Grow the Hunt

Moultrie TGM Podcast Episode 046

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Episode 046 of the "Total Game Management" podcast from Moultrie is up now! You can access the podcast either through iTunes (just search for "Moultrie"), on our podcast website or you can use the player above. Please be sure to review us on iTunes!

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Welcome to Episode 046! We're off the rails this week (and heavily medicated) as we discuss some high fence issues in the South, some great DNR activities in the North, and few other things! We had a lot of fun this week, and hopefully it shows.

Keep those entries coming for our Question of the Week! I've got some more goodies stashed around here to give away!

Deals of the Week

Game Spy I-65 Combo w/Batteries at MoultrieFeeders.com - $79.99 (SAVE $150)

Hale Fire Gobble Call at knightandhale.com - $19.99

The Pretty Boy and Pretty Girl - "Field Tested" at carrylitedecoys.com - $39.99 (Reg. $149.99)

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Moultrie / Carry-Lite Decoys /  Code Blue Scents

Knight & Hale / Summit / LureNet /  Lindy Fishing Tackle

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or email us at [email protected]

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This week's closing comes from our friends at Knight & Hale.

Friend’s First Turkey Hunt

By Brandon Wikman

Hunting turkey can be a pursuit of unpredictable obstacles that weave themselves into a basket full of disappointment. Big birds are notorious for pecking your intelligence into the ground. However, this week, I strutted out of the woods with a fond memory of success.

My objective was to take my friend turkey hunting and provide her an outdoor experience that she’d not soon forget. I only had one weekend to do my best diligence to scout and zero-in my hometown flock before she arrived.

I began my woodland excursion in the morning while trekking farm fields for any visual evidence of footprints, scat, or feathers. During my big search I happened to stumble across an alfalfa field that graciously held a handful of feathers. As I collected field feathers and began to part the lush greens in search for prints, I was convinced that this was a gobbling good spot.

I decided to erect my ground blind along a finger of woods that juts into the alfalfa. Turkey aren’t as tent-blind savvy as whitetail, but I still brushed-up the blind to ease any doubts. My handsaw was put to action. Wood chips flew like sparks as the saw’s teeth bit into the lumber. Pine boughs were thrown into a heaping pile that would soon be decorating my blind. Pine trees are incredible for throwing down some extra cover that will make you blend into the scenery. The limbs are dressed with so many finger-like needles, they vanish your outline in a matter of seconds. My blind would soon be put to the ultimate turkey test once the hunt began.

The next morning was show time. All I had to do was hope that the flock of birds wouldn’t forget their travel route, which bypassed the blind at a mere 10-yards. My friend and I shuffled to the blind at first-light. As she jacked ammo into the shotgun, I crossed my fingers and wished for her to blast her very first bird.

The sun cast a balance of warmth on the blossoming spring forage while the fog faded and our birds began to chatter. It was nature at its very best. We sat, watched and waited.

Suddenly my eyes grabbed a flashy bolt of black. I winced out of the window and spotted the flock of 3 hens and 1 longbeard scratching their way from the woods into the field. Beams of sun accented the feathers as I surveyed my plan working to perfection. My friend snuggled the gun into her shoulder. One-by-one the birds entered the field. I quietly whispered commentary to her as she zoned-in on the big bird. The faint click of the shotgun’s safety was followed by a booming blast from her barrel.

As the commotion of wing beats and puttering bird noises ceased, I turned my attention to a beautiful bird lying on the ground. The elation of joy was hard to beat, and the experience of a surefire plan working to fruition is difficult to come by.

I counted my blessings that morning that I was able to share my love and passion with someone new.

Turkey Hunting in Alabama's Black Belt - Part 2

By Boyd Barnett

Sunday morning, Hunt Day 3 (last day)

With out new plan of action all set, Jim and I were ready and we set out even earlier to be there well before daylight. This time, we wouldn't have our cameraman as Scott had to head back the night before. I had my ReAction Cam mounted to the stablilizer of my bow and I was hoping to get the whole thing (hit or miss) on film! We heard the gobbles as they birds came off their roost, and the waiting game was on.

Shortly after 8:00am, our first sign of life was that same beautiful hen that we'd seen the first day. She came directly toward the blind again and fed right in front of us for at least 15 minutes. Then, she turned and walked down the road behind us and started calling to our gobbler like crazy. How lucky was that?! We had an actual hen calling to our tom, and he started to answer her back; surely, he would be running into the field soon.

Even though our hen called to the tom for a solid 20 minutes, he never came into the field. We could hear him gobble way off to the right, but we couldn't see him. If an actual hen couldn't make him budge, we were going to have to try something more drastic. By this time it was about 9:00am, so we decided to take a break to stretch as we had decided to go mobile and go after this bird.

As I was about to get my gear out of the blind, I spotted a large bird at the other end of the field, and it was big! Jim grabbed the glasses and confirmed that this was our gobbler! Game on!

All we had to do was wait. This big bird was feeding its way directly to us. Now, something weird happened as he made his way toward us; at some point, his beard fell off! Yep, as he got closer, we realized that it was, in fact, that huge hen that we'd spotted earlier. She was every bit of 20 lbs, and she got well within bow range again.

After she left the field, we struck out to walk down the road and around the back of the field in the hopes of getting close to our gobbler. We walked the entire way around the field and never saw anything else; Jim even tried calling several times, but was met with only silence. At around 11:00am we called it a day and headed back for one last breakfast before we departed.

Back at the lodge, we were happy to hear that Hilary Dyer of Waterfowl & Retriever was able to snag a bird and everyone came by to congratulate her. Way to go, Hilary!

Epilogue

Even though I didn't get a turkey (or at least a shot at one), I had a great time! Steve Maxell and all of the guides at Master Rack Lodge were great; they made it their personal mission to get us all a bird. When you don't get a turkey, they take it personally. You can tell they really love what they do, and they are some of the best. I would like to thank Jim for all he did. The fact I didn't get a bird wasn't from lack of trying, to be sure!

If you ever want to hunt for turkey (or deer) in Alabama, I highly recommend you take a look at Master Rack Lodge. I guarantee you won't regret it, and I personally can't wait to get back!

If you want to hear more about the hunt, you can listen to our podcast to hear my thoughts on the experience and an interview with Steve Maxwell of Master Rack Lodge.