May 12, 2008Mya Gallo, smiling big after the hunt of a lifetime
This was my favorite shot. You can't really see the turkey that well, but that's not important. What you can see is that incredible smile on Mya's face. You can't fake that kind of joy. Chuck wrote up the story of the hunt and I didn't see any reason to boil it down. So here it is: "Of all the hunts and all the success, nothing tops this one. May 5, 2008Taylor kills a big gobbler on camera. Sort of.Here's the video from my turkey hunt with Freddy McGuire on May 1 in Bedford County. Based on this video I am not expecting Will Primos to call and ask me to join his video team any time soon. I also fully expect my brother to tell me the video (particularly my ultracheesy voice over), is "more than I can bear." But I hadn't killed a turkey in two years so that was my priority on this day. Given that and the general challenges of this hunt, I think this turned out as well as we could have hoped for under the circumstances. Two details about the video. At one point in the voice over I say "I decided to belly crawl..." That's not true. As we were trying to figure out how to get this bird, Freddy -- who is an expert at this stuff -- suggested that I belly crawl over to try to peak into the hollow. I was going to give him a signal if it was clear for him to get over there with the camera. But it was clear the turkey was only 50 yards away and there was no way we could risk it. Also, this video is quick, but at least 15 minutes elapsed between when I started crawling and when I finally shot. I think the average viewer of outdoors videos would be surprised to know how many hunts those pro video teams go on to get the great footage that makes the cuts for their shows and DVDs. The more I lug cameras along on hunts, the more appreciation I have for the teams that get great footage out there under fair chase conditions. May 2, 2008A big end to my spring gobbler drought
It had a thick 10-inch beard and weighed 23 pounds even on Freddy's digital scale. The spurs were between 3/4 and 7/8 of an inch, although the tip of one was broken off. So, I'm not sure if it was a 2-year-old or 3-year-old. Not that it really matters. It is a heck of a trophy and was a great, exciting hunt. Freddy actually already wrote a story about the hunt and posted it on his Vaturkey.com Web site. He told the story so well I don't feel any great need to try to duplicate the work. Freddy was shooting video. We didn't get the kill on tape but I'm working on a little video I hope to post here a little bit later today. The short version is this guy started gobbling on his own about 8:45 a.m. We heard another one gobbling a ways off after the hunt. If you can hunt late, now is a good time to find lonely gobblers after hens head off to nests. Keep the reports and pictures coming, and thanks for reading. mt April 28, 2008At 79, Harold Ford kills his first gobbler
The hunt is an offering from Virginia's chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation's Wheelin' Sportsmen program. Here's Barry's story about the hunt: "The predawn hours of Saturday, April 26 were wet and foggy as we gathered for our 3rd annual Wheelin’ Sportsmen hunt. Five hunters and their guides spread out across Bedford County in search of Mr. Longbeard. Daylight greeted most of the groups with very little gobbling on the roost. Three groups were able to eventually work birds later in the morning. Those three groups had birds close and two hunters even pulled the trigger. Unfortunately, one had failed to put a round in the chamber of his gun. The other gun did have a shell chambered and the load of Winchester # 5s found its mark. The gun was mine, BUT… it was in the hands of Mr. Harold Ford. Continue reading "At 79, Harold Ford kills his first gobbler" » April 15, 2008Lynn Blankenship with his "23/3" gobbler
Blankenship and friend Kevin Taylor got into position well before daylight. Blankenship made one call and the bird flew out of the roost and into range. Blankenship is calling it his 23/3 bird because it weighed 23 pounds and had three beards. The beards were 10, 9 and 7 inches long, respectively. The men weren't done as Taylor took a nice gobbler later in the morning. I've been getting reports that gobblers are pretty henned up so it helps when you can get in on them while they're roosted. Keep the reports and photos coming. April 10, 2008It's Alive! The legend of Tuff Bobby Gobble starts now
