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February 8, 2010 by
We’re dying here, waiting on spring turkey season.
We're checking out the latest turkey catalogs. We're making plans to hunt as many states as possible around the country, starting in March. We're visiting outdoor shows. For now, we wait on what's to come.
It’s killing us. Yesterday I got out on my usual rounds just to see turkeys. Sometimes that’s enough. Sometimes that’ll keep you going.
The last time out I cruised by one prime location to find 20-plus hens and jakes in a slow-moving wad of turkeys. In the center of the moving mass, multiple full-fan gobblers jostled for position. I do believe my pulse thumped a little harder just then.
Yesterday, they were gone—sort of. Up the road, I found them. It’s not uncommon to view such a scene here in the Northeast: Some turkeys hung near the far woods, on the edge of a rural back yard, strutting, pecking, just looking around.
Others in full-throttle birdseed busting mode fed with great animation in an area also filled with chickadees and other songbirds flitting about. Big gamebirds in chow-down mode, not all that far from a house. They do what they have to do I guess.
Any way you cut it, watching such winter groups does a turkey hunter some good, even if those birds will break up next month, location depending around the country, and move to other (sometimes nearby) habitats. It's then the real deal will begin.
What are you guys seeing out there? Do your birds tend to hold until spring in areas where you see them in winter, or do they vaporize? Do new turkeys move into that spot? Do hens and gobblers hammer backyard bird feeders as much as they do here in the Northeast? Have you seen any 2010 strutters yet? Heard a gobble?
[ Read Full Post ] February 1, 2010 by
Waterfowlers have long used jerk cords to impart movement in their floater fakes. Now comes a turkey decoy that offers the same thing.
Will Primos says of their new and improved turkey decoy: "Last spring we sent B-Mobile™ to a plastic surgeon and what came back was Killer B™. We updated the paint scheme to bring out more iridescent colors in the body and more red in his head. We gave him glass eyes from a taxidermist that make him so realistic that it looks like he is staring at you. We created a tail fan that can move from full strut to ¾ strut to lying flat. We even updated his posture to make him look more like a strutting gobbler."
The "Speak the Language" guys gave me a hands-on demonstration at the SHOT Show. You Strut Zoners in?
Maybe over the years some of you have used fishing monofilament to impart movement in your turkey deke's fan? A few guys in my hunting circles have with success. Now Primos has made this an option by providing a 90-foot pull line which attaches to the B-Mobile™ Silk Fan. You can use it to add strutterlike movement when a live big boy pops up in view, or if you want to pull a hen in and that longbeard.
I also asked the Primos guys if you could slide a real full (or jake) fan in there, and use the pull line. Answer: yes you can.
You can roll this deke up. You can stake it with a hen fake. Stake it with another Killer B™. The combinations are many. It's like an amped up version of Primos' B-Mobile™. We're told all of the Primos Video Team members will have 'em in their vests when they go into the field this spring. Buying into the deal on your end also includes a Mobile™ Series Fan Holder, Mobile™ Series Ground Breaker Decoy Stake, and Carrying Bag.
So is this the difference maker for you guys who've seen live gobblers ignore motionless fakes?
There's a trend in some Western states that involves moving on field strutters while holding real full fans and bellycrawling to hung-up birds, a practice that can be debated as unsafe by some, and hardcore by others. Maybe this tweaking of an old favorite is the perfect compromise? Movement but of the stationary sort. Whaddya think?
[ Read Full Post ] January 22, 2010 by
We've a number of new turkey calls to share with you here at the Strut Zone, and a few follow here. Stay tuned for more as spring seasons approach.
While attending the SHOT Show, I checked in with the H.S. turkey guys; specifically Matt Morrett and Eddie Salter. Like the rest of us, they're stoked for the upcoming season. Here's a new twist on an old favorite, and one that's offbeat as traditional calling goes.
As you guys remember, last year H.S. introduced their so-called Ring Zone® technology to turkey calling. The Ring Zone calls, H.S. suggested, were the result of extensive scientific testing about how turkeys hear, and how the sound of a hen could be realistically reproduced. The result was the Ring Zone call; a pan call with a ring around it. Science meets turkey hunting and all that.
Now for 2010, they've used the new technology to produce their Li'l Deuce™ Ring Zone. The Li'l Deuce resonates at the same, specific frequencies of a turkey's optimal hearing range, they say. The older model has been one of H.S.'s most popular calls over the years. It's also a favorite of 5-time World Friction Calling Champion and H.S. Pro Staff member Morrett, who takes your faithful correspondent seriously enough to talk turkey, even after I whiffed on an Alabama longbeard he yelped into range years ago. (Sorry man.) I digress.
