Team 14 "TURKAHOLICS"
02-27-2009, 01:22 PM
#31
Fork Horn
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 210
RE: Team 14 Thread
If this helps, I usually go to Wisconsin for turkeys. Cost of license,6 1/2 hours to get to my mom and dads and back home at the end of my week, the driving around to different spots to find a turkey, food. That would be well over $200.00 and the last 2 years I have went I came home with a open tag. So if it was me I would do it.
02-27-2009, 04:40 PM
#32
RE: Team 14 Thread
jjones, I am glad to have helped last year. I hope you have a great season.
Pat_Ely- thanks for taking the lead for our team. I saw that you put down "priceless..." next to your sign in as captain. I am ok with that name too...or even to go with "The team with no name" as our name as per your comment.
I will edit the team thread to that effect if you would like.
I am a little frustrated...the youth turkey season dates coincide with opening day of baseball... arghhh.
Pat_Ely- thanks for taking the lead for our team. I saw that you put down "priceless..." next to your sign in as captain. I am ok with that name too...or even to go with "The team with no name" as our name as per your comment.
I will edit the team thread to that effect if you would like.
I am a little frustrated...the youth turkey season dates coincide with opening day of baseball... arghhh.
02-28-2009, 12:07 PM
#35
RE: Team 14 Thread
Welcome aboard Saxman.Do you play the sax? I played tenor for years and just sold it a few years ago to buy a guitar. In truth, I play turkey calls a lot more than either one of them now!
It looks like mcorso is our only outstanding team member.
I'm real encouraged by you guys. Let's hear some stories from the past about turkey hunting to get us in the mood. I'll start.
Without a doubt, one of my favorite turkey hunts includes the first bird I called for someone else to shoot. There is something liberating about only calling and giving someone else a chance to get their first bird. I know that some turkey hunters frown on the idea of a two man team, but I really like it. I also think that the best chance for a newbie to get a bird is by learning from someone else. I know that if I hadn't had someone call my first bird in for me, I might have given up long ago...maybe
. Anyway, I digress.
My friend and I had deer hunted and I had been telling him all about turkey hunting and about how different it was than deer hunting. He had never heard a turkey gobble, as he had never been out early in the spring woods. We had roosted a bird a couple of weeks before. He was hanging around this field near a swamp bottom and some old planted pines. I remember when I hooted that morning and that Tom sounded off on cue, David said "What was that?" I said, "That's a turkey gobble....It'll give you a hard on won't it?!!!"
Well, that was the first year that they allowed decoys in Alabama, so I set out three hens and a jake. I set David right in front of the decoys with me about 30 yards back toward the far edge of the field. I started calling and he started gobbling. I was so excited. Then, it turned badly. I started hearing hens. He had about 4 hens with him. I could see the top of his fan as he was strutting about 100 yards away. I could hear those live hens cutting and yelping. I thought, "Well, David gets to learn what being all henned up means." I thought I could play with them for a while and then try to cut them off if they headed toward one of the other crp fields.
That's when I noticed that the boss hen sounded just like my lynch box call. To tell you the truth, I purchased that box call about 12 years ago and didn't have a clue what I was doing when I did so. I could never get that thing to sound "good" to me, but out of nostalgia, I bring it along on most hunts. I learned to usea mouthcall since I was primarily a bowhunter and in fact took my first three turkeys with an arrow and string. But, I digress. That hen would never had won a calling contest. She sounded awful. That's why I never use that box, because I sound awful on it. However, she sounded just like that box call. So, I switched fom my mouth call to that sorry old box call. I began to match her note for note. She'd cut, and I'd cut. I really tried to match her note for note. It was really fun.
She finally had enough. She came across that field followed by her three girlfriends. Lagging about 50 yards behind came that gobbler in half strut. The got to the decoys and BOOM! 9 1/2 " beard, 20 lbs, and 1" spurs. I got the tail fan, legs, and beard mounted for him. It stays in his office to this day.
I got the whole thing on video. The whole hunt took 50 minutes. It seemed like hours. The only bad thing is that David thinks that this is how turkey hunting works.... you can't call in the gobbler, you call in the hens...it's as simple as that....What's the big deal?