Gobbler decoys aren't exactly cheap. Plastic ones, to which you can attach a real fan, can run upwards of $75. If you want a real one, like the one my buddies Freddy McGuire and Jeff D'Agostino are using in this video from last season, you either have to sacrifice one of your own mounts, hope you can acquire one that's no longer wanted, or buy a real mounted pen-raised jake decoy from someplace like Hazel Creek for $445. Or you can make your own. Which is what I did. Now, as you look at this gobbler, you may be surprised to know that I am not an experienced taxidermist. This is the first turkey I've ever "mounted." Really. OK, seriously, I know this thing looks a little rough. OK. Maybe more than a little rough. But my friend Barry Arrington killed a huge gobbler last year over a decoy that wasn't this pretty. I really think the keys are the fan and the head. And they both are fine. (I'm actually hoping to get another skin this spring so I can redo the body.) To make this I used a skin from a jake shot by a friend last fall. I bought a foam gobbler body from a taxidermy supply company for about $15, and spent another $45 on the painted head, which was by far the biggest expense. The tail I had lying around. It needs a beard. Our cats got ahold of most of mine (except the 11.5-incher from the first gobbler I killed, and I'm not going to sacrifce that one) and killed them, but a buddy said he's going to hook me up. Anyway, my total investment has been about $65. Plus, it was kind of fun. Will it work? I don't know. But we'll see. (Don't worry -- I don't plan to use this anywhere there's a chance a hunter, who would have to be half-blind -- could mistake it for a real thing and shoot at it.) Oh, the name. One of my girls suggested Gobble and the other Bobby (because that was the name of my friend who gave me the skin and wings).Another buddy suggested Tuff because this boy clearly isn't afraid to mix it up with the big boys. So, there you go. Does anyone else have experience with gobbler decoys? Tips? Suggestions? Good luck to everyone this season. Be safe and keep me posted. March 31, 2008They're strutting and gobbling
I'm getting more reports of gobbling and strutting so it's really building. So, who plans to go out Saturday for the youth day? I'm sure there are other dads who will be out there with 6-year-olds, but mine are nowhere near ready to shoot a shotgun yet. And the other kids I know who would like to hunt have dads, uncles or grandfathers who hunt. But I plan to ask around to see if I can find a kid who wants to go but otherwise wouldn't get to go. March 26, 2008Breaking news: Keck out as NWTF bossI just learned that Rob Keck has stepped down as the CEO of the National Wild Turkey Federation. No one is saying anything official about why this happened, but it's probably not a coincidence that the resignation comes roughly a week after the NWTF board's ouster of chief operating officer Carl Brown and Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing Dick Rosenlieb. No official word for the dismissals has been givien, either, but Doug Howlett and Colin Moore of the Southern Sporting Journal report that sources have said the "the board had been investigating certain management practices at the Federation and that the board's actions were in response to their findings." As the former editor of the NWTF's Turkey Call magazine, Howlett obviously has many connections within the organization so I have confidence in his reporting. The whole article is posted on the Southern Sporting Journal's Web site. As I wrote about last year in a main story and sidebar on the challenges facing the Roanoke Valley chapter of the NWTF, the organization as a whole is struggling to evolve now that the mission for which it was founded -- restoration of the wild turkey -- has largely been accomplished. They still do plenty of great stuff, including habitat preservation and contributing to the important Families Afield recruitment and retention effort with the National Shooting Sportsmans Foundation and the U.S. Sportsmans Alliance. A challenge is keeping the sportsmen and women who are the lifeblood of NWTF invigorated now that the mission isn't so easily defined. I'll keep you posted as I learn more. And if you have information or thoughts on the topic, please drop me an e-mail or post a comment. It's about time to talk turkeys, isn't it?