The Li'l Deuce Ring Zone is compact enough to fit into a shirt pocket, yet has plenty of volume to call long-distance birds. It has a slightly higher pitch as well, is available in both glass and slate versions, comes with a carbon striker, and sells for a suggested retail price of $15.95.
And now for something completely different . . .
According to H.S., and Eddie Salter, the new Squealing Hen Call reproduces the sound a hen turkey makes during breeding, triggering an internal response from gobblers to seek and find the source of the sound. Salter developed it, and says: "My family raised turkeys when I was a kid. Watching the behavior of our pen-raised birds helped me learn about turkey vocalizations. I heard the hen make the squealing sound during breeding, so I started experimenting with calling wild birds using the squeal. Now turkey hunters have an easy-to-use call that reproduces that same sound."
The call is easy to operate, as Salter demonstrated. Simply blow into the call while depressing the lever. This puts pressure on the internal Infinity Latex® reed and the high-pitched breeding hen sound is produced. According to Salter, gobblers sometimes check out the sound, which appeals to both breeding and territorial instincts. He says the Squealing Hen can work in areas that have seen hunting pressure. He also suggests it'll function as a locator call. The Squealing Hen sells for a suggested retail price of $21.99.
So what do you think, Strut Zoners? Looking for an upgrade on an old favorite, or something new and highly unusual to make that gobbler budge? If not, what's your favorite go-to turkey call?
[ Read Full Post ] January 14, 2010 by
We all like to watch them, us hunters and even anti-hunters alike. It's maybe one thing we do agree on.
In the Northeast, it's not uncommon to see large winter turkey flocks hammering seed-covered spots beneath backyard bird feeders. They're just as likely to run with the chickadees as others of their kind. That's just the reality these cold-weather days. Since field studies bolster any turkey management effort, it's cost effective to employ citizens to do the counting.
In New Hampshire for the second year running, citizens are being asked to report sightings of turkey flocks seen from now through March 31, 2010, by filling out a simple electronic survey form posted on the Fish and Game website at www.wildnh.com/turkeysurvey/
Respondents are being asked not report multiple sightings of the same flock, which could obviously skew numbers.
According to NH Fish & Game, this effort bolsters understanding of the abundance and distribution of turkeys during New Hampshire’s challenging winter months. The survey asks participants to report the number of turkeys in the flock; the location where they were seen; the type of habitat the birds were observed in; and what the turkeys were feeding on, such as acorns, beechnuts, seed at birdfeeders, or corn silage.
The survey is designed to fill gaps in Fish and Game’s existing winter flock data collection efforts.
“For parts of the state, especially eastern and northern New Hampshire, we could benefit by additional sighting reports,” said Ted Walski, Turkey Project Leader at Fish and Game. “This reporting system will allow the public to contribute important information to our understanding of winter turkey status in an inexpensive, efficient and, hopefully, enjoyable way.” Last winter, people responding to the survey reported over 1,500 flocks totaling nearly 24,000 turkeys, and encompassing all areas of the state.
Winter is the best time to census the birds because turkeys gather in large, highly visible flocks at this time of year. States like Michigan and others rely on the same citizen-based data to monitor their bird numbers. Chances are your Snow Belt state does too.
Do you guys participate in such studies where you hang your hat? Do you think this is an effective method of generating population numbers, which ulitmately influences turkey seasons and limits? For those of you up north, are winter turkey flocks at backyard bird feeders as common as they are here in the Northeast? Is that a good thing, wild birds hanging so close to suburban spots?
[ Read Full Post ] January 3, 2010 by
Some of you mount a scope on your favorite turkey gun. Some of you don’t. Maximum precision (particularly on longer shots) is part of the positive reasoning. Those who look down the shotgun barrel at bead sights often say they don’t want to complicate matters. Scopes fog up. Scopes won’t let you drop a crippled gobbler on the wing. Scopes are pricey. Some cost as much as a serviceable shotgun.
No matter how you feel, turkey scopes are likely here to stay. Why scopes? We aim and shoot the shotgun (a “scattergun”) like a rifle. One shot, boom, down. We hope.
Many of us in the outdoor industry converge on the SHOT Show annually. This year we’ll travel to Vegas (January 19-22). Longtime relationships being what they are in the hunting world, we have our connections. Since it’s a long winter to the first spring turkey seasons (March in places like Hawaii and Florida), we try to stay in the mental game by telling stories, plotting hunts and getting the scoop on new products.
For those of you who use turkey scopes, there’s a new one about to appear on the market (not just yet mind you; it won’t be officially announced until later this month), engineered by an industry giant, Nikon.
Right now, my contact there just has the specs. According to him I’m the first guy to score this information, and Outdoor Life’s “Strut Zone” is the first to post it. By the way, he’s remarked more than once that we've got a cool turkey blog, and that includes all the contributions regularly made by you SZ commentators as well. All turkeys, all the time, baby.
