Ace of Spades HQ

March 23, 2013

Saturday Morning Open Thread
— andy

Turkey season opens in Georgia today, but unfortunately I won't be able to get down there until mid-April.

Season's probably starting in lots of other Southern states, too, but it won't open here in MA until late April. My master plan of getting down to GA for an early hunt was foiled by work. Stupid work!

As a youngster in Georgia in the 1970s, it was almost impossible to believe there was a time when the state wasn't just covered up with deer. But my dad always talked about the first time he saw one when they were being reintroduced to the state after being all but eradicated.

I got to see this phenomenon for myself with the wild turkey, though. I'll never forget the first one I saw ... it flew across a road in front of the car, and I didn't quite believe my eyes. Fast forward a few years, and I could barely go hunting without seeing some from the stand or on the way to and from the woods.

Thanks to the efforts of the National Wild Turkey Federation and hunters across the country, the restoration of the wild turkey has been an amazing success story, and, honestly, there's nothing I'd rather hunt these days.

If you're lucky enough to get out to the woods today and go after 'em, best of luck.

Posted by: andy at 06:27 AM | Comments (181)
Post contains 233 words, total size 1 kb.

1 But, GUNS!!!! And PETA!!!! And GUNS!!!!

Posted by: Sponge at March 23, 2013 06:29 AM (A/xbL)

2 Same here. Never saw a turkey the first thirty years of my life. Now I see them at least once a month.

Posted by: Taro Tsujimoto at March 23, 2013 06:32 AM (celt+)

3 You don't want to go down there, Andy. Georgia is filled with walkers. [that's a purdy bird - admit it]

Posted by: Ghostly Aspiration at March 23, 2013 06:33 AM (2U4NN)

4 I never saw a turkey as a child.....but then I grew up and before heading off to college I was introduced to my father's Labor Union and the Democratic Party.

Posted by: MrObvious at March 23, 2013 06:34 AM (NlAiP)

5 Opened on the 15th here in Bama, runs through 30 April. I don't hunt them, don't like the taste.

Posted by: CSMBigBird at March 23, 2013 06:36 AM (/pSz4)

6 BIL and FIL are huge turkey hunters--FIL just shot one last week. We usually get the meat. I like hunting but turkeys never appealed to me.

Posted by: USS Diversity at March 23, 2013 06:36 AM (+bZOu)

7 Wild Turkey tastes like an old boot, covered in old sock gravy.

Posted by: CSMBigBird at March 23, 2013 06:37 AM (/pSz4)

8 We have 5300 acres, if a moron wanted to hunt them.

Posted by: CSMBigBird at March 23, 2013 06:38 AM (/pSz4)

Wild Turkey tastes like an old boot, covered in old sock gravy.

Posted by: CSMBigBird at March 23, 2013 10:37 AM (/pSz4)

-------------------

That's why you do it in shots.

Posted by: USS Diversity at March 23, 2013 06:39 AM (+bZOu)

10 We have plenty here in PA, too. When I was a kid you saw pheasants everywhere and they have become all to rare to see. PA Game Commission has been working to bring them back to our woods and farms.

Posted by: Liberty Lover at March 23, 2013 06:39 AM (eQ4W/)

11 Never saw one as a child, either.

About 5 years ago I was driving down a state highway surrounded by subdivisions and strip malls. Got to a bridge over a creek which meanders through the area with trees and scrub brush on both banks.

Suddenly up from the creek came 6 wild turkeys running and partially flying. Traffic screeched to a halt while they crossed the bridge and descended into the creek valley on the other side.

Apparently there are quite a few living in that area, which I did not know about. It was really an amazing thing to see.

Posted by: Miss Marple at March 23, 2013 06:40 AM (GoIUi)

12 Turkey 101 one on the other hand, makes me do shit I don't even do when I'm drunk.

Posted by: CSMBigBird at March 23, 2013 06:40 AM (/pSz4)

We have 5300 acres, if a moron wanted to hunt them.

Posted by: CSMBigBird at March 23, 2013 10:38 AM (/pSz4)

======================

Where y'at Sarnt Major? Got deers?

Posted by: USS Diversity at March 23, 2013 06:40 AM (+bZOu)

14 One more week here, Mar 30 to May 12

Posted by: Dave in Texas at March 23, 2013 06:40 AM (WvXvd)

15 Turkeys walk down the street like gangsters. With a few genetic tweaks here and there you could turn them into close approximations of velociraptors. Then turkey hunt you.

Posted by: eman at March 23, 2013 06:41 AM (64rcm)

16 Covered up with deer, that's what I hunt mostly. Freezer is full.

Posted by: CSMBigBird at March 23, 2013 06:41 AM (/pSz4)

17 >> Turkey 101 one on the other hand, makes me do shit I don't even do when I'm drunk. Yup. Wild Turkey and wild turkey are two completely different animals.

Posted by: Andy at March 23, 2013 06:42 AM (OZPoa)

18 "I'll never forget the first one I saw ... it flew across a road in front of the car, and I didn't quite believe my eyes." Yes! Same here. Mrs & I four-wheeling in the mountains above Pecos, NM. Really close in front of us. I had two immediate thoughts: -If I were new to America and hungry, I'd think I'd found Heaven. -The angle, the widespread... It looks exactly like the bottle!

Posted by: a mindful webworker at March 23, 2013 06:42 AM (9Zci/)

19 South west Alabama. Choctaw County. We killed 6 this year over 135. That's pretty good for The South end of the State.

Posted by: CSMBigBird at March 23, 2013 06:43 AM (/pSz4)

20 It's not uncommon to be deer hunting and see flocks of 15 or 20 turkey. Noisy bastards.

Posted by: CSMBigBird at March 23, 2013 06:44 AM (/pSz4)

21 I had over 30 in my yard yesterday here in the Hudson Valley. One of these years I am going to take up hunting.

Posted by: grewilli at March 23, 2013 06:44 AM (GZarM)

USS Diversity: Just make sure you stick to the cheap stuff. You could end up like this guy.

http://tinyurl.com/cmm6mxj

Posted by: Liberty Lover at March 23, 2013 06:44 AM (eQ4W/)

23 WINGS SPREAD

Posted by: a mindful webworker at March 23, 2013 06:46 AM (7KxSm)

I have been seeing them in surburban-country places around here quite a bit since I moved back to NC last year. I have always wanted to try hunting for them, but I don't own a smoothbore.

