Archery Vs. Shotgun

Before I begin this post I want to make it clear that I respect other peoples sport and as long as it’s legal and ethical I wish everybody a happy hunt. We all make personal choices about the style in which we hunt. With that said, here is my take on bow hunting for turkey. Before my first hunt most of the information I had came from a book called "Some Turkey Scratchings" by Dwain Bland. It’s a good book with a lot of interesting stories and information. In the book Dwain talks about Archery hunting for turkeys. He doesn't say very favorable things about it. He like me isn't against bow hunting for turkey per se. The reason there is any question is that the turkey has a very small vitals area. Combine this with the fact that the vitals are in an unusual place and you have a very difficult shot to make. I have been to the archery range many times and am sad to say that William Tell or Robin Hood would not be proud. That’s not to say that there aren't many very good archers hunting, but the majority of people that I've seen shoot don't have the ability to make an ethical shot on a turkey under reasonable circumstances, myself included. If you are one of the few people that can make the shot, well ok, have at it. Even amongst the folks who think they can make the shot, there are some that probably can not perform when put to the test. There are several reasons why people bow hunt. One reason is it opens opportunities. Here in Arizona the fall turkey season has over the counter licenses for bow hunting turkey. Another reason people bow hunt is to practice a stronger fair chase ethic. Third, people sometimes bow hunt because it is a more pure form. Ethically, I would submit that the shotgun is a better choice because you are more likely to make a clean kill. As far aesthetics, I think the shotgun is again a better choice because it is difficult to draw a bow while turkey hunting without the use of a ground blind. While I have nothing against blinds from an ethical standpoint, I think they contradict the pure form that archery brings to hunting. There is a special broadhead that can be used to make headshots. It is two rasor blades configured in a three inch wide "X". Either you hit the turkey and it is decapitated or you miss, making for a much cleaner kill, thus a more ethical shot. The problem with this broadhead in my opinion is again aesthetics. This broadhead seems practical, but not pretty.

When I told everyone about killing my first turkey last spring many of my non-hunting friends asked me if I had done it with a bow. When I said, “no I used a shotgun", my friends said, "oh" and the tone suggested that of less achievement. I wonder if my choice of weapon isn't influenced by peer pressure from my non-hunting friends. I've many times heard non-hunters say such and such uncle is a serious hunter because he uses bow only. When it comes to turkey hunting my gut says that the bow is the wrong choice. I really feel like I'm respecting the animal more when I use my shotgun.

Using Decoys

I have never used decoys while hunting wild turkeys. I've mentioned before how important hunting safely is to me. I've always thought that having a decoy around while making turkey sounds was a bad idea. I've read about people blasting decoys. Chances are that if someone shoots your decoy that they aren't going to hit you, but some guy taking a wild snap shot without knowing where I am freaks me out a little. Lately I've been reading blogs and forums about turkey hunting. I notice a lot of people consider it almost cheating to use a decoy. I don't think its cheating, but if I had known that it was effective, I might have tried it. I learned from turkey hunting forums that some guys used them extensively early in their turkey hunting careers. Later they didn't use them due to the bulkiness in carrying them around, hassle of setting them up and general no need to, because their calling and woodsman skills had improved to a point where decoys became obsolete. I still am concerned about the risk associated with hunting over decoys. I probably would try them if I was hunting on private land though.

How to Prepare for Hunting While in the Cubicle at Work

Many of us are not lucky enough to get out to the turkey woods every day. It can be very difficult to prepare for your hunt while working in a cubicle. Here are some tips that can be helpful. 1. Practice soft clucking and purring while typing up reports. If anyone comes into your cube and asks if you heard that noise, sit very still, don't speak or even move your eyes. If the "turkey" leaves shaking her head, you can assume that she didn't bust you. 2. Camouflage isn't just for home use. Wear your gillie suit to the staff meeting and try to blend in with the white board. Don't worry, the 3D nature of a gillie will subdue your outline. If your boss asks your co-workers during the meeting why you're not there, then you have succeeded and may reveal yourself. 3. Stalk a co-worker. Use cubicle aisles and file cabinets as cover. Remember as in the woods, being busted by other "animals" is likely to end your stalk. Use a rubber band to "kill" you're trophy. 4. Stay fit by climbing poles G4-G11, add poles as your fitness level increases. 5. It is also important to hone your camping skills. Be sure to practice for camp farting contests. Length and loudness is what gets you on the scoreboard. Character and odor will only get you bonus points. If you practice these tips you will be sure to bag that trophy longbeard this spring!