The skinny on Nikon's New Turkey Scope, reputed to be dubbed the “TurkeyPro BTR” according to my insider source, is this: The new reticle design uses circles to range a turkey at either high or low power (1.65-5x36). The removable anti-reflective device screws onto the objective. It’s got 5-inch eye relief. It’s water, fog, and according to my source, shock proof. Retail in camo will run $279; black will cost you $249. Again, you’re hearing it here first.
When can you get your hands on it? My guy says it should be available in February 2010, just in time for spring turkey seasons around the country.
My question is this? Do you guys scope out your turkey guns? If not, why not? If so, how come? What are the positives and negatives involved in using a scope on your turkey gun? Ever kill a turkey that depended on that additional assistance from a scope? Ever have a scope hurt your chances?
[ Read Full Post ] December 23, 2009 by This time of the year, we’re all making plans for spring hunts; and New Year's resolutions. Here are mine:
I vow to enjoy the game as much as the outcome.
I vow to listen with feigned interest as buddies tell hunt stories for the third time.
I vow to sit waiting an extra five minutes on once-vocal, now shut-mouthed gobblers when the impulse to move strikes.
I vow to be humble about my birds to guys who haven’t pulled the trigger yet.
I vow to let any rope-dragging longbeard pass on the outside edge of range without taking a shot instead of risking a crippled turkey.
I vow to pass my feathers along to fly-tying buddies, and to make an extra effort to do that, even if they don't hunt, the knuckleheads.
I vow to eat the entire bird—the drumsticks; the parboiled extras—and not just the breast meat.
I vow to pattern my shotgun before the season, and each time I travel to hunt or change turkey loads.
I vow to thank landowners now for the permission they’ve granted me to hunt their land in the past and this coming spring.
I vow to put on some boot miles to hunt bigwoods gobblers.
I vow to kill a bird with a turkey call I’ve never used before instead of just the old favorites.
I vow to introduce at least one person who has never hunted turkeys to this amazing tradition.
Hey, Strut Zoners: It's a winter away, but what do you resolve to do this coming spring turkey season?
[ Read Full Post ]December 17, 2009 by
Mention decoys at the turkey camp supper table and see what happens. Some guys love 'em. Some guys hate 'em. Some guys get inventive with the fakery.
The guys who love 'em tend to be the sit-tight-and-wait types. They pattern strutters to strut zones, and sit within range, possibly even in a blind. Turkey decoys limit mobility, at least most of 'em. The guys who hate 'em tend to lean toward run-and-gun hunting. The guys who get inventive do things like bellycrawling on strutters with actual full fans held erect in front of them. You laugh. This strategy is becoming something of an emergent trend out West where birds can be glassed and moved on using terrain. On this, more at a later date.
Just in time for the winter outdoor shows, and on the 2010 spring turkey season horizon, Montana Decoy (www.montanadecoy.com) is now offering a possible solution for the run-and-gun guy, and a way to enhance the blind sitter's spread. Enter, Mr. T, a full-strut decoy (pictured here).
According to the manufacturer's representative, Mr. T takes up less space than a seat cushion. Decoy assembly is twist and stake. It measures 9 x 9 x 2 inches when folded. Deployed, Mr. T sits at a full 28-inches tall by 17-inches wide. It weighs 10.5 oz. Retail price? $34.99. The company says it'll be on dealer shelves in time for spring turkey season.
So which category do you fall under Strut Zoners? Stake-and-sit decoy hunter? Decoyless run-and-gunner? Plan B full-fan bellycrawler? Will you check out this new decoy option, mention it to your buds, or simply ignore the marketing spin? Do you guys even use turkey decoys?
[ Read Full Post ] December 11, 2009 by
Boom. Down. Dead bird. That's how we turkey hunter's like it. Get the gobbler in range. Drop him like a sack of post-hunt laundry.
A good turkey choke will tighten your shotgun load for that maximum one-shot performance. That single trigger pull you need to drop that turkey in range depends on it. If you're like me, part of the confidence factor in killing gobblers is proven time with a certain firearm, choke and load. You don't think too much about the matter after that. Clean your turkey gun, store it safely, maybe pattern it a little to get in the groove of things, then hunt the next time out.
Then the winter show and new product season arrives just ahead of spring turkey hunting to come. That's when you just have to check the new stuff out.
ENVIRON-Metal, makers of HEVI-13® turkey loads (www.hevishot.com/), is a brand familiar to many of you Strut Zoners. It's killer stuff. Highly reliable. Just plain nasty if you're a strutter in range. Yep, sure enough, a tad expensive too. They've got the reliable load. Now the company has introduced a performance line of HEVI-SHOT Choke Tubes in time for the 2010 spring turkey season. The new offering (pictured here) is made from premium stainless steel and built to handle all lead, high density and even steel pellets.