I'd like to try hunting, period, but I am a lousy shot and I have no place to practice around here that doesn't cost money I don't have.

Posted by: Grey Fox at March 23, 2013 06:47 AM (/ZHx6)

Posted by: Liberty Lover at March 23, 2013 10:44 AM (eQ4W/)

---------------------------------------------

Ha Ha I saw that. He should have filled it back up with water like I used to do to my parents' liquor cabinet.

Posted by: USS Diversity at March 23, 2013 06:48 AM (+bZOu)

26 Turkeys live in my suburban/ex-urban town here in Massachusetts. I have heard that there are locations in Maine where they drive out the deer by scarfing up all the acorns. &&&

Posted by: fluffy at March 23, 2013 06:48 AM (BmRk4)

27 There's an enormous flock that lives somewhere near my route to work. I should start seeing them pretty soon. It has to be 50 birds. We get 'em in the yard pretty often too, but the neighbors wouldn't take kindly to my blasting away at them with the 12 ga.

Posted by: Andy at March 23, 2013 06:50 AM (OZPoa)

28 Fluffy, I'm going to take my shotgun through Logan on this upcoming trip. That should be entertaining.

Posted by: Andy at March 23, 2013 06:51 AM (OZPoa)

29 I saw plenty of them in Central MA several years ago. They strut down the street and do not get out of the way for approaching cars. Chickens, they ain't.

Posted by: eman at March 23, 2013 06:52 AM (64rcm)

30 Has anyone ever tried a wingbone call? I made one a couple years ago from the Thanksgiving strore-bought turkey a couple years ago out of curiosity, and I have parts for a couple variations (2-bone and single bone) awaiting finishing right now.

Posted by: Grey Fox at March 23, 2013 06:53 AM (/ZHx6)

31 Shitty weather down here today, Andy, you're not missing anything. My plan is to be out at oh-dark-thirty tomorrow to get one, though. And I got in on a WMA quota hunt for the first week of April at Big Lazer.

Posted by: Country Singer at March 23, 2013 06:53 AM (CgcOa)

32 "...honestly, there's nothing I'd rather hunt these days." About as challenging as hunting chickens. Honestly, having observed them in flocks of hundreds, I sometimes wonder how a creature that stupid can possibly survive in the wild. But they do. When concentrations of turkey get high enough, you start hearing people who liked them at first start to complain that the turkeys roost on the edge of their garage or house or even sitting on their cars, shitting on everything. Then those turkeys aren't so cute any more.

Posted by: TooCon at March 23, 2013 06:54 AM (f+yEj)

33 Deer, turkey, and coyotes are everywhere here in MN.

Posted by: Foghorn Leghorn at March 23, 2013 06:54 AM (n8LUb)

34 Posted by: CSMBigBird at March 23, 2013 10:38 AM (/pSz4)

Anywhere near Benning?

Posted by: Country Singer at March 23, 2013 06:55 AM (CgcOa)

35 We have a plethora of turkeys here. I'm always hopeful that the DEM will open a tomahawk season for them. Shotgun and bow hunting are for sissies.

Posted by: The Hobo Wears Prada (Team Plover) at March 23, 2013 06:55 AM (jopHG)

36 I suggested that the turkey be the symbol of the US. Eagle got more votes.

Posted by: Ben Franklin at March 23, 2013 06:56 AM (wIgpo)

37 Andy, my father told me the same stories about the lack of deer in Alabama! Agree, nothing beats spring Turkey.

Posted by: Tocquevillian at March 23, 2013 06:58 AM (iuY0Y)

38 No, Ft Benning is on the other side of the State.

Posted by: CSMBigBird at March 23, 2013 06:59 AM (g7vVd)

39 Posted by: CSMBigBird at March 23, 2013 10:38 AM (/pSz4)

Anywhere near Benning?

Posted by: Country Singer at March 23, 2013 10:55 AM (CgcOa)

Never mind, CSM, I looked it up. Now I know why Choctaw County sounded familiar to me: it's not because it's across the river from Benning, it's because I have a lot of family in that area (but more of them are in Wilcox and Marengo Counties).

Posted by: Country Singer at March 23, 2013 07:00 AM (CgcOa)

40 I agree Ben, would have been a better National Bird and symbol. Baldy is beautiful, but also a scavenger.

Posted by: CSMBigBird at March 23, 2013 07:01 AM (g7vVd)

41 Good, but Choctaw ain't near anything.

Posted by: CSMBigBird at March 23, 2013 07:01 AM (g7vVd)

42 One of the fondest memories of my youth was shooting a turkey on Thanksgiving Day. Of course, it was 5 minutes into my deer hunt, so it screwed up that session.

Posted by: Zombie John Gotti at March 23, 2013 07:02 AM (1hekh)

43 It's duck season. Go ahead and shoot.

Posted by: Daffy Duck at March 23, 2013 07:02 AM (iy4/W)

44 They say (you know, them) that there are more deer around now than when Columbus landed.

Posted by: fluffy at March 23, 2013 07:02 AM (BmRk4)

45 Only four traffic signals in the whole county.

Posted by: CSMBigBird at March 23, 2013 07:02 AM (g7vVd)

46 Over and over we see species make a roaring comeback, ie gators, turkeys, deer, bald eagles, etc, and usually hunters are at the forefront of those efforts. And yet, we still have to hear all the crap from animal rights people.

Posted by: BCochran1981 at March 23, 2013 07:02 AM (6GeMV)

47 I never saw any wild turkeys growing up in northern NY. I presume they're some sort of flying weasel thing, right?

We had lots of deer, which are just very large, kinda stupid weasels.

Posted by: @PurpAv at March 23, 2013 07:04 AM (/gHaE)

48 Turkey taste great fried! This is one cult that I have not joined. Duck hunting is enough for me. I can not sit still long enough to get a Turkey.

Posted by: Billy Bob, pseudo intellectual at March 23, 2013 07:04 AM (wR+pz)

49 Over and over we see species make a roaring comeback, ie gators, turkeys, deer, bald eagles, etc, and usually hunters are at the forefront of those efforts. And yet, we still have to hear all the crap from animal rights people.

