Spring Turkey Setup - What is in your Turkey Vest this Spring?

Spring Turkey is coming up fast and I couldn't be more excited. My Blog post this week is talking about what type of gear you are using for your Turkey Hunt this Spring. 

This winter has been really hard in Ontario but finally some warm weather is in the forecast and snow is beginning to melt; the idea of Shed Hunting and Spring Turkey is real and I cannot wait. 25 more days until opening day for Spring Turkey in Ontario. 

I have not tagged a Turkey as of yet, and have been reading a lot of blog posts and articles through Twitter to help prepare a game plan and strategy for this Spring. I went out with Matt a bit last Spring and had a great time, I also did a bit of hunting this Fall and had no luck. 

Although I haven't been out Scouting the property where Matt tagged his bird last Spring, I know there are at least 8 Toms in the area, and we have seen a ton of hen groups out throughout winter. Darcy texted me this photo of 8 long beards eating at his deer feeders.

When I get back from Mexico my plan is to walk to the bush to figure out where these birds are roosting and decide where to set up a blind and decoys for my first hunt. 

Decoys:

The decoys I am using this Spring are the ZinkAvianX Strutter decoy along side the Widow Maker by Hardcore Brands. I hope that this combo will help bring in some turkeys, if no luck I may try go down to a Half strut Jake decoy instead of the Strutter, although we will probably be placing a Jake tail on the Strutter decoy. 

Weapon:

Since I haven't had much practice with my bow over winter I am going to purchase my first tag and plan to use a Benelli M2 20 gauge shotgun, which Darcy has just bought and graciously offered me to borrow. I have shot this gun once and it is very light with little recoil. I really like this shotgun and am happy to try it out in April

If I tag my first bird my plan is to purchase a second tag and get practicing on my bow to hopefully take one with it. I shoot a 2013 Quest Bliss and love this bow. It is small, light and perfect for a beginner hunter like myself. I shoot a carbon express arrow with a mechanical broad head which I think will work well for turkey.

Calls: 

I have a great beginner call from Primos. It's the mini sonic dome triple with bat cut. This call fits in my mouth really well and with practice am beginning to produce some pretty good turkey sounds. Matt and I also use a variety of striking calls generally when turkey hunting as well.

Packs/Vests:

I am on a budget when it comes to hunting due to student loans and everything else in life, therefor most of my gear has been bought for me as gifts or borrowed from friends, but Matt got me a great pack from Badlands for Christmas which I am planning to have act as my turkey vest this Spring. My pack is the Badlands Super Day pack and I love it. It has a ton of space, I will be able to fit my decoys in as well as all my calls. This bag is extremely durable and lightweight. It has space to attach my shotgun or bow and I am able to attach a seat to the bottom so I can convert it into a turkey vest.

With the season less than a month away Matt and I soon need to get out and pattern our shotguns as well as line up my bow. Hopefully we will have some good stories after this Spring's Turkey Hunts and maybe even some trophies to mount on the wall.   

Spring Turkey 2013

This blog post was featured on thehuntblog.com this week. 

When I started going hunting with Matt it was mainly for whitetail deer. His brother is big into waterfowl hunting and Matt was more interested in deer and moose hunting. 

Turkey is the reason why I wanted to get my hunting license. I don't know what it is about them that I'm drawn to, they definitely aren't the prettiest bird. I guess it’s their character that makes them so interesting. I can't wait until I see a Tom puff it's feathers out in full strut only to attack the decoy during  a Spring Turkey Hunt.

