wild Turkey's

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=168 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="c0f146e3.gif"> <div> <IMG SRC="e3b1f200.gif" border=0 width="31" height="32" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id207.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hunting"><U><IMG SRC="e440d0d0.gif" border=0 width="13" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B> Hunting Page</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id212.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="100 hunting tips"><U><IMG SRC="e440d0d0.gif" border=0 width="13" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>100 Turkey Hunting Tips</B></FONT></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Cantrell Family Website</B></FONT>     |   <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cantrell Family Website"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> wild Turkey's</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="e3cf6a40.gif" border=0 width="246" height="164" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="e3d2c2c0.gif" border=0 width="300" height="300" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <B>Spring Gobbler Strategies </B></div> <bR> <div> Early Morning Setups     </div> <div> Listen for gobbler thunder from a ridge top, knoll or similar high spot at dawn. The higher you hunt the easier it is to hear and course faraway gobbles. If a bird roars on a nearby oak flat or just off the point of a ridge, great! Sneak quietly down into calling position. </div> <bR> <div> The first time a turkey gobbles, don't tear down the woods running to him. Keep cool; slip 25 to 50 yards in the direction of the gobble; and check up. A tom will usually gobble 2 or 3 more times, and hopefully more than that. Listen to those calls and draw a solid line to the bird's roost tree. </div> <bR> <div> Using ridges, hollows and foliage for cover, you should have no trouble sneaking within 200 yards of a roosted turkey. Whenever possible, try to cut the distance to 125 or even 100 yards. The less terra firma between you and a bird, the better the odds that he'll pitch down and drift to your calls at daybreak. </div> <bR> <div> For some strange reason, most toms are reluctant to pitch from their limbs and strut downhill to calling. Try to position above a roosted bird, or at least on the same gradient plane with him. </div> <bR> <div> As you approach a gobbling turkey, scan the woods for a fence, creek, gully or strip of thick brush, and maneuver to take any hazard large or small out of play. Strive to set up where the terrain is gently rolling and fairly open, which makes it easy for a tom to strut toward your calls. </div> <bR> <div> The best strategy of all is to anticipate where a gobbler will go to gather hens, then set up to block his way. Is there a field, food plot, clear-cut, burn or open creek bottom within a half-mile or so of a tom's roost tree? If so, beat feet over in that direction and settle in. When the turkey flies down and heads for his strut zone, you'll be in good position to cut him off and coax him with calling. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Early Morning Calling </B></div> <bR> <div> Let's say you do it right and slip within 100 yards of a roosted turkey that is gobbling hot and heavy. The more the bird roars, the more you feel an uncontrollable urge to cluck and yelp. But be careful! Too much calling at first light can hang a tom on his limb as he waits for the hot "hen" to sail or walk beneath his roost tree. And the longer he sits up there and fails to see a girl, the more he smells a rat. When the bird finally flies down 30 minutes later, there's a good chance he'll run the other way. </div> <bR> <div> So fight the urge to call too early. Wait until pink illuminates the sky. Then give a bird some pillow talk to let him now you're there. A couple of sultry tree clucks and yelps are about right. </div> <bR> <div> If the turkey bellows shut the heck up! He has honored you as a hen, he likes what he heard, and he knows where you are. Let him fly down and come looking for you. But if the tom fails to gobble, cluck and yelp a little louder to focus his attention in your direction. </div> <bR> <div> If he still doesn't talk, it's no big deal. Listen for the bird to fly down, then hit him with a spirited hen cackle. Try flapping a Primos turkey wing against your leg to sound like a hen pitching to the ground. If the tom gobbles and steps your way, you might not need to call again. But if he hangs up after 5 minutes or so, cluck, yelp and purr a little louder. As long as the turkey hangs around and gobbles keep playing the game. Most hunters move too quickly on toms that might eventually strut to their calls 30 minutes or so after fly-down time. </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="e59b4860.gif" border=0 width="180" height="134" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> In the spring sweet-talking like a sexy hen is the way to lure a gobbler most of the time. But you shouldn't forget that toms need a little male bonding every once in a while. Sometimes gobblers like to hang out together. Some tough guys talk trash and look for