they stay folded for too long, it's a pain to heat them to pop the decoy back into its original shape.

Hen and jake decoys are important items for many hunters.

My old decoys have newspaper rolled up and stuffed inside the body and neck cavities. It makes them a bit slower to move on the stake during a breeze. A fast-moving decoy tends to scare approaching gobblers. I also cut several arrow shafts, glue in an insert and use a target point to stick it into the ground. The opposite end that goes through a decoy that has a washer that fits against the inside hole for the stake. Another target point and washer is placed at the top of the decoy, and the point is screwed into the insert. This allows the decoy to move. Paint these washers black. Just remember that a stiff breeze can still blow them around but there is a cure.

Two stakes are cut from old aluminum arrow shafts, and have a target point screwed in. These stakes are used to prevent a decoy from spinning completely around on a breezy day. It allow the decoy to swivel 12-14 inches in one direction and that much in the other direction, and this provides the best results for me. It provides some decoy movement that can help sell the deal.

Make certain any box calls are wrapped in an old dark-colored washcloth with one layer of cloth between the lid and box of the call to prevent unexpected squeaks. Keep all strikers for slate calls rubber-banded together to prevent them from clicking together in your vest. Know where each call is in your vest, and it doesn't hurt to bring a brown towel to lay on the ground. Place all calls to be used on the towel next to your leg for easy access when needed.

Common sense and hunter safety must be practised while turkey hunting.

A Hunter Orange cap or vest can be worn when walking into and out of the woods, especially in the predawn darkness. Once you get to the hunting area, take it off. It adds a wee bit of extra hunting safety to your day in the woods.

Touch up any shiny object with brown, black or green spray paint. Carry shotgun shells, one each in different pockets, to prevent them from clicking together and making an untimely noise.

Carry a cell phone but turn the thing off. Carry a topographical map of the area if one exists, but stow it somewhere so it doesn't crinkle and make noise as a gobbler approaches. A handheld GPS unit can mark your vehicle's location, the best place to set up, and tell you how to return to the vehicle when hunting strange land. A flashlight is always handy, as is a good compass.

A foam rubber camouflaged butt pad is a luxury, and I carry one in the back of my vest. The small foam pad that folds down to be used as a seat is left up and in place and used to cushion my bad back.

I'm still dithering about taking my Ten-Point crossbow or my shot. Bow hunting for turkeys is legal from a treestand, and I'm thinking of trying it tomorrow.

What else? Anything else that you may need. I carry a turkey wing to slap against a tree or pant legs to simulate the fly-down sound of a bird coming out of a roost tree at dawn. A candy bar, cookies or a sandwich, and a bottle of water, are handy on an all-day hunt but pack them so they make no noise.

The last two things a turkey hunter should take into the woods on opening day is a combination of common sense and optimism. Go forth with common sense telling you what to do or not do, and the optimistic thought that this is the day you'll take that husky longbeard. Think positively, and good things can happen.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Taken any smelt recently?

Some smelt like this are caught by ice anglers, but few run spawning streams now.

I was out salmon fishing one summer day last year, and while filling the inner soul with tasty food, someone finally asked a question I had wanted to answer for nearly a quarter-century.

One of the great mysteries of the past 25 years is the seemingly near extinction of Great Lakes smelt. They aren't extinct but one couldn't prove it by the successful spawning runs over past 25 years.

My first year at The Detroit News as their full-time staff outdoor writer came with a hire-in date of April 21, 1980. A night or two later I went smelt dipping at what was the greatest smelt hotspot of all time.

Tons of smelt were taken at the peak of the runs.

It was at Point Pelee, on the Ontario side of Lake Erie in April, 1980. Smelt back then assaulted tiny trickles of water flowing into the lake, and possibly millions of smelt would hit the beaches like an infantry battalion.

Ontario residents could use seines to take smelt at that time, on their waters, and two or three good men on a seine net would get so many fish with one swipe they couldn't lift it from the water. Nonresident visitors to the popular Ontario netting site were limited to the use of hand dip nets.

That was fine because anyone with a dip net could take more smelt in two hours than could be eaten in a year. My first visit found me done netting after two dips. I had 50 pounds of smelt, and some of my new co-workers at the newspaper asked me to bring them some smelt for dinner.

I did, and kept about 10 pounds for myself. A few days later I was dipping smelt at the old Singing Bridge on US-23 near AuGres, Michigan. It was the usual rowdy crowd; people getting drunk, eating live smelt, falling into Lake Huron, and in general, making complete idiots of themselves.

Smelt hotspots were many throughout Michigan and Ontario.

Again, two dips that night produced more smelt than I wanted but some neighbors were hungry for a mess. I divvied up my catch among three families, and all were happy for the fresh fish.

Smelt seemed to hang around for four or five more years, and then it was as if someone had flipped the switch. Smelt disappeared from Point Pelee, from the Detroit and St. Clair rivers near Detroit, and some key locations like the old Singing Bridge (years ago it hummed when a car crossed over it) and the AuSable River mouth showed signs of decline.

Next came Lake Michigan. The big runs off the Platte River, Otter Creek and the Frankfort piers and much farther south, tapered off, and two years later people who once dipped at Saugatuck and South Haven complained of few or no smelt.

I heard of a few good dipping nights on Lake Superior near the Keweenaw Peninsula, and some tiny streams that enter Lake Michigan near Manistique provided fair dipping. But, when compared to the great spring nights of 25-35 years ago, smelt numbers have plummeted.

I still hear tales there are lots of smelt in the Great Lakes, but if so, very few are spawning in tributary streams anymore. Where have all the huge smelt schools gone? Are they spawning in the big lake?

Lots of questions but mighty few answers.

