Big Game Cameraman
03-04-2011, 05:33 PM
I've been a contributor on The Buck Barn for the last year or so, and I was its very first advertiser. Recently, in a phone conversation, Ron Reddington, creator of The Buck Barn and The Bass Barn, encouraged me to re-start my "Spring Turkey Tip of the Week" posts.
I'm not a professional journalist, but I've got a lot to say about turkey hunting. I've been fortunate to film turkey hunts for 21 years, from Florida to Montana and everywhere in between. I've had over 400 encounters with mature gobblers; many have turned out well, a few have been complete disasters, the rest have been somewhere in between. One way or another, I've learned some ups and downs of this wild and crazy sport. Maybe some of my experiences can help Buck Barners who are new to the sport.
In my opinion, the eastern turkey is the most difficult to hunt successfully, due to heavy hunting pressure. Some of my tips and tactics may help you to outwit that wily old tom in the Spring of 2011. For the next few months, I'll be posting tips here on a regular basis.
Spring Turkey Tip of the Week
How to find that bombshell property
[Note: Part 1 of a 2 part posting, Part 2 will follow next week]
Six times each year, I participate as an exhibitor in hunting expos in locations from New York to Virginia, where I sell m DVDs, deer lure, and custom turkey calls. The biggest problem hunters tell me about is that they have nowhere to hunt turkey. While many Buckbarners have access to private or public land where they can hunt successfully, many others are less fortunate. My aim in this 2-part posting is to put together a formula which any hunter can use to find that new turkey sanctuary to call his or her own.
To be a successful turkey hunter, first you have to locate the birds, late winter is a great time of year to drive around scouting out turkey rich areas. You don't need a 150 acre farm to be a successful turkey hunter, face it somebody else probably already has that plot of land staked out for themselves. I've had great success filming turkey hunts on public land usually the first and last week are best for me. In many cases mid-season the gobblers are pressed to hard by many hunters, they can become tight-lipped and difficult to locate.
The last few years I've concentrated on smaller tracks of land, anywhere from 2 1/2 to 20 acres. Try to recruit these smaller parcels of land I find they can be real honeyholes where a mature longbeard can die of old age, a place where the average slippery old turkey hunter may overlook. My message should be clear, how bad do you Buckbarners want it?
March is the ideal time to do your scouting. Try to get some distance away from any big cities and thier suburbs. You hunters from South Jersey, if you're frustrated by the number of competing hunters in your area, try going northwest. The northwestern corner of NJ, from newton north toward Port Jervis is rolling mountains and open country- great turkey habitat, with fewer people trying to hunt it. Hunters in southeastern Pennsylvania, your home state is big and chock full of turkeys; try to get into the country north of the Poconos, which has good terrain and less hunting pressure.
Always make your trip on a bright, sunny day. Mornings are best. In country such as I've described, on a nice early-Spring day, it will seem as though every open field has signs of gobbler activity. All the toms will be out strutting and displaying for the hens. You'll need a good pair of binoculars, and a pad and pencil to take notes about various locations: what town or township or county you're in, road names(or numbers), crossroads, property addresses, landmarks, or distinguishing buildings etc. Make a day out of it, bring a hunting partner to take turns with the driving, your aim is to gather good turkey information.
In part 2 of this Spring turkey tip, which I'll post next week, I'll give you some advice on how to approach landowners for gaining access to hunt their land--techniques which have worked well for me for over 20 years.
Another thing you should look into before planning a scouting trip is Pennsylvania or NewJerseys Game Commission Spring turkey harvest report and county maps. You can find these maps along with turkey reports per county online.
Nobody said it was going to be easy, it takes some effort to do the scouting, maintain good relations with landowners, if you're willing to do the late-winter work, you may just bag the trophy of a lifetime. Gobble-Gobble.
Keep the tradition alive, bring a youngster hunting!
I'm not a professional journalist, but I've got a lot to say about turkey hunting. I've been fortunate to film turkey hunts for 21 years, from Florida to Montana and everywhere in between. I've had over 400 encounters with mature gobblers; many have turned out well, a few have been complete disasters, the rest have been somewhere in between. One way or another, I've learned some ups and downs of this wild and crazy sport. Maybe some of my experiences can help Buck Barners who are new to the sport.
In my opinion, the eastern turkey is the most difficult to hunt successfully, due to heavy hunting pressure. Some of my tips and tactics may help you to outwit that wily old tom in the Spring of 2011. For the next few months, I'll be posting tips here on a regular basis.
Spring Turkey Tip of the Week
How to find that bombshell property
[Note: Part 1 of a 2 part posting, Part 2 will follow next week]
Six times each year, I participate as an exhibitor in hunting expos in locations from New York to Virginia, where I sell m DVDs, deer lure, and custom turkey calls. The biggest problem hunters tell me about is that they have nowhere to hunt turkey. While many Buckbarners have access to private or public land where they can hunt successfully, many others are less fortunate. My aim in this 2-part posting is to put together a formula which any hunter can use to find that new turkey sanctuary to call his or her own.
To be a successful turkey hunter, first you have to locate the birds, late winter is a great time of year to drive around scouting out turkey rich areas. You don't need a 150 acre farm to be a successful turkey hunter, face it somebody else probably already has that plot of land staked out for themselves. I've had great success filming turkey hunts on public land usually the first and last week are best for me. In many cases mid-season the gobblers are pressed to hard by many hunters, they can become tight-lipped and difficult to locate.
The last few years I've concentrated on smaller tracks of land, anywhere from 2 1/2 to 20 acres. Try to recruit these smaller parcels of land I find they can be real honeyholes where a mature longbeard can die of old age, a place where the average slippery old turkey hunter may overlook. My message should be clear, how bad do you Buckbarners want it?
March is the ideal time to do your scouting. Try to get some distance away from any big cities and thier suburbs. You hunters from South Jersey, if you're frustrated by the number of competing hunters in your area, try going northwest. The northwestern corner of NJ, from newton north toward Port Jervis is rolling mountains and open country- great turkey habitat, with fewer people trying to hunt it. Hunters in southeastern Pennsylvania, your home state is big and chock full of turkeys; try to get into the country north of the Poconos, which has good terrain and less hunting pressure.
Always make your trip on a bright, sunny day. Mornings are best. In country such as I've described, on a nice early-Spring day, it will seem as though every open field has signs of gobbler activity. All the toms will be out strutting and displaying for the hens. You'll need a good pair of binoculars, and a pad and pencil to take notes about various locations: what town or township or county you're in, road names(or numbers), crossroads, property addresses, landmarks, or distinguishing buildings etc. Make a day out of it, bring a hunting partner to take turns with the driving, your aim is to gather good turkey information.
In part 2 of this Spring turkey tip, which I'll post next week, I'll give you some advice on how to approach landowners for gaining access to hunt their land--techniques which have worked well for me for over 20 years.
Another thing you should look into before planning a scouting trip is Pennsylvania or NewJerseys Game Commission Spring turkey harvest report and county maps. You can find these maps along with turkey reports per county online.
Nobody said it was going to be easy, it takes some effort to do the scouting, maintain good relations with landowners, if you're willing to do the late-winter work, you may just bag the trophy of a lifetime. Gobble-Gobble.
Keep the tradition alive, bring a youngster hunting!