Yeah, there are a shitload of us now, but honestly, none of us are very happy.

Posted by: A Polar Bear at March 23, 2013 07:04 AM (iy4/W)

50
As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!!

(aoshq obligatory)

Posted by: Guy Mohawk at March 23, 2013 07:04 AM (IY7Ir)

Only four traffic signals in the whole county.

Posted by: CSMBigBird at March 23, 2013 11:02 AM (g7vVd)

Careful, you'll have Moron hunters lined up out the gate like the end of Field of Dreams

Posted by: USS Diversity at March 23, 2013 07:04 AM (+bZOu)

52 Choctaw ain't near anything. I want to live somewhere like that.

Posted by: fluffy at March 23, 2013 07:05 AM (BmRk4)

53 About a half dozen marauding turkeys cut me off on the highway not too long ago. When I honked my horn at them, they gave me the stink-eye like they wanted to kick my ass.

I stayed in the truck.

Posted by: Fritz at March 23, 2013 07:05 AM (WM+rJ)

54 You can thank the tree farmers for the million plus deer herds. The cutting of the trees opens up the forest for feeder plants. Not many deer in old growth Pine forests. Nothin to eat.

Posted by: CSMBigBird at March 23, 2013 07:05 AM (g7vVd)

55 Living I a major urban area, the thing I see more and more of that was not around as a child are raptors. Red tailed hawks, especially.

Posted by: TANSTAAFL at March 23, 2013 07:06 AM (52QEX)

56 Just remember that Turkey was once proposed to be the Nations Bird now we have one in office..

Posted by: clemenza at March 23, 2013 07:06 AM (HMQ8k)

57 Butler is the county seat. Couple of years ago, I saw a four bedroom house on one acre. Bank owned, sold for 38500. Only four years old.

Posted by: CSMBigBird at March 23, 2013 07:07 AM (g7vVd)

58 >> And yet, we still have to hear all the crap from animal rights people. ... when they're not trying to save one of the 5 remaining condors or whatever. How do those taste, anyway? If they need saving, we're pretty good at it.

Posted by: Andy at March 23, 2013 07:07 AM (OZPoa)

59 The vultures in FL will give you a bunch'o attitude too.

Posted by: @PurpAv at March 23, 2013 07:07 AM (/gHaE)

60 58, lol. You're right.

Posted by: CSMBigBird at March 23, 2013 07:07 AM (g7vVd)

61 I hunted turkey for years down in coastal SC...., never got a shot. Now, whole flocks of the damn things come matching through the yard, leaving a trail of turkey pooh in their wake.

Posted by: Mike Hammer at March 23, 2013 07:07 AM (aDwsi)

62 Our season opened here in S.C. on March 15 . So far I've missed one day of hunting . Killed a jake day before yesterday . Tried to work some birds this morning in the swamp but the river is about a half mile wide now and I couldn't get to 'em without my canoe . Now it's rainin' like hell so I'll give them a few hrs. then get after them again . Wild turkeys do taste like crap , ya'll should never try to hunt them .... I really hate to eat them for Thanksgiving dinner , with cornbread oystersage dressing, cranberry sauce and gravy . Allways a slow learner , we usually eat another one for Christmas dinner . The leftover breast meat is terrible in turkey sandwiches , you should shun them .////////

Posted by: awkward davies at March 23, 2013 07:08 AM (USjX1)

63 >> Only four traffic signals in the whole county. Magnificent! What's the terrain like in that part of the state?

Posted by: Andy at March 23, 2013 07:09 AM (OZPoa)

64 Ahh, the feathered weasel, once thought extinct...

Posted by: Tocquevillian at March 23, 2013 07:09 AM (iuY0Y)

65 yeeeeeelp yelp yelp yelp yelp

put put purrrr

yeeeeeeeelp yelp yelp yelp yelp

Posted by: fixerupper at March 23, 2013 07:10 AM (9MmIU)

66
they gave me the stink-eye like they wanted to kick my ass.

Heh. I was bow-hunting for elk one year, all camo and such, and surprised a couple of turkey, but damn if that didn't scare the crap out of me more with the ruckus they made. I jumped about 4 feet in the air.

Posted by: Guy Mohawk at March 23, 2013 07:10 AM (IY7Ir)

67 I'll admit, breast fried in peanut oil is ok, small letters. Nothing to write home about. I'll take a butterball anyway though. Smoked in apple wood.

Posted by: CSMBigBird at March 23, 2013 07:10 AM (g7vVd)

68 @ 58 My Apologies to all the Rio's And Miriams here, the Turkey actually here abouts ,is in the foothills of the Sierras, not Libertard Terrain, and has eye site second to few other species. Are very elusive and wylee..

Posted by: clemenza at March 23, 2013 07:10 AM (HMQ8k)

gobble gobble gobble gobble

gobble gobble

Posted by: Julius Caesar at March 23, 2013 07:11 AM (A71EA)

Wild turkeys do taste like crap , ya'll should never try to hunt them .... I really hate to eat them for Thanksgiving dinner , with cornbread oystersage dressing, cranberry sauce and gravy . Allways a slow learner , we usually eat another one for Christmas dinner . The leftover breast meat is terrible in turkey sandwiches , you should shun them .////////

Posted by: awkward davies at March 23, 2013 11:08 AM (USjX1)

That's right, in fact everybody should stay the hell out of the woods. It's icky there.

Posted by: USS Diversity at March 23, 2013 07:11 AM (+bZOu)

71 If they taste nasty, why does anyone hunt them unless they're like flying wharf rats.

Posted by: @PurpAv at March 23, 2013 07:11 AM (/gHaE)

72 CSMBigBird, anyone in that area named Champion, Hudson, Morgan, or West is probably a relative of mine.

Posted by: Country Singer at March 23, 2013 07:11 AM (CgcOa)

73 The Red Letter Media link in the side bar under the video dump? Very funny if you are a movie fan. Also very, very depressing.

