My spring turkey....2016

[hunter63]

Got out to "The Place" our cabin on Wed.....been doing spring opening chores and over winter repairs.....
Thought I best get out for a turkey hunt....and my season ends on Sunday....and supposed to rain.

Got out a little late....but my "secret spot" is only 1/2 mile away...as the crow flies, on top of the ridge behind the cabin.
I like this spot as it's close, easy to walk to and generally get a turkey with out to much trouble.

Left the truck about 8:00 am....only have to walk 100 yds. to the point of the tree line and start setting up.


Took a while to get organized....been a couple of years since I have been out, since my surgery.
Brought my umbrella blind and chair.



Sat down and hit the call with a loud yelp.....had instant gobble in return.
Called for about 10 min. on and off.....seem he was coming right in....

Two tom's a two hen came out and headed right to my decoy.....waited till they were in from of me..... shot the biggest  tom of the two.



Called it in....New way of registration ....no saloon or gas station to go to.....Oh well, need WiFi or cell phone these days.

 

Back at the cabin by 9:30.....I watch the vid's....so how hard should it be?....
Easy peesey ....LOL....LIfe is good.

[wolfy]

You're supposed to have to work harder than THAT for a nice tom, h63!

Glad to hear you got out before the rain hit......never works that way for me.

[Quenchcrack]

Luck is on the side of the prepared. Nice shooting!

[imnukensc]

Nice bird! 

[wsdstan]

Great one.  No fair shooting them that quickly. 

That looks like a nice Tom, good beard and all.  Well done.   

[hunter63]

Thanks guys......I'm counting this one as a "Blind chicken getting some corn once in a while".

Was working around "The Place".....season started Wed....hunting partner had to be out of town for work...(first call was to him letting him know what he was missing).
Lost all my other hunting partners, either life caught up with them or they passed .....so I was by my self.

Actually DW asked me if I was gonna go hunting.....so I thought I would give it a try, so told her yeah.....

Was pretty fast...I am  kinda use to sitting there .......completing the world, checking out what is coming up, blooming, who is planting what, listening to the birds, and watching all the small animals...
Checking out new places built, and generally letting the world go by....

No time......THis year....LOL

Just a note ......enjoy your hunting partners......you will miss them badly when they no long come along....for what ever reason.

I was done way too fast....

[hunter63]

Luck is on the side of the prepared. Nice shooting!

LOL....You wouldn't have thought that this morning.......
Dogs got me up,.. to go out about 5:30....should have just gotten up....but let them back in and sat on the bed...next think I know is 7:30....so got up got dressed....had a coffee,... filled the thermos and was out the door.

Spot is close by...so got dressed, pack my stuff...and the sling on the shot gun pulled loose...
Carried it anyway...got ready to set out the decoy....wasn't in the game bag.??

Walked back to the truck.....found it on the ground....maut have fallen out.....back to my spot....then  could find the washer on the top of the stake....keeps it up , so it spins in the wind.
Looked in my vest, found the TP in a zip lock....only a sheet or two left...(good thing I wasn't "in need")
So made a washer(?), or a "hold up the decoy with cardboard"....went to the tree and set up the umbrella blind and chair.
Looked out...decoy fell over.....get back up and reset......

Finally sat down, and unpacked the calls....hit the box call....and the tome lit up ...close....
Put done the head net...and kept calling....they came in....

All the while I thinking,... Man I gotta get my ship together.....really felt rushed  and non organized.....
So, yeah thanks.....but I wasn't really ready.

[wolfy]

There have been a couple of deer openers like that for me......just get into the blind and within a few minutes, I had my deer.   You almost feel cheated..........al most!

[hunter63]

There have been a couple of deer openers like that for me......just get into the blind and within a few minutes, I had my deer.   You almost feel cheated..........al most!

Yeah....I have as well....but there have been  a lot more, up at 4:00 am....hunt all day for a 9 day season and take your tag home....

This is a good hunting spot....DIL, SIL, nephew, and a couple of friends all got their turkey right form the same spot, all but a couple were birds I called in for them.....

I guess that why they call it .....hunting....

[hunter63]

FYI...
I breasted out this bird.....not much to eat on the rest of it anyway....but do save the neck, gizzard, and heart....
This guy does it pretty much the way I do........

