23 Aug Bird HuntingRandy sent in this picture of three skulls found in one season while bird hunting.
Randy's one of those lucky "retirees" that works at First Command making others soon to be lucky retirees. In the meantime he gets plenty of field time.
Turkey Hunting - Wind: Friend or FoeI have been hunting turkeys for 13 years now and I have not learned more in any year than the most recent, spring 06’. Being part of Mid-America Hunting Club (MAHA), and living in Kansas City, I am fortunate enough to hunt both Kansas and Missouri, both over the counter states for turkey tags. This allows me the opportunity to hunt from early April to the end of May every year.
I did not have this fortune of KS and MO 5 years ago as I moved to Kansas City then from Wisconsin. In WI, it is a draw for one 5-day season, while some are lucky to get two seasons.
Drawing from all of my hunting experiences in the past, I have always hated to hunt when the wind was above 8-10 MPH. I always considered the best day for turkey hunting to be a calm day. Now, I define a good a day of turkey hunting “being able to hear many turkeys”, so that probably adds to my opinion. Of course I love being able to harvest my sought after animal also.
My last day of turkey hunting in MO proved to be the absolute best day of turkey hunting I have ever had. I had only hunted two prior days in MO this season and either me or my hunting partner harvested a turkey each day. Many other days were spent scouting and it all came together on the last day.
It was the last Friday of MO season and on my way out to the field I could see all of the trees and grass blowing around in the wind. My first thought was “here we go again”, another day of fruitless turkey hunting where I don’t even hear a bird. I know I have heard plenty of stories.
I met up with my hunting partner and we went to where we harvested his first MO turkey. The turkeys were in the same tree as two weeks before and flew down in the same spot. We made a small move as they changed their direction. It paid off as we called in three long beards but never really had a shot.
Shortly there after in the same spot we called in three jakes. They were a bit hesitant being subordinate birds. We passed up on them as most hunters will and took off after the three long beards.
We caught up with the three long beards in full strut alone. They were in a wide open field. This is a turkey hunters dream. With about 10 minutes of calling they came in. As often happens we thought the turkeys were closer than they were and both of us missed on our double.
It is now about 9:45 am, and after some discussion about heading out, we checked out one more field. As we started to cross it, I noticed a small flock about 300 yds. away from us. We proceeded to stalk this group but could never catch up. Finally there was a spot where we thought they would come back at us, and we were right. We were delighted by watching a mature tom and 5 hens enjoying the afternoon sun. The same three jakes were tagging along behind.
After lots of calling the tom and hens made their way past us, but the three jakes were still in sight. After a short bit I was able to call all three in and my partner took one of them. It was his last day to hunt and he was tired after working third shift the night before.
Now it is 11:15 am and I proceeded to hit up the another section I had reserved after my partner left. By now it is 20 mph winds and I can’t even hear myself think. I had called my girlfriend and stated “I am just going walk in see what I see and will probably be on my way home in an hour.” Well as it turns out I did just that, but was on my way out with a turkey. I walked in, spotted a tom, called him in, and that was that.
You see, the turkeys were all over the fields and once I found the lone gobbler it didn’t take long for him to find his way to me. I was sitting there with a gobbler 100 yds away watching him gobble, but I could not hear him. Ironically a real hen came in behind him, but he didn’t see her.
That day proved to me that wind can be a friend. I didn’t go over 15 minutes without a bird within sight. What I noticed is that the turkeys are more apt to be in the fields. It is my belief that they can’t hear either, so they attempt to get in the fields to use the now best sense, sight.
I used the strategy of working the fields with a lot of walking and watching. They can’t hear you if you are walking through the adjacent woods. There sight is not as good as normal also with everything blowing around so much.
Next time, on those windy days, try some slow working of the fields and who knows maybe you will be on your way home early.
I have attached pictures of the three mature birds. The one picture shows clearly the triple beard that harvested first.
Until next turkey season (time for deer hunting),
Thank you Andrew for the insight. Every bit adds up over time. Have a read of some of Andrew's earlier feedback.
