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Try some camouflage burlap around your stand, this will help hide you in the stand. But, even if you decided not to build a permanent stand and you have some places you wish you would of hunted last year or you did some late season scouting. Now take your portable stand and put it up on the tree you plan to hunt, hang you orange vest on the tree about the level you will be shooting from, now you can cut some shooting lanes for this years deer season. This works well for the permanent stands also just hang it on the tree about the level you will be shooting from. Just keep the orange in site and open up the shooting lanes you would like. Also mark some of the trees for 10, 20, 30, or 40 yard markers so that you can make that shot as accurately as possible. By doing this now, the deer will get used to the environment in which you have created. This makes the deer at ease with its surroundings instead of coming in on alert. Some things to keep in mind. This is also a good time to practice if you have the time. Just take your target and bow along. Also if you decide to use a boat seat, be sure to practice shooting from a sitting position, this way you will make less movement at the moment of truth. Good time to plant that Milo and corn or any other items since the temperature has warmed up some also. Don't forget to put your minerals out this time of year the deer need it especially salt when they are shedding their winter coat. One last thing to do during Spring Turkey Season. Just because you have harvested your limit or it's the afternoon or even morning again or you just want to introduce a kid to hunting try taking a camera, it works just as good as a gun and also can give you something to remember or show toy our friends. Just remember the weekend is all you got make the most of it. Hope to see you in the woods this weekend. WEEKEND TURKEY & DEER HUNTER. gam@marz.com
With all the decoys out on the market I am not going to tell you which one works the best for me. I believe the best type is what is best for that specific hunter. I will tell you if you haven’t used decoys before or you only carry one, your missing out on some close up wild action. The following reason will be why I believe that while using one hen may work in some situations and is better than nothing. The option of having two hens and the key to it all the little jake. The reasons you should decide on using decoys. The first one is a biological reason. Gobblers are the most male chauvinist animals I know.The hens are suppose to come to him and they do not take care of the young. We are calling are heads off, acting like a hot hen looking for a boss tom. The Gobbler answers and if he is the dominant bird in the area, he will wait and keep gobbling. What we are doing is un-natural; the way nature has intended it is the hen comes to the gobbler. Well, the Gobbler finally get frustrated enough to come in. If you’re not using any decoy he may just decide that things are just not right or there is a bigger gobbler with the hen and leave or thinks the hen has already taken off. So this is the reason for at least one hen. Now he sees the hen and starts to strut. Now he is locked up and won’t walk in any farther and expecting the hen to come running to him. He is out of range. I guess we could stand up and get a little closer if the gobbler wouldn’t mind. Just seems for some reason not to work out like that. If you decide to have two hot hens and a little jake. That will probably be all that is needed for this boss tom. He will probably still start strutting but he will see the little jake this time and think he can just whoop the tail feathers right off this chump and strut right up to him to show off for the girls at the same time. Sounds like the typical teenage boy. That’s why you must keep the little jake within your killing range. You might as well make it 20 yards for a sure shot or what ever the best pattern is for your gun. Also remember to have the little jake facing you. He will approach the
little jake head on. While he is in strutting you can raise your gun. When
he drops his tail, that’s when you can let him have it.
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| Be sure you keep the decoys in the open so that they can be seen from
a distance. The gobbler has to see them to work. But a great safety rule
is be sure you can see what is beyond your decoy so if another hunter enters
the area you can yell him off. Remember it better to be safe than sorry.
Also don’t wave him off. Movement in the woods this time of year is can
be dangerous. JUST YELL. Don’t wait you can always start the setup again
in a different location. Be sure to protect you back with a big tree, log
or ground just in case a hunter comes up from behind you.
Another reason for using
at least one decoy I have already described to you. But I will make sure
it is clear. His attention will be on the decoy not the location of the
calling. He will just think the hen or hens have moved a little. Important rule also. As a turkey hunter will more than likely have seen or will see a group of jakes roaming the woods. These birds can’t quite make it one on one with a big dominant gobbler. But a group the jake gang can run one off or even kill him if there are enough of them. So don’t get over zealous and use more jake. One lone little jake is the key. |
So here is my perfect decoy setup. |
FRUSTRATED BIRD IS A BIRD IN THE BAG.
First - I have a lone hen to the side but not to far; facing the jake but the hen is on the opposite direction I am planning for gobbler to come. Either way I have the hen in a positioned if the gobbler comes from her direction the hen will be facing away from him just ignoring him. What nerve she has ignoring this boss tom. If he come from the direction I want, the jake is between the gobbler and hen. What nerve he has in blocking the big toms way.
