Locating the bird that you choose to chase is where you will need to start. You may have two or three birds gobbling good at daybreak and eventually you will have to choose which one to try to work on that mornings hunt. One is located about 200 yards away in a pine plantation on the edge of a clearing.  Another is only 100 yards away in a water oak across a small branch with running water. The question you have to ask yourself is which one you think is going to commit to a good mornings conversation when you start to talk to him.

Let us start by thinking with the one closest to you. Even though he is across a branch it might be easy for you to cross and set up as close to him without spooking him. There are a few catches to this bird and one major problem is that there are eight hens roosted that are located between him and you. What do you do from this point? Do you sit up and get ready to make your calls to him before the hens fly down? You make this call?

Downside:

: You have to cross the branch.

: There are hens between you and him.

These are just two things that you have to look at that could affect the movement of the bird and you as the hunter. There could even be a log or a fallen tree the he may fly down by and you may never see him.

Upside:

: The bird is only 100 yards or so away. This means he is closer than bird number two.

: He can be playing right into your favor when he makes his way to the ground.

: The hens can be of use if you play your cards right and sit and wait him and them out.

Most times if he has roosted in that tree for a couple of days he is aware that the hens are there and more than likely he is headed straight for them as soon as he hits the ground. This bird can be easily harvested with a little patience ad time on your behalf.

Now let us get to the ups and downs of bird number two. He is located on the edge of a clearing in a pine plantation. He has no hens within 250 yards of him meaning that if he is after a certain set of hens he is going to have to battle the gobbler across the branch closes to you in the beginning.

  Downside:

   : He is further away and if you make the wrong move then you stand a chance of knocking him off the     roost to soon.

   : He has probably already been whipped by the first bird. So even if you have the jake decoy out when you get close to him me may just change his mind about the sweet hen sounds you try to deliver to him in the beginning.

    Upside:

    : He is alone and has no other birds around him.

    : If you can get close enough to the clearing then a hen decoy just may play in you favor to bring him in.

When you have a bird like this the odds can defiantly be in either yours or his favor. The odds of a loaner bird like him means he could also only be a two-year old or even a jake that has gotten lost from the group from the evening before. Set up as close as possible and watch for him to hit the ground in the clearing before making any sudden moves or calls to him. You also are the one to make the right call for bird number two.

Will a bird cross a creek to come to a flock of willing hens? That is up to him in other words. It is mother nature that take the effect on wild turkeys, especially an old gobbler. It is in the favor of the gobbler to fly down and stay put and just strut his stuff and have the hen come to him instead of him going to the hen. It is your job as the hunter to hunt for these birds and not just call to these birds. As I have said on many other occasions you are turkey hunting and not turkey calling when you play this game.

Turkey hunting in the south is totally different from in the west or in the north. Birds get call shy faster it seems and they know when to come and know when to stay and we as the hunter have to learn to play the game that they are ranked number one at before you ever start. So many have tried and so many have fallen at the game we call spring time turkey hunting. You never have the upper hand until the trophy is harvested and hanging from your shoulder as you head back to the camp. We win some and we lose some. In the game we cherish so much we tend to walk home empty-handed more times than with one hanging over our shoulders.

It is a hunt for the hunter to enjoy but it turns into the turkey being the one that comes out on top most of the time. We sometimes have to sit and wait for hours under a tree and act as if we are the hunted. So I leave you with this and you make your own call. Are you the hunter that is going to bag that old hung up gobbler that lays the whipping on you each year. Or are you going to be the hunter that brings him in for all to see ate the end of the hunt.

Even though the turkey hunting here can be stressful on most visitors. It can hold great rewards for those who take the time to do their homework and actually hunt for the game bird we love so much. There are many Wildlife Management Areas in the state the hold great numbers for turkey. A favorite slate call, mouth yelper, and box call just may do the trick on one of these WMA’s. Hunting in Alabama can be tough due to the types weather we have when spring finally arrives. It may be cold one morning with birds gobbling lite to a warm morning for the next day and birds calling all mother nature around them for miles.

