Turkey

When I first started turkey hunting more than three decades ago, I had two mouth diaphragm calls. I shot the first two birds I called in on opening day.

Many turkey hunters don't believe they need a scope to make an accurate shot at a bird only 30 or 40 yards away. That's especially true for long-time shotgunners skilled at hunting ducks, pheasants, doves, rabbits and quail.

But the typical sight on a shotgun isn't very good for the precise aiming needed in turkey hunting. Many shotguns have only a front bead sight, with no rear sight, and that can make for difficult shooting using an ultra-full-choke turkey gun.

The magnitude of the first call when turkey hunting cannot be understated.

If it is made from the wrong place, a hunter's location easily could be discovered. If it is made at the wrong time, a gobbler, or his hens, could become suspicious and, instead of leaving the roost toward the hunter, they could fly out the other way.

Calling to birds on the roost is an easy conversation to get sucked into.

Thunder chicken, hammerhead, boss tom and Mr. Waddles, are just some of the slang terms turkey hunters give to old, mature gobblers. One thing turkey hunters don’t lack is an imagination and the ability to have fun.

Mossback is another term you’ll hear, referring to an old tom that’s alluded hunters for years, living in deep, dark forests so wet, the bird has moss growing on its back.

Geography, as much as ingenuity, plays a role in what slang terms are assigned to a turkey.

We found my friend Chuck's Brittany, Wyatt, pointing staunchly into a laurel thicket twice as high as his head.

“Maybe it's a grouse,” I said.

We hadn't planted any training birds in that area, and were just letting Wyatt and another dog stretch their legs.

Chuck stomped around in the laurels, with no result, yet still his dog pointed, quivering. Chuck expanded his search, and soon started to back out of the thicket.

“You're not going to believe this,” he said. “It's a turkey.”

One of the reasons I love turkey hunting is the very act allows you, no begs you, to be somewhat mobile. Running and gunning for deer is a tough proposition, but turkeys are tailor-made for in-field travel.

However, especially when bowhunting birds, you might not find yourself as mobile as possible. You might also find yourself hunting a small woodlot, which does not allow you to cover much ground.