Posted by: Eaton Cox at March 23, 2013 07:11 AM (+wxCD)

74 32 "...honestly, there's nothing I'd rather hunt these days." About as challenging as hunting chickens. Clearly you know NOTHING about turkey hunting. Turkeys are one of the hardest birds to kill. You can only kill Toms, so all those ladies you see in a big flock are off limits. You have to hit them in the head. The feathers are so thick that a body shot is laughed at. You have to call the Toms in. It is basically a pussy call, and the poor bastard thinks he is going to get laid and them, Bam. He's laid out. Did I mention you have to get up at dawn and not move for fucking hours? Try it, then tell me it's like shooting chicken

Posted by: Billy Bob, pseudo intellectual at March 23, 2013 07:11 AM (wR+pz)

75 fear the beard!!!!!

Posted by: Julius Caesar at March 23, 2013 07:11 AM (A71EA)

76 Slow rolling hills if you can call them that. Lots of small creeks and streams. Most streams lined with oak. Mostly pine forests.

Posted by: CSMBigBird at March 23, 2013 07:11 AM (g7vVd)

77 Jerry Champion? Grove hill Thomasville. Area.

Posted by: CSMBigBird at March 23, 2013 07:12 AM (g7vVd)

78 Toocon , is full of shit . I've tried wingbone calls both homemade and storebought . I can't make any of them sound right .

Posted by: awkward davies at March 23, 2013 07:13 AM (USjX1)

79
Wild turkey breast meat is awesome. I either marinade and grill or fry in a turkey frier.

The dark meat isnt like store bought... that I use fot soup stock.

Posted by: fixerupper at March 23, 2013 07:14 AM (9MmIU)

80 I'd rather hunt something slow-moving, like tortoise. You can do it from a lounge chair.

Posted by: Cicero, Semiautomatic Assault Commenter at March 23, 2013 07:14 AM (iy4/W)

81 Posted by: CSMBigBird at March 23, 2013 11:12 AM (g7vVd)

Don't know him personally, but that fits. Had ancestors that served in the "Grove Hill Guards" during the Late Unpleasantness.

Posted by: Country Singer at March 23, 2013 07:14 AM (CgcOa)

82 Turkey are very hard to hunt. Once winter breaks, the Toms are solitary. You have to call him in close enough to shoot. You can't just sit and wait on him.

Posted by: CSMBigBird at March 23, 2013 07:14 AM (g7vVd)

83 Driving to work one morning I happened upon what I thought was a group of those damn Canadian geese sitting in the street. As I got closer I realized it was a bunch of turkeys standing smack dab in th middle of my lane. I thought they'd scatter as soon as I pulled up to them. Um. No way. They stood there, I stopped there, they stood there, I sat there, they stood there, I sat there.......and so on. Guess who won that showdown? I looked in my rear view mirror as I turned into the office and they were still standing there. I wondered how many other drivers they had frustrated that morning.

Posted by: Tuna at March 23, 2013 07:15 AM (M/TDA)

84 66 >> Only four traffic signals in the whole county.

Magnificent!

What's the terrain like in that part of the state?
-----------------------------
I can answer that without knowing where he lives: Flat.
I spent a lot of years in the Low Country, slogging fields, forest and swamps.
Sadly, it has been overrun by..., well, let's just say, people from somewhere else.

Posted by: Mike Hammer at March 23, 2013 07:15 AM (aDwsi)

85 You guys who live in the country are damned lucky.

Posted by: USS Diversity at March 23, 2013 07:16 AM (+bZOu)

86 Andy, Do you remember when we were kids in the 70s-80s in GA and there were only 2 doe days a season and the limit was 3 deer? Now it's doe days all season and the limit is 12 deer.

Posted by: FireSarge at March 23, 2013 07:16 AM (HZ/lO)

87
Scientists are getting pretty good with the dna thing, just freeze some of that for the condor and snail darter and if we ever decide they are needed we'll just cook up a batch.

Posted by: Guy Mohawk at March 23, 2013 07:16 AM (IY7Ir)

88 You Yankees must not know how to cook a wild turkey, everyone I have ever had tasted much better than Mr Butterball. I expect you are overcooking them, since they have so little fat, it is easy to do. They are not injected with fucking oil like your store bought bird. You need to deep fry them, or wrap them in some bacon. You know the AoSHQ rule, ANYTHING tastes good with bacon.

Posted by: Billy Bob, pseudo intellectual at March 23, 2013 07:17 AM (wR+pz)

89 56 You can thank the tree farmers for the million plus deer herds. The cutting of the trees opens up the forest for feeder plants. Not many deer in old growth Pine forests. Nothin to eat.

I thank suburbia. Between the state of my lawn plants every spring, being threatened in my backyard by stag with bad intent, and the number of mashed up cars, there are plenty of them around here.

Posted by: pep at March 23, 2013 07:17 AM (6TB1Z)

90 57 Living I a major urban area, the thing I see more and more of that was not around as a child are raptors. Red tailed hawks, especially. Got them all over Greater Boston, including the city. Lots of peregrine falcons hunting pigeons near the tall buildings.

Posted by: fluffy at March 23, 2013 07:17 AM (BmRk4)

91 test

Posted by: L, elle at March 23, 2013 07:17 AM (0PiQ4)

92 Turkey are big and slow, no? Seems like pheasant or grouse might be a little more interesting for hunting.

Posted by: Dark ages at March 23, 2013 07:18 AM (fRHUc)

93 They have repopulated Massachusetts nicely. Surprisingly fast buggers and they fly better than you'd think. They can be quite fearless, no problem chasing trucks or trolleys, and are notorious around here for holding pansy liberals in neighboring Brookline hostage. Don't seem to mind walking around the urban parts of Boston & Cambridge either. They just look at you "fuck you buddy" and keep doing whatever they want. The females are definitely the shot callers in their rafters, which is funny to see the smallest bird ordering around the largest.

Their iridescent coloring is quite beautiful too. The feathers have an interesting patterning in different light and their faces change color with their moods similar to fighting fish.

Can see why Franklin wanted them to be the national bird. They are the all American showy Honey Badgers of birds, only quite tasty to eat.

Posted by: Blue Falcon in Boston at March 23, 2013 07:18 AM (KCvsd)

94 I have to flag you untasty Turkey haters..It is the diet that makes the Turkey, Nuts and such , berries, Like a Michigan White Tale vs A California Coastal Mule Deer, no comparison, just saying, but here in Mexifornia we have little pedestrian traffic for Turkey Harvest or German Beer..