Last Spring I asked Matt to take me with him turkey hunting. He had never harvested a turkey and had only been a few times, but he bought his tags and set up a blind in his Dad’s field where we knew a few Toms and some Jakes were roosting near. The first afternoon hunting we had bad weather. We sat in the blind and had a Strutter and a Hen decoy set out. The sky was dark so we prayed the rain would hold off and began practicing a few calls. Matt taught me how to strike a pot call and he had a mouth call he was using. We also had the gauntlet gobble call by Turkey Thugs, which was neat to use. After calling for awhile, it started to thunderstorm. We had sat for a little while with no sign of turkey's and now rain, we thought that was it and texted Matt’s brother, Cory, to come get us. After about ten minutes the rain stopped so we told Cory to hold off, that we would wait. Not five minutes passed after the sky cleared and we noticed a single jake appear straight ahead in the field. He was headed for us so we sat tight and continued to do some light calling. Out of the corner of my eye 4 more turkeys, a couple Jakes and 2 Hens, appeared from the right out of the bushes. I told Matt and he got his shotgun ready.

He harvested one of the Jakes and we were both excited. Not only did I share a first experience with Matt, but my first time out turkey hunting was a success. I asked Matt if he would take me again to fill the second tag on another day. 

Here’s a photo of Matt with his first turkey.

Our second time out hunting wasn't successful we didn't see any birds but knew there were some Toms around, so we decided to go a third time.

We sat one morning in the same field where Matt harvested his Jake. I had received all my licenses and borrowed a 20 gauge shotgun from Cory's friend. It was now my turn to try get a turkey. We set out the decoys and began calling. We sat for awhile with no sign of anything. Finally we heard a gobble from the far right where those turkeys came from on our first hunt. A Tom emerged from the bush in full strut with two Hens behind him. We were excited, this was the first time I had seen a Tom in full strut and I was praying he would see our decoys. He kept walking, still not really noticing the decoys so we called a bit and he kept moving closer. Well just my luck, something out of the ordinary happened..

A whitetail doe appeared out of the bushes and began to walk near the Tom. I've heard that deer and turkey's often feed together, but what a site. It came in a few feet from the Tom and the Tom started gobbling at the deer. Matt and I almost laughed we couldn't believe what was happening. The doe stood there for awhile and the Tom kept gobbling at the deer until she finally ran off back where she came from. After this our hunt was over. Our decoys were in bad position so the Tom never saw them and took off with his two Hens. Although I never tagged a turkey, we had quite the hunt and I am even more excited for this Spring , where I will hopefully tag my first male turkey. 

Here’s a photo taken from my iPhone out of the blind. It is hard to see the doe, but her body is to the left of the strutting Tom. 

#ShedRally

Shed rally was this past weekend with many photos popping up on Twitter, it had me even more excited for Spring.

I've been out with Matt before where we have walked the field but never found any sheds. I found old skulls from deer and beaver in the field but have never set out with the goal to shed hunt.

Ontario has had its share of snow this winter. The week leading up to Shed Rally we reviewed several inches of snow and no sign for it to melt. The weather isn't calling for warm temperatures until May, which has me anxious for not only shed hunting, but spring turkey as well.

With Shed Rally happening South of the border I did some research and here are some tips I found interesting from various hunting blogs and sites:

If the winter has been cold look close to where the deer feed, if a more wild winter the sheds will likely be further away.

The best time to look for sheds is when there is still some snow on the ground but most has melted, it makes it easier for your eyes to focus on the antler itself.

Look for sheds where the deer bed, also if there is snow on the ground look for droppings and tracks. Sheds are going to be where the deer are, if there is no sign of deer activity in the area, likely it will be hard to find sheds.

Pack snacks and lots of water, which I know I will need because that's one of the main reasons I leave the bush early is out of hunger. (I am constantly dreaming of bacon cheeseburgers)

Stay focused and keep your eyes scanning for sheds it's when you quit focusing on the goal you will more likely walk over a shed and miss it entirely.

There were a ton of Shed Hunting Tips from various sources and sites, but these few I found interesting and come end of March early April I hope to get to where I hunted last season and maybe find a shed from some of the deer we encountered last year.

Here is a picture of my Bulldog, Scout, with her favorite chew toy.

This weeks shout out goes to www.wiredtohunt.com and thehuntblog.com for great blog posts and information on hunting. I really enjoy these blogs and encourage you to check them out.