Outdoorsman Thread

[bighomer]

Looked out the back door last evening was greeted by some pretty birds visiting my feeders.

[bighomer]

Closeup of a couple of preening jakes

[garddogg56]

Sum pic'$ from our R&R Moosehead lake trip ya eat dogs when the water level is the lowest I've ever seen still a great weekend.

[TripleF]

epic stuff bighomer and gdogg!!!!

[big monk]

AWESOME !!!!! Thanks for sharing guys !!!

[Dinadan]

Nice flock of turkeys, Bighomer! That is a pleasant looking back yard too. I do not envy the mowing, though.

Garddogg - that looks like a great weekend trip!

[garddogg56]

thanx guys

[kootenay joe]

What's the difference between a "Jake" and a "Tom" ?
kj

[treefarmer]

A "Jake" is a young "Tom". "Toms" have a longer beards, thus another name, "Long Beard", added to the list of names for adult male turkeys usually called gobblers in various state game regulation books. There are probably a lot of localized common names for these great birds.
Treefarmer

[kootenay joe]

Thanks, we use Tom or Hen here. A "small Tom" i now know is properly called a Jake.
kj

[Old Hunter]

A Jake will have a beard that is less than 7" in length, his fan will have tall feathers in the center (when he displays), and quite often nubs in lieu of spurs (depending on stage of development). A Tom will have a beard in excess of 7" (most third year Gobblers have 10" to 11" beards, full fans, and 1" or longer spurs). When you hear a Tom gobble and a Jake gobble you can readily tell the difference in the higher pitch of the Jake's gobble. OH

Ps The two hunters in the top picture have bagged Jake's (look at the fans and the short beard). The single hunter has a Tom (feathers are circular without the center feathers being taller and the beard is thick and long).

[kootenay joe]

Twenty five years ago we did not have any wild turkeys here in south central B.C. When they first showed up i thought they would not thrive as coyotes would get the chicks. I was wrong. We now have turkeys everywhere from wild bush areas to the small towns.
My 'issue' with turkeys is the damage they do to my garden. When the seeds germinate the turkeys pluck out the little seedlings. A bit later on the hens bring their now sizable chicks in to dust bathe in the garden beds destroying the plants that survived their 'sprout plucking'.
I've shot a few toms (22 cal.) but only enjoyed eating one. The rest were tough beyond the strength of my jaws.
I try to hit them right at the base of the neck but when you look at turkeys on the ground, their head is nearly always moving. You can appreciate this better when you look through a scope.
The best hunting is in late Fall just before their diet changes over to old dried vegetation. The chicks by this time dress out to 6-7 pounds, like a big farm chicken and are still tender.
Even though they are about 1/3rd the adult size, with feathers fluffed out they can look almost adult hen size until you see one of each standing side by side.
The hens form 'chick care' groups, 3-4 hens plus all their chicks (up to about 8 each) early on, and are still together in late Fall.
When i heard them clucking to each other in the bush above the garden, i went out with my 22 and jack russell dog, Jake. Jake would charge into the flock of hens & chicks as they scratched grubs from the ground. They all fly up in a squawking furor and land high up in nearby trees, always perching close to the trunk. I try to watch 2 chicks to see exactly where they perch. Now instead of head bobbing, it is still and cocked to the side as they look down on Jake and me. Quick shot with my old Brno 22 and the bird falls like a pumpkin, bouncing as it strikes the ground. Gotta be quick for the second one as they soon figure out what is going on and fly off downhill (helps them glide further).
Whenever a species invades new territory there are adverse effects on other species. I don't know what is being affected here but we have so many turkeys they must have displaced some other animals or plants.
I hope a long post like this is o.k. here. Not fully sure of the proper etiquette here.
kj

[bighomer]

More toms

[bighomer]

Jake.

[bighomer]

Hungry boys.

[Dinadan]

Interesting info about the various names for male turkeys. I did not realize the Jake versus Tom names referred to different age groups. Nice photos too!