I have been so focused on fish that I hadn't given much thought to Virginia's upcoming spring gobbler season. But it is coming up soon -- less than two weeks till the youth hunt. Freddy is among the hunters whose spring has already started. He shot this longbeard during a recent trip to Florida. You can see more shots from the trip and read Freddy's account on Freddy's Vaturkey.com Web site. Freddy always keeps a hunting journal on the site and does a good job of keeping it updated. This year he's trying something new, with a blog that he will update from the field with his Blackberry. Of course, if I'm up early enough to be reading a live report about a spring hunt, I hope I'm actually out there doing it. So, who's hearing gobbler and seeing strutters out there? November 5, 2007Great opening day for two new turkey dogs
Norma killed this turkey with the help of young Boykin spaniel sisters Missy and Mandy. The hunt was bittersweet. Missy and Mandy are the successors of the Quarles' previous turkey hunter, a Boykin named Brandy, who died last year. Brandy was a great turkey dog and I was responsible for dozens of fall turkeys -- including several for me. It looks like these two are off to a great start. Great opening day for two new turkey dogs
Norma killed this turkey with the help of young Boykin spaniel sisters Missy and Mandy. The hunt was bittersweet. Missy and Mandy are the successors of the Quarles' previous turkey hunter, a Boykin named Brandy, who died last year. Brandy was a great turkey dog and I was responsible for dozens of fall turkeys -- including several for me. It looks like these two are off to a great start. October 1, 2007Franklin County JAKES event a huge smashA co-worker took his 8-year-old buddy to this past weekend's National Wild Turkey Federation JAKES event at Franklin County's Waid Recreation Area. The kid, my friend said, "had a blast." Put on by the Franklin County Longbeards chapter of the NWTF, this youth event keeps getting bigger and better. Last year it earned the NWTF's national award for best JAKES event of its size. Organizers estimated that this year's event drew more than 400 youngsters. That puts it up there with the popular JAKES event put on each fall by the Rockbridge County chapter of the NWTF. The Rockbridge event, which was also this weekend (I haven't heard how it went), has been a regular national winner of its category and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top now that they're going head-to-head.
June 17, 2007Why is the Roanoke NWTF chapter struggling?It's not uncommon for volunteers in any organization to become frustrated and burned out, because what usually happens is that a small core of people end up doing all of the work. So it wasn't surprising when the core of folks helping put on the annual fundraising banquet for the Roanoke Valley chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation finally called it quits after the 2006 banquet. What was unusual was that no one stepped in to fill the void. And it was also interesting that many of the people kept volunteering for a wildlife-related group -- Hunters for the Hungry. I heard some grumbling about the low return the chapters got on banquet profits. So I started looking into it. Nonprofits have to file open returns with the IRS, and a number of groups help compile that information so people can check up on the groups they're giving their time and money to. In my first look at the financial information one of the things that jumped out at me was NWTF CEO Rob Keck's compensation, which was $351,000 a year. That seemed high. (It actually was comparable to what leaders of similar groups earn.) I got the OK to do a story on how these groups raise and spend money. The editor at the time, Mike Riley, asked if I would mind having reporter Laurence Hammack on the project with me. I knew I could handle the story on my own, but I knew it would be better if Laurence, who has a lot more experience with these types of projects, was a part of the effort. We've been working on the story for six months -- not solid, of course. From what we found, nobody is doing anything illegal. But it really was intresting (at least to me and the others involved with the project) how these groups work, with a small core of generally well compensated leaders and small paid staff having to keep a huge contingent of volunteers fired up to do the mission. When that mission evolves, as has the NWTF's as turkeys have been pretty much restored, that only adds to the challenge. One challenge we faced was that many people we talked to had plenty to say, but weren't willing to go on the record. The hunting fraternity is a tight, and people tend to be cautious about saying anything that might be considered negative. But we still found plenty of people on all sides of the issue who were willing to be candid. The story ran today. HERE'S the link. With all the reporting we did, it could have been much longer than the piece we ended up with. A lot of color and details got left on the editing room floor. With the Roanoke chapter still in limbo, I expect we're not done reporting on this story. If you have worked or volunteer with