fights. So a few manly tactics can help you collect beards and spurs. Yelp like a Gobbler "Some springs I gobbler yelp more than I hen yelp," says my buddy Ray Eye, the legendary turkey hunter from Missouri. Eye points out that gobbler yelping works great if cold, rainy weather dictates a late spring green-up in an area. "Some longbeards will still be in winter flocks," he says. "The toms may become separated or just want male companionship, so they'll come to gobbler yelps." How do you do it? "The main thing to remember is to slow down the length and rhythm of your yelps," Eye notes. "A gobbler's yelps may be raspy or clear, but they're always slower than a hen's yelps." Gobbler yelp on a diaphragm or friction call in 3- or 4-note series. Mix in deep, coarse clucks for added realism. Gobble At Longbeards Gobbling on a rubber shaker or tube call is a good locating technique. Loud and attacking, the gobble works especially well when hunting Rio Grandes and Merriam's. A single call at dusk or dawn can set off a chain reaction of gobbling from toms packed into a live oak or pine roost. Back east, if standard owl hooting or crow calling fails to produce, why not faux gobble in hopes of shocking the real thing from a tight-lipped longbeard? You can also use gobbling to challenge the dominance of an old tom with hens. If a bird shuns your hen calls, gobble at him. He just might gobble back and come running to kick some tail feathers, allowing you to lower the boom. Try Fighting Purrs Back in the early 1990s Kentucky call makers Harold Knight and David Hale stood the turkey-hunting world on its ear with the introduction of the Fighting Purr system. In case you were asleep under a rock somewhere and missed it, here's the lowdown. You work a pair of push-peg calls simultaneously to aggravated purr and mimic 2 toms fighting for the right to breed hens. The theory is that nearby gobblers, like guys hanging around in a bar, should stroll over to watch two fellows slugging it out. So does it work? Well, not all of the time or even most of the time. But Fighting Purrs are effective on occasion, enough so that I think every hunter should pack them in his vest. I've called in and shot probably a dozen longbeards with my old Fighting Purrs, a couple of original prototypes that Harold Knight hand-tuned and sent me years ago. A note: Some toms gobble as they come to aggravated purrs. Other subdominant birds, probably fearing the wrath of the fighters, slip in silently to check out the racket. After a volley of fight calls lay down the boxes, pick up your shotgun, sit still and scan the woods for a turkey sneaking in.      </div> <bR> <div>  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>   Turkey Shotguns and Loads   </B></FONT>   </div> <bR> <div> Shotguns for turkey hunting have come a long way. "In" in the new millennium are 12-gauge semi-autos and pumps with 21-inch barrels threaded for full and extra-full choke tubes. Many custom chokes with even tighter constrictions will fit these threads. Most new guns have rugged synthetic stocks. The fashionable ones have Realtree®, Advantage® or Mossy Oak® finishes. </div> <bR> <div> Four models from the "big two" turkey gun manufacturers are trendsetters. If you're a pump-gun man check out Remington's Model .870 SPS-T Turkey Camo or Mossberg's Model .835 Ulti-Mag. Autoloader fans can go with a Remington .11-87 SPS-T Turkey Camo or a Mossberg .9200. I've shot gobblers with all these guns. Patterned properly with loads that they like, the magnums are accurate and hard-hitting out to 40 yards. </div> <bR> <div> Most hunters are well served with a 12-gauge magnum chambered for 3-inch loads. But the Mossberg .835 Ulti-Mag, introduced in the early 1990s, started a mini-trend in turkey firepower. The 12-gauge pump can handle 3 ½-inch shells, which provide pellet payloads and energies that rival 10-gauge loads. On the downside, 3 ½-inch loads kick like a mad mule. </div> <bR> <div> The Mossberg .835 has proved to a solid performer in the turkey woods. That's a big reason why other manufacturers now chamber shotguns for 3 ½-inch shells. Remington has a 3 ½-inch option for its Model .870 SPS-T pump. And Browning has gotten into the game with its new Hunter/Stalker autoloader chambered for 3 ½-inch loads. Check out these guns at your local sports store. </div> <bR> <div> You may have noticed that I haven't mentioned the 10-gauge. Well, in my opinion a 12-gauge with a super-full choke (and shooting a good load of course) can do everything a 10 can, with less weight and recoil to boot. As for the 20-gauge, it can be a good choice for young and recoil-shy hunters, though shots at gobblers should be limited to 25 or 30 yards. </div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Turkey Loads </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" >    </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Twelve-gauge, 3-inch magnum loads from Winchester, Federal and Remington feature maximum powder charges and 2 or 2 ¼ ounces of copper-plated shot (size 4, 5 or 6). These loads deliver around 1,175 fps muzzle velocity and pattern well in most shotguns from 20 to 40 yards, prime turkey-shooting range. </div> <bR> <div> The ammunition companies also offer new high-velocity 12-gauge loads, and they're making a lot of noise in turkey-hunting circles. The 3-inch shells typically hold only 1¾ ounces of No. 4, 5 or 6 shot, but a hotter propellant delivers around 17% more muzzle velocity than standard 2-ounce loads. You should test these loads at the range and in the turkey woods. </div> <bR> <div> The ammo makers also offer 3 ½-inch loads for use in Mossberg, Remington and Browning shotguns with 3 ½-inch chambers. These shells hold 23 % more No. 4, 5 or 6 pellets than 3-inch loads. While they'll thump your shoulder and cheek at the range, you'll never feel the recoil when firing at a turkey. No doubt 3 ½-inch guns and loads are here to stay, and they deliver a lethal dose of gobbler medicine out to 40 yards when your aim is true. