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 Friday, March 26, 2010
Starting Off on the Wrong Foot
Posted by Brian Lovett
After months of anticipation, I finally kicked off my Spring 2010 turkey season March 20 in South Carolina. And with six birds gobbling in my area, things looked great.
Until I set about goofing it up, that is.
For about a half-hour, I played with a distant henned-up bird. Suddenly, I heard footsteps in the thick palmettos to my right. Two longbeards were sneaking in. Unfortunately, they came around a slough and ended up directly behind me, where they strutted in the road and filled the air with drumming.
"I've got to slowly spin around this tree," I thought.
Just then, however, three hens appeared in the green field in front of me. No worries. The gobblers would see the hens and walk down the road to them, providing me with a shot.
Uh, no. Apparently, the longbeards never saw the hens, because they drifted off into a palmetto flat to my left. By the time I spun around the tree, they were gone — or so I thought.
I yelped on a slate call, and the birds responded from 50 steps away. I threw the gun up and waited. Soon, I made out the shadowy form of a turkey slipping through the palmettos. Trouble was, the ground cover was so thick that I could never see a full turkey, let alone a head or neck.
Within seconds, the encounter was finished, and the birds were gone. I'd called a pair of gobblers in twice and never gotten a shot.
Ain't turkey hunting great?
Friday, March 26, 2010 6:23:08 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00) 
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Thursday, March 25, 2010
A Great Stop Before the Season
Posted by Brian Lovett
As I started a trip that would eventually take me to Low Country South Carolina, I was ready for something new.
Turkey season, of course, was on my mind. But before the hunt, I was treated to a tour of the National Wild Turkey Federation headquarters and the Winchester Museum in Edgefield, S.C.
If you've never been there, you need to go. The museum features unbelievable taxidermy, great animated and video programs on the history of turkeys and turkey hunting, and historic displays of calls, including collections from Neil Cost and M.L. Lynch. It also has the world's largest turkey call and a retired U.S. Forest Service helicopter.
If you're a turkey nut, the NWTF's Winchester Museum is a must. After touring it, I was ready to hit the woods. Trouble was, it would have to wait until the next day.
Thursday, March 25, 2010 8:53:12 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
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Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Pre-Season Strutters Set Turkey Fever in High Gear
Posted by Brian Lovett
It ain't right.
Temperatures in central Wisconsin soared into the high 60s this week, and — you guessed it — strutters were out in force. The hens are weeks away from wanting anything to do with the gobblers, of course, but I'm not going to tell the longbeards that.
There's something cool yet disturbing about watching gobblers strut weeks before the season. Will they still be fired up by opening day? When will those big winter flocks disperse? Where?
In the end, everything will be all right. I guess just seeing strutters before the season helps get the blood boiling. The birds will be there — in their general home ranges, at least — and if they're feeling like it, they'll gobble and maybe even work to a call. For now, it's nice just to enjoy the sight of a puffball during an unusually warm day.
Yet why do I have the feeling it will be 30 degrees and raining sideways when my Wisconsin season opens?
Wednesday, March 17, 2010 8:59:55 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
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Thursday, March 11, 2010
Here Comes the 2010 Season
Posted by Brian Lovett
So, does anybody have a friend in Mississippi with lots of turkey ground?
It never hurts to ask, I guess. After all, come the morning of Saturday, March 13, Mississippi turkey hunters will be in the woods, and I'll still be ... well, let's just say I won't be hunting yet.
Shoot, Hawaii opened March 1, and Florida's Southern Zone opened March 6. Many other Southern seasons are also "fixin'" to open soon. Alabama's season starts March 15, as does private land in parts of South Carolina. The hunt starts March 20 in Georgia, Texas' Southern Zone, and the Central and Northwestern zones of Florida.
If you live or travel to those states, here's wishing you good luck. The rest of us will have to let spring progress and wait until the calendar turns in our favor.
It won't be long. Right?
Thursday, March 11, 2010 10:03:36 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
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Monday, February 22, 2010
Random Thoughts from the NWTF Convention
Posted by Brian Lovett
If you were at the 2010 National Wild Turkey Federation Convention this past weekend, you could only have one conclusion: Turkey hunting is booming.
The show, held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn., was very busy Friday and jammed Saturday. That's no surprise, because there's no better place if you're into turkey hunting. The show features plenty of gear from manufacturers large and small, plus outfitters, taxidermy displays, calling and call-making contests, and seminars from many giants in the turkey industry.
I'll have more from the convention later this week. Until then, here's a partial list of the calling contest winners, courtesy of the good folks at the NWTF.
Wild Turkey Bourbon/NWTF Grand National Calling Contest, Senior Division: Mitchell Johnston, Purlear, N.C.
Rare Breed Champion of Champions: Mark Prudhomme, Georgetown, S.C.
Team Challenge: Mark Prudhomme, Georgetown, S.C., and Kerry Terrell, Brooklet, Ga.