I hope a long post like this is o.k. here. Not fully sure of the proper etiquette here.
kj

Joe - I do not think that anyone dislikes a long post. I find it interesting that turkeys are just now invading your area. My area along the Gulf Coast has always been turkey range. But when I was growing up in the sixties and seventies they were very rare in our neck of the woods. (I actually did live in the woods back then) They have been steadily increasing for the last couple of decades. I assume it was hunting pressure that just about exterminated them in the old days. Even when I was a kid there were still a lot of folks living in the piney woods who would shoot anything edible on sight, never mind seasons or limits.

How about your area: were the turkeys wiped out in the past, or have they never lived there before?

[kootenay joe]

The turkeys are new, first arrived maybe 20 years ago; come up from the south, outa Idahoe; now turkeys are everywhere here, survive the winter without any apparent problems.
A few tough farmers arrived here by boat in 1890's and cleared the land by burning it. The entire history of each piece of land is known. That's why i can say i am the first person ever to live on this land. Native North Americans never lived here, too steep, no game in winter. They did come up by canoe and make water edge fish camps. The ice from the last ice age only left this valley from 12,000 to 20,000 years ago. So we never had turkeys here before. And, i never met Ida Hoe but she sure had a lot of turkeys.
kj

[bighomer]

Turkeys and even deer were not in my area as I was growing up. I was grown before I saw a deer in the wild. Turkey reintroduction in all areas of Tn. started in the mid seventies, and I'd guess it was the early to mid eighties before I saw any. Believe you me that they have proliferated. On the other hand Bobwhite quail have all but disappeared. Some blame loss of habitat and the proliferation of fescue grass as the cause . The TWRA has reintroduced red wolves and elk to the Great Smoky Mountain National park and the Land between the lakes park, I guess I'll wake one morning and one of them will be in my back yard. 4 hens came up this morning, they left up came 6 males they left and as I hunt and peck this they're back.

[bighomer]

Mel wrote " I don't envy the mowing though". Mel I mow about 3 acres of yard weekly and bushhogg about 13 acres of hay field once a month after the hay is cut. It keeps me out of the cathouses and beer joints .Actually I enjoy it but it gets tiresome now and then when it's as hot out as it is now.

[Dinadan]

The turkeys are new, first arrived maybe 20 years ago; come up from the south, outa Idahoe; now turkeys are everywhere here, survive the winter without any apparent problems.kj

Well, a couple of never before seen species have entered my area in my lifetime. Armadillos and coyotes out of the west, and cattle egrets out of Africa. House finches from the west via pet dealers on the east coast.

Turkeys and even deer were not in my area as I was growing up. I was grown before I saw a deer in the wild. Turkey reintroduction in all areas of Tn. started in the mid seventies, and I'd guess it was the early to mid eighties before I saw any. Believe you me that they have proliferated. On the other hand Bobwhite quail have all but disappeared.

Sounds like you are has had the same cycle as mine. Deer were rare in my area in the sixties. And quail were common then and now rare. Just this past Saturday my wife and I were driving a winding country road near my old home place and I commented on how when I was a kid we always saw quail running across that road. Now it has been years since I saw any. Part of it is probably due to land use changes. In the sixties fields were smaller, with lots of hedgerows. But I do not think that is the whole story. Cogon grass has taken over most of the hedgerows and roadsides. It creates a sterile environment compared to our native weeds. I blame it for the loss of the quail, though some folks say fire ants are the reason. In any case I do miss seeing quail - honestly I cannot remember the last I was startled by a covey flushing.

[Paladin]

For several years, quail virtually disappeared in our state. There was much disagreement as to the cause. Fire ants seemed a logical culprit to me but this year there has been a rebound and my west Texas cousin says there is a good crop.
They are my favorite bird for the skillet. Quail gravy (white/cream) is unequaled in taste, at least for me.

Ray

[mrwatch]

Had Turkey's and their babies walk pass our yard the other day. Our Turkey's is how we now have Moose in the U.P. Traded Canada. Many blame possums for the loss of quail and pheasants. We now have an abundance of coyotes and the are changing the hunting rules. Still for only Michigan residents.

[garddogg56]

Afta the hangover from yesterday I woke up ta this feller roaming in the back 40 so I plinked him from the kitchen window

[kootenay joe]

" plink" = verb for a shot from .22 caliber ?
kj

[garddogg56]

No Joe a Sunday load=a .177 one pump air shot