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Bowhunting Turkeys </B></div> <bR> <div> Your deer hunting bow will double nicely for turkeys. If you shoot a 65- to 80-pound compound, you might want to lower its draw weight to 55 or 60 pounds. This allows you to minimize movement and draw smoothly—no "cheating up." You should also be able to hold draw for a long time as you nervously wait for a gobbler to work in and offer a good shot. </div> <bR> <div> If your bow does not have a factory camouflage finish, cover it.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Arrows and Broadheads</B></div> <bR> <div> The lightweight aluminum or carbon shafts you use for deer work fine for big birds. Use sharp, 90- to 125-grain broadheads. If you go with a fixed, 3-blade head consider using a spring stopper. A stopper, which attaches to a shaft just behind a broadhead, helps to keep an arrow from passing too quickly through a turkey. Many hunters swear by mechanical broadheads for toms. These heads are accurate and open on impact, cutting a big hole in a turkey's body. They are definitely worth a look. </div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div>      </div> <div> <B>Beards and Spurs </B></div> <bR> <div> Keep the beard and spurs from every gobbler that you shoot, no matter how long and impressive they are. "Ropes" and "hooks" are keepsakes that rekindle the memories of awesome days in the field. Cut or pull a beard (it will often pop right off with a firm tug) from a tom's chest. Coat the meaty base of a beard with salt to preserve it. Cut off a gobbler's legs at the ankles (the main joints) with a knife or pruning shear. Most hunters keep a box full of legs and spurs, but you can saw off pieces of legs with spurs intact if you want. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Field-Dressing a Bird </B></div> <bR> <div> A turkey should be field-dressed or "drawn" as soon as possible after a hunt, especially on a warm day. Lay a bird on its back and pluck the feathers from beneath the bottom of its breastbone. Slip on a pair of rubber field-dressing gloves (the same ones you use for deer hunting, available at Cabela's or Wal-Mart) and cut horizontally in the "vent" just beneath the bottom point of the breastbone. Reach into the body cavity and remove the innards. Warning: The inside of a turkey stinks! Rinse the cavity with cool water. </div> <bR> <div> Pluck or Skin? Plucking is a hassle and takes time, but it's the best way to prepare a turkey for a Thanksgiving feast. Hang a bird from a tree limb by its feet (or head). Carefully pluck the breast, side, back and leg feathers (be careful not to rip the skin in too many places). Use tweezers to remove tough quills and small pinfeathers. When you roast the bird the skin retains juices that helps keep the meat moist. Skinning is simpler and quicker. Just pull skin, feathers and all off a bird's body and drumsticks. After plucking or skinning, remove a turkey's head, wings and lower legs (leave the drumsticks) with a knife or pruning shear. Cut or pull away the crop, the thin pouch on the upper breast. Wash the bird in cold water. Use the point of a blade or tweezers to remove any shot pellets that might have strayed low into the meat.</div> <div>  </div> <div> <B>Breasting a Turkey</B></div> <bR> <div>  Many hunters breast out most of the turkeys they shoot. It's quick and easy. Lay a bird on a flat surface, spread its wings and pull the skin and feathers well back and off the breast. Use a sharp knife (a fillet blade works great) to cut deeply down each side of the breastbone. Work slowly and carefully, taking care to remove both large, plump halves of breast meat. Rinse the meat and cut it into thin fingers or nuggets. Fry or grill for a delicious treat! </div> <bR> <div> <B>Freezing a Bird</B></div> <bR> <div>  If you won't be eating a whole bird or breasts for awhile, double-wrap the meat in freezer paper or freezer bags. A frozen turkey is beast eaten within six months or so.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="e3ef1450.gif" border=0 width="241" height="325" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="e5a90d20.gif" border=0 width="400" height="210" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id207.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hunting"><U><IMG SRC="e3a96320.gif" border=0 width="150" height="50" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </td> </tr></table></body>