Outdoorsman Thread

[RobesonsRme.com]

I know the American turkey is a tough hunt. Some scout for roosting birds in the evening, then return the next day, scatter them, then attempt to call them back in. Others just go to known habitat and start calling.

The birds are very wary.

I had an elderly cousin, so much more older than me that I called him and his wife, Uncle Dalton and Aunt Emma.

Uncle Dalton was a character if ever there was one. He stood about 6'3" tall and was a prolific hunter. He was a security guard for a company in central Alabama that owned huge tracts of land, a lot of which bordered The Talladega National Forest. He drove those roads, backroads and perimeter roads every day, so he knew more about the habits of local game than most.

When I was growing up, we had Thanksgiving dinner at their farm every year and always had wild turkey on the table.

I went turkey hunting with him once, but it was way too windy. Uncle Dalton said the birds would not be moving while the leaves were "jumpin' about like that". He was seventy-two at the time and near bout walked me ragged up and down those hills.

He also told me that when calling up a bird, once he answers, put the caller down, don't touch it again and just wait. He thought the chances of miscuing a call were greater than that of the bird losing interest.

He used all kinds of little tricks, mimicking a hoot owl or beating his thigh repeatedly with his hat to elicit a response from a Tom Turkey.

There is no telling how many birds that man killed in his lifetime. He had a string of beards and a collection of spurs that was most impressive. I wonder what went with those.

The game warden came to his home one afternoon to talk to him about killing more than the legal limit of birds. Uncle Dalton wanted to know "What the Hell makes you think I've killed too many birds?"

"Dalton", the warden said, 'Your picture, with a dead bird, has been in the paper four times already".

The limit was three.

It was a small town paper.

I miss Uncle Dalton.

He became a Christian at the age of seventy-six and lived to be ninety. He toned down his salty language quite a bit and his bawdy sense of humor was replaced with more socially accepted stories, but he remained a most interesting man until the day he died.

Charlie

[carrmillus]

......great story, Charlie!!!............... ....................

[Dinadan]

Fine looking turkey you got there, OH! I have never hunted turkeys, but I gather they are pretty wary game. Every now and then I see some when I am working in the swamp, but not often and not close.

That was a good story, Charlie.

[#goldpan]

There are fine outdoor stories here for sure. I am blessed to live in an area with a lot of wildlife. Thought I would share a few pics from this weeks outdoor activities.

American Bald Eagle at Lake Natoma

Deer in my back yard

Turkeys in the yard

Lupines in bloom, Lake Natoma

[jmh58]

Thanks Randy.. As an AVID raptor watcher, I sure do like the EAGLE pic!! KOOL!!! John

[Old Hunter]

That is a great story Charlie, thanks for adding that bit of lore to the (my) knowledge of turkeys. The best way to learn, and the way I have learned, is to let the old masters, like your Uncle Dalton, teach you - then go out and make all your own mistakes - learn from them too!

Dinadan, I'll warn you, if you take it up, turkey hunting is to a hunter what crack cocaine must be to an addict - you just can't quit once you get a good taste of it.

Randy, you sure have a terrific backyard!

OH

[treefarmer]

#goldpan,
Those are some great sights to be sure! An eagle is an awesome sight no matter what state it in! What kind of a deer do y'all have out there? Is that a black tail or a mule deer? When do they shed their antlers? Three gobblers and an orange tree almost reminds me of central Florida, my home many years ago.
Treefarmer.

[jerryd6818]

Colonel, what size shot do you use on turkey?

[Old Hunter]

Jerry, most folks use buffered lead shot loaded with #4, #5, or #6 - that is sort of the base line load and various size shells and weights have been popular for years (i.e., 12 gauge 3" with 1-7/8 oz. of shot, etc.) There are several modern, non-toxic loads also available nowadays; I prefer a product made by a small company, Hevi-Shot Magnum Blends. It's heavier than lead shot, blended with 2 ounces of 5, 6, & 7 sizes of shot. It is pricey at about $5.00 per round (normally they have a rebate that discounts it $1.00 per round) but I only fire one or two shells per season. I use up a lot more ammo patterning and tuning than while hunting. The big reason to use it is that due to the greater shot density, it is lethal about 10 - 15 yards further than traditional lead loads. Olin has a new lead load that is supposed to be lethal to 60 yards - branded "Winchester LongBeard" but I haven't tried it yet. OH

http://www.mackspw.com/Item--i-ENV41255

[#goldpan]

"What kind of a deer do y'all have out there? Is that a black tail or a mule deer? When do they shed their antlers? Three gobblers and an orange tree almost reminds me of central Florida, my home many years ago."
Treefarmer.

