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Florida Success
I got a call from the NWTF's Rob Keck this past weekend while he was in the airport following a successful first hunt of the season for Osceolas. As host of Turkey Call TV, Keck and his camera crew were on the Seminole Reservation in South Florida last week, during what was the first turkey season anywhere for the '06 season. They also saw Bob Walker and Paul Butski of Walker's Game Ear, who were no doubt also filming in the area for their show, Sportsman's Outdoor Strategies.
The group was joined by Manuel Inriques (probably murdering the spelling), a Mexican outfitter who has hosted Federation hunts for Gould's in his country.
Rob reported that the birds were working well even if they weren't yet gobbling real strong. The group killed three birds on film and Rob said a number of birds tried slipping in quietly. One of the kills might not have happend had it not been for Rob hitting a box call, which pulled a shock gobble from a tom the hunters didn't even know was among them.
"One of the big things a guy has to look out for are these satellite gobblers that don't call while they're coming in," he says. In areas with a good mix of two-year-old and older birds, the younger birds will still want some action, but not at the expense of raising the boss gobbler's ire. That translates to a lot of turkeys slipping in to your setup without making a sound. Move around and that tom will make you everytime.
As you read this, the Turkey Call TV crew has moved a little farther north in Florida where they are hunting with Mark Young of Federal ammunition.
Doug,
Wanted to get back to you after the storm we had up here last week. The 6" of snow that blanketed our woods did nothing to the day-to-day activeities of Mr. Longbeard. Looking out over one of my fields on Sun. morning allowed me to see about 30 birds doing thier thing, with about a dozen longbeards trying to decide who was boss and who was teaming up together to fight off the tag-team assaults of the jr.'s on the hens. It was great to see and I'm glad I didn't bring a call .... cause you know I would have HAD to call to them. Can't wait 'till season.
Posted by: Matt Wettish | March 07, 2006 at 09:41 AM
Doug,
Wanted to get back to you after the storm we had up here last week. The 6" of snow that blanketed our woods did nothing to the day-to-day activeities of Mr. Longbeard. Looking out over one of my fields on Sun. morning allowed me to see about 30 birds doing thier thing, with about a dozen longbeards trying to decide who was boss and who was teaming up together to fight off the tag-team assaults of the jr.'s on the hens. It was great to see and I'm glad I didn't bring a call .... cause you know I would have HAD to call to them. Can't wait 'till season.
Matt
Posted by: Matt Wettish | March 07, 2006 at 09:42 AM
Doug,
Dave Edwards (Biologist for Westervelt Wildlife Services) says the gobblers are starting to crank up at their place in western Alabama. As you well know, if you can kill a Alabama gobbler you can kill any turkey walking.....period!
Over the years I've been asked where the toughest birds to hunt lived. Day in and day out I truly believe that Alabama holds that record. Up until last year, when the state legalized decoys for the first time, a gobbler from the state was really a trophy.
In the end though, I tend to side with my hero, Col. Tom Kelly. In all honesty the use of a decoy is no different than sitting on a chufa patch or food plot and waiting for the turkey to come in. Even now I can hear you groaning and saying, I don't know about that Brown. Sure, I've sat on plenty of food plots waiting myself without luck, but deep down I still feel like it's some kind of unfair advantage. Maybe my respect for the man has blurred my vision of reality.
Here's another flash for you, reguardless of what you think of the man, Rob Keck is one of the best turkey hunters I've ever been in the field with. Once you get past the outershell and dig down you'll find a wealth of turkey hunting knowledge unmatched by anyone in the country. Is that a safe assumption?
Brown
Posted by: John Brown Jr. | March 07, 2006 at 09:53 AM
Your absolutely right, Brown. Anybody in Keck's position has his fans and has his detractors, but the dude knows how to turkey hunt and he's always eager to share that knowledge with others.
Posted by: Doug Howlett | March 08, 2006 at 10:02 PM