Getting Ready for the Turkeys

Hunting turkeys is one of the most challenging of hunts I've experienced and it is fun.  With a turkey's brain being the size of a quarter, there cannot be a thought pattern there, but they sure act like it.  It is all in their sight and hearing that makes them such a challenge.  They can see at really long distances but when you are up close, they seem to be confused and become really easy targets.  Getting them up close is the first challenge once you have found where they are running.  It is amazing how they will be right along the shoulder of the highways pecking and scratching, totally ignoring the passing traffic.   Being out in the field and seeing them at 100 yards or more changes things entirely.  When they spot you, they will run like the wind. When hunting, the first rule is to be extremely well- concealed with no movement. I wish I had vision like a turkey.

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This season, another call will be added to the one that is currently used.  Reading all the magazines, the professional turkey hunters have an array of calls at their disposal.  The second item to add is to expand the decoy spread with additional hens.  I currently use the Pretty Boy-Pretty Girl combination and add a couple of hen decoys to the mix along with a jake.  I will definitely add more hens.  My friend John has a decoy with a tom mounting a hen.  He needs to throw that one away.  The attacking toms have beaten and scratched the thing to death.  He claims that when he first put it out, the toms just poured out of the woods and jumped all over the decoy.  It really made them mad and they wanted to fight the decoy.  I have had a tom circle my Pretty Boy decoy.  Trying to get my camera out to take a picture did not work, so he was promptly harvested.  I am in the eating business not the picture business, but it was neat to watch.

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Turkey season opens Saturday April 16th through May 31st in Nebraska.  Iowa has several seasons, but I hunt the 4th season that runs May 4th to May 22.  I like to hunt later in the season because the toms should have all the hens bred out and will be more receptive to decoys and calls. I have access to four farms, but will probably only hunt two of them since these hold the most birds.  Hunting private ground is totally unlike hunting public lands.

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You have competition in hunting the public lands and it come from other hunters.  First, there is a whole lot of calling going on and it pays not to call too much.  If you have scouted the ground and have determined where the birds are running, on opening day be at that location and harvest a turkey as soon as possible.  It may not be the grand daddy of the flock, but you will have one and can be out of the woods.  Otherwise, I would wait until later after all the hunters have given up and the hens are all
bred out.

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If you are hunting private land and will be only one of a couple of hunters on the ground, you have a distinct advantage over the public lands. There is no pressure and the birds have not heard a lot of calling.  Also there is limited human access in the area. You will need to determine where they are running and position yourself in the general area.

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Before the season, I visit each farm and spend time in the early morning just to watch and listen to see where the birds are hanging out.  It has worked for me in the past and continues to each season.  Next is a visit with the farmer.  They see the birds constantly and can head you in the right direction.   The farmer will know where they are roosting.  Being in the general area where they roost, will provide an excellent opportunity for success.

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Good Hunting, good fishing, and good luck.  Hank

It's a January Pheasant Hunt

One big snow with a good coating of ice hit early January.  Warm weather melted most of it.  Then came the severe cold in Iowa and Nebraska.  Once a year you are going to get it.

It is no problem.  You just have to dress for the occasion with warmer clothes and layers.  Having said all that the phone rang and it was my friend John, and he wanted to head up to Arlington, Nebraska and hunt some pheasants. We hunt the Little Creek Game Farm own by Dalvin and Betty Scheer.  These are two of the nicest people you will ever meet and we always recommend their business to pheasant hunters who do not have a farm to hunt.  We also recommend hunting their farm to hunters who have walked for hours which seems sometimes like days, without seeing anything.  

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This year the price was $75.00 for three roosters or six hens.  Dalvin and Betty also raise chuckars and they are a hoot to hunt.  The bird is bigger than a quail and smaller than a pheasant and has a really nice big breast that is very tasty.  On this trip we were going to hunt pheasant roosters.

Checking my ammunition, it was discovered that I had no ammunition for upland game.  All there was was 3.5 inch shells Hevi shot-Hevi metal.  This would be good for waterfowl, but not what were were going to shoot. I made a quick trip to the local Bass Pro store and they gave me a recommendation that proved deadly, and I highly recommend this shell for upland game. 

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We waited until the temperature was above 10 degrees and then headed out to the fields.  The bright sun provided some extra warmth. Dalvin had place the six roosters all over the farm, and we would have to work to get them all.  However we had an extra weapon.  Junior, John's excellent chocolate lab and he is and excellent upland game dog.  

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In the field by 2 PM we started working our way along a creek that has heavy weed patches on each side.  The birds will hunker down and in this cold will hold tight.  This is where the dog comes in really handy.  He loves to hunt and works quickly back and forth in front of us.  If he starts getting too far out, John just whistles and he comes back.  His tail is wagging constantly, and when he gets real birdy is really wags.  Getting on the bird he goes dead still and the tail just points straight back.  When this happens, you must get into shooting position because a bird is about to be flushed.  If they run, Junior will stay right with them and literally force them into the air. 

The first two birds were jumped and knocked down and we marked the spot to come back for them.  Junior was really active and we did not want anything to run from us.  Shortly after the first two the second two jumped and were promptly dispatched.  Now we picked up the four we had knocked down.  

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Junior kept working in front of us as we move along the creek, but he was not picking up any bird scent.  After about 45 minutes we came to the end of the field with only the 4 birds.  There were still 2 more out there to harvest.  We crossed the creek at the road, and started working down the far side, but nothing was picked up as we got almost to our starting point.  Junior never stopped working and we were getting perplexed.  

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As we neared the end of the stand of weeds and brush, the dog got real excited and very birdy.  All at once he went on point and John stepped forward to see what was going to flush.  Up he came squawking away like they always do.  John dropped him, and at the same time the second bird behind John flew off to my right.  As he put a little distance out, I knocked him down, but he got up and took off running.  The dog was quickly pointed in the birds direction.  He crossed the creek and took off after the pheasant and break neck speed and caught up with him.  

We had our six and it was all over by 4 PM.  

 

Good hunting, good fishing, Hank

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