It's a good question, and no one has a solid answer. Many blame it on alewives that eat tiny smelt. If that is so, what caused the crash of alewives in Lake Huron some years ago? That lake is nearly barren of forage fish before alewives invaded the Great Lakes decades ago.

I'm just an outdoor writer who tries to keep up with things. Many smelt disappeared before zebra mussels appeared, but many more have disappeared since their arrival. Are the lakes too clean to hold smelt? Is there too little forage for baby smelt to feed on? Are smelt in a state of slow depletion. Should the ever-unpopular cormorant take the blame?

Many dippers have taken smelt over the years, but in the early 1980s when smelt numbers were high, they were high everywhere. When they crashed, even where netting wasn't popular, they seem to have vanished.

Smelt dipping (or as some hardcore drunks called it –– smelt drinking) when a run of fish moved in, the cry went up: "The smelt are running!"
Seldom is that cry heard these days. No one seems to have a handle on the topic, but many suspect changes in water quality, the accidental introduction of foreign exotic species such as round goby, etc., and others feel smelt numbers are a cyclic up-and-down thing.

Smelt are cyclic but this lack of fish is of great concern.

Smelt numbers also seem to be down somewhat in those inland lakes where they were introduced about 100 years ago. Winter smelt fishing can be great fun on Green Lake near Interlochen, Crystal Lake at Beulah, Higgins Lake near Roscommon and other scattered inland lakes, but even on these inland lakes, the numbers seem down and the fish are much smaller.

One thing is certain: few areas attract huge smelt numbers anymore. A few diehard dippers still go out, and measure their catch as successful if they take enough fish for one meal.

If this is a cyclic phenomenon, I hope it gets it out of its system soon, and allow smelt numbers to rebound. And then, perhaps if enough old goats like me are still around, we may once again thrill to the dippers' rallying cry: "The smelt are running!"

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Location, Location, Location

A majestic gobbler lit up by the early sun. Shoot straight!

There's an old real estate adage. Everyone preaches ... Location, Location Location!  Where the land or home is located means almost everything.

This old saying also holds true for turkey hunters. Location means everything, and if a hunter is going to have any kind of success with a big gobbler, he must be in the right spot at the right time.

So far, I've talked to just two hunters with a first-season turkey tag, and neither man has found gobblers yet. Both cite high winds, rain and on-again, off-again cold weather and snow as excuses.

Hunting has been slow during the first turkey season. Blame it on the weather.

One was checking for birds near home, and his brother was hunting in a nearby area. My buddy checked where he'd seen a gobbler fly up to roost the night before, and estimated he was 150 yards away.

He waited for dawn, listened to the bird gobble once from the roost tree at about 6:30 a.m., and called twice, and that was all it took.
"That bird came to me, got to within 25 yards, and then turned and ran off," he said. "The bird flew down from the tree, came on a direct line to me, and then spooked as if frightened by my decoys."

I'm more inclined to think he was spooked by the presence of a hunter toodling on his turkey call. Guys who educate birds by calling outdoors before the season opens deserves to have all his calls taken away.

His brother, who had not seen or heard a bird, and had traveled to what would be a new hunting location when their season opened. They walked into the area, sat down with their backs to adjacent trees, and began to listen for birds.

"I soon heard a bird that didn't wasn't far away," he said. "I listened to him for 40 minutes. He seened to have a couple of hens and lesser gobblers with him. We sat still and never spooked the birds.

At first he thought there was just one bird but it turned out to be two adult gobblers traveling together. Finally, one split away from the other, and came our way only to be spooked vy a roaming coyote. Those birds should still be around when the next season opens."

Turkeys in some hunting areas may be spooked by decoys.

I've heard it mentioned many times by many hunters that they believe gobblers and hens may be spooking from decoys. If there is no wind, and the decoy doesn't move, the bird won't come in. Obvious, this isn't an across-the-board belief, but some birds seem definitely afraid of one or more decoys, and scouting hunters should never put out decoys before the season opens.

Being in the right spot at the right time is crucial to success. I don't consider myself a great caller, but I know enough not to call too much once my season opens. Finesse the birds a little, don't call too loud so the bird gets spooky, and chances are good you can close the deal on a gobbler. The trick is to be patient, and don't call too loud.

Years ago, my wife and I drew a first-season hunt, and we got set up early, and she wanted to take her gobbler with a bow. I had her sitting inside a hunting coop. I had three decoys -- two hens and a jake -- positioned in front of her with the jake only 15 yards away.

I sat outside with my back to a big tree and waited for the first gobbler to sound off. A few crows called, and then he tuned up the volumn and rattled the trees in that woodlot. I gave a soft tree yelp, and he gobbled again and again while I remained silent. It's part of the teasing process.

Five minutes passed, and he gobbled again, and I gave a soft tree yelp, waited until he quit gobbling, slapped my pant legs a few quick times to simulate a bird flying down, and could hear that bird busting branches as he flew to the ground.

Be patient while waiting for a gobbler to close the distance.

He gobbled again on the ground, came walking through the woods, walked within three feet of my boots and strutted out to whup on that jake decoy. I could hear him drumming and spitting, and he gobbled out a challenge to the jake decoy, and walked in to smack the fake bird around.

The gobbler offered Kay a good shot, and that was the end of that bird. It wasn't the largest gobbler she has killed, but doing it with a bow was a major accomplishment.

A year earlier, much the same thing played out as I called in a nice gobbler for her, and she took it with a shotgun. In fact, I've called in most of her gobblers over the past decade.

A person can be the best caller in the world, but if he is in the wrong spot, there will be no birds racing in his direction. Personally, I'd rather know where the bird is roosted, and be a mediocre caller, than to be in the wrong spot with championship calling skills on my side.