wildlife-related conservation groups, I'd love to hear about your experiences. May 16, 2007Like a wary gobbler, turkey season slips quietly awayIt appears another spring turkey season is going to wind down without my punching a tag. This makes two blanks in a row. That's what I get for spending most of my efforts trying to kill one on my own rather than with friends who are clearly better at this than I am. I can't complain too much. I guess I hunted a half-dozen times. Actually, one of those hunts I didn't carry a gun as I was just helping with an NWTW Wheelin' Sportsmen event. What will likely be my final hunt of the season came last week, and it was actually a good one to end on. My friend Carson Quarles invited me to his place in Botetourt County. He was tagged out so he didn't even carry a gun. We got on a bird at first light and waited for him to fly down. Carson does a lot of fall hunting and has deadfall limb blinds set up all around his place. He had one in a good spot to set up on this bird so we got in it and got to work. Actually, he got to work with the call. I just tried to figure out how I was going to shoot a bird as the blind was pretty high and it was going to be tough to get a clear shot unless the bird came into a tiny window. The gobbler was in a hollow below us and pretty boisterous. Then Carson says, "There's a coyote walking down the road." Until that morning I hadn't seen a coyote in the wild. The thing came to within 15 yards, just trotting toward our single hen decoy. It looked huge. I'm pretty sure my load of Hevi-Shot 5s would have planted the thing but Carson didn't want to mess up the chances at the gobbler. The coyote didn't spot us but know something was up and eased off. Next, two jakes came in. They were putting like crazy trying to get the hen decoy to move. The gobbler was also going crazy. We were just going to let the jakes call in the big bird in for us. Sure enough I heard crunching leaves behind us. I figured it was another gobbler. It was just going to be a matter of letting him walk past us so I could get a shot. Well, the jakes craned their necks and flew away. It hadn't been a gobbler, but the coyote. Or maybe another coyote. Of course that shut the gobbler up for good. A note here about coyotes. I hear a lot of poeple talk about how they suspect coyotes are killing a lot of turkeys. Can someone tell me how a turkey that can see a camo-clad hunter barely move at 100 yards is going to let a 50-pound critter sneak up on it? I mean, I'm sure coyotes get a few adult turkeys, but we hunters get a lot more. Now, coyotes probably do some damage on poults. But I see lots of young turkeys every fall on places I know have plenty of coyotes. I was already skeptical of how good coyotes are at killing adult turkeys, and now I'm even more skeptical. We ended up walking a ways and struck another gobbler about 10 a.m. He gobbled a few times but then shut up. I was kind of surprised we didn't get more out of him because usually when you hit a bird at 10 a.m. that's a pretty good thing. I had to get to work so we called it a day. Sure enough we spotted a strutter in a field as we were heading in. It would have been tough, but not impossible to hunt him, but I just couldn't stick around. So, here's my thinking for next season. First, I plan to hunt turkeys a little harder in the fall. In fact, I won't hesitate to kill two if I get the chance. That will leave me only one tag for the spring. Knowing my luck, I will kill a bird on my first hunt next spring and will hardly get to enjoy the season. I guess that would be OK. April 26, 2007Cool video of a strutting gobbler decoy at work
This is going to make you want to stuff the next gobbler you kill just to use it as a decoy. At the end of the segment Freddy says, "Robbie is in there taking a shower. He is gonna have a coronary." Robbie is Freddy's brother. He roosted these two birds and spent some time in the blind with these guys that morning. But he had to leave for work, and the gobblers showed up shortly thereafter. Actually, Robbie, who is about as low-key as anyone I know, was totally cool with these guys shooting "his" turkeys. They had only one gun and Jeff shot first. That black thing you see flapping up is the window screen. When the second gobbler stuck around, Jeff handed Freddy the gun and he was able to kill the other longbeard. Unfortunately Freddy had to shoot out the side window of the blind so that kill wasn't on camera. Freddy, who runs the Vaturkey.com Web site, shoots some video for the guys who put together the Blue Ridge Mountain Memories (airs on WHSV TV in Harrisonburg) and Just Kill'n Time (Sportsman Channel) TV shows. This hunt will certainly end up on one of those shows next spring so I had to do a little begging to get my hands on it. Thanks to Freddy and Max Rowe (of those shows and BTD Outdoors Scents and Game Calls) for letting me slip this sneak preview out there a year early! April 23, 2007Better weather brings better turkey hunting action