Gobbling: Stephan Richardson, Springdale, Ariz.
Friction: Bobby Woods, Dante, Va.
Owl Hooting: James Harrison, Hillsboro, Mo.
Monday, February 22, 2010 7:39:25 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
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Thursday, February 18, 2010
It's Convention Time! Can Spring Be Far Behind?
Posted by Brian Lovett
The 2010 National Wild Turkey Federation Convention opens tomorrow, and that can only mean one thing:
Spring is coming.
Sure, it's still a month before seasons open in the Deep South, but if the NWTF Convention is going on, turkey fever is in full bloom. Before you know it, thoughts of snow-blowing and ice-fishing will be replaced with conversations about grand slams and outsmarting tough gobblers.
Of course, Turkey & Turkey Hunting will attend the show and provide a full report after we return. We'll cover the Grand Nationals calling contest, look for great new hunting gear and talk with some of our favorite folks in the turkey world.
Stay tuned. And think spring.
Thursday, February 18, 2010 7:15:11 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
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Thursday, October 08, 2009
Marking the Slow Shift in the Turkey Woods
Posted by Brian Lovett
Nothing says fall like the first hard frost of the year.
But does that really announce autumn? Maybe it simply wakes you up to the fact that the turkey woods are changing daily.
Gone are steamy September days when turkeys hammered grasshoppers in grassy fields. Those fields are mostly empty now, as many birds have shifted their feeding efforts to acorn-laden ridges or freshly cut grain fields.
Also gone is the lush foliage that crowded the timber just weeks earlier, replaced by decaying sumac along the edges and brilliant reds and yellows on the ridges.
And what about those little fuzzball poults you saw in summer? They're almost full-sized turkeys now, as their bodies grow and prepare for the upcoming winter.
Winter. Now that's a depressing thought. Can it really be far off? Of course, winter leads us to spring and the season for which we long.
Spring is a nice thought on cold days, for sure. However, I'm not there yet. No, I'd rather appreciate firsthand the daily changes occurring in the autumn turkey woods.
Thursday, October 08, 2009 5:00:29 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Thursday, August 13, 2009
Wisconsin Approves Mentored Hunting Program
Posted by Brian Lovett
Wisconsin has approved a new mentorship program that will let children as young as 10 begin hunting under the supervision of an adult.
The Hunting Mentorship Program takes effect Sept. 1.
An adult mentor can only assist one person at a time. Also, the mentor must be within arm’s reach of the hunter at all times, and only one firearm or bow can be carried between the mentor and hunter.
Click here for the full story.
Thursday, August 13, 2009 9:35:39 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Thursday, July 30, 2009
More Results from the World Championships
Posted by Brian Lovett
Here are some more results from the World Championship Turkey Calling Contest held July 17 to 19 at the World Deer and Turkey Expo in Birmingham, Ala.
2009 Friction Division
1) Mitchell Johnson
2) Sadler McGraw
3) Jason Conrad
4) Mike Pentecost
4) Bobby Woods
6) Robbyn Day
7) Matt VanCise
8) Terence Williamson
2009 Two-Man Team
1) Stephan Richardson and James Harrison
2) Sadler McGraw and Matt VanCise
3) Doug Benefield and Billy Yargus
4) Chris Parrish and Steve Stoltz
5) Mitchell Johnston and Mike Pentecost
2009 Gobbling
1) Stephan Richardson
2) Doug Benefield
3) Mark Purdhomme
4) Kerry Elliot
5) Preston Pittman
6) Chuck Doss
7) Juston Roper
8) William Jordan
9) Kenneth Weiss
2009 Owl Hooting
1) Sadler McGraw
2) James Harrison
3) Mark Purdhomme
4) Scott Holcomb
Click here for full results and more information on the annual World Deer and Turkey Expo.
Thursday, July 30, 2009 3:18:00 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Chris Parrish Wins Third World Championship
Posted by Brian Lovett
Chris Parrish, of Centralia, Mo., recently won his third World turkey calling title.
The 66th annual World Championship Turkey Calling Contest was held July 17 through 19 in conjunction with the Birmingham Deer and Turkey Show in Birmingham, Ala.
Parrish, also a two-time NWTF Grand National Turkey Calling Contest champion, won a call-off with second-place finisher James Harrison, of Hillsboro, Mo., to claim the title.
Here, courtesy of our good friend Steve Stoltz, is a list of the top 12 Open Division callers.
1) Chris Parrish, Centralia, Mo.
2) James Harrison, Hillsboro, Mo.
3) Shane Hendershot, Zanesville, Ohio
4) Josh Grossenbacher, Ohio
5) Billy Yargus, Ewing, Mo.
6) Sadler McGraw, Camden, Ala.
7) Matt VanCise, Pa.
8) Mark Prudhomme, S.C.
9) Jim Pollard, Ark.
10) Mitchell Johnson, N.C.
11) Jesse Martin, Ky.
12) Steve Stoltz, Mo.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009 8:58:06 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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