Entries Tagged 'Birds' ↓

6 Things to Avoid When Turkey Hunting

turkeyHere are a wide variety of little things that you need to avoid in order to turkey hunt successfully. Most turkey hunters learned these things through decades of turkey hunting, but now you do not have to.

1 – Limit movement.

When turkeys see movement, they immediately know that danger is afoot. Period. There is no way to move that will convince a turkey that you are not a threat so do not even bother trying to move when turkeys are afoot.

2 – Do not over call.

If you turkey call too many times, you are going to build up the ego of the bird to much to the point that he may stop coming, and may sit dead still waiting for you. You should have fun calling, but not too much fun.

3 – Sleeping in is another no-no.

Turkeys can see when it is light out, so you need to get into your position before it gets light in the morning, end of story.

4 – Prepare.

Poor preparation is not going to do you any factors. If you wait until the last moment to get all of your things together, then something important is going to be missed. Make sure that you have a list of things that you need, and make sure that everything on that list is within reach all the time so that you are properly prepared for the trek.

5 – Steer away from calling it quits far too early.

You can kill as many turkeys in the afternoon as you can in the early hours of the morning. They may make less noise, but they are certainly still out there, and potentially more vulnerable than they were before. If you can stick it out, do so, and your patience will pay off, especially when the other hunters give up and go in early.

6 – Do not stick with tactics if they are not producing.

By definition alone, this is an insane thing to do. If you keep doing one specific thing, and it is consistently not bringing you the results, stop doing it. Change your approach, change your strategy, try a different decoy, try a different location, switch your calls, or whatever else you have to do in order to get some variety. A change in your tactics may be exactly what was needed to land the kill. You are never going to know unless you manage to go the extra mile and actually make it happen.

Above all else, you are really going to have to want it in order for you to become a successful hunter of turkeys. You need to live and you need to hunt by that particular mantra if you want a wall of trophies and a mind that is full of some of the most exciting memories imaginable.

Photo Credits: Noma’s American Water…

Originally posted 2009-06-26 16:40:13. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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How to Use Hunting Decoys

hungrydeerLearning how to make use of hunting decoys can be a very important part of your hunting experience. Regardless if you are new to hunting, or if you are a seasoned veteran of the fields and forests, learning how to use decoys as part of your hunting can advance things to a whole new level, and give you that extra advantage that improves your results. Using decoys is moderately easy. Along with your usual tools for hunting, you will need: decoys, scent-eliminating spray and soap, a Buck archery target, and a windsock.

For deer hunting:

  1. You will need to keep your decoy as scent free as you possibly can. Wash it in the scent and odor eliminating soap, followed by a liberal spraying down with scent removing spray before the hunt. Deer are incredibly sensitive to smells, and so your hunting efforts will be for naught if you cannot get a dear anywhere near you due to scent alerting them to your presence.
  2. Scout out the place you wish to deploy your decoy to that is 15 to 25 yards away from the blind or stand if bow hunting. If you are using a rifle, you can place the decoy even further away. An ideal place is going to be somewhere close to an edge of a field where the forest begins and the trees and the shrubs begin to thicken.
  3. Make sure your decoy is placed where other deer are known to congregate, and so will expect to see another deer there. A deer in a strange place will seem odd, and may only serve to scare potential targets away.
  4. Make sure to pose your decoy in a feeding position. This is the most likely, most reliable, and most effective stance you could pose your decoy in.
  5. During the rutting season, use a doe decoy if you want the best results. Take a small colored rag in a neutral shade and spray it with what is known as “doe in estrus”, which is a scent that resembles the scent of a doe in heat. Attach it to the decoys tail.
  6. You can also use a Buck archery target as a decoy. Try to make sounds like a challenging buck might in order to attract other challenging bucks and does looking for a potential mate alike.

For waterfowl hunting:

  1. It needs to be remembered that waterfowl both take off and land facing into the wind. Now keep this information in mind while setting up your decoys, and be sure to set them in front of you while you have your back to the wind.
  2. Be sure to leave lots of room for potential targets among your decoys. Too many decoys in the water will actually harm more than it helps.
  3. Use feeding or sleeping duck decoys, herons, or even swans in order to create confidence in the target.
  4. Be sure to use a unique spread of decoys when setting up. Give the target something different that will attract them.

Photo credits: *Micky

Originally posted 2009-10-15 03:29:46. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Quail Game Bird Guide

quailThe quail is a truly interesting little board, and it has become popular for many hunters as a game bird. The numbers of quail have dwindled in recent years because their habitats have changed and the number of predators has increased. Quail are continuing to hold on, though, and when they can be found they are quite amusing to watch. Here is a guide to the quail as a game bird.

Terminology

The mail quail is called the cock, and the female quail is called the hen. Baby quail are known as chicks. Quail have both plumes and crests, where crests are feathers growing in a series along the top and the back of the head, and the plume is a small feather growing right out of the top of the male quail’s head.

Description

Quail are capable of varying both in size and in color, but they all generally run between 6 oz and 8 oz in weight. Both the males and females are generally the same size in relation to one another. The males are typically easily identifiable because they have prettier colors than the female and they also have a plume, a single feather that sticks up from the top of their head. The length of a quail can easily reach as long as 11 inches. The average quail has a mottled mix of colors, allowing them to blend in well with their natural surroundings.