While some hunters were able to buck the horrible weather during the season's first few days, most were happy to see conditions lighten up toward the end of the week. The milder weather not only was more comfortable, but the gobblers were more active. I got out Saturday, my second hunt of the season after walking miles in the rain on opening morning without hearing a bird. Saturday was better. Hunting private land in Bedford County I heard several gobblers before first light. I was working into position on one when I managed to get too close and spooked him off the roost. There were a couple birds a couple hollows over so I hustled over there. I couldn't get too close because there was a big open area that I couldn't risk crossing, so I set up under a pine tree. After the birds flew down I could hear one that was hanging out in a small field. He didn't pay much attention to calls but shock gobbled at everything. I was pinned down so I planned to just wait him out. Complicating matters was the hunter on the adjoining property. He heard the gobbler, too. He must have been using an electronic call (which is illegal, actually) because it had two calls -- a five-note yelp and a gobble that sounded like one of those toy turkeys. There was no variation in either of the calls. I just made a few subtle calls now and then so the gobbler knew I was there. The gobbler didn't respond but the hunter answered nearly every one of my calls with either a yelp or a gobble. It was kind of funny, actually. Well, after about an hour I finally saw movement. I thought it was him strutting but it was actually cows. When they started coming through the field the gobbler came into the woods and started working his way toward me. He was probably 100 yards away and it was pretty thick. I had to get my gun up. I should have waited until he was in the bottom of the hollow and out of view. But I was literally under the bows of a pine tree so I thought I was OK. I wasn't. As soon as I moved he turned around. He just walked away and never made another sound. I moved around and checked out a few more spots. The only other gobbles I heard the rest of the morning were those from the hunter across the creek. I hope to get out a couple of times this week. Saturday I'm carrying a video camera on an NWTF Wheelin' Sportsman hunt in Bedford County.
April 17, 2007Wind was tougher on turkey hunters than rain
As I wrote in my column in today's paper, I was a little surprised to hear that 780 hunters checked in gobblers by phone Saturday, the season's opening day. That was 95 more than on last year's opener. Hunters in Eastern Virginia were able to get in some hunting before the rain hit. Some Western Virginia hunters, including Troy Lamy (pictured above with a nice Patrick County gobbler), took advantage of breaks in the rain. And, no doubt some hunters located turkeys in fields, with many likely shooting the birds at a distance with rifles (which is legal here). I surmised that hunting was tougher in yesterday's wind. At least I got that part right. According to the phone check-in numbers I just got, only 152 turkeys were checked in on Monday. That's barely a third of the 421 checked in on the first Monday last spring. One of my buddies called one in for a friend yesterday. He was out there today and said they didn't hear a thing. So, today's kill was probably even lower. Looks like weather should be a little better for the next few days, although there is more rain in the forecast.
April 14, 2007Turkey opener is productive, if getting blisters is a good thingToday was Virginia's spring gobbler season opener. I hunted national forest land in Botetourt County. My buddy Sam Dean and I left early to make sure we got our spot and we did. I think we walked at least 6 miles, and did'nt hear anything. Actually, Sam said at one point he thought he heard a distant gobble but then added, "It may have been my imagination." It rained steadily the whole time. I had a Gore-Tex shell but got soaked anyway. May have been from sweat from all the uphill walking. I knew rain was expected. I don't have camo rain pants so I sprayed some old camo pants with Scotch Guard yesterday. Didn't work. We did find some great sign and I have confidence that if we (or I) get back in there we'll at least have some action. We ran into four hunters. One had heard one turkey gobble twice, and another guy had seen five hens. So, it was tough for everyone up there. Driving home we saw about two dozen turkeys in fields. We were joking about going and knocking on doors and asking for permission to hunt. I expect it was a pretty quiet opener for a lot of people because I haven't gotten any e-mails from buddies bragging about their opening day birds. My brother-in-law is in town and if he's up for it Monday morning I may take him out to a spot I have in Bedford County. If you have a good story or pictures from opening day, please share April 12, 2007First turkey on a snowy youth hunting day
