Posts tagged turkey

Tips on Turkey Hunting – How To Know When To Move In On A Turkey

By on January 25, 2010

As any turkey hunter can tell you, turkeys can move a lot quicker (and a lot smarter) than many people give them credit for. Any a “perfect shot” has been lost when a hunter tries to move in on a turkey at the wrong moment or when the hunter tries to make a fast adjustment to a new move made by the bird. If you want your turkey hunting trip to end in success, then the most important thing you can do is learn the right time to move in on a turkey.

First things first: you have to attract the turkey in to you. Most of the time, at least one turkey will answer your calls, and the first part of moving in on a turkey involves listening to this turkey answering your calls and judging where the bird is by where the calls are coming from. At this point, it is important to know you shooting ability and from what distance you are capable of taking shots. Knowing your shooting habits will help you determine when you are ready to take a shot and when you need to move in a little bit closer. Of course, the distance at which you are capable of taking a shot will also determine the distance you will need to cover when you move in on the turkey you have in your sights.

Knowing how close you need to be to the turkey to take a shot is one part of calculating your perfect approach to the turkey is one part of making the perfect move. The other part is all about learning to judge the behavior of the turkey and being ready to react to it. Every hunter has experienced the scenario in which they have been calling to a turkey, and getting tons of returned calls from the bird, when all of the sudden everything goes quiet, and then the turkey suddenly pops up next to you. To try and avoid letting the turkey sneak up on you, make sure you key in to all of the sounds the bird is making – not just the calls. Calls can give you an idea of the turkey is at, but it is also important to listen for the sound of the turkey’s feet crunching on branches or the shaking of leaves as the turkey moves by. Putting all of these sounds together will help you keep track of the turkey’s location more precisely.

When you’re planning your move on the turkey, it is a good idea to stay in a position in which you are ready to shoot and ready to move quickly if the turkey suddenly breaks left or right. Squat down with your left shoulder pointed in the direction of the turkey (if you are left handed, go for your right shoulder). Keep your gun propped up against that shoulder with your head low, near the stock as through you were about to take the shot. You’ll be ready to react whatever happens from this position.

If you end up needing to creep up a little bit more, make all of your moves when you cannot see the turkey’s eyes. If you can’t see their eyes, they can’t see you. Of course, you will want to move as quietly as possible – any loud noise will scare the turkey away.

Last but not least, remember that safety comes first. A turkey might pull a fast one on you, but be sure to think before you react. A clear shot is the only one worth taking.

Bill is a turkey hunter enthusiast, and if you would like more tips on turkey hunting and tactics, please visit http://www.howtohuntturkey.com

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/hobbies-articles/tips-on-turkey-hunting-how-to-know-when-to-move-in-on-a-turkey-1777876.html

This entry is filed under cigars and tagged hunting, move, tips, turkey.

Turkey Hunting Strategies – Defensive Hunting of Turkeys

By on January 25, 2010

Turkey hunting is a favorite activity for many hunters, but it is also just about the most dangerous kind if hunting around. Think of the strategies you have to use to successfully hunt a turkey – you have to hide yourself from view and try your best to sound like a turkey – while you are surrounded by turkeys returning your calls and other hunters who are also trying to sound like turkeys. On a busy day, it can be hard for hunters to tell the difference between the sound of the turkeys and the sounds of their fellow hunters, and if you are especially convincing, the hunter could soon find themselves becoming the hunted, as other hunters take aim in your direction. To stay safe out there while hunting turkeys, there are a few strategies you can follow.

First and foremost, don’t be lax about wearing the proper vests. Most states require hunters to wear bright orange vests over their camouflage, but many hunters dislike the rule – after all, what is the point of camo if you are going to top it off with something bright and orange? These vests have saved many lives, however, and are well worth the hassle. If your state doesn’t have any laws requiring that you wear an orange vest, and you want to find a balance between your camo and the safety provided by the vest, check out the camo vests that are part camo and part bright orange removable paneling. You should also pair this vest with a ballistic vest under your clothes that will protect your chest and stomach for stray shotgun bullets.

It is also important to never wear the colors red, white or blue when hunting a turkey. White is the same color as the ball of fur on top of a mature male turkey’s head, and a flash of white can draw a shot. Red and blue are the colors that hunters use to tell the difference between the male gobble and the hen – males have red head and female heads are blue.