Habitat

Quail tend to prefer areas that are brushy, especially areas that have areas of new growth that is relatively low, and where they can find cover as well as food. Many sources call the area that quail call their home early successional, which basically means that they like weedy areas. Quail typically live in different areas at different times, and they generally prefer to nest in areas that are not as thick, choosing areas where the vegetation has been around for a couple of years. Quail are constantly hunting for areas where they can find plenty of insects to feed on, especially areas that have low canopies without a lot of underbrush.

Traits

Quail are relatively social in nature, and they live in groups that are called covies. Quails know that there is safety in numbers, and quails know that they can achieve this safety for the most part by sticking to large groups, which they travel in and live in. When they roost in the evenings, they usually use a close packed circle, and all of the quail face outward which means if a predator comes from any side, they will have a chance of protecting themselves or saving themselves.

Feeding Habits

Quail tend to feed during the morning hours and the evening hours, and during the hours in between they tend to loaf around. They may feed during the day as well, however, depending on the needs of the group. Quail mostly eat seeds as well as insects.

Photo Credits: John-Morgan

Originally posted 2009-08-03 05:57:59. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Duck Hunting Gear

duckhuntingThroughout the world there are different duck populations and different water bird populations, and just as these will vary, so will your luck as a duck hunter. Duck hunting gear is constantly improving, however, making it simpler and straighter forward for you to go hunting and come back successful. The improvements in duck hunting gear are easily encompassing all areas of duck hunting that are going to concern you, including but not limited to clothing, blinds, ammunition, methods for dog training, decoys and all other hunting gear that you may require.

Many hunters are of the believe that modern duck hunting ammunition and shells are far advanced in comparison to the lead shot that was used several years ago. There are many serious improvements that have been made, including for example higher velocity loads which are capable of providing greater distance for shooting as well as a non toxic shot, which means that consuming the bird will be more palatable in the end. With these improvements in equipment, hunters are capable of bagging their prey from even further away than before

Camouflage wear for hunting has also certainly improved the success of duck hunting. The garments that are worn today are extremely lightweight and also happen to be waterproof, and so they allow for great comfort and they also allow the hunter to remain dry for a longer period of time. Duck hunting jackets have been tailored to be wind proof, and this keeps the hunter warmer for longer, and they are also lightweight meaning that freedom of movement is capable of being provided.

Duck boats are also now much more advanced in nature. Today’s duck boats are much more specialized today than they were a few years ago. Duck boats are a necessary part of the duck hunting gear that is necessary for navigating streams, rivers, swamps, sloughs and lakes for prey. The manufacturers making these watercraft are responding to the importance of boats among hunters of water fowl like ducks.

Another improvement has been made in the way of duck blinds both on land and in boats as well as they have undergone a variety of design changes. Now they offer superior construction, greater designs and better materials as well. When it comes to having all of the right gear, these brand new duck blinds tend to be portable, easy to install, compact, light weight, affordable and also quite capable of hiding hunters. Boat blinds are made from rugged nylon and the frames are study, easy to set up, easy to attach and also just as easy to take down as well. The same is true for land blinds, which are just as easy to set up, and attach and take down, for easy hunting and great results.

There are plenty of new innovations in duck hunting that are making the sport more enjoyable and more successful than ever.

Photo Credits: Lord Str8stroke

Originally posted 2009-07-30 05:52:58. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Going Hunting for Mourning Doves

mdoveDove hunting is actually a really exciting sport. You can gather together a couple of hunters in a single field that happens to be an active ground for feeding and you are likely to have a really eventful hunt with lots of good results. In some states, you should recognize that it is illegal for you to go hunting for mourning doves and so it is important for you to find out what the local laws are before you go out shooting at any animals.

There are a number of counties and states that actually only allow for hunting of mourning doves or other varieties doves during specific hours of the day, such as during the afternoon hours for example. Planning a trip for hunting during such a time period is not difficult by any means but it does require some work and some planning.

The best way that you are going to be able to ensure that you have a successful hunt is to go to a popular source of food and water. Sometimes they are closely placed together and sometimes they are not. You should be watching fields in your local area in search of activity from doves. They tend to feed during the morning hours and then during the middle to the late afternoon is when they generally go to roost. You should be looking for flocks that are gathering on power lines over fields or in the fields themselves. Fields that have just recently been harvested also generally make for a good source for doves. Doves tend to flock to fields such as these if the hunting has been restricted in the area. In the days that are leading up to the hunt you are going to want to check to make sure that there is actually activity there.

Once a field that is busy has actually been identified, you are going to want to make contact with the owner of the land to make sure that you have permission to be there before you start hunting there. Once you have secured the necessary permissions, you should call other hunters who can get in on the action with you. A hunter may certainly hunt alone if he or she chooses, but the chance of shooting birds will increase when there are more hunters firing at them. A field with a number of hunters in it is going to scatter the birds, meaning that everyone is going to get a shot and a chance at nabbing a mourning dove.

In areas where hunting in the morning is permitted, the doves will begin to fly in just before the sunrise. Make sure that you are in position by this point and you should already be ready to shoot in order to get the best possible results.

Photo Credits: dracobotanicus

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