Here's one of the lucky youngsters, Mcguire Osborne, with an 18.5-pounder he killed near Independence. It was Mcguire's first turkey. March 28, 2007Serial wild turkey poacher convictedThe newest issue of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Outdoor Report includes this gem. I had to chuckle when the poacher was listed as the "former" assistant chief of Spotsylvania County Animal Control. Can't very well have a convicted serial poacher working in law enforcement, can you? "Serial Wild Turkey Poacher Convicted The single defendant in this case, Jason Cook, a former assistant chief of Spotsylvania County Animal Control, was charged with nearly 100 criminal violations related to his illegal turkey poaching activities over the past 15 years. A surveillance operation led to a search warrant for the defendant's residence. The execution of this search warrant included the seizure of 81 wild turkey beards, 17 turkey legs with spurs, 38 additional turkey spurs, 6 sets of turkey tail feathers, and hunting photo albums containing pictures of the defendant posing with illegally shot wild turkey carcasses. The conviction resulted in loss of hunting privileges, jail time, community service and over $10,000 in fines and game restoration costs." I was at DGIF headquarters in Richmond yesterday and saw that the agency has put many of the confiscated beards and spurs into a special, transportable display case. The only problem was they had fuzzed out Cook's face in a picture of him posing with a bunch of dead turkeys. March 26, 2007Turkey season is here, at least down South
Freddy also hunting in South Carolina recently. Hunting was tough. Another friend of mine just got back from Alabama. He said the weather conditions were great but he didn't kill a gobbler until his last morning. I haven't been out listening for gobbling but reports are coming in that the birds are making some noise. It's still nearly three weeks until the April 14 season opener and I'm sure the days are going to crawl by. March 8, 2007Will gobbler luck set the tone for hunting season?Yesterday started fairly early for me and photographer Sam Dean as we headed up to Giles County a little after 7 a.m. to connect with DGIF wildlife biologist Mark Lowles, who is working on a turkey collaring project. As we were driving through Blacksburg we saw a herd of maybe 10 deer standing next to a subdivision. I wanted Sam to shoot them (with the camera) for possible use with our future coverage of urban deer issues. By the time we got turned around the deer were gone and the detour had put us a few minutes behind. When we got to where we were supposed to meet Lowles there was only one state truck at the site. That was odd. We figured the truck was technician Marvin Gautier's, who had walked in before dawn to get in the blind near the net canon set-up. So where was Lowles' truck? We were in the middle of nowhere so it wasn't as if he had slipped down to 7-11 for a cup of coffee. We suspected that Gautier had shot the canon and Lowles had driven up the gated Forest Service road to work up the birds. So we started hiking up the hill. We didn't go far before we thought better of it. We had no idea how far up they were. Fortunately Lowles had left the gate unlocked so we ran back to my truck, I shifted into four-wheel-drive and we headed up. We found them about a mile up the mountain -- and there was Lowles about to snap a transmitter on a huge gobbler. Before I had even stopped the truck Sam jumped out, started taking pictures, and got what we needed for a couple of stories. Only after the gobbler and three hens Gautier had also nabbed had been taken care of and released did we have a good laugh about how close we'd come to missing those shots, which were critical for a couple of stories I'm working on. Sam and I plan to do some turkey hunting this spring. I can only hope this is just the start of a string of gobbler luck. January 5, 2007Late season turkeys
September 21, 2006Rest in peace, Brandy
My friend Carson Quarles had to put his beloved Boykin spaniel, Brandy, to sleep. Brandy was Carson’s constant companion for 14 years. She was not only a loving pet, she was also an incredible turkey dog for most of her life. I was fortunate enough to get to see her in action quite a few times, and it was really something. Brandy could sniff out a gang of turkeys like it was nothing. Then she would dart into the gang at full speed, barking hysterically and sending the birds scattering. In the blind she would lie still and calm, sometimes for hours. A lot of turkey hunters who use dogs will put them in bags, with only their heads free, to keep them subdued in the blind. Brandy didn’t need anything like that. Even when turkeys were coming in she would just lie there, still as could be. I know plenty of human turkey hunters who don’t have that kind of discipline. August 14, 2006A good gang Saturday morning I spent some time touring a Patrick County property being heavily managed for wildlife. We came across this gang of turkeys while checking out one of the property's food plots. The gang had at least two, maybe three mature hens, and several smaller birds that were obviously this year's poults. One of the poults was smaller than the others. As the turkeys moved away from us we could see that the runt wasn't trotting -- it was hopping on one leg. Wild creatures can be amazingly resilient. I've seen and heard or plenty of three-legged deer. That was a first and I can't help but think it's going to have a tough time reaching maturity. |