Location to a turkey hunter, as it is to a real estate agent, is the most important part of the hunting equation. It's what can put a tasty bird on a turkey platter this spring.

Just make certain your scouting efforts don't spook birds out of the area, and for Heaven's sake, be smart enough to leave the calls at home while scouting. The birds don't need more of an edge than they already have, and it pays to scout with binoculars or a spotting scope.

Find the birds, drive away, and know where a few birds are when your turkey season opens.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

I get excited by severe weather

I thumped this bruin with two well-placed rocks. He left us alone.

There's something about storms that light my fire. I'm not certain just why I find them so intriguing, but I suspect it began near Flint when brother George and I were 10 years old.

We were outside playing catch. Even though I had (still have) small hands, I could throw a knuckle-ball. George was the person who could catch it.

He had a little nickel curve ball and I had my wobbling knuckler. It's what we did in the early 1950s. Occasionally one of us would uncork a wild pitch, and one of us would go chasing the ball down the street.

Head for cover when the big winds come blowing in.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, up came a big wind. Mind you: we were skinny little kids, and I doubt either of us weighed over 60 pounds. The wind was so strong we had to push hard against it to get indoors.

What we had felt was the outside winds of a massive tornado that followed an east-west road about seven miles south of our home and in the north end of Flint, and it covered two or three miles before lifting back up into the turbulent clouds and disappeared. It left nothing but death and destruction behind.

Several people were killed, and the big wind would destroy three or four houses in a row, lift up to dodge a house or two, and drop down again for more devastation.

It made a big impact on me, and several years later, Max Donovan of Clio and I were traveling back-roads. He had me drive, and we were in Tuscola County when I saw a twister coming across a field at us.

"Out-run it," Max hollered. He had an old gutless station wagon, and it was no contest. The tornado hit us, lifted the car two or three feet into the air, and then slammed us back down. My foot was still standing on the accelerator, and away we went, no worse for wear.

In 1970, my father and I joined another father-son team from Ontario, for a northern Ontario fly-in trip. We were crossing a large shallow lake that was filled with big pike when a storm popped up. We fought to keep from capsizing for two hours, and finally wallowed ashore on a deserted island. We waited until the storm passed, bailed out our boats, and went fishing, again none the worse for wear.

The Indian guides blamed me for pointing at the unnamed island.

That storm was the edge of a tornado that hammered its way through Sudbury, Ontario, causing massive destruction. We weren't in the actual tornado but caught some of the heavier winds generated by it.

This Arctic grayling was caught on the Northwest Territories Great Bear Lake.

Some years ago, the sky turned that dark greenish-purple color as clouds rolled and tumbled in the southwestern sky with an ominous sound. The direction was a good clue for possible severe weather, and I watched the tops of nearby maple trees bend almost flat as my wife screamed for me to come inside.

No twister for us, but a neighbor a mile away watched a tornado demolish his brand-new garage. Again. no injuries and the neighbor had insurance on his garage. It was a big inconvenience, that's all.

Kay and I got caught in a hellish big storm on Great Bear Lake in Canada's Northwest Territories in the late 1970s. This lake is just slightly smaller than Lake Michigan. The lodge owner came by in a much larger boat, and took Kay with him. My guide and I followed the larger boat for miles, rising 12 feet into the air on the crest of a wave, and then we'd plunge into the trough with water all around us.

Up we'd go, and there would be the larger boat with Kay aboard, and it was pulling slowly away from us. We traveled into the waves within 10 feet of a sheer rock wall six feet away, and one mistake would find the waves pounding us and our boat into bloody tin foil against the rocks.

We made it into a safe haven called Gunbarrel Inlet, and there were several boats milling about with smoke rising from a small wood fire on shore. I asked someone why they were not up near the fire.

A bear had reportedly "chased" them from shore and out into their boats.

"A bear chased us away," came a reply. I told my guide to head for shore. I put more wood on the fire, shucked out of my rain-soaked rain gear, and stood steaming near the roaring blaze. The first head we'd had in hours..

Someone hollered "Bear!" from a boat, and pointed down the shore. Here come a 200-pound black bear, and I picked up a rock and hollered at him. The bruin stopped momentarily, and I took several steps closer, and my old pitching days came through. No knuckle-ball ball this time but a high hard one that thumped his rump. The second rock was a bean-ball, and he ran off. We returned to the warming fire. We were chilled to the bone.

So the snowstorm and it's eight inches of snow a few nights ago really didn't seem to be anything special. We may see lots of snow, some strong winds and moaning sounds from the eaves, but as far as storms go, this one didn't have the making of anything worth writing about.
But what am I writing about. I've already mention tonight's storm, so in some way, it does influence my thoughts. Personally, I'd just as soon seen it get cold and freeze up the slop for two or three days and then go away.

The most recent storm can't even compare with a few of them during the winter when we'd see 15-20 inches of snow. Storms are interesting, but these little guys are nothing but a little bump in the highway of life. Storms that can kill a guy are those worthy of great respect.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Heavy snow hits the gobbler woods

Gobblers often head for bird feeders following a spring snowstorm.

I knew last night that my chances of seeing any turkeys to photograph today would probably be a gigantic waste of time. The forecast called for heavy snow, and at midnight last evening it was a near-blizzard.

The idea of going out today in the heavy wind, and sitting in eight inches of very wet snow didn’t happen. I got up this morning, shuffled through the snow to pick up my wet newspaper, and kept my head down against the snow that was still falling and wind that was still blowing.

Mind you, I’ve spent lots of days hunting deer in snow and wind, but I’ve never found the turkey hunting or photographing wild turkeys in such weather to be much fun. Often, the day is wasted while waiting for the birds to make their appointed round. Often, they stay roosted longer than normal, fly down late, peck around for a bit, and stay fairly close to their roost trees.