It was all in a morning's hunt for him, but for me it was the hunt ofa decade. I've called other birds for other folks and some for myself in the mean time, but that hunt will always be one of my faves.
Let's hear your tales in the woods.
It looks like mcorso is our only outstanding team member.
I'm real encouraged by you guys. Let's hear some stories from the past about turkey hunting to get us in the mood. I'll start.
Without a doubt, one of my favorite turkey hunts includes the first bird I called for someone else to shoot. There is something liberating about only calling and giving someone else a chance to get their first bird. I know that some turkey hunters frown on the idea of a two man team, but I really like it. I also think that the best chance for a newbie to get a bird is by learning from someone else. I know that if I hadn't had someone call my first bird in for me, I might have given up long ago...maybe
. Anyway, I digress.My friend and I had deer hunted and I had been telling him all about turkey hunting and about how different it was than deer hunting. He had never heard a turkey gobble, as he had never been out early in the spring woods. We had roosted a bird a couple of weeks before. He was hanging around this field near a swamp bottom and some old planted pines. I remember when I hooted that morning and that Tom sounded off on cue, David said "What was that?" I said, "That's a turkey gobble....It'll give you a hard on won't it?!!!"
Well, that was the first year that they allowed decoys in Alabama, so I set out three hens and a jake. I set David right in front of the decoys with me about 30 yards back toward the far edge of the field. I started calling and he started gobbling. I was so excited. Then, it turned badly. I started hearing hens. He had about 4 hens with him. I could see the top of his fan as he was strutting about 100 yards away. I could hear those live hens cutting and yelping. I thought, "Well, David gets to learn what being all henned up means." I thought I could play with them for a while and then try to cut them off if they headed toward one of the other crp fields.
That's when I noticed that the boss hen sounded just like my lynch box call. To tell you the truth, I purchased that box call about 12 years ago and didn't have a clue what I was doing when I did so. I could never get that thing to sound "good" to me, but out of nostalgia, I bring it along on most hunts. I learned to usea mouthcall since I was primarily a bowhunter and in fact took my first three turkeys with an arrow and string. But, I digress. That hen would never had won a calling contest. She sounded awful. That's why I never use that box, because I sound awful on it. However, she sounded just like that box call. So, I switched fom my mouth call to that sorry old box call. I began to match her note for note. She'd cut, and I'd cut. I really tried to match her note for note. It was really fun.
She finally had enough. She came across that field followed by her three girlfriends. Lagging about 50 yards behind came that gobbler in half strut. The got to the decoys and BOOM! 9 1/2 " beard, 20 lbs, and 1" spurs. I got the tail fan, legs, and beard mounted for him. It stays in his office to this day.
I got the whole thing on video. The whole hunt took 50 minutes. It seemed like hours. The only bad thing is that David thinks that this is how turkey hunting works.... you can't call in the gobbler, you call in the hens...it's as simple as that....What's the big deal?
It was all in a morning's hunt for him, but for me it was the hunt ofa decade. I've called other birds for other folks and some for myself in the mean time, but that hunt will always be one of my faves.
Let's hear your tales in the woods.
02-28-2009, 12:14 PM
#36
Typical Buck
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Chester County Pennsylvania
Posts: 869
RE: Team 14 Thread
Here is the most important hunt of mine... Please don't take your kids for granted
It all started when My wife gave birth to my son on March 13th.
Unfortunately he didn't survive. We had to make a decision whether to
cremate or bury him. We decided to have him cremated. Well, anyway I told
him as he passed in my arms that I would take him hunting. (sorry if this
offends anyone).
So here we go: It's 3am in the morning as the alarm clock goes off, it's been
a long week of hunting and it's the second Saturday of the Spring season. I
had been guiding all week and had called in many birds for my clients but
today was my day to hunt. I got dressed and put the canister with my son in
it in my breast pocket close to my heart. I woke up my brother law and told
him it was time to go. He got up and got dressed all the while we discussed
what bird we were going go to after. We decided on a bird that was out close
to an intersection of an old logging road. We put on our turkey vests and
started the long dark walk out to the spot.