Second – I have a hen without a stake facing at angle away from me and
away from and in front of the jake. I try to make it look like the hen
is ready but the jake not made it to her yet.
Third – I have the jake mount facing me, and a few feet behind the second
hen that is on the ground. This guy will be about 20 yards in the direction
I hope the gobbler to come from. This little fellow will get the blast
to but it will be worth it. You must be careful some time the big old tom
will drop from his strut and run and start spurring away at the little
jake and knock him right off the stake. It’s a hell of site. But, the little
jake will get some help if the gobbler ever gets still again from the other
big turkey’s in the woods. ME and YOU.
One more item before I let you go. Be sure you pile up some leaves near
the tail of the two on the stakes when the wind blow you don't want them
to spin like a wind mill. But, 4 or 5 inches in either direction might
just be what you need to get the boss tom to stop strutting around and
get down to business.
BECOMING
THE TURKEY Last but not least don’t
forget to become a group of hens and a lone jake. WHAT DID YOU SAY? I know
the thought on your minds. Become a group of turkeys. Even if you don’t
see or hear a gobbler that morning start from the beginning with you’re
turkey calling. Start with tree yelps and
even use different calls. All turkeys don’t sound alike anyway. Remember
he can’t see you but I guarantee you he can hear you. Next take you hat
and do some fly downs by hitting across you leg and then sound of hitting
the ground and leaves moving. Now add some excitement
for the hens have gathered and have just found some food and are also looking
for a gobbler. But now add one or two gobbles from a jake call just to
finish it off. Now shut up for about 10 to 15 minutes to add some curiosity. What you have just done
is set the picture in the gobblers mind there is hens and another young
gobbler near by so if your bird is an old silent smarter than you gobbler
when he comes in and see the perfect decoy set up. It will be everything
he expects.
Hope
to see you in the woods this weekend. Horntagger
Turkey hunting has become the second highest participated
in type of hunting and is the fastest growing form of hunting. Believe
it or not Turkey Season in Missouri is four months away. Before you
know it you will be scouting, and hunting one of the best game in Missouri.
But
why wait when we all can help the Eastern Wild Turkey and you, the Missouri
Turkey Hunter. YOU
can help Southeast Missouri kids learn about our heritage of hunting and fishing. YOU
can get your entire family into the hunting heritage with Women in the Outdoors
programs. YOU
can help disabled individuals, some who once enjoyed excursions afield and others
who have only dreamed of them, with Wheelin' Sportsmen Program. How
can YOU help bring these great programs to Southeast
Missouri? Imagine being part of and along with state agencies like the Missouri
Department of Conservation helping the turkey population in North America increase
from 1.3 million in 1973 to more than 5.6 million birds, and in Missouri alone
less than 4 thousand birds to more than 600,000 birds. It is considered by many
to be one of the biggest conservation success stories of the 20th century. All
with the help and the support of hunters like you.
Just
think since 1973 in the United States we had 1.5 million turkey hunters, and
today we have approximately 2.6 million turkey hunters trying to outwit the
wild turkey. DON’T THINK IT CAN’T HAPPEN TO YOU But
no matter how great of success story this might be the very heritage of hunting
and fishing has come under attack to the point that your grandkids could actually
see the day when they are not allowed to fish or hunt. Let
me show you just show you two examples of the thousands that exist. EXAMPLE
ONE: In
a letter to Steve Mahfoud, director of Missouri State Parks, Dan Shannon of
the "Fishing Hurts" campaign asks that fishing be banned in the state's parks. Shannon
writes that he is speaking on behalf of the 750,000 members of People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and of the "fish, birds and other animals
that make Missouri parks their home." "The
violent process of fishing and its consequences do not complement the peace
and tranquillity of a state park," he writes. "As you know, fish have a neurochemical
system like ours and thus the brain capacity to experience fear and pain. Fish
who are torn from the water suffer from being impaled, thrown, stepped on or
mutilated while alive. Many die slowly and painfully from suffocation." EXAMPLE
TWO: Another
organization that has long opposed hunting, The Humane Society of the United
States (HSUS) First, the Humane Society of the United
States is not the same critter as the Humane Society that does the thankless
work of running local animal shelters. The
Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), recently issued a press release
citing a paper on wounding mortality in duck hunting.John Grandy, vice president for habitat protection for the HSUS, said:
"Even hunters should see the high wounding and crippling rates as unacceptable
and should demand more of themselves and more of a system that encourages them
