Turkey hunters, mushroom hunters, and other outdoor enthusiasts have been spending time in the outdoors during this time of year. There are so many beautiful pieces of God’s creation showing their full color right now, and no one should be missing it! One of my favorite things to see in the spring is turkeys, and even better, turkey nests! Finding one of these can be a real treat, and for those who pride themselves as “wildlife managers” we wonder, “How can we help these eggs?”
(Left) A healthy turkey nest with several eggs and no sign of predators. (Right) What happens when a nest predator finds the eggs.
As wildlife managers, it’s in our blood to try and improve the overall habitat quality and wildlife population. If you’re like me when you find something as frail as a turkey nest you want to step up your game to ensure these eggs will hatch and reach maturity. Obviously you can’t save all the turkey nests, but you can ensure that some of them will make it past birth.
First we need to understand that predators will harm the eggs, mother hen, and the newborn turkeys. Coyotes and bobcats prey on all of these, and definitely get the most attention as turkey predators, but don’t overlook the small predators like raccoons, opossums, and skunks. These small animals can definitely hurt the turkey population if their numbers are plentiful.
Lesson Learned – When trapping season is open in your area, put out your traps! Don’t stick with one set of traps and try to remove coyotes and bobcats either. Pick up some small traps to balance the predator prey relationship in your area! We use Duke Dog Proof or Duke Cage traps because they are simple and easy to use. Trapping turkey nest predators will save turkey lives, and who doesn’t want to enjoy a spring morning with turkeys gobbling?
Proclaiming that I love this time of year is a complete understatement. Finding the words to express my happiness with springtime is very difficult. With the temperatures warming and the outdoors coming back to life, things are beautiful here at The Proving Grounds and things got even better this week with the opening of Missouri turkey season! Throughout the spring Grant and I are often asked what calls we use to lure those wary toms into range. Here is a list of exactly what we carry in our vest!
Adam using the Harrison Hoot’n Stick early in the morning trying to locate a gobbler.
Although we use a lot of similar calls there are a few minor differences. You can find all of these calls and more information about them at Hook’s Custom Calls.
Grant’s vest:
Exterminator (crystal glass) – This is Grant’s go to friction call. Teamed up with the Yellowheart gobbler stick it creates great clear to mid rasp sounds.
Assassin Slate – This call creates a wide range of tone but its specialty is those soft tree yelps early in the morning.
Diaphragm Calls – Executioner, Swindler, and the Game Changer 3
My vest:
Assassin Glass – This is my favorite call to try and tempt that gobbler into range. This glass call can create mid tone raspy yelps to high frequency rasps to locate those toms on the next ridge.
Assassin Aluminum – Aluminum has been my favorite surface on a friction call for several years. It can hit the high ball rasp that I really love or mid range yelps as the tom approaches our setup.
Diaphragm Calls – Enforcer, Shockwave, and the Game Changer 3
The locator calls we both use:
Harrison Hoot’n Stick Walnut – This is almost always the first call we make early in the morning.
Harrison Crow Call Walnut – As the sun comes up we’ll switch up our locator calls and use a crow call.
Harrison Howler – Sometimes when birds want to be tight lipped a howl on this call can create a response.
We use these calls daily this time of year and we can’t wait to get back out there again to try our hand one more time!
Several months every year hunters take to the woods to scout for their next hunt. We monitor trail cameras, observe creek crossings, and stare into soybean fields during the late summer for the chance to catch a glimpse of velvet antlers. We do a number of things, but when given the chance to obtain some of the most informative details we often let it slip through our fingers. This important information is something the GrowingDeer.tv Team never passes up and neither should you.
This turkey’s crop was filled with wheat and acorns of every size.
Every successful hunt is a learning experience. On top of all the excitement from the hunt, we can also gain information for our next hunt. Recently, Grant’s youngest daughter, Rae, harvested a nice bird during Missouri’s youth turkey season. The following day I took my Razor Blaze knife and cut into the crop of the turkey. The crop serves as the stomach of the turkey and by inspecting the interior of the crop you can learn where that turkey spent the day feeding. The crop of this specific turkey contained acorns and wheat. No surprise on the wheat, as this turkey was shot in an Eagle Seed Broadside plot which contains several different cool season plants. The acorns told us not to overrule hunting turkeys in the woods.
It’s mid April and a lot of hunters may believe that the acorn consumption is over and that animals will be using other food sources. After looking in the crop of this turkey, we know that’s not true. Season opens up for everyone in Missouri on Monday and you can bet at some point we’ll be chasing turkeys in the timber!
