Here we go! Turkey season has kicked off in Maine and as Dad and I are getting ready to head out with my friend Brian, I can not help but think of where we werea year ago. I wanted to shoot a turkey while I was pregnant so that I could say that I got both a deer and turkey while waddling around in the woods. It didn't happen but Dad and I learned a lot about this new critter that we were hunting, which is why I asked Brian to take us out for a day. We need to learn how close they need to be to us in order to take a successful shot and we need to learn how to get them to come to us. We were successful last year in having them call back to us, but we were not able to get them to come to us. I think (hope) that is...
As I was driving to work today I had a thought; one of my biggest issues with transitioning to turkey hunting is the idea of aiming at the head and hoping enough pellets are close enough together to kill the bird. What if I learned to bow hunt for turkey? That would give me one arrow to aim (like one bullet) and I would have one target to hit instead of aiming in a general spot. For those of you avid turkey hunters, what is your thought on this? I would not be able to do this until next year, but it is a tempting thought. Will it work?
As I write this, I am almost 38 weeks pregnant. I finished up my first season (more like sample) of turkey hunting with Dad and have found some things are vastly different than then were 22 weeks ago when I was deer hunting. For starters, Dad and I are novices when it comes to figuring out how turkeys operate. Give me a rainy weekend and I can tell you the times of day that the deer will be moving and when they will bed down. With these turkeys, that rule doesn't seem to apply; they are out in a complete downpour. When I make noise by rattling antlers or using a bleet, I know if I am trying to imitate another buck or a doe. I have no idea what sort of bird I sound like when I use my box call. In the...
Well, we know we are in a good area and that our calls work. We got into the woods by the Sky Condo a little earlier than we did on the first day. The weather predicted rain so we wanted to get in as much time as possible. We got to our ground blind, set up the decoys and settled in to start calling. This morning though, we didn’t have to start anything. We heard a gobble within five minutes of sitting down. I got my box call out and called back. He answered almost immediately. We had a great conversation for a steady 30 minutes with him often double or triple gobbling. Then the gobbles became more spaced apart but did not stop. Dad decided that be would circle down to the power...
It is hard to hunt anything when there are rain drops falling off the trees. It is probably the worst during deer season when everything sounds like the snapping of a branch. But, this was my first day of turkey hunting and having never been before, I had no idea what I should be listening for besides a gobble. Our turkey decoys Dad and I had two decoys set up about 15 yards away from us. I had a slate call, a box call and my camo on. It was starting to get light out when we reached the blind; that time of morning when you can not tell if you really are seeing something move or if it is just your eyes. It was probably a little later than we should have been in the woods, but we are new and learning. About...
For 10 years, I have been trained to look for that quarter-sized spot, half way down the crease of the shoulder. That is where I would set my cross hairs and shoot. That one small spot to ensure that the deer I was hunting would die a quick death. The idea that I would have many pellets in a shell and just sort of aim at what I was trying to kill is something I am trying to wrap my mind around. Hubby and I were up at Mom and Dad's for Easter weekend and decided to break out the guns on Saturday afternoon. We were using #6 and #8 shells (I apologize right now for any and all incorrect terminology that I am about to use! I will get it after a while) but will be hunting with #4. Dad has a pump 12 gauge and a break action 12 gauge. The...
Last week, I posted the first part of my interview with Bryan White. Here is the rest of our interview. Enjoy! What do you think can be done to promote the outdoors to more people? To get kids interested in hunting and fishing? More government funded organizations with celebrity spokespersons that are actually involved. I feel that more celebrities need to be proud of continuing their heritage and make their love for the outdoors better known. Children and adults look up to these public figures and they can play a huge role in mainstreaming the outdoor lifestyle. What would you tell someone who wants to get into these sports? I’d tell them I’m excited for them and that they’re about to step into a world of awesome adventure…And hook...
The ability to connect with others about hunting is constantly amazing me. It has led me to new friends, new experiences and it has given me the opportunity to talk with people I would have never had the chance to. I have been lucky enough to ask questions and learn about how others hunt, fish and interact with the outdoors. After my interview with the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, I was looking for other people to talk to about their experiences in the outdoors and started going through who I followed on Twitter. I wanted to find someone who was passionate about the outdoors and would be really cool to interview. I sent a message to Grammy-winning country music artist and songwriter, Bryan White. I explained that I...