Upon arriving at the spot I wanted to set up at, I put out my hen decoy,
picked a nice blow down to tuck into and a tree for him to lean against. It
was a beautifully quiet and calm morning. As the sun started to rise it just
made the walk all the worth while. About 15 minutes after the light broke I
heard him gobble on his own about 100 yards in front of us to the south. I
waited for him to gobble again and started my soft tree calls. As soon as I
started, he gobbled back at me and a hen started calling back about 60
yards to the west of me. ( you know that feeling you get when you know
you're where you're supposed to be :-) ) Well he gobbled for awhile and I just
hushed up. The hen got more and more excited as he gobbled. At about
6am I saw the hen fly down and heard the gobbler fly down. The hen started
calling to him pretty excitedly so I started mimicking her but getting a little
more excited than her. I could hear him coming towards her and saw her
walk out onto the logging road and just stand there as if to say here I am. I
stopped calling for about 15 minutes and just listened to him gobble at her. I
then could tell that he too had stepped out onto the logging road but was
just on the other side of a hill in the road. I watched as she perked up. I
started calling to him excitedly again and he responded with double and
triple gobbles. He then shut up but I could here the famous pfffffftttttt
drummmmmmmmmmm. I could hear him coming closer. I touched my
breast pocket and said to my boy it just doesn't get any better than this.
The First thing I saw was the Awesome fan coming up over the hill. Then he
stepped up over to show me his impressive beard and body size. He was
brilliantly colored with all the bronzes, reds, whites, and of course blues. I
watched him walk up to the hen and just strut like he was the king. I started
shaking with (I don't care who you are; you shake at a sight like that)
excitement. I kept calling to him and he kept strutting for me. He got with in
25 yards of me and hopped up on the bank of the road. I watched him for
awhile til I could get a clean shot at him. I took that special bird with one
clean shot. I walked over to that majestic bird and gave him thanks for being
there and giving his life for me and my son. I looked skyward and thanked
God for giving me such a gift. I spread some of my Son's ashes there where
the turkey laid since it was my son's bird and not mine.
I just wanted to share this with all of the turkey hunters, and I hope that
nobody is offended by my story, if you are I apologize to you. Thanks, Pat
It all started when My wife gave birth to my son on March 13th.
Unfortunately he didn't survive. We had to make a decision whether to
cremate or bury him. We decided to have him cremated. Well, anyway I told
him as he passed in my arms that I would take him hunting. (sorry if this
offends anyone).
So here we go: It's 3am in the morning as the alarm clock goes off, it's been
a long week of hunting and it's the second Saturday of the Spring season. I
had been guiding all week and had called in many birds for my clients but
today was my day to hunt. I got dressed and put the canister with my son in
it in my breast pocket close to my heart. I woke up my brother law and told
him it was time to go. He got up and got dressed all the while we discussed
what bird we were going go to after. We decided on a bird that was out close
to an intersection of an old logging road. We put on our turkey vests and
started the long dark walk out to the spot.
Upon arriving at the spot I wanted to set up at, I put out my hen decoy,
picked a nice blow down to tuck into and a tree for him to lean against. It
was a beautifully quiet and calm morning. As the sun started to rise it just
made the walk all the worth while. About 15 minutes after the light broke I
heard him gobble on his own about 100 yards in front of us to the south. I
waited for him to gobble again and started my soft tree calls. As soon as I
started, he gobbled back at me and a hen started calling back about 60
yards to the west of me. ( you know that feeling you get when you know
you're where you're supposed to be :-) ) Well he gobbled for awhile and I just
hushed up. The hen got more and more excited as he gobbled. At about
6am I saw the hen fly down and heard the gobbler fly down. The hen started
calling to him pretty excitedly so I started mimicking her but getting a little
more excited than her. I could hear him coming towards her and saw her
walk out onto the logging road and just stand there as if to say here I am. I
stopped calling for about 15 minutes and just listened to him gobble at her. I
then could tell that he too had stepped out onto the logging road but was
just on the other side of a hill in the road. I watched as she perked up. I
started calling to him excitedly again and he responded with double and
triple gobbles. He then shut up but I could here the famous pfffffftttttt
drummmmmmmmmmm. I could hear him coming closer. I touched my
breast pocket and said to my boy it just doesn't get any better than this.