Bill Heavey

I get two magazine subscriptions. One is Scientific American, the other is Field and Stream. What a strange thing it is to be friends with someone you don't know. I guess to truelly be "friends" with someone they have to have met you. When it comes to Bill though, if he showed up at my camp in the spring he'd be welcome. His writing is very genuine. Bill is very open about his triumphs as well as his failures. This morning, I read a story in his new book If You didn't Bring Beef Jerky, Then What Did I Just Eat. Yet again I'm almost brought to tears by Bill's writing. Sometimes its tears from laughing so hard, as in the his fly fishing vs. spin casting article. Sometimes its a tragic story like the one I read today about mowing his neighbors lawn. No matter what the story is, it is always real. So Bill, if you are one of the five people who will read my blog (I know, five people seems a stretch) then I'd like to extend to you an invitation to come out and hunt Merriam's in New Mexico with my dad and I. If you accept you will be the only other taker out of about 10 people that I've invited. Hope to hear from you soon.

Gear

My wife and I each have 40 bucks a week to cover stuff we want. This includes Thirstbusters, lunch at work, guns, and climbing gym membership. The money doesn't go far, so I only buy what I really need. Here are some of the things I have. For me versatility is paramount. The L.L. Bean camo goes over shorts or winter jackets. I can wear it in the heat, cold, rain, or whatever. It hides me like a gillie suit, but is super light and easy to move in. My Browning BPS kills everything I hunt. My Etrex was cheap and gets me anywhere I need to go. The only hunting gear I want right now is a wool black watch cap. Give me some warm cloths, granola bars, boiled eggs, Nalgene water bottles, ammo and a box call and I'm ready to go.

Counterfeit Turkeys Are Being Passed Around

Several years ago in New Mexico a test flock of Rio Grande sub-species turkeys was released near the Rio Grande at a wild life refuge. The flock did really well the first three years or so and then the numbers plummeted. I don't know if those few stragglers made it through, but I don't think that there were any more plans to release any more. I was talking about this with a friend of mine and he told me that his buddy had seen lots of turkey sign and tracks by the Rio Grande in Albuquerque. Thinking that there may be some opportunity to hunt turkeys closer to town I looked into the possibility that the old Rio Grande flock might have made a come back. I went down to the river and after very little poking around found some tracks and sign. Still somewhat sceptical I looked in my New Mexico animal tracks book to see what might be going on. What I found was that a Sandhill Crane and a Wild Turkey have very similar tracks and scat. To make matters worse the "J" shaped tukey sign looks just like crane sign. Here are some pictures that I found on the internet. I couldn't find any pictures of crane scat.

Scouting

I live in Phoenix now. When I started hunting turkeys, I lived in New Mexico. The first place we went that fall in 2001 was part of the Sacramento Mountains range in New Mexico. After moving to Arizona I wanted a place to hunt where I could meet my dad halfway. To get to the Sacramentos from Phoenix is about a 10 hour drive. As it turned out, about a year after getting to Phoenix my Jeep Grand Cherokee started becoming unreliable and I started flying to Albuquerque to meet my dad. The move to find a new spot to hunt was very beneficial to us though. The place where we started hunting in 2001 was not bad, but it wasn't great either. In scouting for a new spot we have looked in a lot of areas. The exercise left us with a better understanding of turkey habitat and reading sign. Here are a couple of things that I've found. An area can be pretty dry, but there must be a source of water that is available every day. The quaility of water is important and turkeys tend to not drink as much from murky water. Old sign doesn't mean that turkeys are in the area. They may like that area for some reason, but probably have vacated it or found greener pastures if there isn't fresh sign. In areas where the geography allows it, Merriams turkeys will migrate from higher altitudes to lower altitudes in the winter. This migration results in an area being great one season and terrible the next. Of course certain spots tend to hold more birds on average, but might be weak some years. Good Merriams habitat contains a couple of things other than a stable water source. First and most important is Ponderosa Pine. There needs to be plenty of Ponderosa. Pole sized Ponderosa is dense and creates a good source of food for Merriams. Medium sized more mature trees are used for roosting. Besides ponderosa I have noticed a lot of live scrub oak. The live scrub oak provides a mast product for turkey during mast years, but there has to be another food source during off years. In the areas that I hunt this is alligator juniper. In dry years I've seen turkey sign that is filled with juniper seeds. You can tell its Alligator Juniper because the scat is purple like the ripe berries. I don't think that one sead juniper is as important, because areas with one sead don't seem to hold as many birds. There also seems to be a kind of holly in areas with a lot of turkeys. I don't know why, but its something I've noticed. These things in my opinion are the main components of turkey habitat in New Mexico. I have seen vast Ponderosa forests that don't seem to have a lot of birds in them. I think that the mixed Juniper and other plant diversity is important.