Bugs, snakes, and even in some areas even a hog trying to ruin a good morning’s hunt can cost you a bird from the start. Know your area when you come to Alabama for it is so easy to get lost in the deep swampy areas where a great deal of birds like to hang out in a tree at sun rise. I have hunted turkey here in Alabama ever since I killed my first bird at the age of 15. Even for the 40 year turkey veteran that has been doing it his whole life a bird here will make him want to just hang up everything and head to a fishing hole.

If hunting on public hunting grounds aren’t your thing you may want to try one of the many hunting lodges. One that comes to mind for a fantastic southern dream turkey hunt you may want to check out Westervelt Lodge. With 10,000 acres to hunt on you and a guide are bound to call up one to shoot at. Westervelt is located near Tuscaloosa, AL and treats you to a fine southern living style comfort and great southern hospitality. The turkey hunting here is some of the finest. Let’s take a look and on your next hunting trip for adventure try our great state of Alabama. But come prepared and ready to sometimes going home with empty hands.

You have to be ready at all times when hunting springtime turkeys in Alabama. That was proved a fact to me and a young man on Thursday March 24, 2011. The turkeys had not been gobbling all that well on the roost in the area. That morning there were about five turkeys going good right after day light. Jake Tucker of Monroe County, Alabama said that he had been seeing a few late in the evenings and the birds had been gobbling but not until around 7:30 AM.

As we left the truck and headed to the back side of a row crop field to the edge of some woods I had told him that this morning was going to be a good one. I could just feel it and had to react on what the young man had told me where the turkeys might be and hope for the best. We had walked down into a bottom and set up for some owling on the back side of a small food plot. Jake had said that there were some hen’s and what look to be like one or two gobblers in the days before. I was hoping that these same birds would still be in the area.

At 6:45 AM I made a hoot from my owl call and shure enough about 175 yards away one gobbled down in a bottom. After waiting a few more minutes and owling again another bird had gobbled a little closer but in a different direction. I asked him which one he wanted to try for and a small hike we took to try get for a set up on the closest bird. As we walked down a fire break road we had seen several deer take off and trust me sometimes this will mess up a good morning set up if turkeys are very close. Lucky the deer never blowed our cover. As we walked down the hill to get a little closer I had to suddenly stop Jake in his tracks and show him a hen still sitting in a tree.

By the time we had moved a few more feet the hen we saw took flight away from us headed toward a creek area. It wasn’t but just a few more minutes or so about three more hens went the same way. The hen’s never saw us and the gobbler was still in a tree on top of another hill. As we made our way to try to get ahead of the bird he took off over the hill in flight and gobbled twice more when he hit the ground. Needless to say we never did see or even hear that bird anymore until after we had left and came back from a good hardy breakfast at a small local café.

These small towns hold some very good cooking in their cafe’s. As we sat in the café talking and looking at a plot map discussing what the next move would be when we got back to the hunting grounds. My goal was to give the birds enough time to breed with the hen’s and then for us to try and catch them after they left them for the morning. As we got back to the land where we were hunting we did a good deal of walking and cutting and purring.

As the morning progressed I told jake that if we were to harvest a bird today that we would have to do it in the evening. That is the good thing about Alabama is that we can hunt in the evenings also. There are a few states that only allow morning time hunting until lunch and the evenings have to left alone for the gobblers to do the breeding with the hen’s. As we had walked and walked and finally made our way back to the field there was a gobbler already there. It didn’t take him long to bust us and fly off.

We made one last shot at the calling in a different food plot but did not get an answer from any. As we walked back up the hill and around the corner of a road headed once again to the field two long beard’s took off for flight and we never knew they were there. Only a few seconds went by when I told Jake to shoot the one coming out of the bushes just ahead of us. It was a kind of ambush on him but he had made a clean kill on the bird. I have called up quite a few birds for people before and the first time birds are the greatest one to work on.

No matter how big the gobbler is or how long the beard and spurs are they are a trophy for the first timers whom have never harvested one. The bird that Jake Tucker had killed weighed in at 15 lbs, sported a 6 inch beard and had 1/8 inch spurs. I have had other kids harvest some jake’s in the past and out of all of them this one was by far the heaviest bird to be a young one. I will never forget the smile on Jake Tucker’s face and how happy I was for him. The fact that I was with him was worth a thousand stories for the future.