There are exceptions to all rules, but rarely will turkeys move well in heavy snow.

I heard no gobbles or yelps, saw no birds, and never saw a single sign of a turkey-bird, regardless of sex. Periodic snow fell today from leaden skies, and although the temperature warmed a bit, it didn’t melt much snow. Tomorrow doesn’t look like it’s going to offer very good hunting conditions, and this first season really points out the hazard of hunters choosing the first hunting season. All too often, the weather falls apart like it did today.

There was a pretty good lightning storm last night as it snowed, and thunder rolled through the North Country as the front moved through. Flashes of lightning could be seen last evening as the snow piled up on my deck.

So, does that mean hunters should apply for the short second season in Area K or go for the lengthy last season? I usually apply for the second season because I usually draw a tag. The third season can provide some of the most suitable turkey hunting conditions of all, but there are some problems with this late hunt.

Hunters have most of May to hunt, but that means mosquitoes as the weather warms. It also means morel mushroom hunters to share the turkey season with, which can lead to some unusual encounters with people who have no clue that turkey hunting season is open.

All they know is somebody in camo clothing is roaming the woods wearing a face mask and carrying a shotgun. Some people seem distressed by such a sight. However, for those who are willing to share the woods with people looking for morel mushrooms, it can provide some very good turkey hunting.

For me, I’m not sure how my second season will pan out but I’m hoping that we are far enough along in our spring weather that we won’t be fighting heavy snow storms. But then again, who can be sure with the crazy weather we’ve had so far this spring.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Little things can affect a hunt’s success

Patience and avoiding those little things that may go wrong can lead to success.

Many hunters think of bow hunting as a huge-antlered buck standing motionless at 20 yard with nothing but a few low-growing weeds and air between them and the deer.

This so-called calendar pose is what many short-term bow hunters expect to see while hunting. They've been conditioned over many years to expect such a shot, no matter how unrealistic it may be.

The same hunters seldom think of spotting a nice buck, his head held low, as it ghosts through a cedar swamp or tag alder tangle. The truth is that while an occasional shot is taken at a broadside, head-in-the-air buck, the reality is much different than what our imagination delivers.

It's often the little things than determine success or failure while bow hunting.

 

The little things about bow hunting reveal that more often than not a buck seldom offers easy, open shots. Often, the animal is partially screened by brush or is standing in thick cover. Deer often stop when their vitals are screened by thick brush.

One of the little things that hunters must learn, and practice faithfully, is patience. Hunters who get strung out by a motionless buck that doesn't move are usually unprepared for a shot when the deer does.

Patience is something all of us must believe in. It's always better to sit motionless, and if the buck doesn't move before shooting time ends, chalk it up to another night when the deer outsmarted the hunter. Such things happen far more often than we care to think about.

Sitting motionless and silent is the best alternative to trying a Hail Mary shot that may make it through the brush to the buck's vitals, but for whatever reason, it never does. Taking a low-percentage shot only educates or wounds the deer.

There have been countless times when I've spent 30 minutes to one hour waiting for a buck to move that last 10 feet to offer an open shot. More often than not, they refuse to budge and shooting time ends with the animal still standing motionless in thick cover.

Patience is a virtue when bow hunting for whitetail bucks.

Another little thing to remember is to stay in your stand until the buck moves off by himself. Start crawling down out of a tree, and you'll have ruined that stand for the rest of the year. Just hang tight, remain silent, and let him move when the mood strikes him.

Building your patience seldom happens overnight. It takes time and a great deal of practice, and blowing many possible opportunities, before you acquire the necessary skills to wait out the deer.

Don't do something stupid if the buck is slowly making his way to you. Perhaps you are in his travel route, and if you sit patiently, the buck will move to you. If you haven't been calling, and suddenly start calling to a nearby deer, the animal may turn away. It may or may not spook, but if the deer keeps coming to silence, don't introduce something new into the situation because things could backfire.

Be very cautious about dropping things. I've seen bucks and does stop 50 yards away because they have seen something they don't like. I once watched a buck come a long ways only to stop just out of easy bow range.

Why the buck stopped was beyond me, but stop he did, and he kept looking on the ground along the edge of a tag alder run between him and me. I studied him through binoculars, and tried to see what he was looking at, and it remained a big mystery.

Pay attention to the little things in your hunting area.

 

He left without coming the final 20 yards necessary to provide me with a clean shot within my established shooting distance. He walked off and soon disappear, and as shooting time fell, I eased from the stand and walked over to that spot.

It took a moment of looking around but I found what had spooked the deer. A hunter had moved through that area while hunting grouse and woodcock near the alders, and apparently had shot at a bird.

I found an empty 12 gauge shotshell, and it was laying somewhat in the open where the setting sun would glint off the brass. It wasn't much, but from where the buck had stood, there was still a tiny glint of sunlight there. The buck knew something was different, and turned and traveled another route.

It's the little things that can make or break a bow hunt. Always be aware of what is going on around you during a hunt because if can affect how deer react.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Turkeys can make fools of hunters

Is a gobbler like this one in your future. Hunt hard and smart?

It was quiet today. Too quiet for the first day of the first hunt of our Michigan's spring turkey season.

After two days of very strong winds, it dawned fairly windy this morning which would keep the birds roosted longer. I was outdoors a good bit today, and heard nary a gobble or a shot. I made a few phone calls to some turkey-hunting friends around the state, and based on what was seen and heard, the opening day got off to a slow and quiet start.

I've avoided the issue for a variety of reasons, but most importantly, it would never be my intention to play the gas-price hole card to cause people to stay home. But with gas prices that seem determined by supply and demand or price gouging to hit a new high every day, many people are foregoing some of their former outdoor pleasures to save money.

