Thunder Chickens
by Ty Weaver

Turkey hunting can be hot or cold, weather wise and action wise. Most states allow turkey hunting during the fall and spring. Fall hunting is a blast with weather usually on the cool side, which makes hunting them very enjoyable. I have taken many turkeys in the fall season and some were monsters like the picture attached. The other great thing about the fall season is it usually falls with in deer season.

All turkeys roost in trees at night and fly off the roost during early morning hours to feed. Their diet consists mainly of grains and insects. The males are called gobblers and the females are called hens.

Hunting turkeys in the fall is great, but spring season is down right awesome. Turkeys become very vocal with the males gobbling back to the females' yelps and clucks. Some of the gobblers get all excited and gobble several times in a row. It's like they turn in to giant thunder chickens! In spring the hunter usually sets up in an area before day brake close to where the turkeys are roosting. When the turkeys fly down from roost the hunter tries to imitate a hen by using a call and making a yelp or clucking sound.

Don't believe for a second that you simply yelp with your call and a monster gobbler will come running to your calls gobbling its head off and making an easy target. Once in a while they will, but most times they move slowly and very cautiously. Almost like they are playing hard to get or maybe the yelp goes in one ear and out the other. Kinda like my Mom talking to my Dad sometimes. Sometimes the gobbler sneaks in and never gobbles. One time Dad and I were hunting and a gobbler snuck in behind us to within ten yards and let loose with a gobble. Made us jump so much that the turkey caught our movement and ran off.

Many turkeys are taken in the fall deer season with rifles, but the majority of them are taken with shotguns and very few are taken with archery gear. Last week I was fortunate to be invited to New Jersey to bow hunt an Eastern gobbler with Danny Diamonte co-producer of Neck of The Woods Outdoors Television. www.neckofthewoodsoutdoors. com I was guided by Mike Homan, Marketing Manager for Crimson Talon Broadheads. HYPERLINK "http://www. spintite.com" www.spintite.com The best part of the trip was that my Pappy Al was hunting with me for the very first time!

The turkeys were everywhere and they were vocal like I have never heard before. We saw tons of them in every direction. My heart started beating very fast a bunch of times.

The gobblers would answer but would never come closer than fifty yards, much out of bow range. They were locked on their hens and did not want to leave them. We tried several set ups and one time we had two young gobblers (called jakes) coming in hard to our calls. When they were in bow range I drew my bow. They spotted my movement and ran away.

Turkey hunting stops at noon in New Jersey. Our time was up and I did not fulfill my goal of taking a big Eastern Gobbler with my Martin Bow. I had to fly back to Texas for school so I only had a chance to hunt turkeys one morning. Spending time in the woods with my Pappy and friends was well worth the trip! You can log on to Neck of The Woods Outdoors web-site listed above to see the video footage of the hunt. I would like to say thanks to Danny Diamonte for inviting me up to his Neck of The Woods. I will keep chasing those thunder chickens with my bow and eventually fulfill my goal by sticking one!

Adults remember; "Every kid is waiting to be invited outdoors." "Ask them!"

Ty aweaver1@gt.rr.com