Posted by: clemenza at March 23, 2013 07:18 AM (HMQ8k)

95 Can we reintroduce deer eradication? Please? F*ckers.(deer, not you guys)

Posted by: Sad.gardener.and.wary.driver at March 23, 2013 07:18 AM (Q8Wa9)

96 >> You have to call the Toms in. It is basically a pussy call, and the poor bastard thinks he is going to get laid and them, Bam. He's laid out. Yup. And this reverses the natural order of things in turkey world, because the hens flock to the Toms. Plus, those things usually won't cross a road, footpath, or even a small fallen log to come to the call. Scouting is key.

Posted by: Andy at March 23, 2013 07:19 AM (OZPoa)

97 Dammit, I give up. I can't unlink myself from AoS. The URL I leave blank but when I post my nic shows up linked to AoS.

Posted by: L, elle at March 23, 2013 07:20 AM (0PiQ4)

98 95 Turkey are big and slow, no? NO

Posted by: Billy Bob, pseudo intellectual at March 23, 2013 07:20 AM (wR+pz)

I gotta say,

toms in full strut are fucking magnificent bastards

Posted by: Julius Caesar at March 23, 2013 07:21 AM (A71EA)

100 Mike Hammer is a homeboy.. I've probably killed somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 gobblers withing spitting distance of the Edisto River swamp . Low country heaven , if you don't mind a few mosquitos, redbugs , wasps , hornets , pit vipers , briar thickets and the like .

Posted by: awkward davies at March 23, 2013 07:21 AM (USjX1)

101 Sadly, it has been overrun by..., well, let's just say, people from somewhere else. Jib,newsletter, etc.

Posted by: The formerly great state of Colorado at March 23, 2013 07:21 AM (Q8Wa9)

102 98 Can we reintroduce deer eradication? Please? F*ckers.(deer, not you guys) Posted by: Sad.gardener.and.wary.driver

Why yes, yes you can.

Posted by: Wolves, cougars, and especially ambitious weasels at March 23, 2013 07:22 AM (6TB1Z)

103 The mostly defunct airport in Worcester MA has a resident flock of turkeys that totally shuts down traffic some mornings.

Posted by: Lincolntf at March 23, 2013 07:23 AM (ZshNr)

104
I can't unlink myself from AoS.

Resistance is futile.

Posted by: The blog borg at March 23, 2013 07:24 AM (IY7Ir)

105

When still living in Calfifuckedbeyondcomprehension, I used to just go up to my wife's uncle's place with a 22, and shoot as many turkeys as I wanted. A good head or neck shot will cause the bird to flop over, spread it's tail...which makes the other males try to mount it, instead of running away. If you're a good shot, picking up three or four turkeys was simple.

I also raised turkeys...domestic, wild, and hybrid. I had one male try to nail me with his spurs. I drilled out a couple cheapo rubber super balls, and glued them to his spurs. Later, he was first in line for the pot...but a bob cat got him before I did.

Posted by: Sticky Wicket at March 23, 2013 07:24 AM (0IhFx)

106 >> Andy, Do you remember when we were kids in the 70s-80s in GA and there were only 2 doe days a season and the limit was 3 deer? Now it's doe days all season and the limit is 12 deer. Yup. One of the best things about bowhunting was that it was early and either-sex, so you could get the antlerless tags out of the way and focus on hunting a buck knowing you had meat in the freezer.

Posted by: Andy at March 23, 2013 07:24 AM (OZPoa)

107 @102 True dat. I wouldn't want to fuck with one. Have you ever seen this? Just one of many. http://tinyurl.com/cljg4n8

Posted by: Billy Bob, pseudo intellectual at March 23, 2013 07:24 AM (wR+pz)

108 I thank suburbia. Between the state of my lawn plants every spring, being threatened in my backyard by stag with bad intent, and the number of mashed up cars, there are plenty of them around here. They like the woods edge. With old farms getting overgrown, they have the habitat they like.

Posted by: fluffy at March 23, 2013 07:24 AM (BmRk4)

109 Turkeys are big and slow , yeah if you consider running around 25 to 30 mph and flight at 55 mph slow.

Posted by: awkward davies at March 23, 2013 07:24 AM (USjX1)

110 So when does Politician Season open?

Posted by: RickZ at March 23, 2013 07:25 AM (sJE26)

111 I got into a cyber punch-up the other day with a guy was whining about Polar Bears. He persistently claimed that the current population was not 'sustainable'. When I pointed out the the population had doubled over the last 30-40 years from ~26,000 to something like 50,000, his response was like a wind-up doll, "Not sustainable". "Okay", says I, "What would you have said when the population was 26,000"? He says, "Unsustainable". So a growing population, to these people, apparently means "unsustainable". Welcome to Bizarro World.

Posted by: Mike Hammer at March 23, 2013 07:26 AM (aDwsi)

112 @ 113 soon Lad Soon heh heh,,

Posted by: clemenza at March 23, 2013 07:26 AM (HMQ8k)

113

Posted by: Andy at March 23, 2013 11:19 AM (OZPoa)

Yeah my hunting buddies are trying to resurrect turkey hunting on my friends farm.

I went out last year, I'm probably not going this year mostly due to time constraints.

But it's not my favorite hunting. Some of that is because we don't have the right fields for strutting on the farm, and money's tight right now, so the plans to clear cut and restore some of the open fields are on the back burner.

Also MO has weird rules, you can only hunt until 1PM, which makes for a lot of set up, for a short day.

We'll see, we'll see. (Also there's only 3 of us and as I mentioned only a few small fields, so rather than accidently shooting someone we've been hunting in a pack, which is slightly less interesting to me.)

Posted by: tsrblke at March 23, 2013 07:26 AM (GaqMa)

114 I'm out for awhile. Going to go see if there's any ammo to be had at a reasonable price at the gun show.

Posted by: Country Singer at March 23, 2013 07:27 AM (CgcOa)

115 @ 117 you should just ask your wife if you can get a BJ from the 20 something at the Safeway Today, same answer and you can get a 12 of good beer while your out..