A bad first day of the turkey season doesn't make a hunt.

Trust me, I feel your pain because we've pulled in our horns due to high gas prices. A couple of people I've discussed the issue with feel as I do: people aren't traveling very much. The steelhead runs showed fewer anglers; fishing guides report fewer spring trips; and I suspect when all the votes are counted, many sportsmen may give up their chance to turkey hunt unless they can do it close to home.

The cost of losing one day's wages by taking time off work doesn't appeal to any of us. No one can really afford to go as often as we did a few years ago. The inflated price of gasoline will hurt some of the tourist business in many locations.

But then, is that really the cause of a poor showing today? Who knows? It could be the fault of the weatherman telling us that tomorrow or Wednesday we may see another 10 inches of snow, which certainly wouldn't help turkey hunters.

Can we ignore the possible warnings? I think not, based on the screwy weather we've had since New Year's Day. It's certainly not been like most Michigan winters. We get quite a bit of snow in our area near Traverse City, and I've kept track since the first significan snow-fall last November, and I've tallied 176 inches so far.

Some snow won't bother the gobblers but if the white stuff is accompanied by very much wind, it will keep the limb-hangers in place longer than usual. An old-fashioned blizzard would wreck at least two days of hunting effort.

Hunters must be prepared for any weather eventuality.

We've heard the wind blow before in this section of the north country, and often such storms blow through to the north or south of where we live. It makes little difference: it will have an major effect on hunting success wherever it hits.

In past years of driving back roads while scouting for birds, I've come to accept one fact: the fewer vehicles spotted while scouting usually means fewer hunters in the woods, which can mean a reduced turkey harvest.

Of course, wild turkeys are every bit as unpredictable in their actions as the spring weather. I've hunted lots of years in many areas of the country. And one very important thing I've learned is that predicting the actions of a big old Boss Gobbler is much like predicting your mother-in-law's attitude in advance of her visit. I'd like to talk to someone who has figured out gobblers and moms-in-law, and maybe they could teach me something I should know.

So, is there a moral to this story? You bet, and let's hope it works for you this week and me next week. The short and sweet part of this moral is simple: we can't change the weather, and even if we could, wild turkeys have a strange sense of timing. They always seem capable of throwing a big monkey wrench into any potential turkey hunt, and often do so without provocation.

Lay the best plans in the world, exercise the utmost caution, possess the stillness of a hunting owl, and yet, wild turkey can and will out-wit human hunters. Call like a champion, choose your hunting areas with great care, enter on quiet feet long before dark, sit with the patience of Job, and turkeys may spot the slightest movement, and charge off to parts unknown.

The best of plans often go awry when it comes to gobbler hunting.

The balance of your hunting time may be spent trying to find one gobbler who was in the back of the classroom when hunter savvy was handed out, and he may still find a way to humiliate a grown sportsman. He may zig when you feel he'll zag, and the shot pattern will poke tiny holes in the dirt but not in the bird.

It's nothing personal, you know. Turkeys don't think like we do, and I've seen them come 300 yards as straight as a string, and when they are within five yards of providing a shot, they will stop, strut a bit, turn around and walk back to their original spot. Who knows why?

It's been said many times that there's more to turkey hunting than pulling the trigger. Sometimes us mere mortals just don't stand a chance in the turkey woods. It's just part of the turkey mystique we must accept, even if we never do understand it.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Forget the Weather: Go Hunting

If nothing else about turkey hunting holds true, there is one thing that does: wild turkeys are hard to hunt on windy days like the past two. My hunt doesn't begin for a week, but lots of first-season hunters hope tomorrow morning's wind is not gusty and strong.

There are days when it doesn't pay to dress in turkey hunting togs. Once, a few years ago, was a day when a guy really didn't want to spend all day hunting gobblers.

In fact, most people didn't want to spend one hour sitting outside in hopes a longbeard would come calling. The weather was just too cold and nasty.

I'm living proof that it's impossible to shoot gobblers from bed.

I got up in the dark, leaving a warm and comfortable bed, and could hear the wind whistling outside. My eyes were wide open, my ears cocked toward the bedroom window which I reached up and opened, and I began a private fight with myself.

One part was clamoring: "You fool, it's impossible to shoot a gobbler while laying in bed. Get up, and get out there into the woods. Your last days of the spring turkey hunting will soon end. Forget the weather and get with it."

The other part, the more logical side of my brain, argued the other side of this problem. "That may well be true, but tell me when have you had a good turkey hunting day in really windy weather? Huh?"

It seemed a standoff. Both sides of the problem made some valid points, and both sides had a strike or two against them. Both made sense, in a rather twisted kind of way, and the final decision had to be made by the guy laying in a warm and comfy bed.

Deal with the weather, get out in it and hunt up a gobbler.

Recognizing the problem, I made my decision. I rolled over, closed my eyes, dozed and dreamed of a fanned-tail gobbler marching to the call like a good little soldier. He came, head-up, wary and looking around, and I woke up again just as the Day-Glow bead was settling on his noggin.
It was still dark, but graying up toward dawn. My watch said 5:45 a.m., and I decided to let my ears do some work for a change. If I heard a bird gobble, I'll hit the floor moving, climb into my camo, grab the cased shotgun and my hunting vest, and head out.

I laid there for almost an hour, and heard some robins and other song birds outside, but not one gobble was heard. Up I come, jumped rather slowly into my pants and shirt, and went out for the morning paper. I'm listening with both ears cocked, hopefully in two different directions,  desparate to hear a gobbler beller from yonder woods.

No such luck today. The paper was eased out of the tube, and I stood there for 20 minutes in 40-degree windy weather and listened. I can hear a gobbler a mile away, and so I'm covering nearly four square miles with my ears.

