turkaholic

EEE HAA! Herd first gobbles this morning right on time.

gobble tube I use a Red Wolf gobble tube it seems to be the best for me. It has a place in my vest and has saved many of hunts. You just need to have a little faith in it. Try it when you have tried everything else and someday it will work for you. It also is a great locator call. When they clam up, a gobble tube will make them gobble and you can reposition on them and try to call them up again. I keep mine in a cardboard tube and it stays quiet in my vest.

nice

I,ve had good results with a Primos tight wad .670 3 1/2" Winchester Xtended range shot from a Browning Gold 12 Ga.

I have used fiber optics sights on all of my shotguns since they came out with them. I have missed a few turkeys in 20 or so years that I've been at it. I have considered a scope but they seem so big and heavy, my brother uses one. The fact that they can have issuses in the rain makes me concerned. The shoot thru version seems to have it all. I would consider trying a Red Dot type sight but I'm not sure about having to mess with any knobs to change intensity as that long beard approaches.

Has anyone seen the new turkey skinz offered by Cabela's? It seems very pricey but looks intresting. I was thinking about how long it would last coming in and out of your vest all season. Would it last more than one season? Seems to be a good idea for realism but can't help to wonder about durability. With a price tag of $40 I might wait for some feed back. I'm not sure what they get for those Hazel Creek Real decoys but I sure don't plan on carrying one of those around.

I also chuck out the old ones after the fall season. I keep them in a 50/50 mix untill I start thinking about spring. I have experienced the sore throat thing and buy new ones every year. It seems like a waste but one day lost in the turkey woods due to a sore throat is to large a risk. I replace my favorite calls and get a few new ones to experiment with.

off beat or off your rocker Only thing good about that method is it leaves more turkeys alive for us!

I was thinking of buying a new gun, and was wondering if anyone has any input on Charles Daly firearms. I wanted to add a pump to my arsenal. I was considering a Mossberg but have issues with a tang type safety. I currently use a Browning Gold 31/2" but was looking for a rainy day gun. They seem to be very low in cost and that makes me cautious.

As the old saying goes "roostin ain't roastin" now those are words of wisdom. Many things come into play when roosting birds. It certainly helps to be familiar with the area. Knowing where birds roost can take years of listening in different locations. Having a good vantage point like a ridge to listen off helps. Sometimes birds will gobble on roost at dusk and if your within ear shot you can pin point their location. This is where locator calls come into play. I like to owl to get a gobble but many other things work well also. The gobble tube , coyote howler and even slamming the car door will sometimes get a gobble. The object of the game is to get close to them in the morning and set up in the perfect spot. This sounds easy but it is not, many things can go wrong. Getting birds in the bag at first light is a challenge. Knowing how close to get is key. Taking his temperture, by the way he is reacting to the morning and your calling can help you to know how close, and what you can get away with. Often what can happen is, he will gobble untill the hens fly down and pick him up. Many times you will hear a gobble that evening and in the morning you bump other birds roosted with him. Roosting is a good tool to learn the roost areas of your hunting grounds and will pay off in the long run. After a few years you will have found many spots that you can feel good about hunting because you herd birds there. If things go fowl at first light and they gobble their way down the mountain try to be back in that area around 10 or 11 when that old gobbler has no girl friends around. I have had lots of luck killing my roosted bird on my way back to the truck at noon.

For sure 11 days in N.Y. 15 days at home in C.T. and hopfully the rest in Maine, if I can get my act together and find a place to hunt down there. If anyone has input on hunting the great state of Maine please drop a line?

I'm always battling with myself about all the stuff I carry into the turkey woods. I start the season heavy and slowly get lighter as the temps get higher. I can remember several times sitting with a friend and not having any action untill that one call changed everything. There was a time I recall, we were ready to call it a day with no action and as we started to walk out my friend grabbed his fighting purr call and hit it and 5 gobblers gobbled all together. We had just got up from sitting and calling, throwing almost everything we had at them. The birds were all in sight strutting, moments later the clock struck 12 and we had to stop hunting. Till this day I still carry a push button box call like the fighting purr in my vest, along with 2 hi frequency friction calls a box call and 4 or so mouth calls. I have also had action with my Red Wolf gobble tube when everything else failed me. Its hard to leave behind an old friend that made the day for you last year or, 5 years ago. The best call I have is provided by nature, dry leaves and my hand. Scratching the leaves when a gobbler is coming in is one reliable call. There comes a time when you just can't carry it all, and then there is the next favorite call, just waiting to be tested. Instead of a vest maybe a wheel barrow would work?

In my home state of C.T. I have seen areas dry up also. I was told the State traded turkeys for Fishercats and itroduced them. Everytime I have a slow day I want blame them. I really don't think that is the problem,but who knows. I think a few bad hatch years can realy change things. This past spring in C.T. was a very good hatch year and reports from the state indicate high success rate.

If you choose to hunt without a blind I would suggest taking another hunter to do the calling. Your chances are stronger with that old tom looking for someone else, not you. I also have had good luck with spitfire Gobbler getters.

I would never enter the turkey woods without my Madd Super aluminator. By far the most knotched call in my wheelbarrow of calls.