Broken Hearted Turkey Hunter..
I was really looking forward to the youth Turkey Hunt in my home state of Pennsylvania this year. Everything was working like clockwork, all the pieces of the puzzle were coming together so well. My Dad and I had worked so hard scouting those bearded Thunder Chickens. It was as if we were heading into the big game with the other team’s playbook. I thought to myself, “What could go wrong”? The day started so well, we drove down a camp road and parked the truck in a secluded spot. My Dad had sat my older sister in a tree row right down the path this gobbler traveled. That ole’ Tom was following the same pattern like most the birds in our area. We learned from our scouting that the gobbler roosted along the camp road. After flying off the roost he would walk up over a nearby hill to a grassy clearing on the other side, (his strut zone). Once my sister was situated, my Dad and I walked up over the hill to the grassy clearing where that Thunder Chicken gathers his hens and puts on a real show for them. We got settled in a blind that my Dad and I had previously built. We built it out of the natural resources we found in the area. We nestled into that blind and waited to hear my bird. My Dad was just about ready to belt out a few owl hoots when a gobble rang out to the southwest of us. I couldn’t believe what I heard, that bird was roosting right beside our pick-up truck. In all our scouting trips we had never seen him roost there before. I wondered if someone had spooked him away from his normal roosting area. We quickly moved down the hollow and up the other side of the truck. It was obvious that gobbler was very hot; He gobbled about six or eight times, one right after another. We quickly sat down by a dark oak tree and let out some soft tree yelps. That Tom gobbled and cackled as he came off of that roost. One couldn’t help but hear him coming off of that roost, but he wasn’t in sight yet. That Thunder Chicken kept hammering out those gobbles, as he walked away from us, over the hill. The hill we had just crossed. My Dad and I knew exactly where he was headed, right where we thought he would be in the first place. In a hurried rush we gathered our gear and quietly slipped down the hill to pick up my sister. Our crew then went back up the other side of the hill after that hot gobbler. When we reached the crest of the hill I responded to his repeated gobbles with a lonesome hen yelp using my favorite diaphragm call. Just as we expected, that bird gobbled right back. When I heard him respond the adrenalin rushed through my body. He was only fifty yards away from our position. He was definitely looking for some hens to impress. I couldn’t believe it, that Ole’ Tom was just on the other side of the thickets in front of us. With great precision and without haste we carefully positioned ourselves in the cover of the trees and brush around us. A position that would allow me to make that fatal shot from any angle. I gave him what he wanted to hear, another a lonesome hen yelp. There he was! That Thunder Chicken popped out on that camp road barely 60 yards right in front of us. I thought, “this is it - the showdown is about to begin”. The excitement was almost more than I could stand. I was shaking from the adrenalin rushing throughout every limb of my body. My dreams were becoming a reality. I had thought for so long, could I call that Tom up? Would I be positioned correctly? Could I get that shot off at the right time? This was the gobbler I wanted to harvest. The bird I had been scouting for so long. He was walking right down that camp road and was going to pass right by me. I thought all my hard scouting work was about to pay off. Two years of scouting this bird and I finally had a shot at him, so I thought. I heard this loud roar just as that Tom was working his way towards me. I couldn’t identify the noise right off. I wasn’t really sure what it was. Then I looked up from our secluded position and I couldn’t believe what I saw. It was an ATV coming from the other way. It was headed straight for that Tom Turkey. Not only was it illegal for ATV’s to be in that area, but there was a guy sitting on the front rack of the that thing with a loaded gun in his hand! My long bearded bird flew down into the bottom of the ravine and I did the only thing I could do. I put my face in my hands and shook my head in disappointment. That bird was gone; he was nowhere to be seen. The hopes and dreams of a young hunter were destroyed in a split second by another’s illegal acts. All my hard work seemed to be for nothing. My Dad, sister and I quickly stood up and headed for the road. Would you believe those guys smiled and said hello to us as they drove by? It’s as if they had no idea they ruined our hunt or were even doing something wrong. I was just completely crushed, I knew I couldn’t let that get to me, but it did anyways. What is one to do when you work so hard to to follow the rules, do your scouting and things you can’t control ruin your hunt? I couldn’t believe that happened when we were so close to our goals. Believe it or not, it gets worse. We all loaded back up into our truck and went to another spot where we had seen a lot of activity. We couldn’t chase my Tom that flew down into the ravine. There was already a hunter set up in that area. My Dad said we weren’t going to mess up his chances to get that bird. We arrived at a new spot next to another camp road and parked the truck. I shook off that earlier disappointment and was ready to give it another try. I loaded my gun and started to walk to our new location. I heard that engine noise again and quickly looked up to see those same two guys racing down that new road where we had just parked by. Birds just flew everywhere. It really amazes me how people think they could hunt a Turkey like that. Needles to say, I was very angry now. Ruining two of my hunts in one morning is too much for one person to take. Those guys parked their ATV and went off out in the woods. I felt something had to be done about their illegal actions. Not only was it illegal doing what they did while ruining others hunts, it was also unsafe for those around them. I walked right over to that ATV and copied down the licenses plate numbers. When I got home the first thing I did was to report them to the Pennsylvania game commission. Now all I could hope for is not to run into those two ATV Outlaws for the rest of the season. Hopefully they won’t show up where I’m hunting tomorrow or next weekend!
“Little Gander”
Kaitlyn Martin, Pro Staff
Shell Shocked Outdoors

