Turkey Season Preparation

[Hotspotter]

So it's almost April, it's a darn nice day out, and everyone's minds are on turkey hunting right? But are you ready? Will you be ready?

Hopefully by now you've gone and paid homage to whatever tupperware container, box, or slot you have labeled "turkey gear." Maybe you've put in an old mouth call or two, grimmaced past the taste of it, and made a few squawks?

By this time of year, I'm carrying all my calls with in the car, so I can drive and practice on my calling. I usually wait until there's unwanted guests at home to work on the slates and box calls.

All of my hunting land is locked up, and I continue to scout on a semi-regular basis, though if I had the choice between only now or later, I'd take the 3 days prior to my season every time.

My gun is ready to be patterned, and last years "best" will be tested yet again. My clothing/vest has been inspected, and I know what I need to get new for this year. Tags have been purchased for where I'm planning to hunt, and what maps I need have been rounded up and looked at. I continue to keep my eyes peeled for new turkey ground, as populations keep expanding, and marginal habitat now holds birds when in the not-so-distant past, it did not.

I'm watching the videos, yelling at the pros for teaching young hunters everywhere to over-call. I'm driving backroads way too much, and I'm getting up early in preparation for a month and a half of hard work and little sleep.

So, what do you do to get pumped? What's your pre-season ritual, and have you done it yet? Will you be ready!?!?

Joel

[Borch]

Hey have you been watching me?

I'm going like crazy trying to get everthing ready. I'll be leaving for the Black Hills two weeks from tonight and still have way too much to get done. A few calls left to make with landowners. My scouting has been limited to drive bys at this point as I don't hunt MN for nearly a month and info would be pretty useless at this point.

Picked up a new custom Purdy honduran rosewood slate over glass. It sure is a great looking and more importantly sounding call. The calls are finding a place in my vest. Mouth calls are soaking is some listerine. I'm looking over my Black Hills maps hoping that the 4+ ft of snow they have received in the past week and a half will be gone before we get there.

I've been shopping for ammo and a few other essentials for the season. I sure wish there was a bit more selection here in central MN. But I'll work with what I can find at this point. I can't wait to hit the pattern board.

Good Luck!

[Nova]

I have first season this year in MN so Last friday I was off work. got up early, put in some turkey videos and dug into my stuff. All gone through, gun got patterned, all calls got a test, clothing all ready, license purchased. I think I am ready. The land is all set and turkey are present, although, still in large groups. Good luck to all!

[Stratosman]

Per the norm, I have yet to begin getting my things together. I do know where my stuff is for the most part, I know a few purchases are to be made.

As far as where the birds are, I havn't had a chance to do a second of scouting as I live about 20 minutes from my hunting grounds.

I was just going to call Joel and have him tell me where the birds are anyway..

Maybe I will get down there this weekend.

[TomBow]

I've been wearing out the hunting videos, double checked my calls and did some conditioning on the slate, strikers and the box call, bought a couple new mouth calls and got them working well. My stuff is packed for next weekend's trip to NE. Mostly I've been working with my recurve bow, shooting daily, getting the tuning taken care of, getting arrows fletched and reducing my turkey picture targets to headless. I'm going semi-trad this year and hope to bag a gobbler with the recurve, shooting instinctive, but I will have the compound with me on the trip as backup. Since making the move up here to da nort' country of Duluth, I am now about 90 minutes from the closest legal MN Bow-turk zone so have only been scouting once 2 weeks ago. Too early to tell but I have received some maps and am nailing down state forest areas to get scouted out.

Best of Luck to all,

May the gobblers be with you!

[Art Barbarians]

Don't forget your camera and maybe tripod.

The Spring 2006 Turkey Hunting Photo Contest details are almost complete (post will be up very soon). One major change is a panel of 5 Wildlife Artists will be judging the photos this year. That way heartthrobs like Joel Nelson won’t have the opportunity to dominate the female vote.

Advice:

Check out the internet for turkey hunting photos that are everywhere. Make note how silly the pictures in the driveway or in the truck look. Take a peek at LAST YEAR'S ENTRIES and see what some did well and others could have done better.

I would like everyone to compete: FM Staffers and even me. Obviously I won’t take a prize if I win…...as I didn’t last year, and Joel also declined his prize last year. I still want as many entries as possible and hope everyone has a safe and memorable hunt!

[Wallydog]

My pruning shears have been sharpened, the "turkey silo" has been re-waterproofed, landowners have been called and cared for, been shooting the bow at least every other day for a month, recieved my spring shipment from Jerry Gardner at Heart of Dixie, minor repairs have been attended to on my vest, sorted vest pockets to re-acquaint myself with where everything is, tickets for my Missouri hunt have been booked, finished up a couple of wing-bone calls I made this winter, got all my donations done for our upcoming NWTF banquet, and likely a few things I've forgotten but promise to re-post those.

Be safe and remember it's not the gobbler..... It's the gobble.

WD