If you’ve never been shed antler hunting I have some advice for you. It’s simple – don’t go. Don’t go shed hunting. Don’t even start. Don’t even spend 15 minutes looking in a food plot for antlers. Why? Because once you do you will be addicted. I’ve seen it happen. The addiction only takes minutes to set in. I saw it happen just recently.
A matched set of shed antlers.
I had a family come join me on a recent Sunday afternoon to enjoy a couple of hours walking in the woods to hunt for shed antlers. Neither the husband nor wife had ever hunted for shed antlers. As a matter of fact, the husband prefers turkey hunting to deer hunting. However they love being outdoors, love hiking, and love letting their three boys run free in the woods where they can’t get in trouble when throwing a rock or busting up a tree stump.
Our hunt that afternoon focused on areas of high deer activity – the woods around frequently used food plots. As the hunt progressed I saw the hike turn from a casual family hike to an intense search for that elusive shed antler. I saw it on their faces – fierce concentration as they scanned the ground hoping to find one. It was like an early Easter egg hunt for adults.
They were full of questions. Where should I be looking? How do I find one? How many have you found in a day? What’s the most you’ve found in a season? Is it more of a thrill to find a big antler or a small antler?
It’s very rewarding to find smaller shed antlers too!
As I answered each question I could see the desire to find an antler begin to burn stronger. My answers were simple: When you find deer trails, rubs, scrapes, deer beds, or deer poop slow down and check those areas out more thoroughly. I’ve found up to six antlers in one day. To me it’s more rewarding to find a small antler than a big one because you have to really be looking hard to find those! Of course, the big antlers are a bigger thrill to find and are what keeps everyone truly motivated.
The afternoon hunt ended with the boys playing in the creek, one shed antler found that was definitely shed more than a couple of years before, and at least two new addicts to hunting shed antlers.
The next time you consider taking up shed hunting – don’t do it. Don’t go. Just go for a walk in the spring woods. Take time to enjoy the warmer air, spring wildflowers, and budding trees. If you see an antler – leave it for the squirrels. You’ll be glad you did. (or not….)
Filming your hunt has become a very popular activity in the world of hunting. There are professionals, semi-professionals, and amateurs all just looking to capture the hunt to show friends and family. There are thousands of tools but sorting through them can be difficult. Below is a list of gear that I will be carrying in the following weeks to help bring you every new episode of GrowingDeer.tv!
I film turkey hunts using a Sony EX3 with lavalier and shotgun mics, tripod, and GoPro with remote and ground stake.
Primary camera – We use a Sony EX3 as our main camera. There are many great cameras to choose from. It’s important to have a primary camera with the appropriate attachments to help grab the essential pieces of every hunt. This camera can be the most expensive camera on the market or a small handy cam. The most important part is knowing your camera and capturing clear, focused footage.
Tripod – Leaving this at home isn’t an option for us. Stable footage is a must and can only be captured by attaching the camera to a tripod. This means mobility is limited, but finding a balance between stable and mobile is dynamite.
Shotgun and lavalier microphone – Having great audio is one of the main differences between amateurs and professionals. You can pick up either of these microphones for a couple hundred dollars online. Like cameras, the more expensive the better, by adding one of the two you will increase your quality significantly.
Secondary camera(s) – POV cameras are becoming wildly popular, especially for hunters. GoPro cameras are attached to nearly everything on most hunting shows. Positioning one of these cameras back towards the hunter and cameraman during a hunt brings a real world look at the emotions and obstacles a hunter/cameraman go through. Having a secondary camera rolling through the hunt will also eliminate the need for recreates.
Accessories – These tools aren’t essential but can increase your production value.
POV ground stake – This stake is very basic but can capture killing footage! Mount a secondary camera to it and place it five yards from a decoy looking back towards the hunter.
Slider – If you’re looking for that professional touch, grab a nice slider and incorporate it into your hunt. Sliders come in different sizes and shapes but the concept is the same. The track keeps the camera positioned almost exactly the same as the camera moves from one end of the slider to the other. This tool will add a nice movement to your shots.
Suction cup mount – Attached to your secondary camera, this mount will be a great way to capture footage inside your vehicle going to and from your property.
Remote control for primary camera – Attaching a thumb operated remote control to your tripod will mean the difference between comfort and aching muscles. By positioning your tripod arm closer to the ground and having the remote control attached it will allow you to operate your camera with your arms more relaxed and comfortable.
Remote control for secondary camera – Having a remote control for your secondary camera will save battery life and eliminate the movement of trying to turn the camera on before a turkey comes in. The remote can be used to turn the camera on from several yards away without having to stand up and manually turn on the camera.
Most importantly, everything we carry in pursuit of turkeys is camouflage! Turkeys have incredible eyesight and all lights and shiny objects need to be covered with camouflage! Don’t overlook this tip! It could be the most important part of your hunt!