How to Find Pheasants in Thick Cover

My first experience with pheasant hunting was an unforgettable experience. I was hunting with friends in western Kansas in twenty-five degree weather. We were hunting "Corn Circles". Corn Circles a quarter section of land planted in corn and irrigated with a well in the center of the section. In each corner of the section grew thick clumps of Johnson grass over three feet tall. We had parked our trucks near one of the corners and were sitting on the tailgates waiting for the sunrise. When the sun did rise and proper shooting time was there, we let the dogs out and jumped off of the truck. Those dogs barely hit the ground and froze on point. I quickly looked down at the Johnson grass in complete surprise. The next thing I knew five Pheasants exploded out of that little patch of grass. Not a one of us had a gun loaded. We had been sitting by the tall grass on that tailgate talking and laughing for a good ten minutes. I had never seen any bird hold like that. I knew right away this was going to be a little harder than quail hunting. I was educated quickly on just how crafty a foe I was facing. I prefer to hunt pheasants in the snow, say four to six inches deep. If there had been snow on the ground while hunting those corn circles, we could have seen fresh tracks and had some warning. I like the wind to be blowing pretty good when pheasant hunting. They get up into the wind and will hang just a bit before they really take off. Coldest weather I've ever hunted Pheasants in was about ten degrees in Martin, South Dakota. The wind felt like it could knock you over. That will make the hardiest of hunters whine a bit. In that kind of weather the Pheasant are searching out what shelter they could find. They will borrow deep into the thickest, stickiest cover available. That's exactly where you go to find them. On such a day as described we were out hunting for some ring necks. We hit every thick clump of grass in the fields we saw and each of us limited out. Cold windy weather will put the chances in your favor to find pheasants. These birds can be found around thick grown up cover around old fence lines, structures, draws and fields that haven't been grazed for a while. Some of the things you are going to need are permission to hunt the spots you find, good footwear, a good gun, and most important is a good dog. A good dog will not hesitate to root out Pheasants hidden deep in cover. We can't get where that dog goes, so you must have a lot of confidence in your dog. That dog is your mobile set of eyes and can make or break a Pheasant hunt. Brittany’s and Springer's do very well digesting that thick cover and finding the birds. The tougher the cover, the harder my Brittany will hunt. A hunter needs to find a dog that will be best suited for the type of terrain and conditions they hunt in. I had a Springer Spaniel that did well in cover. The Brittany and Springer complemented each other well. I like them because they are close range dogs and fit my style of hunting better. A slow moving, thorough dog will do a better job hunting heavy cover. Some dogs range so wide and fast you are going to miss some early flushes. A fast rushing dog will be on the cover before you get your gun out of the truck. Fail the flush and the next thing you know that Pheasant is a mile away. They can really fly. A dog making a bunch of noise, rapidly plowing through thick cover will cause a lot of frustration for the hunter. A dog not so hyper that will point from six feet out is a more productive Pheasant dog. No matter the breed, a dog will always have a tougher time pointing in dry weather. I don't know how many time over the years during dry days the dogs covered an area and move on, only to have me walk by and flush a ring neck. Do your best to keep the dogs nose into the wind. Dogs will do their best in cold, high humidity weather with minimum wind. A light sprinkling of rain won't hurt. While hunting a field, cover your thin ground first before you hunt the thick clumps of grass. Ring necks will more than likely run and head for the thick cover when you hunt the thin areas first. Hunt the center portion of a field first. Come back around and hunt the tree rows and fence rows. My dogs are probably in better shape than I am when the season begins. I Put the tailgate of the truck down and attach a twenty five foot lead rope to the dog. Sitting on that tailgate, hanging onto the rope, while a fried drives down a quiet country road. Speeds of between five and eight miles an hour are recommended. It is important to keep an eye on your dog while doing this exercise, don't overdo it. I like to start exercising my dog thirty days before the start of the season. Your dog is going to cover much more ground in the field than you are. Keep a lot of water on hand and take a break if the dogs seem to be getting winded. High humidity days are just as tough on your dog as they are on you. The rule of silence applies when hunting Pheasants. I don't know how many hunters I 'I've seen over the years complaining about not seeing any Pheasants. These same hunters go out and are constantly yelling at their dogs, talking between themselves and laughing loudly. These are the same hunters that get out of the truck and slam the doors and tailgate. It's as if they are telling the ring necks, "We're here and coming to get you". Those ring necks won't be there. Not only can Pheasants fly, they can really run. They are going to hear all the noise just like you and I. The noises are not normal, which tells them danger is approaching. Being careless in such a manner will limit the amount of Pheasants you take home. A hunter with a close working dog who quietly slips in to a field to find ring necks buried in thick cover will have much more success than making all kinds of noise before the hunt starts. Hunt land that is secluded or seldom visited by others, because it is a little more difficult to get to, has always provided very good results for me. There is a lot of public land for hunters use. The problems being so many hunters use it. Set your goals on getting permission to hunt private lands. I like to acquire access on private lands surrounding public lands. Heavy hunting of public lands forces ring necks back into the private lands for protection. It pays off to repair fence line or run a combine for a farmer. They learn to trust you, hopefully leading to permission to hunt on their private lands. Jim "Duckie" Newcomb ShellShocked Outdoors www.shellshockedoutdoors.com

Wild Turkey Facts

Imagine going on a turkey hunt only to find there are no wild turkeys! It sounds far fetched, but in the early 1930s this grand game bird was on the verge of extinction. But today, thanks to hunters and wildlife restoration programs, the wild turkey is abundant and thriving in its homeland.
NWTF states wild turkeys are native to North America and there are five subspecies: Eastern, Osceola (Florida), Rio Grande, Merriam's and Gould's. All five range throughout different parts of the continent. The eastern is the most common and ranges the entire eastern half of the United States. The Osceola (Florida) is only found on the Florida peninsula, while the Rio Grande ranges through Texas and up into Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado. Rios are also found in parts of the northwestern states. The Merriam's subspecies ranges along the Rocky Mountains and the neighboring prairies of Wyoming, Montana and South Dakota. And you can find Gould's throughout the central portion of Mexico into the southernmost parts of New Mexico and Arizona.
Between 5,000 and 6,000 feathers cover the body of an adult turkey in patterns called feather tracts. A turkey's feathers provide a variety of survival functions – they keep him warm and dry, allow him to fly, feel and show off for the opposite sex. The head and upper part of the neck are featherless, but if you look close, you can see little bumps of skin on the bare area.
Most of the feathers exhibit a metallic glittering, called iridescence, with varying colors of red, green, copper, bronze and gold. The gobbler, or male turkey, is more colorful, while the hen is a drab brownish or lighter color to camouflage her with her surroundings.
Two major characteristics distinguish males from females: spurs and beards. Both sexes have long, powerful legs covered with scales and are born with a small button spur on the back of the leg. Soon after birth, a male's spur starts growing pointed and curved and can grow to about two inches. Most hen's spurs do not grow. Gobblers also have beards, which are tufts of filaments, or modified feathers, growing out from the chest. Beards can grow to an average of 9 inches (though they can grow much longer). It must also be noted that 10 to 20 percent of hens have beards.
Wild turkeys have excellent vision during the day but don't see as well at night. They are also very mobile. Turkeys can run at speeds up to 25 mph, and they can fly up to 55 mph.
When mating season arrives, anywhere from February to April, courtship usually begins while turkeys are still flocked together in wintering areas. After mating, the hens begin searching for a nest site and laying eggs. In most areas, nests can be found in a shallow dirt depression, surrounded by moderately woody vegetation that conceals the nest.
Hens lay a clutch of 10 to 12 eggs during a two-week period, usually laying one egg per day. She will incubate her eggs for about 28 days, occasionally turning and rearranging them until they are ready to hatch.
A newly-hatched flock must be ready to leave the nest within 12 to 24 hours to feed. Poults eat insects, berries and seeds, while adults will eat anything from acorns and berries to insects and small reptiles. Turkeys usually feed in early morning and in the afternoon.
Wild turkeys like open areas for feeding, mating and habitat. They use forested areas as cover from predators and for roosting in trees at night. A varied habitat of both open and covered area is essential for wild turkey survival.
Lack of quality habitat was a problem in the past, but with the passing of the Pittman-Robertson Act in 1937, an excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition, wildlife restoration programs now have money to use to restore wild turkeys and wild turkey habitat. And with the invention of the rocket net, wildlife agencies and the NWTF can trap and transfer turkey populations to areas of suitable habitat.
From only 30,000 turkeys in the early 1900s to more than 7 million today, this intriguing species has truly made an awesome comeback.

Improving Habitat for Bobwhites

According to such experts such as Quail Unlimited, Northern bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) have long been a favorite of landowners and hunting enthusiasts from the south and mid-west. Besides being a desirable wildlife species for recreational hunting, bobwhite quail also play an important role within forest, grassland and agricultural ecosystems.
Quail eat plant and weed seeds and consume a variety of insects. They also serve as prey for many predators. Because of their role in the food chain, quail are an important indicator of ecosystem health. The species is representative of a community of wildlife that requires early-succession habitats.
More specifically, bobwhites prefer habitats that have recently been disturbed. The resulting plant community includes grasses and legumes, a wide variety of broadleaf plants, annual weeds, and brushy cover, all closely interspersed across the farm.
Bobwhites are found throughout the South and Midwest. However, their population level at any given time is directly related to land use patterns, management practices and weather. Historically, quail populations have increased and declined as a result of natural factors, as well as the land use and management activities of humans. Early land-use practices and farming methods, such as sharecropping and the use of fire, created a patchwork of small fields that provided ideal quail habitats.
Over the past 30 years, bobwhite quail populations have significantly declined across the South and Mid-west. Modern farming tends to use more intensive cultivation practices, makes use of herbicides and insecticides to a greater degree and requires larger equipment. These advanced farming methods have encouraged the removal of edges and field borders, resulting in larger field sizes. Pastures have also been planted to monocultures of grasses such as tall fescue. Tall fescue tends to grow aggressively, and this further reduces the overall habitat quality for bobwhites in many areas.
On many farms, weedy and brushy fence lines, field borders and draws have become dominated by smooth brome, tall fescue and mature trees. Large expanses of woodlands made up of trees with closed canopies do not provide suitable habitat for bobwhite quail.
Your property may have the potential to provide better habitat, but the quality will vary from poor to excellent depending on many land-use factors. Habitat is also influenced by annual disturbances such as disking, prescribed fire, grazing, row cropping and timber harvests.
As a landowner, you have a great opportunity to improve bobwhite quail habitat on your property. By understanding the habitat needs for bobwhites, you can begin to identify the habitat components that may be missing on your farm, as well as appraise the quality of the habitat that may already be present. Once this has been accomplished, you can apply the appropriate management practices to improve the habitat for bobwhite quail on your property.  Contact your county extension agent for further information on the habitat of the bobwhite Quail.

"Managing Habitat for Bobwhite Quail

One goal for managing habitats for bobwhites is to make each square foot of a management area, or home range, usable throughout the year. Habitat is usable if it fits the habits and physical needs of the bird. Providing habitats that are usable simply means creating and managing cover to which bobwhites are adapted.
Cover types need to be mixed together, or interspersed, throughout the home range. The proper arrangement of these habitat patches (food and cover) is important because of the bobwhite's relative low mobility and the need for open, bare ground conditions. Bobwhite quail spend a great deal of time walking, feeding, loafing and roosting directly on mineral soil. Their daily movements are often restricted to a home range size of 20 to 40 acres. Depending on the season bobwhites may indeed roam over a larger area. However, research indicates that a covey seldom uses an area larger than 100 acres in size. Keep in mind that the size of the home range is directly dependent on the quality and quantity of habitat, which can vary throughout the year.
Under certain conditions, bobwhites concentrate their activity around food and cover patches that are less than 50 feet apart. Recent research has found that bobwhite quail seldom travel more than 70 feet from woody escape cover during the winter. This demonstrates the importance of having brushy cover close to available foods during the winter months.
As mentioned earlier, size of the bobwhite's home range varies according to the quality and quantity of habitat within a particular area. Although it is common for individual birds to move further distances during fall and spring, the habitat components necessary for a covey of quail must be met within their home range.
The average bobwhite population density on intensively managed areas is about one covey per 15 acres. In the South and Midwest , the carrying capacity of the habitat for quail rarely exceeds one bird per acre under the best habitat conditions. During the fall (when populations are typically at their highest), the average covey is made up of about 10 to 12 birds.