I met Jake Tucker at the Alabama 4H Center in Columbiana, AL and we hit it off just plain and simple. I have enjoyed my Job with Auburn University working in Crenshaw County as the county 4H agent/assistant. I enjoy spending time with kids and taking them hunting and watching them harvest their first deer or turkey for the first time. Jake Tucker I want to say thank you for allowing me to come and enjoy the great outdoors with you even though I missed the one that I had shot at that evening.

Yes I missed one that evening sharing the hunt with a new friend!

Remember one thing that turkey hunting is more than just the calling. One thing that calls do for you is to help bring them in just a little closer. Which on hand a good decoy set up will make or bust the chance you have at bringing that old tom in closer also. The way you hunt in the turkey woods is most likely the number one thing. I have said this on many occasions,

“you are turkey hunting and not turkey calling”.

The set up that you make one day may or may not work for you two days in a row. Don’t be afraid to change the set up a little also. But the call you just spent forty dollars on may be all you will need. One thing that I have learned is that when I buy a new call I try to find one that makes a new sound to what I have in my pack already. For instance a mouth call may work for me in the early morning set up but may not work for me in the evening. I always carry at least three or four different types of calls to the woods when I go. This give me an upper hand in more ways than none.

The locator calls we use can also play a big factor in locating a lonesome gobbler. One morning I was out on my property trying to locate a certain gobbler that I knew was in the area and when I used the owl call he never responded. After about ten minutes I threw in a few soft purrs and about three soft notes of yelping followed by a crow call. It didn’t take him long to break silence and let me know that he was only across a creek. I never did kill that bird until a week later. He tipped the scales at seventeen pounds and had a 9 3/4 inch beard along with 3/4 inch spurs. I was very happy with taking this bird.

My old calls usually consist of a Lynch Fool Proof box call and a small palm sized scratch box call. I do find myself using a mouth call or a glass slate call to locate birds when other locator calls want work. I try my best to use the locator calls more to locate instead of the mouth or slate. The reason for this is because I have had birds be within twenty- five or so yards and not be able to see them only to see them come in silent and bust me before I’m in a set up position.

So remember to not just leave those older calls that you may never have had any luck with at home. They can be the one or two calls that pays off big when you least expect it. You never know when that old bird is lurking around by himself. Just because he may seem to be by himself doesn’t mean there aren’t any hen eyes watching also. So use the old calls you have stashed away this season and your rewards may be higher than expected.

Good Luck!

Now I know most of you are thinking “umm that’s the taxidermist job”. and you are very right. However a lot of it starts with you. There are several things you can do to help ensure that your mount looks its best. Today I want to cover Birds.

Birds are the hardest animal to taxidermy in my opinion. They take great skill and patience to mount. The mounting is a LOT easier if the hunter has taken the proper pre steps before bringing it to us.The first thing to remember is the number one rule with any animal you want to have mounted ” FREEZE ” it as soon as possible. The longer you let that animal set out in the sun the smaller time window I have to work on it.

Bacteria begins to build up on the skin pretty much as soon as the blood stops flowing and bacteria is what makes a body rot.  If you cant freeze them due to the fact your not done hunting yet at least have a cooler full of ice just for the birds to put them in. If its a turkey please put it in a bag first we don’t want to get it wet.

The next thing you want to remember is if the bird is not a water fowl don’t let it soak in a cooler full of melted ice, bag it first to keep it dry. Turkeys floating in a cooler full of bloody water is not a good thing. Its very hard to get those feathers clean and fluffed back out.

Now once you are ready to freeze the bird the best thing to do is wrap a few paper towels around the body and head to soak up any blood that may seep out while freezing or thawing out. Once you have it wrapped slide a nylon stocking over the birds head first and down towards the tail, going with the feathers.

If the bird is a pheasant you will want to take an empty paper towel roll and slide it over the tail feathers to ensure they do not get broken.. once the bird has been wrapped and the stocking put on. Place it in a zip lock bag or garbage bag and freeze it.

Always remember  the more bags the better.

I also want you to know that sometimes the birds have dozens of holes in the skin from pellets or dogs getting a better grip on the bird. These holes are a big problem with birds. Its always a good idea to have a few birds for your taxidermist to choose from. This will insure the best looking mount..