The First thing I saw was the Awesome fan coming up over the hill. Then he
stepped up over to show me his impressive beard and body size. He was
brilliantly colored with all the bronzes, reds, whites, and of course blues. I
watched him walk up to the hen and just strut like he was the king. I started
shaking with (I don't care who you are; you shake at a sight like that)
excitement. I kept calling to him and he kept strutting for me. He got with in
25 yards of me and hopped up on the bank of the road. I watched him for
awhile til I could get a clean shot at him. I took that special bird with one
clean shot. I walked over to that majestic bird and gave him thanks for being
there and giving his life for me and my son. I looked skyward and thanked
God for giving me such a gift. I spread some of my Son's ashes there where
the turkey laid since it was my son's bird and not mine.
I just wanted to share this with all of the turkey hunters, and I hope that
nobody is offended by my story, if you are I apologize to you. Thanks, Pat
02-28-2009, 02:24 PM
#37
Typical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Shawnee, KS
Posts: 774
RE: Team 14 Thread
What an extremely touching story Pat, March 13th happens to be my birthday as well (born in 1978). Anyway, I'm not going to lie, I've never actually scored while turkey hunting because this is my first year seriously hunting in the spring (I'm into flyfishing in a big way and the spring is usually reserved for that passion). However, this year I'm going to hunt in the spring with my uncle, who is the most experienced hunterI know. Even though I've never scored, I've come very very close in the fall with my bow (while deer hunting).
In 2006, I was sitting in my bow stand on the last day of bow season before the rifle season and I haven't seen anything all day long. Well about an hour before sundown, I hear some rustling in the leaves and all of a sudden a flock of turkeys come up to my stand within bow range. I carefully bring my bow up and get to full draw and place a bead on the largest gobbler in range (35 or so yards). As soon as I release my arrow, the big tom does a little sidehop and the arrow barely misses him (the shaft actually slaps the leg in the turkey as it flys by him). The flock doesn't spook but does walk out of range rather quickly after I miss the Tom. They all wheel around my stand and a couple more of the birds in the flock get within bow range but I misjudge the distance and shoot over another Tom's back (and bury the arrow in a tree). The sound of the arrow hitting the tree causes the whole flock to panic and they all fly off. The arrow hit the tree so hard that it shattered the carbon shaft and my muzzy broadhead is still buried in the tree [&:][&:][&:].
Like I said earlier, this year I'm getting serious about Turkey hunting and I should get at least one opportunity to score (it helps that I have 1800 acres of private land to hunt in North Eastern Missouri).
In 2006, I was sitting in my bow stand on the last day of bow season before the rifle season and I haven't seen anything all day long. Well about an hour before sundown, I hear some rustling in the leaves and all of a sudden a flock of turkeys come up to my stand within bow range. I carefully bring my bow up and get to full draw and place a bead on the largest gobbler in range (35 or so yards). As soon as I release my arrow, the big tom does a little sidehop and the arrow barely misses him (the shaft actually slaps the leg in the turkey as it flys by him). The flock doesn't spook but does walk out of range rather quickly after I miss the Tom. They all wheel around my stand and a couple more of the birds in the flock get within bow range but I misjudge the distance and shoot over another Tom's back (and bury the arrow in a tree). The sound of the arrow hitting the tree causes the whole flock to panic and they all fly off. The arrow hit the tree so hard that it shattered the carbon shaft and my muzzy broadhead is still buried in the tree [&:][&:][&:].
Like I said earlier, this year I'm getting serious about Turkey hunting and I should get at least one opportunity to score (it helps that I have 1800 acres of private land to hunt in North Eastern Missouri
).
02-28-2009, 08:31 PM
#38
RE: Team 14 Thread
Wow...Pat, what a story. Thank you for sharing those pearls with us. I will honor your story and openness. As a pastor, I read a lot of motivational stories about family, death, and trials. Yours now holds a special place in my heart. Thanks for sharing.
M0-KS- better luck is coming this spring. I am pulling for you.
We've got a great team. Get ready guys, I'm taking my son soon.
M0-KS- better luck is coming this spring. I am pulling for you.
We've got a great team. Get ready guys, I'm taking my son soon.