There was nothing but the sound of wind whistling through the trees. I spotted a doe, her belly heavy with fawns, cross the road a quarter-mile upwind of me as I stood motionless and silent. The old girl moved rather sluggishly, and it was apparent this year's litter of fawns would be born very soon.

Michigan's weather often changes. Hunt and hope for the best.

In the house I go, my mind now on the next Detroit Red Wings play-off game. That line of thinking made me happy, and I began having turkey hunting thoughts again.

My mind conjured up many past turkey hunts, in my younger days when time was limited and I hunted regardless of the weather. Thinking back, I've shot a couple of gobblers in a heavy rain when they looked like giant two-legged, water-logged rats coming to the call.



There were days when the Toms roared, and days when they snuck in as silent as drifting fog. Some of those days I shot a gobbler, other times my wife did, and on many occasions, whoever was hunting with me popped a cap and took a grand longbeard as he raised his head to look things over.

I've also hunted enough to know that some of this turkey hunting business, and the weather conditions we encounter during the season, are rather meaningless. For every rule, there seems to be an exception.

The rule holds true with many things. Normally, I would have been out there looking for gobblers that don't gobble. It's mighty difficult to really get cranked up, but I donned my clothing, grabbed my venerable Model 870 Remington, stuffed three magnum loads of No. 5 copper-plated shot into the old cornshucker, and headed out into the cold morning air.

I moved often, called sparingly, covered a mile of terrain, and never saw or heard a gobbler or hen. Once, I thought I heard a hen mouthing off at my calls, and moved in that direction.

I gave it a few minutes of rest, and tried again, now about 200 yards closer to where I thought I heard the hen. I tried calling again, hoping for some word from a tired old gobbler who still had enough in him to want to breed one more young hen.

No such luck. It may have been the wind or just wishful thinking, but nothing came to the call in that morning's wind. However, there is always tomorrow and with luck the wind will die and the gobblers will gobbble like we expect them to.

Based on tonight's weather of cold temperatures, rain and snow, the prospect for tomorrow's hunt may not be everything we hope for. But, one can always hope. Right?

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

When the Hunting Urge is Gone

It's sometimes odd how these blogs come about. Sometimes they are planned long in advance, months before they are used.

Other times a note from a reader triggers the thought for another blog. Sometimes they just pop into my head while reading the morning paper over coffee.

This one, if we live long enough, will be one that each of us will face. A man wrote:

When do you know the urge to hunt has withered and blown away?

This loss can vary with people of different ages.

It seems a simple question with an equally simple answer. Live long enough, and the answer will become obvious.

The urge to hunt may leave any of us at any time although at age 71, I'm happy to admit it hasn't clawed its way into any of my urges and driven me away.

Age and health conditions can play important roles in when this question becomes a reality. A disability or serious health problem can slow or stop anyone. The natural attrition of hunters is due, in large part to age, feebleness, illness or some major injury that may make hunting just too difficult or painful as we grow older.

The average person, based on hundreds of conversations with other sportsmen, can begin to lose his/her urge to hunt anytime after the age of 55 years, and for some, even earlier. For many, they just get lazy and decide not to go out.

Health slowly eats away at a formerly active hunter, and more time is spent dreaming of the old days and not looking forward to future field trips. Often the hunter, growing older, may develop a heart or lung disease that makes it far more difficult to muster up enough energy to hunt regularly.

Some sportsmen may blame not having anyone to hunt with, and I'm indeed fortunate with my eye problems, that Kay is not only my best hunting buddy but my wife, and a person who enjoys bow hunting as I do. Some are not so lucky, and I know some older hunters who have taken young sportsmen hunting for years, but the youngsters forget who originally brought 'em to the dance. Now that is a sorry thought and extremely rude behavior for anyone.

The urge to stay home comes with the normal aches and pains of the aging process. Many say they no longer like venison, the woods are too crowded, too many small deer...whatever. There are millions of such excuses.

The aches and pains of aging often begin the downward slide for most folks.

There are usually a variety of reasons. Some folks fear falling from a tree stand, and pin their reluctance to hunt to a fear of falling. Some say they don't see or hear as well as 10 years ago but that happens to almost everyone during the aging process.

As this progresses, hunters begin making excuses for not wanting to go hunting. Reasons include but are not limited to:

• I haven't had time to sight in my rifle.
• I've found that my shotgun doesn't shoot as well as it once did (which means the hunter is really missing more often).
• Got me a hitch in my git-a-long.
• I had forgotten that this hill seems a lot steeper than it once was.
• I've been huffing and puffing for two years. Don't want to die and miss out on future hunts. Huh? Say what?
• The sun is too bright, not bright enough, and the  snow is getting deeper in the woods. etc. Snow makes it too difficult to get around, and I'm afraid of falling.
• Gas is too expensive. Doesn't bother them to go bowling, golfing or doing something else. But they are right about the cost of gasoline.
• Hunting just isn't as important to me as it was 20 years ago. Perhaps the most true of all of these statements.

Such excuses are just that – an excuse not to go hunting.

I've heard all of these excuses, and countless others, but the fact is the person is too ill, too lame or too lazy to exert the energy required to go hunting. It's not the hunting that is at issue here. It is the attitude of the sportsman.

The fact is that hunting can be hard, physical work, but those who stay in decent physical shape won't find it much different. The loss of a close hunting buddy often takes the hunting fire out of the belly of the sportsman who is left behind. Perhaps that is the time to find and teach a younger hunter about this pastime.

Sharing the wealth of a lifetime of hunting with a young hunter can help keep us young and more in touch with the seasons and the game we hunt.