The great thing to remember is I am a Taxidermist not a magician. If you shoot it in the head, pump it full of bullet holes, or let  the retrieving dog turn it into a sifter its gonna be a huge job to make it look good. So a quick over view.

Freeze or put on ice A.S.A.P

Keep non water fowl out of melted ice water

Wrap bird in a few paper towels

Slip into nylon stocking

Place into a few bags

Freeze

Have a few extra birds for your taxidermist to choose from.

If you do these things and your Taxidermist knows what he or she is doing, you will have a BEAUTIFUL bird mount.

Around 3 o’clock in the afternoon a customer came in the shop to check out our work and ask a few questions.; My husband was chatting with him as I was diligently working (I mean fighting) with skinning out a water logged turkey. It was hot and I was pretty nasty at this point so I let him handle the customer. The man was inquiring about his options on a turkey mount and he mentioned that he would love to have a whole body mount done but his wife was ” TOTALLY” grossed out about animals, hunting, and yes…taxidermy work. He even went on to tell us that she was out in the car because she refused to come inside.

My husband decided he would take a bash at using his good southern charm to coax her into coming inside to help ease her mind about the taxidermy business. He just wanted to help the poor guy out. I truly thought my husband was wasting his time when low and behold.. here she came, walking in like at any moment one of the animals might jump off the wall and eat her. My husband talked to her for a bit and slowly you could see she was beginning to relax.

Mean while I am still fighting.. I mean working on the darn turkey. As I am finishing it up the lady gets curious and ask me what I was working on. I tell her I’m skinning out a turkey. She walks over and stands right next to me like I might save her if the bird were to try to hurt her. I take one of my tools to pop the eye out of the socket, and to my surprise she leans over to get a better look. It was hard to believe but that lady was no more than a foot or so away from the head of the bird. You could tell she was interested, but scared to death all at the same time.

When I went to pull the eyeball out of the bird to my horror…. ” eyeball juice squirted out and landed across her face and in her hair, ” and on her white North Face  pullover. I just gasped, and wanted to see what her reaction was going to be. I thought she would laugh I would get her a clean towel and that would be it. I mean that’s how I would have handled it.

Well her eyes got as big as half dollars.. her head turned white as a paper towel and she let out this God scream. She went on screaming over and over as though someone was being hacked into little pieces in front of her. I ran around the table to help and comfort her..(trying my darned hardest not to bust out laughing).

When I reached her she shoved me away and screamed…..

” LOOK AT WHAT YOU HAVE DONE  TO ME! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME? I THINK I AM GOING TO DIE!”

I calmly told the woman I meant her no harm and that eyeball juice could not kill her. I even added in a little joke that eyeball juice was good for your hair. WOW was that a huge mistake. She flew into a rage that it was in her hair. Screaming over and over to get it out that it was burning. My husband and her husband are just standing there with their mouths open watching me trying to get this woman under control.

She would not let me help or touch her. She really thought I did it on purpose. Well as each second passes she is getting more and more upset. Finally she begins to hyperventilate. I beg her to sit down and let me get her a glass of water but she acts like I am going to put eyeball juice in the glass.

People this woman has went completely bonkers. She tells her husband that she is getting light headed and that she thinks she is having a panic attack. Her husband calls 911 and an ambulance picks her up from my shop about 15 minutes later. Her husband apologizes as he is getting into his BMW and speeds off after the ambulance. My husband and I are dumbfounded. We couldn’t comprehend what just happened.

I mean one minute we are working, the next a lady is sprayed with eyeball juice- has a panic attack, and leaves our shop in an ambulance.

“Dude that one heck of a day.”

Well about 2 days later I sent the lady a card in the mail hoping she was alright and telling her how sorry I was. About 3 days after that I got a letter from the Better Business Bruea stating that our business had personally attacked this lady with eyeball juice causing her to have a panic attack and that if we did not pay her medical bills she would take us to court stating that we had caused her humiliation and pain and suffering.

The (BBB) closed the complaint. She never took us to court. And I hate to say I think I have lost all of this guys future business. I laugh every time I think about this story and I hope It made you laugh too.

Note to taxidermist… when a customer is hovering over you be careful of what you do.

