Albemarle Tradewinds March 2018 Web OPT

Plan a Daycation!
I
hope everyone had an interesting and successful
small game season. We are now in the process
of winding down from the major part of our hunting
seasons, but fear not, we still have one more big game
season ahead... Spring Gobbler season!! If you have
never heard a gobbler come down from the roost in the
morning looking for hens you are missing out on an
awesome spring ritual. To hear that majestic bird sing
out in the morning woods is a marvelous joy. It conjures
hopes of a big bird to come into bow range, tests your
patience, and excites the blood. What a feeling it is!!
Hopefully you will be scouting this month for good
turkey habitat or perhaps you already have a good place
to go. Keep tabs on those birds. What can we do to
prepare for the spring turkey season?
Proper scouting to fi nd where the turkeys are roosting
Check out the feeding and strutting areas
Practice your calling and note the different types of calls
you can make to entice a nice gobbler
Are you using a decoy ? Practice setting it up.
Practice your shooting techniques, sitting, standing, or
kneeling.
Talmage Dunn
bowhuntor@yahoo.com
252-267-5437
District 1 Wildlife Rep for NCBA
Speaking of calling … what type of call do you use?
There are several types. Some people use a wingbone
caller. Made from the wing bones of a turkey. I
have made several from some of my “thanksgiving and
Christmas” guests. But you can also buy an “air” caller.
I also use an old base to a ball-point pen, but thats
working on the cheap side! Another type of call is a
diaphragm call, a type of mouth call. This call requires
diligent practice on the part of the caller but many different
turkey sounds can be made on it. A box call is one
of the most common calls that can be used. It is simply
what its name implies, a box with a scraper that creates
a resonance sound. They have been used for years and
are quite effective. Lastly, there are “slate” calls. These
calls require the use of a stylus and a slate or glass to
scrape the stylus across to create the desired sound. I
cannot tell you how important it is to practice these calls.
There are several places to go to learn the types of calls
to make. By far the best way is to get with an experienced
turkey hunter and have him/her teach you. Of
course, there is always the internet and various sites to
learn what sound resonates the most in the woods.
Have you practiced shooting at turkey sized objects?
I know that there are various 3-D turkey fi gures that
can be bought, but these can be expensive and have
a tendency to get “shot out” rapidly. I make my own
turkey sized targets. To give me a strutting turkey size
target I use a 1-gallon milk jug mounted up about the
right height for a nice “Tom.” Sometimes I will paint them
black or brown to simulate the color. For “jake” sized
turkey targets I use the 2-liter soda bottles. Both of
these targets are perfect for honing in my shooting skills
for spring gobblers. So sharpen those broadheads and
get busy practicing. The season will be here before we
realize it.
Editors note: This story is a reprint from last year.
Talmage is still under the weather this month. We wish
him a speedy recovery.
We have an on-line event calendar that keeps track of things to do in the Eastern
North Carolina Region. If you are looking for a day trip that is within an hour or
so drive from our readership area, go on-line to http://nencevents.com and check
out all the local events that are happening. Keep checking back as we are always
updating the calendar. If you have an event you wish to list send an E-Mail to
br549@modernmedianow.com or just submit from the website form.
It is a free service from the Tradewinds Media Group!
“If thou but settest foot on this path,
thou shalt see it everywhere.”
Did you know the
Albemarle Tradewinds
is located in more than
250 locations in NENC
and Chesapeake?
38 Albemarle Tradewinds March 2018 albemarletradewinds.com