We all grow old and we all grow tired, but hunting at one's own pace is available to all sportsmen. Take your time, remember those past hunts when the fire burned bright in our hunting plans, and we couldn't wait to get into the field.

Sometimes, a little kindling in the form of watching a young hunter develop their personal memories, is all it takes to renew our personal interest  and our perception of hunting.

It may be the start needed to rekindle the hunting flames of yesteryear, and bring some old-timers back into the hunting fold.

Turkey Hunting

What does turkey hunting mean to me? It can be a rather difficult question to answer, but for many spring hunters, it means shooting a gobbler.

Well, that can be more easily said than done. During the spring season, only gobblers can be killed and often they are with hens. Those drab-looking hen-birds are notoriously wary, and are every bit as alert as an old whitetail doe.

There are many things that attract sportsmen to this past-time. It is, in fact, the only spring hunting season. With the opener of the first gobbler season on April 18, many camouflaged hunters will be afield.

Turkey hunting is a way of life for many spring hunters.

The rules are the same for everyone, and are detailed in the 2011 Michigan Spring Turkey Hunting Guide It’s important that all sportsmen hunt in the specific area they chose for a spring turkey hunt. Hunting times are from 30 minutes before sun-up to 30 minutes before sundown. The limit is one bearded bird, and note that some hens may have a visible beard.

I’ve seen some of the decoys available that can move by pulling a string or with the aid of battery power. Only wind movement is legal when turkey hunting. No electronic calls may be used to replicate the sounds that real turkeys make.

It is illegal to shoot turkeys roosted in a tree. It also is illegal to use or carry bird shot larger than a No. 4 shot. The most common sizes are No. 4, 5 and 6. shot. It also is legal to hunt wild turkeys with a bow, and hunting with bow-arrow from an elevated position is legal.

Scouting for birds is encouraged before the season opens, but hunters also are encouraged to leave their turkey calls home while scouting. Do not call during the scouting season, and I consider scouting by car as the least invasive method. Drive slowly, look for birds, note the time of day, and knowing the time can be useful. It possible, locate a gobbler (often with hens) just before they fly up to roost, and return to that area long before dawn. Don’t shine lights or talk, and don’t call to the roosted birds before shooting time begins.

Absolute quietness and stillness are two keywords to remember. Find a comfortable place to sit, and park yourself behind a tree as wide as your shoulders. Whenever possible, never get into a calling match with other hunters. It is a way to be accidentally shot by someone else. If you feel you are verbally dueling with another hunter, give up and leave without moving in the direction of the other hunter.

Leave calls at home if you are not confident. Use a hen turkey decoy.

If you lack experience or skill at calling, keep turkey calls in your pocket or at home, and rely on a turkey decoy. Set it up about 25-30 yards away, and if using a hen and gobbler decoy, place the gobbler fake near you so an approaching bird must pass in front of you to get to the decoy.

Turkey hunting requires a number of outdoor skills: woodsmanship, sense of direction, being able to gauge distance, good hearing, learning to sit still, being able to shoot straight, and much more. Most important of all is to learn how to sit without moving.

The challenges of being successful are many, and the odds in favor of success are lower than the odds of failing. Murphy’s Law states that “if anything can go wrong, it will.” Turkeys have added their stamp of approval to that known rule, and have gone on to establish countless other  ways they can use to further confuse hunters into making stupid mistakes.

There are many good things in favor of taking up turkey hunting. It occurs in the spring when no other hunting takes place. Sportsmen can find wild turkeys throughout most of the state, but rules apply when application is made for a spring turkey license. One must choose which hunting seasons they wish to be considered for, but the first hunt tags for most areas are difficult to draw. Choose an area you know well.

Wild turkeys are big birds and certainly can be easily seen. On most occasions, however, they are accomplished at quiet travel, remaining out of sight if they sense danger, and because they are big, the human brain seems to tell us the bird is closer than he really is. So, we miss.

I have literally hundreds of turkey calls. Most are diaphragm calls, but I also own scads of box calls, push-pull calls, a fairly large number of  pot calls with surfaces of aluminum, crystal, glass and slate. We should carry only those calls that we use most often, but a niggling little doubt causes us to second-guess ourselves, and that leads to more calls than we need. The result is we tend to lose calls, in one way or another, and those lost always seem to be our favorites.

Two or three turkey decoys are plenty. One hen decoy can do the job.

At most, I carry three decoys -- a jake and two hen decoys. Some folks I know may carry a half-dozen decoys, and putting out that many usually takes longer in the dark than we plan for, and it’s easy to make too much noise. Two or three decoys are plenty, and a single hen decoy can work on most gobblers.

We can take savage delight in being afield on a pitch-black morning, and get to watch nature come alive. The tweetie birds call at sunrise  as they begin to move around, and we’re often treated to deer sightings. Occasionally a late-hunting owl will be seen.

It’s the sights and sounds of dawn that invigorate my soul. It’s watching the rising sun give off shafts of brilliant yellow, orange and reds, and then a black cloud can be seen as it changes from black to a deep and vibrant purple. The sounds of a crow, an owl hooting, or a fence gate squeaking, can make gobblers rattle the woods with their roaring gobbles. Hens often call softly, but can start badmouthing and trash talking a gobbler for no apparent reason.

Turkey gobbles, whether near or far, never fail to stir my blood. In my mind’s eye, I see a gobbler with a white head, strutting around trying to impress the hen. We have our decoys out and well placed, and our calls, and we begin calling. The gobbler answers, and if things are meant to be, the longbeard will begin strutting in your direction.

The hunt is far more important than the kill.

We look forward to it, and if all goes right, will soon see a snowball-white head bobbing through the woods. Then we see the bird displaying, and our heart beat is like a triphammer, pounding in our chest and we can hear the blood pulsing in our ears. We may start sucking air, hyperventilating and often wonder why the bird can’t hear it. Closer and closer the bird comes, and then, there the gobbler is with his head held high as he looks for the hen.