Our local deer are black tail, but we have both not too far away! As to the antler shed I think it happened several weeks ago. The deer pictured actually left this shed in the yard during the same visit.

I saw the same deer earlier in the week and he is sprouting new antlers all in velvet!

The picture of the turkeys was taken from the deck of new shop I'm building on top of the studio apartment I'm moving to this June. I parked my motorcycle under the deck when I went for a hike Sunday and when I came back there was a turkey all snugged up with the front tire! Maybe he thought it was a hen! The orange tree has some very sweet oranges on it too. The old fashioned kind with seeds. Just like I used to get as a kid!

[muskrat man]

Went fishin' today, caught some whopper bluegills and a good mess of bass.

The best bluegill of the day 1 lb 3.3 oz. The biggest I ever did catch!

[FRJ]

That's the biggest bluegill I've ever seen. Congrats!

World record is (I just looked it up) 5lb. 7oz.

[#goldpan]

Nice catch Kaleb! Ours are much smaller out here.

Had a couple of visitors a few minutes ago. My regular two deer, sprouting new antlers in velvet!

[treefarmer]

Muskrat Man,
That's what I like, a bluegill big enough to filet! I need to see if I can catch a mess.
#goldpan,
If those boys are regular visitors, a weekly up date on antler growth would be interesting to follow. Antler is supposed to be the fastest growing tissue known, I think .
Thanks for the posts, fellers!
Treefarmer

[TripleF]

Knice gill Caleb!!!

[Old Hunter]

Man, that is a Bluegill - nice!

Goldpan, I'm with Philip, if you can keep posting pictures as they grow - very interesting! OH

[AREMINGTONSEDGE]

Great catch Caleb and that is a great tasting fish!
Here's a couple nice ones my nephew Dereck caught while we were fishing a few local ponds. I do believe in catch and release...We catch 'em and release them into the fryin' pan. Love fresh fish!

[jerryd6818]

Squirrel, what the heck is that tattoo on his arm. I can't make it out.

[muskrat man]

Glad I'm not the only catch and release advocate here! A good mess that I catch get released into a Griswold

I fried up a bunch of the bass last night, made a some cornbread, and a bunch of French friend taters and had the landowner over for dinner.

Before they left they said come back, set the trotline in the other pond and thin the channel cats out and we'll have a big cookout, all you need to do is supply the fish. I said Not a problem!

[Dinadan]

Nice bass, Rocky! That looks like a beaver pond you are fishing, or maybe an oxbow lake.

Muskrat man - that bluegill is humongous! I used to fish for bluegills a lot and I never caught one that weighed even two pounds.

I guess it the time of year to hanker for some fishing. My wife and I were out yesterday enjoying the nice weather and catching a few fish. Last night I fried redfish and flounder - fish really is best when caught and cooked the same day!

[Old Hunter]

Nice Red Mel!

[AREMINGTONSEDGE]

Jerry, your guess is as good as mine! He explained it as a symbolic tribute to his life growing up and the difficulity he had with his father, my middle brother, Dale. I said, "ok that's cool" and left it at that.

Caleb, Fresh fish is the best and the other day I caught a mess of 10 Bulegill and cooked 'em that night and if ya cook 'em right the meat will fall away from them bones in nice little chuncks. I have a fishin' spot at Cherrydale lake that will catch anyone bullgill, bass and pike. Cherry dale lake is 4 min. drive from my front door in Mechanicsville,Va.,. I spent the afternoon there today.

Dinadan, The county of Prince George, Va. is where I grew up and is home to around untold amounts of ponds not to mention many swamps and creeks. Within a 5 mile radius of my childhood home are 6 large ponds/lakes. The first picture of Dereck and his bass are from the Windrich's farm. the pond is approx. 9-10 acres.That particular portion meanders in to the woods. The majority of the pond is nestled against empty rolling farmland and rest against large oak trees that if they could, might whisper stories of many fishing and hunting adventures gone by. The land sits idle and is no longer farmed. The second photo is at a neighbor's pond,(Trailer's pond) and has some of the biggest citation bass you will ever see. Most of the time he insist on catch and release but he allows me one or two to take home and eat since we've been friends from childhood. The best part of it all is they are all on private properties and never a hassle to be found.

[1967redrider]

Tasty looking fish!


Was beginning to think I wasn't going to find any morels this year but thanks to a recent rain they were popping today. Ended up with about 1 3/4 lbs, time for a double batch of morel, leek & potato soup.

[jmh58]

Kudos All!! Nice fish and schrooms!!! Kool!!! John

[TripleF]

I am sure glad I started this thread!

Knice job fellas!!