Posted by: clemenza at March 23, 2013 07:28 AM (HMQ8k)

116 mmm, turkey

Posted by: chemjeff at March 23, 2013 07:29 AM (BBWjt)

117 When I was a pup, we would put trot lines out for turkey. Y'all ever do that?

Posted by: CSMBigBird at March 23, 2013 07:29 AM (/pSz4)

118 Those trails of arrows in the snow never lead back to buried treasure.

Posted by: Toxteth O'Grady (604) at March 23, 2013 07:30 AM (vs8HS)

119 @ 120 no , but seeding some corn on the game trail before season always pays

Posted by: clemenza at March 23, 2013 07:30 AM (HMQ8k)

120 OT: Hot Air has a post on yesterday's East Coast meteor, and calls out those who were trying to entice SMOD last year. Well done, AtC.

Posted by: pep at March 23, 2013 07:31 AM (6TB1Z)

121 I want to live somewhere like that.

Posted by: fluffy at March 23, 2013 11:05 AM (BmRk4)

--- Cotulla, Texas

Posted by: Velvet Ambition at March 23, 2013 07:32 AM (R8hU8)

122

Mike Hammer:

Don't bother arguing with them. They are generally true believers, consider themselves the enlightened faithful, and no fact will ever penetrate their thick skulls. Save your breath, and arguments for those that show some spark of independent thought.

Posted by: Sticky Wicket at March 23, 2013 07:32 AM (0IhFx)

123 We will occasionally see wild turkeys crossing the road up here in suburban MA.

Posted by: Truman North at March 23, 2013 07:33 AM (+eirw)

124 >> Dammit, I give up. I can't unlink myself from AoS. The URL I leave blank but when I post my nic shows up linked to AoS. Looks like you're posting a space in the field, which I guess won't knock out the previous URL you had filled in. See if you can delete it.

Posted by: Andy at March 23, 2013 07:34 AM (OZPoa)

125
122.

.... baiting is a big nono in Missouri.

alao... we have a very late seaon. Another quirk in MO is no hunting after 1:00 pm.

Ill usually break down th shotgun and switch to morrell hunting in the afternoon.

morrells ..... mmmmmmmmm

Posted by: fixerupper at March 23, 2013 07:35 AM (9MmIU)

126 Ammo so fucking expense now, I saving mine till the prices come down. I didn't even buy duck loads this year, shot left overs from last year. Course could find any if I wanted to buy some. My son says 223 has already started down from a buck a round to 70 cents, which still sucks.

Posted by: Billy Bob, pseudo intellectual at March 23, 2013 07:35 AM (wR+pz)

127 Turkeys suck. Fuckin' pests is what they are.

Posted by: garrett at March 23, 2013 07:37 AM (FKQZc)

128
Turkey hunting can be extremely frustrating. Not so much that they are smart, it's the extreme paranoia that makes it difficult.

We're pretty well stocked here ( Adirondacks) and they make you wait til May for Spring turkeys and Oct for the Fall hunt.

Posted by: irongrampa at March 23, 2013 07:37 AM (SAMxH)

129

My son says 223 has already started down from a buck a round to 70 cents, which still sucks.

Get it now, before Uncle Janet decides the DHS storm troopers need a couple more billion rounds in storage.

Posted by: Sticky Wicket at March 23, 2013 07:37 AM (0IhFx)

130 @118 LOL SO TRUE! Who knows, you odds maybe better with the chick at the Safeway if she likes old farts.

Posted by: Billy Bob, pseudo intellectual at March 23, 2013 07:38 AM (wR+pz)

131

Posted by: Billy Bob, pseudo intellectual at March 23, 2013 11:35 AM (wR+pz)

I got lucky, last year a friend borrowed my gun for the first week of deer season (I only go out for weekend 2, again time crunch.)

Anyway, I didn't send my ammo with him because a) it's my ammo, and b) I figured he could just buy some more.

I shoot Sabot Slugs.

He stopped at a store on the way down, not knowing really anything about them and bought 3 boxes ($45 worth.). They didn't see a deer all weekend, he gave them to me, and now (with the 2 I already own) I'm pretty much set for Deer Ammo for a season or 2.

Posted by: tsrblke at March 23, 2013 07:38 AM (GaqMa)

132 Turkeys have been 're-introduced' into north Florida.

Tis the season to shoot one ( fridays through sundays ) in the WPAs

Posted by: Willy in Williamsburg at March 23, 2013 07:38 AM (Dll6b)

133 Blog eating my comments ??

Posted by: awkward davies at March 23, 2013 07:39 AM (USjX1)

134 Because all I ever do is work, I'll miss the first 2/3rds of Washington turkey season, though there might be a lone bird left near Kettle Falls or along the Skookumchuk River by the time I'm ready. Damn. Four years straight I've done this crap.

Posted by: Skookumchuk at March 23, 2013 07:40 AM (x4x3r)

135
Turkeys suck. Fuckin' pests is what they are.

Pretty tasty pests. I've never kept anything but the breasts...the rest is smelly, dark, tough, and stringy...also, tastes like shit. Kind of like the food Moochelle thinks we should all eat to be moar healthier, like she is.

Posted by: Sticky Wicket at March 23, 2013 07:40 AM (0IhFx)

136 Thanks for this thread Andy .

Posted by: awkward davies at March 23, 2013 07:40 AM (USjX1)

137 @134 Good work, even a blind hog finds an acorn once in a while. We shot rifles in NC, exect some counties down East.

Posted by: Billy Bob, pseudo intellectual at March 23, 2013 07:41 AM (wR+pz)

138 >>>o a growing population, to these people, apparently means "unsustainable". Welcome to Bizarro World.>>> You can't make this stuff up...

Posted by: Yoshi, Aggrieved Victim of the White Man at March 23, 2013 07:42 AM (csi6Y)

139 Best Turkey story was the live decapitation / Sarah Palin incident. We have them walking all over the yard here, sometimes they knock on the door, but being city, I leave those mangy mongrels alone and buy the turkey at the store.

Posted by: Whatev at March 23, 2013 07:42 AM (A7Wh1)

140

Posted by: Billy Bob, pseudo intellectual at March 23, 2013 11:41 AM (wR+pz)

Listen at $2.50-$3/round I'll take whatever free ammo I can get . Sabot rounds are not cheap.

It's so bad that my gun sight in process is more or less "fire three rounds" if they hit the pie pan, I'm sighted in if not I adjust by the needed clicks fire 2 more and call it a day.