[Unknown]

Only QuenchCrack makes a hunt sound easier.

Actually QC's is somewhat easier. He's not the one to call it in. (edit for clarity: see post #8 http://bladesandbushlore.com/index.php?topic=12640.0)


Congrats Hunter63. I'm happy for ya. My hunting license is mostly a form of donation, so I'm also jealous.

Enjoy the bird.

[MnSportsman]

Congrats on the successful hunt!



   Funny. I have that same chair & umbrella as you do.



Eat good! Thanks for sharing!

[hunter63]

Congrats on the successful hunt!



   Funny. I have that same chair & umbrella as you do.



Eat good! Thanks for sharing!

Great minds and all.....Does work slick...and is easy to set up.
DW got the umbrella for me one Christmas......had it for  few years....never really found the right sized tree to strap it around for rain protection.
Usually use a poncho in the rain.

So one day I was fooling around with a screen blind....she come's out and says...."Hey where is the umbrella I gave you?
Had it there, so opened it up.....BINGO......I nstant blind.

Pretty smart lady...and puts up with me........I'm gonna keep her.



Use the shooting stick as a walking stick as well....
This set was from my run and gun ...chasing gobblers all over the ridges...days.
 

[Quenchcrack]

When we lived in Calgary, I would go bird hunting with a guy I worked with.  We would go south of the city to a long abandoned airport that was surrounded by grain fields.  The Hungarian Partridges were plentiful there.  Upon downing my first bird, I was going to clean it when he showed me, by far, the fastest way to take the breast meat.  Lay the bird on its back, stand on its wings, grab the legs and give them a quick pull moving parallel to the ground.  The breast meat comes out fast and clean.  I don't think it would work on a turkey, however.

[hunter63]

When we lived in Calgary, I would go bird hunting with a guy I worked with.  We would go south of the city to a long abandoned airport that was surrounded by grain fields.  The Hungarian Partridges were plentiful there.  Upon downing my first bird, I was going to clean it when he showed me, by far, the fastest way to take the breast meat.  Lay the bird on its back, stand on its wings, grab the legs and give them a quick pull moving parallel to the ground.  The breast meat comes out fast and clean.  I don't think it would work on a turkey, however.

No, most likely not....
I do grouse and wood cock the way you described.........y ou end up with a chunk of meat the size of a softball.....

[wsdstan]

In some of the States that I have hunted they frown on breasting birds as what you leave behind is waste of meat and not allowed.  You can get cited for it.  Montana says you can breast a partridge but not anything larger.  So pheasants have to be completely used.  It is a slippery slope.  It is probably best to check with the laws or the local game warden on whether breasting out gamebirds is going to get you in trouble if you get caught.

In South Dakota a turkey is classified as big game and there is a prohibition on wasting big game meat. 

[Quenchcrack]

I really believe in eating what you kill (probably a good thing I was never drafted).  However, the meat on doves and partidges is concentrated on the breast.  A dove drumstick is nothing to fight over. And we did  not breast the pheasants we took.

[wolfy]

Same here.....kept all of the pheasant (even the neck) and bony pieces.  The doves were the only thing we ever breasted.

[wsdstan]

Same here.....kept all of the pheasant (even the neck) and bony pieces.  The doves were the only thing we ever breasted.

Me too, on both counts.

[hunter63]

Haven't breasted many over the years...Mostly pluck and clean.
But as far as I know it is Ok  for Wisconsin....lot of people do it that way.
Doesn't bother me a bit to do it.
Not much eatable on the wings and legs.





 

[MnSportsman]

Same here.....kept all of the pheasant (even the neck) and bony pieces.  The doves were the only thing we ever breasted.

"Waste not , want not".


My parents were Great Depression folks...

[Quenchcrack]

Mine too. We had to eat the feet.   And the feathers.

[hunter63]

Well, I used to smoke fish......kinda hard to keep them lit....but Doc says I gotta quit.

[wsdstan]

Mine too. We had to eat the feet.   And the feathers.

 

[hunter63]

Mine too. We had to eat the feet.   And the feathers.

I can send you a foot....except I need to save one with the tag........
May be missing the spur.......