It was a beautiful spring morning when I woke to the neighbors rooster crowing outside. The darn thing just wouldn’t shut up at all. All I had my mind set on was that wonderful gobbling bird that sat high in the Alabama southern pine down next to the swamp at old man Bannister’s farm. His farm was well know for producing me some of the largest turkeys I have ever killed in my entire life. And boy was they some big one’s.

I sure am glad I didn’t have to worry about a gobbler smelling me because I had spill my coffee on my cloths twice while driving down the old dirt path that led from the highway to the open field. I just had a gut feeling that this was going to be my morning. Two weeks into the season and still no bird what was happening to me I had no clue. But this morning was set in my mind that it was already good even if I had spill my coffee twice. “ I didn’t care I was still going.”

The first sound was a gobbler yelling out to me from a distance about a hundred yards away. He still was not the one I wanted. I was after the one that would gobble twice before fly-down and then shut his trapper before he made his last flight from treetop to the wet ground below him where I would be sitting thirty yards away. As soon as he hits the ground he will then be allowed to perform me a show of excellence by strutting before a hen decoy which I have placed out at twenty yards to help lure him in to gun range. This will be his last strut and steps.

He gobbles for the first time.

His thundering gobble shook all silence from all around the neighborhood. The sound of true spring is now here and is heard for all to hear. Daybreak has come and I can see him still sitting up high in a southern red oak about forty feet up. He has no hen with him but the hens from seventy-five yards out have already made their fly-down and is headed my way.

I set patiently as he stretches his wings and gobbles once more. He has now reached the ground and he begins to show his dominance as being the one gobbler that will defeat all others who face him head to head. I cluck and make a small soft series of yelps and he looks around to decide where the sound comes from. A hen yelps in the distance but the gobbler has no chance to answer as I pull the trigger on my Remington 870 wing-master and drop him with a load of number 6 shot.

There he flops around on the ground like all other gobblers do after a shot of impact hits them hard. My morning was great as to have harvested such a remarkable animal. The colors of the feathers are a beauty to withhold for a lifetime. It’s a memory that will never leave you once you harvest a turkey for the first time or even your fourth time. Your heart will beat fast for the first turkey as it will do for the second one. If this does not happen then you will never be a turkey hunter. They say once you start you will never quit.

Spring time turkey season is some of the best there is. Alabama is home to some of the best turkey hunting locations in the U.S.. For years there were only few turkey hunters around and now the hunting of Alabama turkey have doubled and even tripled. Alabama has been known to have some of the most difficult turkey hunting of anywhere. The swampy bottoms of the rivers will make you think twice sometimes before entering.

Some of the best hunting lodges in the south are located with some of the very best turkey hunting around. Westerveltlodge ha been known to grow some big deer in their time but the turkey hunting here is among some of the best in the south. Westerveltlodge is located in Aliceville, AL. Another great place with true southern hospitality is Southern Sportsmans lodge located in Lowndesboro, AL. Just minuets away from the Alabama River and the Robert F. Henery lock and damn is also very great turkey hunting. Lets take a look at Westervelt on the video and see what Alabama turkey hunting is all about.

It was a cool morning for someone to be high tailing it through a swamp two hours before sun up. If ma and Chelle wanted to make my perfect set up before daybreak we had to head out early. Getting into the woods well before daylight was our plan. This would be her first ever turkey hunt and I was going to make it one she would never forget. Her first words was I’m cold when we stopped the truck at the fields edge. I told her that things would warm up soon to just be patient with a little time.

As we walked through the wet grass across the field to the tree line she asked me if anything was going to get us. Just as soon as I told her No she swore up and down that something was following us. I told her if something did get after us the only thing she had to worry about was to out run me and we all know that wasn’t about to happen. I wasn’t worried too much do to the fact that if something got after her it would soon let her go do to all the noise she would make.

Chelle could get kidnapped and before the napper would drive 100 yards he would make a U-turn and bring her back. God could she talk up a storm. We finally got to the swamp and had to head east about 200 yards more to a small dry spot under a tall pine. By the time we had the chance to sit down she heard something roughing up in the bushes about ten yards out. She asked whats that? I said you have to be quite if you plan on killing that there turkey.

What turkey?

The one that I roosted yesterday evening for you. He’s 23 pounds with a 15 inch beard and at least 1 1/2 inch spurs on both feet. So just be quite OK.

