Turkey Hunting
Edited by Webmaster
Justice Casey Percell
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Turkey Hunting Edited by Webmaster Justice Casey Percell |
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Benelli Nova |
My first Spring gobbler season in Virginia was not great. I didn't even
see a turkey.
I had five Saturday mornings for the season scheduled April 14 to May 19.
On the first two Saturdays I went to Fort A. P. Hill. There were turkeys in the area;
I saw one at the check station on the first Saturday.
But I didn't see any in the areas I scouted.
Next I went to the Thompson Wildlife Management Area. I could hear turkeys
gobbling on the surrounding private land, but none in the WMA.
On the fourth Saturday I went to a recommended spot in the George Washington National forest.
The forest was dense. I didn't see or hear anything.
On the last Saturday I went to the Phelps Wildlife Management Area. I met one hunter
there who said turkeys had been in the area but we didn't see any that
morning.
I was disappointed in not even seeing any turkeys, but there were lessons to be learned.
Mostly, I learned that pre-season scouting can be very valuable.
During the season I attended a dinner hosted by the National Wild Turkey Federation.
The consensus of the hunters at the dinner was that the Quantico Marine Base was an excellent
place for hunting. Of course, it is also popular. The hunting managers at the base
prevent hunters from overcrowding in the hunting areas, but there could be a wait. It
would be best to go there early on a week day.
My goal is to improve each year, which, given my dismal start, should be easy to
accomplish next year. In 2002, I will plan on doing more pre-season scouting,
and will schedule a day during the week to go to Quantico.
Hopefully, I will at least see a turkey, which would be a big improvement.
I purchased a Benelli Nova, 20" exclusively for turkey hunting. I haven't had the chance
to fully test it. I did some pattern testing, but I need to do more before I can
make any conclusions.
I purchased the Extreme Turkey Lounger from Bucklick Creek.
It has the advantage of a prop-up back support.
The support works well. I can comfortably sit in it and get sufficient back support. And it
does fold down easily for quick shooting position.
However, I'm 5'9" and weigh 190 lbs. While the lounger fits comfortably, it is
snug. I can't see someone weighing much more sitting in the seat.
The disadvantage is that there are no legs for the seat. Some fold out leg would
be better, especially if the ground were wet or covered with snow. I still carried
a portable seat even with the lounger.
The lounger has side pockets. They were barely sufficient, but I wish I had more
pocket room. I still had to carry a fanny pack.
The most obvious disadvantage is no provision for a water bottle. Again, I had to
depend on the fanny pack for pocket room and water bottles.
There is one large pocket in the back with a orange flag. The pocket barely held
my luggage which included decoys and the extra seat with legs.
Of course, I packed a full load, including all emergency equipment such as flashlight,
matches, extra batteries, etc. I'm sure some venture into the woods with much less,
but I believe in being prepared. The pocket was large, but I dearly would have wished
it were larger.
In sum, the Extreme Turkey Lounger worked, but it could be better.
Hunter's Specialties markets a series of videos.
They are marginally helpful. Most of the video time is spent with talking heads who were
explaining the calls. The videos would be much better if they contained more time
demonstrating the calls and providing sounds that the viewer could practice with.
Also, it would have more helpful if there were real situations with turkeys depicted
and the effects of different calls on them.
I count as one of my life achievements the ability to use a turkey mouth call.
It wasn't easy. I could not make a sound at first.
I would practice in my car while driving to work.
I succeeded mostly in spitting all over the windshield.
Then I placed it toward the front of the mouth, on the lips. It was easy to make a sound,
but I was not able to change the pitch which is crucial in order to replicate the yelp.
I gradually moved the call back until I was able to both make a sound and change the
pitch by dropping the jaw.
I have made decent progress. I feet that I'm skilled enough to try it when hunting.
However, I still need to work on changing the pitch fast enough to make a quality yelp.
The ultimate test, of course, is with the turkeys.
General
Again, I'm new at hunting. But I hope to be able to help other
beginners.
Benelli Nova
Bucklick Creek Turkey Lounger
The most prominent turkey calls are the box, slate, and mouth-diaphram. I haven't found that any manufacturer is better than the other. About all you can do is experiment to try to find the one that you can work the best.
The following links are provided because they are helpful to consumers.
The Prime Business Corral, however, does not endorse
any services or products offered from the links.
Equipment
Bucklick Creek
The site offers products for hunters. I bought a lounger from this site (see above).
Browning Gold Turkey Gun
"This specialty shotgun is as rugged and wiley as the birds it hunts."
Hunter's Specialties
Successful Turkey Hunting
"The following "Successful Turkey Hunting" information is taken from the National Wild Turkey
Federation "HUNT SAFELY" program."
Wild Turkey Hunting Network
"The Virtual Wild Turkey Hunting Information Center."
Turkey Tune Long Range Turkey Guns
"The ultimate turkey guns developed by the hunting staff at White Oak Farm and unconditionally guaranteed to
out perform any other shotgun."
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