When you are calling a turkey in a crowded hunting area, stick to the hen calls. Making male gobbler calls is what many hunters like to do when hunting in the fall especially, but since everyone is on the prowl for a male, your calls will attract even more attention from your fellow hunters. Even when you are making hen calls, pay close attention to the activities of other hunters. If you seem to have drawn someone’s attention, make sure you alert them to your presence by calling out to them.

If you do find yourself in the crosshairs of another hunter, calling out to them is a good way to disrupt them, but you should never jump up to announce your presence. When they are creeping up on your thinking that they have a bead on a turkey, your sudden movement may caused them to fire on you.

In addition to keeping yourself safe, you have a responsibility for the safety of other hunters. Even if you have taken every safety precaution necessary, always assume that every hunter out there is a first time hunter who has not taken a single precaution. Never fire until you are absolutely sure that you have a turkey in your sights and you have a completely clean shot. Do not take a shot when you hear or see movement but can’t see what has made it – it only takes one wrong shot for a tragedy to happen, and it is better to lose the turkey than to be responsible for the injury or death of another hunter.

Bill is a turkey hunter enthusiast, and if you would like more tips on turkey hunting strategies and how to turkey hunt, please visit http://www.howtohuntturkey.com

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/hobbies-articles/turkey-hunting-strategies-defensive-hunting-of-turkeys-1777921.html

This entry is filed under cigars and tagged defensive, hunting, strategies, turkey, turkeys.

Stuff 101 – How To Raise Your Turkey Poults

By on January 20, 2010

The four tips in this article will help you to take the difficulty out of raising baby turkeys, which are better known as turkey poults.

Tip 1
For the first few weeks of their life baby turkey hide under their mothers wings to keep warm. If you are raising turkey poults on your own it is important to have a good heat source for them. For the first week it is best to keep the temperature around 95-100 degrees Fahrenheit, then lower the temperature slowly by 5 degrees Fahrenheit per week until they are fully feathered. This should take around 6-8 weeks.

Here are a few ways to tell if the temperature is right:

1. Too cold – the turkey poults are huddled around the heat source
2. Too hot – they are far away from heat source
3. Just right – they will be spread out all over the area

Make sure that the area you are keeping them in has enough room for them to get away from the heat source.

Tip 2
Turkey poults need a certain amount of attention to keep them healthy, so make sure you keep them warm, dry and clean, which should also include their bedding. You never want to use newspaper or other slick surfaces for bedding because this can cause problems like spraddle leg. Ground corncobs or pine shavings make great bedding.

Tip 3
As mentioned earlier turkey poults have different feed requirements than chicks. They require feed with a higher protein level, around 28%-30% protein. You should budget for two 50-pound bags for every 25 poults.

When it comes to water you want to make sure that fresh water is available and that it is lukewarm, as the poults will get chilled if the water is too cold. It is also a good idea to add vitamin supplements to their water.

Turkey poults have been know to starve to death simply because they did not learn how to eat. Here are a few tips to help to teach them how to eat:

1. If you are also raising chicks you can introduce a few chicks into the group, as the turkey poults will actually learn what food and water is just by watching the chicks eat. You should only do this for a few days however because of the different feed requirements the two birds have.
2. Place shiny marbles in both the feed and water dishes to attract the poults.
3. Or simply dip their beaks into the water and feed so they learn what it is.

Tip 4
Roosting at night is natural for birds; it is their preferred way to sleep. Unfortunately without anyone to teach them turkey poults may not know how to do it. To introduce your poults to roosting you can place a narrow piece of wood a few inches off the ground under their heat source and the majority of them will get used to sitting on this makeshift roost. This way once they are older and it is time to move them away from the brooding area they will be more inclined to roost on their own.

The best way one can care for their turkey poults is to keep an eye on them. Looking in on them frequently will help you to identify any problems that occur, which will in turn enable you to fix them before they get too bad. With the help of these tips and a little attention you should have no problem raising healthy turkeys.

Corey Rozon offers ghostwriter services in Canada.
This article was written with the help of the good people at Valley of the Moon Turkeys, a great site where you can buy turkey poults online.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/hobbies-articles/stuff-101-how-to-raise-your-turkey-poults-1751710.html

This entry is filed under cigars and tagged poults, raise, stuff, turkey.

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