Posted by: tsrblke at March 23, 2013 07:44 AM (GaqMa)

141 They reintroduced turkey up here, too...only they introduced the non-native species. F'n morons.

Posted by: garrett at March 23, 2013 07:44 AM (FKQZc)

142 Turkey and chicken was my favorite meat before going vegetarian...I still miss them sometimes

Posted by: Yoshi, Aggrieved Victim of the White Man at March 23, 2013 07:49 AM (csi6Y)

143 In Soviet Georgia, turkey hunt you.

Posted by: H. at March 23, 2013 07:53 AM (YcimV)

144 The native turkey from New England to Ohio was hunted to extinction, and the replacements hail mostly from Missouruh and Arkansaw. You cahn't expect true Nawhtunners to countenance the taste of that. Real N.E. turkeys said "ay-uh" and gave terrible directions. Probably voted for Coolidge, too.

I don't hunt them, but when I was a hunter ed instructor I got convinced to take the turkey course so I could help put them on when there was high demand. As a result I got to spend a day with the master hunter who, statistically anyway, was Ohio's turkey ace. He had some good stories to tell.

His main point was that, for the kind of mixed countryside we're expecting to see more of, the turkey belongs at the top of the food chain for its inborn abilities. He said that if they had a sense of smell, you'd never see any other game -- and once you re-introduce them, you'd dang well better have plenty hunters, or you won't have a place to stand.

Turkey hunting is dangerous. Not from bird attacks, but because of the "unnatural" technique of the hunt. You're trying to call prey in, from concealment. When you see a flash of color in the underbrush, it's about 50-50 that it's another hunter, with a bad case of tom fever, which is worse than buck fever, following your call. So sometimes the turkeys win that one.

Always wear a camo T-shirt, not a white one. If you get het-up working up the trail, you'll unbutton the top of your jacket without even thinking that the little triangle of white you create is identical to a tom's blaze. And for God's sake carry an orange game bag: if you throw your turkey over your shoulder to hump it out of the woods, you will get shot, for sure.

Posted by: comatus at March 23, 2013 07:57 AM (qaVK+)

145 Jeezus comatus , that sounds like turkey hunting in Fallujah . How the fuck can someone mistake a turkey over someones shoulder for a bird coming to the call ? I know stupid shit like that happens , but damn .

Posted by: awkward davies at March 23, 2013 08:02 AM (USjX1)

146 @147 Excellent advice.

Posted by: Billy Bob, pseudo intellectual at March 23, 2013 08:02 AM (wR+pz)

147 I saw a video of public hunting lands in Texas. Looked crowded. Anyone know a good place in central Texas? Or a good pay to hunt place?

Posted by: Ook? at March 23, 2013 08:02 AM (OQpzc)

148 OT: I read the horrible story this morning of a sign falling outside of Birmingham airport onto a family of 5. A 10 year old was killed, his mom is in critical condition as are 2 of his siblings. Firefighters estimated that the sign weighed 300-400 lbs. WTF? Apparently this was in a recently renovated area of the airport. Five passer bys pulled the sign off of the family and said it was a really awful thing to see.Gee, I guess the lowest bidder won.

If Harry Reid or any other shitheel politician blames this on the sequester I'll lose it.

Posted by: Cheri at March 23, 2013 08:03 AM (EAgmr)

149 Posted by: comatus at March 23, 2013 11:57 AM (qaVK+) Nice post

Posted by: Yoshi, Aggrieved Victim of the White Man at March 23, 2013 08:06 AM (csi6Y)

150 When I was a kid seeing a deer was a BFD. Turkeys were non-existent. Even Canada geese were a reason to celebrate when it hit the table .

Posted by: Herr Morgenholz at March 23, 2013 08:10 AM (v0fL3)

151 >> How the fuck can someone mistake a turkey over someones shoulder for a bird coming to the call ? I know stupid shit like that happens , but damn . That's the same kind of asshole that blasts a rustling bush with buckshot and kills another deer hunter. It's also why I'd much rather suck up the cost of the plane ticket to fly back to GA and hunt on my own land than to go somewhere around here where I don't know who else is around.

Posted by: Andy at March 23, 2013 08:13 AM (OZPoa)

152 Well, you know, the number one cause of hunter deaths in Ohio is heart attacks. Then comes exposure, and then hanging yourself from your tree stand or falling out of it. Being shot by another hunter is way down the list -- the average has been one a year for a while now. But it is definitely easier to commit the unthinkable while hunting turkey than it is when out after deer, say, or Ohio Big Game (groundhog). It's the anticipation, the frustration, the rage. They drive grown men crazy.

I knew a dedicated bow hunter who decided he was going to do turkey hunting right. So he got some time off in the off season, went to the area downstate he planned to hunt, and set up a tree stand to scout, armed with nothing but binoculars and a note pad. Then he climbed up there, unzipped his camo onesie, and it being a lovely day, dozed off. He woke up with two squirrels in the suit with him.

He said it was as close to dying as he'd gotten in a lifetime of hunting adventure.

Posted by: comatus at March 23, 2013 08:14 AM (qaVK+)

153 Ook , there are lots of ranches in Texas that lease hunting rights or you can pay to hunt for a set number of days . Internet searching will hook you up with guys to help split lease costs . Leasing is the way to go if you live in Texas and have time to hunt a good bit .

Posted by: awkward davies at March 23, 2013 08:14 AM (USjX1)

154 Skooks! What up brutha!

Posted by: Herr Morgenholz at March 23, 2013 08:15 AM (v0fL3)

155 Hey, Morg. How ya doin?

Posted by: Skookumchuk at March 23, 2013 08:16 AM (x4x3r)

156 What part of Ohio you in comatus? I'm in little Detroit .

Posted by: Herr Morgenholz at March 23, 2013 08:17 AM (v0fL3)

157 My cousin writes an outdoor column for our local paper. He did a good piece about hunting safety stats . Search for Times and Democrat , that's the paper . His byline Wes Murphy . He also has some turkey stories in his articles , including a couple of pictures of yours truly .