Intern, Clay O’Dell, is placing Trophy Rock’s Four65 in front of a Reconyx camera.
It doesn’t seem possible, but spring has arrived and the yearly cycle of antler growth is continuing. Not long ago it seems like we were chasing whitetails during the winter months, and now we’re discussing velvet growing. Regardless of how quickly it got here, it’s here, and we don’t want to miss this easy opportunity to help benefit our deer herd. One of the quickest and easiest ways to help improve the health of the deer is by providing easy access to minerals.
During this time of year, bucks are preparing for new antler growth while they are still recovering from this past winter. Most of our does are pregnant and will be giving birth over the next couple of months. One important substance that both bucks and does need is mineral, and you can provide this by using Trophy Rocks or their crushed version, Four65. We generally place a Trophy Rock on every 80 to 100 acres on our property ensuring that every deer has access to a mineral supply.
One of the greatest things about using Trophy Rock or Four65 this time of year is deer will be actively using the mineral making this a great place for a trail camera! We first place our Trophy Rocks in high traffic areas where deer were already active. Once we establish the site, we won’t move the rocks, making it a great location for a trail camera year after year!
We love to check our Reconyx cameras during the spring! We’re always looking for those strutting turkeys but also checking up on our deer making sure they’re healthy and happy. If you’re looking for ways to improve the health of your deer herd don’t overlook this easy step.
March is a great month for turkey hunters. A lot of hunters in the South are already starting their turkey season while Grant and I, who are located in the Midwest, are using this month to scout. March in the Midwest can mean large flocks of turkeys roosted in close proximity to each other. This also means they can be very vocal while on the limb, but finding where they fly down can be difficult sometimes. Using the same trail camera you use for scouting deer, and turning on the time lapse feature can help you find the fly down area and increase your success rate once season opens.
We were able to locate this large flock of turkeys using the time lapse feature on our Reconyx trail camera.
Early in the spring, gobblers are grouped up. During this time they are sorting out dominance so don’t expect them all to be roosted in the same spot a month from now, but they will most likely be close. Once you find their roost location, it’s important to try and find where they fly down and spend the early part of the morning. Although their roost site may change, the areas where they strut and feed will likely be visited throughout the spring. This could be a large field, a small opening in the woods, or a hardwood ridge. Finding this location can be pivotal to your success.
We use our Reconyx cameras and the time lapse feature to find the areas the turkeys are most active in. The time lapse feature allows us to monitor entire fields and hone in on their fly down locations. We set our cameras to take a picture every five minutes from sunrise to two or three hours after sunrise. The cameras will also take motion activated pictures or video if the turkeys are close enough to set off the motion sensor. Using trail cameras is a great way to start your spring so you can be more prepared when turkey season gets here!
Using a turkey decoy has become a very popular tactic for turkey hunters. There are many variations to a turkey decoy: strutting tom, half strut tom, jake, strutting jake, alert hen, feeding hen, breeding hen, and a few others. With all of these different styles it usually brings up a set of questions, “Which ones do I use? How do I set them up?” Below are the guidelines I use every spring for my decoy setups.
Grant was able to use the Miss Purr-fect to lure in a South Florida tom.
Early Season or Pre Breeding – During this phase of the season dominance is the key. If the flock you’re hunting flies off the roost and walks into a field and every tom begins to strut, you’re best option is to challenge him with a strutting tom decoy with a hen decoy or two. They’re sorting out dominance this time of year and he won’t tolerate a new kid on the block, especially one with hens. As season progresses slightly, I will position the strutting decoy closer to a hen decoy, positioning the hen decoy in a breeder pose. If timed right, this approach can be deadly. This is the setup I use closer to peak breeding.
Peak Breeding – When I see the toms and hens are starting to break off into smaller groups, I will start using a lone hen decoy. My favorite is the Montana Miss Purr-fect. Gobblers might be tired of fighting other toms during this phase. Using a lone hen will peak his interest and hopefully bring him into range.
Post Breeding – This phase can be difficult to hunt sometimes. Hunting pressure can be high and the turkeys have sorted out dominance, finished most of their breeding, and the gobblers are focused on finding the last remaining hens to breed. The tom may have already seen the decoy spread for days and he’s not having any of it. This is where I’ll try and build his confidence and setup with multiple hens. Maybe 2 or 3 and sometimes 4, depending on the location. By using all of these hen decoys sometimes the gobbler can’t take the fact that there is that many hens and no gobbler and he’ll come in to investigate. The great thing about the Montana decoys is you can easily pack 5 hen decoys in your vest without weighting yourself down. During this phase you might need every trick in the bag to be successful.
To learn even more about decoy setup check out this cool turkey decoy setup guide at Montana Decoy.
