In this Issue
May 2005

FIN, FUR & FEATHERS
Let's talk turkey
By John T. O'Leary, Jr.

John T. O'Leary, Jr.

Early April, the month of showers, was already a time of woodcock, ticks and mosquitoes. No slugs yet, but considering the numbers of earthworms just below the surface the slimy horde must be waiting in the wings. Expensive lawnmower repairs have been made in preparation for what promises to be a lush spring. Some soft wet spots will require hand trimming, unless the bunnies work overtime.

Turkey scouting shows abundant birds locally, and even some pheasant that wintered over, always a pleasant surprise. Many folks scout as though hunting, getting up at 4 a.m., slipping up to the birds on the roost in the dark, and then calling them in, only to have to scare them away. The people end up sleep deprived, and the birds, well, more experienced. I like my way better. Sleep until 8 a.m., do some errands, then about 10 a.m. or so go where you figure the birds will probably be breeding or loafing for the day. If none are visible, you can give a few yelps. If a gobbler is within earshot, he’ll most likely respond. At that point you sneak away, leaving him all warmed up. During the season he will most likely be close to the same location at about the same time, and will probably react to your seductive calls quickly. He wouldn’t want to miss out on an opportunity, like he did a couple weeks ago. It really seems that this year the breeding schedule is ahead of normal. By the time the season opens, most hens should be nesting, making the competition for available hens intense, especially late in the morning, and the response to calling, exciting.

Speaking of turkey hunting, a couple of new loads, especially developed for gobbler hunting, are on the market. Federal has their HeavyWeight line of turkey loads out featuring very heavy (like 30 percent denser than lead) and round alloy shot. Winchester’s load is about 10 percent denser than lead and loaded to higher velocities. Either should have been the ultimate turkey load, but testing by others shows them to be only about as effective as the best lead loads. This is not to say that they would not be the best possible load in your gun, with your choke, that sort of witchery happens all the time. Every shotgun barrel is a new law of physics unto itself, and two barrels that seem the same will toss entirely different patterns. I’ll take the custom loaded stuff at R&R. Nothing puts more holes in a target at any given range than these shells, and of course it is nontoxic HEVI-shot. Check out his Bennelli Super Black Eagle 2, and the Viper diaphragm calls as well.

South Pond fishing has been rewarding, especially if you are fishing for fun, not the table. A late heavy stocking with brown trout not quite at the 15-inch minimum legal size limit has had anglers carefully releasing lots of trout. Some nice rainbows in the 18-inch-plus size have been boated. Those are a prize anywhere, and by early summer those browns will probably be of legal size. Of course if you let them go they’ll probably go 19 inches next spring. The person who designed the boat launch ramp into the pond, rather than in the river, should be towed around the pond by their unmentionables until they fall off. I am not aware of another boat ramp in the state that has a 90 percent bend halfway down to the water.

The high water levels may leave some duck and goose nests high and dry when the rivers and ponds return to more customary levels. It won’t affect the tree nesters like wood ducks, but those that are obvious to predators by being away from the water’s edge will be fair game. An early attempt by momma mallard at starting a second nest in a more desirable location is often successful, but once she starts incubating a full clutch of eggs, she can be almost impossible to remove from the nest, so strong is the protective maternal instinct. Mowing machines kill thousands, and of course ruin their nests every year, because of this reason.

Jean Johnson from down on Rice Corner Road informs me that their backyard buzzard buffet is doing well with people donating roadkill squirrels and the like. No skunks, please.

Read previous columns by John T. O'Leary, Jr.