Posted by: awkward davies at March 23, 2013 08:18 AM (USjX1)

158 Good . You getting into any salmon yet?

Posted by: Herr Morgenholz at March 23, 2013 08:19 AM (v0fL3)

159 @ 154 !. Never Hunt with Chenney. 2. Never hunt with anyone who killed his god while hunting.

Posted by: clemenza at March 23, 2013 08:19 AM (HMQ8k)

160 >>>>> How the fuck can someone mistake a turkey over someones shoulder for a bird coming to the call ? I know stupid shit like that happens , but damn .<<<

I watched a guy, (thru binoculars), who was pulling an elk out on a horse, get his horse shot out from under him.

Never went back there again.

Posted by: Fritz at March 23, 2013 08:24 AM (WM+rJ)

161 Obviously Fritz hunts the San Juan mountains in CO. Insanity .

Posted by: Herr Morgenholz at March 23, 2013 08:27 AM (v0fL3)

162 Nope. In summer. Ya gotta come out here for some real fishing. In something we call the "ocean." Little boat, big rollers coming in from Japan, pitch black at 5AM, etc.

Posted by: Skookumchuk at March 23, 2013 08:27 AM (x4x3r)

163 >>>Obviously Fritz hunts the San Juan mountains in CO. Insanity .<<<

Close. It was a migration path out of Yellowstone Park. Every morning at dawn, an elk herd made an exodus to feed outside of the park boundary.

Posted by: Fritz at March 23, 2013 08:30 AM (WM+rJ)

164

That's the same kind of asshole that blasts a rustling bush with buckshot and kills another deer hunter.

Andy at March 23, 2013 12:13 PM (OZPoa)

------

I had a teen cousn, whom I never met, who died that way hunting squirrels. This was in the late 1950's.

Posted by: RickZ at March 23, 2013 08:31 AM (sJE26)

165 I saw the ocean once in a picture book. Any fish in it? I need to do that. Nothing eats as good as ffresh halibut.

Posted by: Herr Morgenholz at March 23, 2013 08:31 AM (v0fL3)

166 Dang Fritz. I can only imagine the Fudd parade .

Posted by: Herr Morgenholz at March 23, 2013 08:33 AM (v0fL3)

167 Go up to Alaska, snag a 150 lb halibut, have them pack it up, call everyone you know, give em 5 lb or so. Good times. The floatplane ride up there is worth it in itself.

Posted by: Skookumchuk at March 23, 2013 08:34 AM (x4x3r)

168 My dad went to AK couple years before he died . Lifelong dream. Ate halibut for a year afterwards .

Posted by: Herr Morgenholz at March 23, 2013 08:37 AM (v0fL3)

169 Looking to get into. the big Erie walleye myself . Brother and I try to get up there every. year. Sometimes we even succeed .

Posted by: Herr Morgenholz at March 23, 2013 08:39 AM (v0fL3)

170 My other cousin lost his best friend to an idiot with a gun , I won't call him a hunter . Fuckhead shot at a movement without identifying his target clearly . Hit the poor kid in the shoulder with a .270 . The young man died in the hospital a few days later . Now I'm depressed . Hunting is supposed to be fun and rewarding , not a life or death experience for the hunter , unless we're talking dangerous game .

Posted by: awkward davies at March 23, 2013 08:40 AM (USjX1)

171 Good "seeing " you Skooks. Gotta get back to stripping wallpaper so I can bring our kitchen into the 1970s.

Posted by: Herr Morgenholz at March 23, 2013 08:42 AM (v0fL3)

172 The 70s? Wow. Tres moderne. We're stuck in 1957 except for our cars. So decor-wise, I can remodel the house, or get a 57 Pontiac Super Chief convertible and leave well enough alone. Have fun.

Posted by: Skookumchuk at March 23, 2013 08:49 AM (x4x3r)

173

I quit hunting when I left Texas for Colorado. In Texas I had private land to hunt on, and always knew who else was around and where they were.

Couldn't get used to public land hunting in Colorado, but thinking about going for Grouse this year. At least most people are out with shotguns for that, which is much less dangerous.

Posted by: Meremortal at March 23, 2013 08:53 AM (1Y+hH)

174 test 3: &&

test 4: &

test 5: &&

Posted by: Long-time Commenter, First-time Reader at March 23, 2013 08:55 AM (v5lxX)

175 Test 6: &amp;

Test 7: &amp;

Posted by: Long-time Commenter, First-time Reader at March 23, 2013 09:09 AM (v5lxX)

176 Test 8: &

Posted by: Long-time Commenter, First-time Reader at March 23, 2013 09:10 AM (v5lxX)

177 & looking for one of those?

Posted by: Jake in ID at March 23, 2013 10:31 AM (zzeVM)

178

I drive truck OTR...in WV a turkey flew in front of me. I thought at first it was a drone, then somebody's model airplane. That thing was huge, I'm just glad I didnt hit it with the windshield!

Posted by: Rick554 at March 23, 2013 02:51 PM (tE7wa)

179 BillyBob: "You have to hit them in the head. The feathers are so thick that a body shot is laughed at." Yeah, right, those are Kevlar-armored feathers those toms have. And no turkey can ever get killed by being shot in the body. LOL. FWIW, I do favor free-range wild turkey slightly over farm-raised turkeys. At least I did the year we prepared two birds, wild and domestic, for Thanksgiving. The wild turkey had a faintly gamey taste that I preferred over the bland farm turkey. Not a big difference though.

Posted by: TooCon at March 23, 2013 08:06 PM (f+yEj)

180 Rick554: "That thing was huge, I'm just glad I didnt hit it with the windshield!" They can easily come through a windshield. Very messy. And they have poor control while flying.

Posted by: TooCon at March 23, 2013 08:08 PM (f+yEj)

181 We just moved to Arkansas, so I'm really looking forward to squirrel season. Haven't had tree rat in about 30 years. (We just left one of the most liberal states of the 57 states that don't allow the little varmints from being kilt) I am thinking about trying turkey hunting here next year. Sounds fun!

Posted by: Mr_Write at March 24, 2013 11:18 AM (Fn7Hb)

Hide Comments | Add Comment | Refresh | Top

Comments are disabled. Post is locked.

148kb generated in CPU 0.1085, elapsed 0.341 seconds.
64 queries taking 0.3078 seconds, 309 records returned.
Powered by Minx 1.1.6c-pink.