I’m cold.

Get over it  and be still. There’s the first Owl just listen to that beautiful sound. God’s creation make all that noise and she was right there beside me making noise too. She would never kill this here turkey. As I looked through the tree tops you could see daybreak and what a beautiful sight it was.

There he  go’s his first gobble and boy was it deep. Didn’t seem like he’s that far away either.

Chelle asked what in the hell was that? I told her that it was the gobbler she was going to shoot if she would just be quite. I yelled out an owl sound of my own and that bird just cut me off like there was no tomorrow. 1,2,3 gobbles in a row. What a show he was displaying for us. As I looked at Chelle she had a grin on her face I would never forget. One of them kind that just melts ya heart and makes you smile.

I placed her between my legs and straddled behind her to help her as she made the shot. She had leaned back so the gun would not kick the hell out of her so bad. By then the gobbler had done pitched down and was looking for us. I laid a three note soft yelp out there and shure enough he answered back so sweet.

Chelle said…I see him…he’s coming in slow.

Ok just wait til I say shoot….OK. He’s strutting now get your gun ready and place the bead on his head..When he clears the tree pop him one.

OK…Now on the count of three shoot…OK…1,2 bang she shot before three but rolled that turkey a flip into the next county. The turkey had started flopping and I said get up and go get him. Don’t grab him by the feet Chelle he will spur you and just as soon as that come out of my mouth she had sure enough grabbed him by the feet of course. She let out a yell as she was trying to stand on his head.

Good the turkey was down for good now as we took some photos. Boy she was as beautiful holding that bird as she was on any given Sunday. Beautiful blue eyes just blended in with the scenery of the woods that surrounded her. She was so happy that all she could do was just shake nervously. As I have said on any other occasion thank you God for allowing me to see a bird that look so beautiful.

As we walked back toward the truck Chelle never quit yapping. Gosh he’s heavy, Gosh I’m getting hot.

Hope you enjoyed another Tall Tales story for Hellohunting. Hope you will continue to click back for more soon.

Planting can be tricky in many ways. What do I plant? How do I plant it? Where do I need to plant? Will it grow under shady areas? How well dose it hold up in the early spring?

The first question I ask is what do you want out of your food source for your deer herd. Do you want to plant an Annual or a Perennial. There is a big difference between the two.

Annuals are plants that require only one growing season to complete their life cycle. This means that if you want them to keep growing then you must replant these forges each year. Some annuals can be encouraged to reseed themselves through proper management of the food plot. This management may include mowing, fertilizing, and disking, and will depending on the forage species you have planted. Annuals such as soy-beans, corn, rye, oats, and wheat will need to be planted each year for maximum growth.

Now Perennials on the other hand can be planted one time and may last from 3 to 5 years in a single planting. Most of these forges produce their own nitrogen from their roots. Things like clovers, alfalfa, chicory, and some vetches. These are all perennials. They do this by developing specialized root systems that allow them to regenerate from their roots after the leaves and stems of the plant die at the end of the growing season. The number of seasons  you will get from a single planting depends of the specific forage species, how well you maintain the food plot, and the region you are in.

By far, the biggest benefit of planting perennial forages is that you can get more than one year of good forage production from a single planting. This will allow you to keep your seed and labor costs lower than required on annual plots, which must usually be disked and often replanted each year.

Most of the Perennial food plots will have to have plenty of moisture and some of these can be planted in an area where sun hit’s for only four hours a day. Annuals will need more sun light to produce the tonnage of food per the acre. You wouldn’t plant corn or soy-beans in a swamp.

Remember that you have two different types of annuals as well. The winter annuals are planted in the late summer and early fall. They will begin growing soon there after and go dormant in the winter and begin growing in early spring and die in mid summer.

Summer annuals are planted in early spring through early summer and will put on most of their forges in summer time and will die in early fall or early winter. This is where your grains such as beans and corn are here.

It is important to know whether the forages you are planting are annuals, or perennials. Most importantly, the life cycle of your forages determines how often you will have to replant them. There are also some situations when you might want to select to plant an annual forage instead of a perennial, and vise-versa. Also remember that the foods that you plant for you deer may even benefit your turkey as well. So the next time you decide to plant make sure your planting the right food source.