19 Aug Missouri WaterfowlA courtesy from Jeff. Here is a link to the MO season framework adopted by the commission today (18 Aug): http://www.mdc.mo.gov/hunt/wtrfowl/info/seasons/
FeedbackFor those curious about the format change on the update page it resulted from recurring feedback how readers wanted to just read the articles without having to click through to other pages such was the earlier requirement when we would put a snippet and a link to the full article. Recent feedback has been that the new format of larger pictures and full text accounts from hunters on the update page is well received, but the requirement to click through several pages for the month's updates a return to the earlier multiple click issue. The point being address is page opening time and keeping it reasonable rather than a long wait for the pictures on any one page to open. There are a good many internet surfers on dialup connection that cannot receive pages that take minutes to open. In any case be that as it may this update page format is here for the time being and we are back out on the road getting the bulk of land contracting done.
18 Aug FeedbackIf a strength of an organization is measured by its members then we must be pretty good to have so many good hunters send in their pictures, text and other contributions. We remember every one of them. Thank you - it makes us work harder.
DeerHey John...looks like you might be needing some "stuff" for the update page...made me remember that I was wanting to send in a couple of photos of deer skulls/racks I found over the past year on club ground. I found the first one in Missouri during last season's youth weekend. Keep in mind that I'm 6-1 and 240 lbs while looking at these racks. The 8-pt. had a nearly 20-inch inside spread...not a lot of height but good mass. He would have been a fantastic buck in another year or so. It looked like he was either shot during archery season and un-recovered or he died from natural causes or disease. The second skull/rack I found in Kansas during the spring turkey season in the middle of a recently burnt pasture. This deer had a very unique rack with double G3's on both sides. He was only 14-inches wide but with decent height. He also would have been an incredible buck given a little more time. I may have already sent you a photo of the MO skull/rack but I don't think I ever sent in a photo of the KS rack. Matthew
Thanks Matt for adding variety to the update page.
IowaSteve M offers this article that may be of use to a those not yet aware of a change in Iowa.
Deer, Turkey Hunters Must Report Harvest Posted: August 15, 2006 Mandatory Harvest Reporting. Decades of postcard surveys to determine hunter success in deer and turkey seasons are giving way to online or telephone reporting. Beginning this fall, any hunter who tags a deer or turkey must report that kill online or through a toll-free telephone number. "The postcard surveys were slow and cumbersome, and often didn't provide reliable harvest information at the county level," explains DNR wildlife biologist Steve Roberts. "The reporting system will provide this information much faster and with much more detail. In turn, this will lead to more responsive management of deer and turkey populations." After a deer or turkey is harvested, the hunter still must record the date and attach a transportation tag to the animal, as has been required in the past. However, this year's tag also has a registration number and instructions (in the lower left corner) for reporting the harvest by phone (800-771-4692) or online ( www.iowadnr.com). After answering a short series of questions, the hunter will receive a confirmation number. This number must be written in the blank space provided on the tag, and the number is the hunter's proof that a report has been completed. The harvest report must be completed by midnight of the day following the harvest of an animal, before processing the animal for consumption, or before taking it to a locker, or before transporting the animal out of state, whichever comes first. "The easiest way to report your harvest is by using a cell phone in the field to call the 800 number," suggests DNR wildlife bureau chief Dale Garner. DNR officials say the process should take less than four minutes and that hunters should be able to access the system during peak periods, such as weekends during the two shotgun deer seasons. Only successful hunters - those tagging an animal - need to report the harvest. One hunter may report multiple harvests (such as during shotgun season party hunting), but must ensure that the correct confirmation number is written on the appropriate tag. Failure to report the harvest could result in a fine. Law enforcement officers will actively enforce the new regulation during this fall and winter. "We look forward to the harvest data we can receive almost immediately, as we work to manage deer and turkey populations across the state," said Garner. "We hope hunters will recognize the important role they play in helping us obtain accurate and timely information."
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