You heard right. That multi-shotshell option is certainly a plus for some of us. True enough, many aftermarket choke tubes sit in our gun vaults. The question is, when is enough enough?
According to the manufacturer, the new choke tube features internal axial scoring, a design proven at the National Wild Turkey Federation World Still Target Championships to dramatically tighten patterns. In addition, the ported tubes reduce "barrel whip" by dissipating gas equally around the muzzle. The knurled end allows for quick changes in the field to meet conditions. Sure enough, all this might just be marketing spin to some of you veterans comfortable with your longtime killer choke, gun and load. Maybe not.
Will you guys upgrade shooting options for the coming spring turkey season, challenging your stable marriage of choke tube, shotgun and load? Or will you just stick with the old cornshucker and leave it at that? "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," the saying goes. There's some evidence out there to maybe consider an upgrade if you're having shooting troubles.
Tight patterns. Extended range. Dead turkeys. What choke tube do you guys use? Do you use different chokes for varying conditions? Will you check out this new offering or just pass word along to buddies during a turkey camp bull session? Will you ask for one in that stocking hanging above your fireplace?
[ Read Full Post ] December 2, 2009 by
The fall turkey season has passed here in Maine, with a winter to go before spring opportunities. Others remain open around the country. No matter, it's all good. I was out there this morning, scouting; just looking, listening. Fresh scratchings told the story of a flock that had moved through that hillside and creekbottom the afternoon before, after the rain showers passed. The morning was still; sunny, frosty and cold. And then I heard it up the hill: first a yawp-yawp-yawp gobbler yelp, then a gobble, and yet another, ringing out, and sending a pleasant shiver through me. It nevers gets old.
Sure enough, autumn and winter turkeys gobble on the roost. They gobble when regrouping after a flock break. If they’re fall jakes born that year, they gobble after making a kee-kee-run, tagging it right on the end of that call, especially as the days push toward winter. I’ve scattered autumn longbeards only to have each one gobble hard on their return to the flush site. Don’t believe me? Have you tried it?
These vocalizations are obviously made as male turkeys try to locate each other. Despite what you might have heard from the guy who says they don’t gobble in fall or winter, you need to get out there and hear it for yourself.
True enough, hearing that gobble isn’t as reliable as it is in spring. Spring gobblers call to draw hens to their roosted or ground-standing position. Fall and winter gobblers likely do it to indicate their location too, but to male turkeys, since longbeard and "super jake" groups hang together now before wild turkeys of either sex flock up, often due to a limited food source. Jake gangs sometimes form in late autumn and early winter as they contest family flock stability. Some territorial dominance is also likely at play when male turkeys gobble in fall and winter. Down south, breeding activity can also begin as early as February and March.
Tip: In some parts of the country, where fall turkey seasons are still available, even winter opportunities to come, a little gobbling goes a long way as a calling tactic. Use it sparingly when you have a group of fall or winter gobblers roosted in earshot before they fly-down. Maybe run that gobble tube, like the Quaker Boy options pictured here, once or twice when they’re on the ground in conjunction with fighting purrs. Buddy hunters can double up on vocalizations this way, but again, don’t overdo it. This calling strategy shouldn’t be a musical jam session but a perfectly choreographed and well-timed vocalization: brief in duration and hopefully effective.
[ Read Full Post ]November 20, 2009 by
You’ve put some venison in the freezer, and need something to do. Spring turkey seasons are a winter away. Check your state’s website because there might be an opportunity available right now. For starters, Strut Zone’s Fearsome Threesome of fall/winter turkey hunting might give you some road-tripping ideas.
Virginia, for instance, has wide-ranging regional opportunities for fall wild turkeys, including a special Thanksgiving Day hunt November 26. Is that cool or what? Other hunting zones are available in December, even into early January.
Check out: http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/HUNTING/regulations/turkey.asp/
Kentucky is another great state to consider. Autumn/winter turkey opportunities here include these remaining season dates—shotgun: Dec. 5-11, 2009; archery: open through Jan. 18, 2010; crossbow: available until Dec. 31, 2009.
Check out: http://www.fw.ky.gov/
Wisconsin might be the great secret in fall turkey hunting opportunity. The 2009 fall turkey hunting season ran from September 12 - November 19. That was until the proposal to add an extended fall season for Zones 1-5 was approved. The 2009 fall (winter) turkey extended hunting season for Zones 1-5 only will now run from November 30 - December 31, 2009. Go here for more info: http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/wildlife/HUNT/turkey/
Got a state we should have added here? Let us know.
[ Read Full Post ]
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