to buy their licenses with no regard for the tremendous suffering that ensues." The Humane Society of the United States
(HSUS) is promoting an anti-hunting documentary which was available via satellite
to public television stations across the nation. TRUE FACE OF PETA This
come from Page 2 of Rural Living – Winter 2001 PETA
would welcome foot-and-mouth disease Graphic
images of livestock being destroyed in Europe fore shadow an end to many family
farms, and provide a powerful incentive to U.S. producers to protect their livestock
and prevent any unnecessary risks of exposing their livestock to this disease. A
group that portrays itself as an animal rights group however is taking a drastically
different and revealing view.Ingrid
Newkirk, the co-founder and president of People for theEthical Treatment
of Animals (PETA), says she would welcome the disease with open arms into
this country. But
says Newkirk, “I openly hope that it comes here.It
will bring economic harm only to those who profit from giving people heart attacks
and giving animals a concentration camp-like existence.” TRUE FACE OF -The Humane Society
of the United States For example Spokane, Washington Humane
Society verified that it receives no funds from HSUS to care for the continuing
epidemic of abandoned and abused pets. Again
let me remind you the Humane Society of the United States is not the same critter
as the Humane Society that does the thankless work of running local animal shelters. The
HSUS Comparative Financial Operations Report for 1999, a general breakdown of
income and expenses the group provides to media, indicates expenses of nearly
$55 million. What
was the highest single line item expenditure? Fundraising - more than $16 million
worth. HSUS,
based in Washington, D.C., is the nation’s largest animal advocacy organization.
In 1995, it had raised nearly $40 million from two million donors. That’s enough
money to run an animal shelter in every state and have plenty left over to spay,
neuter, feed and save thousands of cats and dogs every year. However, HSUS did
not run a single animal shelter. Did you ever wonder exactly how much money
the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has to expend on its efforts
to end hunting, fishing, trapping? The answer is astonishing.
According
to the HSUS’ Internal Revenue Service Form 990, the organization earned total
revenue of $67,170,449 during 1999, the most recent year for which figures are
available. Its total assets were $107,886,703. With such extraordinary funding, one would
think the local animal shelters that HSUS refuses to assist would be able to
provide their animals with mineral water in gold doggie bowls. However, less
than one percent of its 1999 income was given to wildlife, animal habitat and
sheltering in the form of grants and allocations. The
HSUS continues to solicit Americans through membership requests that promise
to help local animal shelters. In actuality, it is using 99 percent of its funding
to stop the use of animals for any purpose, including hunting, fishing and trapping. There
are so many organizations trying to take away our heritage and so many examples
I could fill this paper up for an entire year and not even make a dent. But
here is on place that can help hunters, fisherman and even pet owners keep track
of what rights are trying to be taken away. Wildlife Legislative Fund of
America, www.wlfa.org HOW YOU CAN HELP Just remember they are not trying to take
it away all at once instead they will be the first to tell you that is impossible
but want to take it piece by piece, slowly taking away right after right in
each individual state. Just like chipping away an iceberg piece by piece until
hunting and fishing is completely gone. For
you turkey hunters out there consider the NWTF is a 390,000-member grassroots,
nonprofit organization with members in 50 states, Canada and 11 foreign countries.
It supports scientific wildlife management on public, private and corporate
lands as well as wild turkey hunting as a traditional North American sport. For
more information on the National Wild Turkey Federation, check out more of this
web site or call (803) 637-3106. Questions can also be emailed to jfelkins@nwtf.net. But
if you want to start now or become more involved try Missouri banquets put on
by the National Wild Turkey Federation local chapters who are on the front line
for the fight to keep our hunting heritage alive.
HERITAGE OF HUNTING AND
FISHING IS UNDER ATTACK
By
Allen “horntagger” Morris
WHY WAIT FOR TURKEY SEASON
Between
now and turkey season:
YOU
can help wild turkey management workshops come to Southeast Missouri.
YOU
can help bring wild life seed to Southeast Missouri at 3 to 5 dollars
for a 50lb bag to be planted across in food plots across Southeast Missouri.
Or
get involved with other organization like, Duck Unlimited, Delta Waterfowl,
Missouri Waterfowl Association, Quail Unlimited, Dove Society, Pheasants Forever,
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Whitetails Unlimited, and The National Rifle
Association.
Also
for more information about how you can protect your rights as a sportsman, contact
The Wildlife Legislative Fund of America
801 Kingsmill Parkway
Columbus, OH 43229.
Phone (614) 888-4868.
E-Mail us at info@wlfa.org
www.wlfa.org
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