As we place our shotgun sight where his head and neck join, a sudden thought goes through our head and we realize we’ve done everything right to reach this point in time. We also realize that there is so much more to turkey hunting than pulling the trigger.

Shooting a gobbler is anticlimactic. It’s only the icing on a turkey hunter’s cake. The actual hunt, everything that leads up to the shot, is the real thing and is why we hunt these birds.

Try not to confuse the issues and believe a dead bird is the sole reason for hunting. Do that, and forget what went before, and turkey hunting will soon lose its charm.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Turkeys in the fog

It was several years ago when I experienced what personally felt like a perfect turkey hunting day to me. I awoke with plenty of time to hike to my hunting spot, and stepped outside to see what the weather like.

I should have turned on the yard light first. Everything was a blur as thick tendrils of fog hovered like white gauze from ground level up to the tree-tops. It was impossible to see but I decided to leave early to walk to my hunting location. I’d need more time on this day to find my hotspot.

Turkeys often stay roosted until the fog clears off but these birds had been put to bed the night before. I knew where they were, and didn’t need any landmarks to find this spot. Just get on the north-south dirt road, and walk along the edge of it until i reached a narrow finger of woods that came down to the road. The almost one mile walk would take longer on this day, so I forsake a breakfast and hot coffee in favor of the early start.

A one-mile walk in the fog to reach the turkeys.

The fog was so thick it was literally impossible to see your hand in front of your face. My tiny penlight was shone on the road edge where weeds met the dirt, and I actually walked past the finger of woods in the dark and fog, and had to backtrack.

I eased off the road and into the trees, and knew I was within 200 yards of the roosted birds. There were three adult gobblers with long beards, two jakes and two hens ready for breeding. I had no clue what the day would provide but knew the birds would stay roosted even longer in the fog.

A narrow spot of farm land was separated by two woodlines. There seemed to be no need for a turkey decoy because the birds couldn’t see the ground. All I had to do was sit still near the clearing, wait with infinite patience for a roosted gobbler to call, and then try to sweet-talk him to within 35 yards while hoping all the birds didn’t approach at once.

A long hour passed, and there seemed to be a lightening of the fog but it was still impossible to see the trees on the other side of the clearing. The birds were roosted 100 yards deeper in the woods, and a small water puddle lay at the base of the roost trees.

Fog so thick I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face.

The second hour passed without hearing a bird. The fog seemed thick enough to cut, and it was lighter but the ground fog hung heavy over everything within sight. Eventually a lone crow flew over, cawed once, and a moment later a gobbler returned the greeting. Nothing happened for a few moments, and the bird gobbled again, and was joined by the others.

I sat there, knowing the birds probably wouldn’t fly down until it got a bit lighter so they could check for danger. I kept my silence, and so did they, and by nearly 9 a.m., the fog was thinning slightly but it still a long ways to go before I’d be able to see well enough to shoot.

Time seemed to drag by for another 30 minutes before the sound of flappint wings was heard. They hadn’t flown down but were getting restless on the roost. I coaxed out the faintest purr from my old Ben Lee box call, and the birds lit up. They double- and triple-gobbled, and the hens were making noise, and the tree-top-talking went on for another five minutes before they pitched down into the open spot in front of me.

The unseen gobblers called

All the gobblers, including the jakes, began ripping the air apart with their gobbles. Another faint yelp started another round of gobbling as the birds circled the clearing looking for the hen. On several occasions, the gobblers were right in front of me and their footsteps in the leaves could be heard, and they kept circling in a clockwise manner. The sounds still seemed a bit muffled by the fog but all the birds were within 25 yards of my shotgun, but the dense moisture-laden air was still too thick so see a thing.

Those birds circled around me, time after time, until about 10 a.m. when the fog began to clear. I called softly one more time, and the birds stopped moving. The biggest longbeard was 50 yards away, and I tried to appear to his male urges. One of the hens began calling to him, and I began a duel with the hen, and we verbally fought for 10 minutes before all the birds shut up and they moved off through the woods.

It had been a long morning of sitting with just a bit of calling, but the suspense of those birds circling in the fog right in front of me, has left an indelible imprint on my memory. I didn’t shoot that day, and it didn’t matter, because the symphony of turkey talk coming at me through the fog was enough to satisfy my hunting desire for one day.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Stay calm when turkey hunting

When everything comes together, and the bird cooperates, this is the result.

Watch some television hunting shows about chasing gobblers, and many of those good old 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 costly mistakes made when gobblers close the gap between out-of-range and time-to-shoot.

I've had gobblers almost trip over my feet, brush against my elbow as I sit with my back to a tree, and stand within three feet of my shotgun barrel and gobble in my face.

Be prepared for a gobbler and don't flinch when it comes.

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 supposely dead long-spur gobblers off the ground by the legs when the bird is still flopping usually only make that mistake one time. 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 deke didn't respond, he lifted his head to look around, and I shot him. Is this coolness under fire or just a matter of experience?

Look sharp for circling strutters but don't move your head.

To my humble way of thinking, it is more experience than ice water in my veins. There has been some times when I haven't had a chance to test my mettle against a wise or gobbler because my season started with high winds and snowy weather, and birds didn't work well.

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 making a 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.

Talk yourself into a state of immobility until the shot.

Imagine the bird is searching for a hen. Your shotgun should be 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 the safety between a 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 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 experience absolute calmness before the shot.

Then, if you shoot straight and a big longbeard lays on the ground 30 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 birds wildly on their way. So learn to conquer your nerves, and it's surprising how easy turkey hunting can be ...at least once in a while.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors