My dad and I hunted Saturday morning without any luck.  We had seen turkeys, but they just didn’t  come close enough. Patience was the word of the day.

That afternoon was a different story.  We went back to the same area we had gone before. But this time, the turkeys were already in the field.  We decided to set up our hunt where we thought they were to roost.  Patience again.  After watching them for a couple of hours, they finally started moving towards us.

Then they turned.  And went into the woods in a different place than we had hoped.  Still we waited.  An hour went by when I heard something running toward me. My view was blocked by a fallen pine tree.  Still hearing the approach, I looked under the tree and could see the legs of a turkey – but wasn’t sure if it was a hen or a gobbler. Then it finally came into view I could see ’s beard and it wasn’t alone – with it was a few more gobblers and hens.

As luck would have it, my view was also blocked by the stump I had been resting my feet on.  Trying to look around it and not be seen by the turkeys, I could hear one of the putting – about 5 feet in front of me.  The other gobbler was right between the stump and the pine and I could see him perfectly. When the other one started putting I pulled my gun around squeezed the trigger. The Beretta Xtrema 2 with the Remington Nitro Mag shells and the Primos Jelly Head choke put the trophy long beard on the ground.

Needless to say, it was a good day.  And I know exactly what will be on the table this Easter dinner!

If you have never attended a Ducks Unlimited banquet, I really urge you to.  Not only do you meet fellow hunters, they always have lots to do, pretty girls (called Duckettes) to see and opportunities to win tons of prizes.  At the Knoxville event, I racked up.  I got a shell bag, a fantastic mounted decoy, a set of 6 decoys and believe it or not, I was the grand prize winner of the nicest gun safe I’ve ever seen.  Yes, I was excited!

The next Duck’s Unlimited banquet is coming up in Morristown in a couple of weeks.  Join me!

There are certain truths though that most hunters will agree upon.  Some of them are obvious enough, like, being in camouflage helps hunters stay hidden within gun range.  Or movement is the supreme enemy of the turkey hunters. Much more than this, practicing makes your skills as a turkey hunter better. And the excitement of the turkey hunt will focus the hunter’s awareness.

Like any sport, there are certain rules and regulations one must follow, here are some rules you need to remember:

• You will need a turkey hunting permit and a small game hunting license – it is required when hunting wild turkeys.
• You can only buy one turkey permit each year.
• If you have filled your limit, you may call for another turkey hunter but you can never bring any fire arm or even a bow.
• Using rifles and hand guns are not allowed. You can only hunt using your bow and arrow, shot guns with shot sizes no larger than number two or smaller than number eight. These are the only weapons for catching wild turkeys.
• You must fill out the tag which only comes with your permit and attach it to the turkey you shoot straight away
• Do not disturb hen turkeys or their nests.
• Searching with a dog during spring is not permitted. But you may hunt with it during the fall season.
• You must not use any intensifying device to locate or hunt turkeys during open seasons.

(Be sure to check with your state’s regulations to make sure the rules you are following are correct).

Here are also some tips for a successful and safe turkey hunting season.

• If you will leave your gear and your turkey with another person, make sure to leave the following information for emergency purposes. 1.    your name 2.    your phone number 3.    your address 4.    your license hunting number 5.    your turkey permit number  6.    the 3rd party’s name 7.    the 3rd party’s address 8.    if necessary, your veterinarian’s name too 9.    his or her contact number
• Look for signs of recent wild turkey activities. Locate appropriate calling locations. These signs includes tracks and droppings. Droppings offer positive data that wild turkeys are located in that area. It also indicates the bird’s sex. For gobblers, they have j-shaped, elongated droppings and hair-like feathers known as the beard extended from the breast. The beard is normally three to ten inches long. Most of them have spurs on the lower legs. Beard and spur length tend to increase with age. Some hens also have the beard but only 10 percent of their population contain it. Their head in general are dull gray-blue color, with pink and red coloration. Their breast feathers have a buff or white tip giving the hen it’s attractive and eye catching color.
• Turkeys possess a strong sense of hearing and sharp vision. You should remain unmoving while calling them. A camouflage outfit is also recommended in this kind of hunting hobby. Even hunters wrap their shotguns in camouflage to prevent gun barrel from being detected through their shiny metal.

Have questions about hunting? Just leave them in the comments section!!

The earliest form of hunting involved, as far as the experts can tell,  weapons like spears or bow and arrows shot from a distance. Believe it or not, our ancestors caught their food using the same method we use to catch the bus to work when we’re late. We ran after it. Before he learned to use long range weapons, early man had no other way of catching his dinner than being persistent and wearing it down over a long trek, sometimes even in the oppressive midday heat. Some early hunters would chase antelope over 20 miles in heat over 100 degrees. Persistence hunting would be the order of the day. African hunters would chase a Kudu, which is an early version of the antelope, by startling the animal so it ran away. They would chase the beast at a fast pace, and, while the faster Kudu would always be further ahead, the hunters would catch up to it when it took time to rest in the shade. The hunter would eventually finish the animal off with a spear, but not until he was at close range. This type of hunting is still practised in Southern Africa.

With changes in human society, hunting evolved. As we began to grow our own food and keep animals, hunting became a specialized task. Not just the traditional masculine endeavour anymore, hunting became a specific duty with tradesmen acquiring precise training. The other trend was hunting becoming the sport and leisure domain of the upper classes. It was here that the English word ‘game’ became common.

Hunting has had other effects on our modern society as well. Various animals have been used to aid the hunter, but none has become as important to us as the dog. The use of the ancestors of the wolf to retrieve prey and be our loyal companions has set the dog apart. Its domestication, which took thousands of years, is considered a remarkable accomplishment. The tie between hunting man and dog goes so far back that the very word for hunting in ancient Greek is derived from the word dog.

Perhaps the most famous type of hunting is the safari, which was popularized by the American author Ernest Hemingway. The word itself is from the Swahili, meaning long journey, and the most common type of safari occurs in Africa. It was frequently several days or weeks of camping while stalking or hunting big game, but in a more modern sense, it also encompassed trips through African national parks to hunt or watch the big game. Unlike their predecessors who ran their prey down years before, the modern African hunter often acquires a special licence and enlists the aid of local professionals. There is even a type of modern safari where no animals are killed. The photo-safari is exactly what its name implies and a Polish photographer first used the term “bloodless hunt”.