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Post by Toby Benoit on Apr 19, 2006 12:21:10 GMT 12.75
Thanks for the invite Faith, I might make it farther north next spring since I passed on a couple of Indiana ranches this spring that'll be available to me next year. Be great to get in a min-gt at the same time. I bet I might be able to work something out for deer season since I have opportunities up that way I might take advantage of. Gas prices are going to play a BIG part of it though! Mars, let your brother know that a 12g. 3.5" round has the same number of pellets leaving the barrel a the same vekocity as a 10g. Fifty yards? Damn straight! Mine's patterned with #4's at fifty yards using a turkey choke and got an average of fourteen pellets in the kill on an HS turkey target. Never taken a shot that far, but it's nice to know I can! And Paws, mine HURTS too! Thank God I don't have to shoot it much. I put on the synthetic stocks to lighten it up and it's beating me to death. I bought a recoil pad, but it lengthened the pull too much, so I'll tough it out a while and put the hardwoods back on after the season.
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Post by Carter Northcutt on Apr 19, 2006 13:10:32 GMT 12.75
Cadiz only about 3 or hours from me. That is the home of Knight & Hale. Also right near KY and Barkley lakes.
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Post by Toby Benoit on Apr 19, 2006 14:53:18 GMT 12.75
I was invited on this hunt by K&H staffer Dale Higgins. I have a couple of new K&H calls that he sent me to use too. If you get a chance to try out the UHT Ol' Yeller, get it! It's a sweet little call.
The boys won't be there, but I'm really excited about the trip.
David Hale's been kind enough to donate some material for the new turkey hunting book I'm writing. He's been very generous with his time, but since the season's have been opening up, they are constantly on the road.
I leave out on Friday morning. ;D
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Post by Carter Northcutt on Apr 20, 2006 10:09:56 GMT 12.75
Have a safe trip.
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Rtdcop
Pan Wrangler
Posts: 102
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Post by Rtdcop on Apr 23, 2006 2:21:51 GMT 12.75
Well sounds like everyone is having some fun with the birds already. Our season here in NY does not open until May 1st, and it already looks like a tough season. The birds are pretty much done mating now due to the early, warm and dry spring we have had. One of my buddy's that I grew up with from Cincy will be here next week for the first week olf the season and I sure hope I can get him his two birds. Been out scouting for a week now and have their fly down area's as well as the roosting tree's pretty much nailed down, so Im hoping for the best. Congrats to you-all that got birds and keep trying till you get it right to the others ------
ps. love that turkey conversation LMAO
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Post by Mars on Apr 23, 2006 5:12:09 GMT 12.75
It has rained every day and all day this week. Nobodies getting much out of the birds. I can beat the 10 gauge easily if I had the room to set-up my reloading equipment for my 12 gauge. I can get the same load of #6 Hevi Shot at 1700 fps that factory gets at 1300 fps by using Steel powder instead of the regular Shotgun powder. It's not a load you'd want to take out for a day at the skeet range though. ;D Paws, I'd switch from that extra full choke and use a regular full choke.
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Post by Toby Benoit on Apr 24, 2006 15:56:32 GMT 12.75
I'm back and had a great trip! ;D Started out with me being the victim of a pretty mean joke. My host, Mr. Dale Higgins met me VERY early Saturday morning and we headed to a sweet spot on the edge of a fifteen acre horse field. The horses were all boarded in the barn, so there was no threat to their safety. The pasture was boardered on all sides by mature oak and pine and the treeline in the back of the field hid one of those creeks like you see on TV with the water tumbling and rolling over the rounded stones. It was beautiful. Anyway, we set up in the corner on the far side of the pasture from the house and right after daylight four turkeys flew into the field from the opposite end and walked away from us. Dale's not a fan of decoys, so we didn't use any and the birds ignored our calls. They appeared to be hens, but I wanted them to come over to my end of the field in case a tom showed up and followed them over. We heard no gobbling and saw no other birds after those left until 11:30. I hadn't called for about a half hour and a gobbler ripped off about fotry yards behind us. I figured he was looking for the hen he'd heard all morning. We stayed still and quiet for about five or so more minutes when Dale clucked once on a slate call. A few seconds later we could hear the bird drumming behind us and he kept it up for what seemed like forever until he finally stopped strutting and walked out to our front ten yards to my left. Once he entered the field he was about fifteen yards of my left front when a load of number 4's settled his hash. Well we did some celebratory dancing around and started a lengthy photo session when we heard a truck start up toward the barn and a white pickup came driving into the field, heading toward us fast. My host, Dale looks up and shouts, "Oh Shit!!!" and hauls butt out of there, leaving my fat ass standing there with a gun and a dead turkey and a strager barreling down on me! Secends after Dale left, I hear his truck fire up and take off! Now, I'm really in a pickle as this old farmer guy skids up near me and jumps out hollerin' and wanting to know who I was and just what the heck I thought I was doing tresspassing on his land and I tried to explain, but he wouldn't have any of it. He hadn't ever heard of any Dale Higgins before and he was mad! I thought I was going to die! I didn't know whether or not I was going to crap or go blind until Dale came walking up from behind us and asked his Dad what all the fuss was about. They got quiet and I just stood in the middle trying to figure out what was going on when they both cracked up and laughed their asses off! The whole thing was a put on! The mad farmer really was Dales Dad and he turned out to be one of the nicest men I've ever met. Pleasant surprise too is that they are both brother Masons, so even after filling my tag, we had a lot to talk about as I got to know my two new friends. They really had me going though. I've never fallen for anything that bad before. All in all, it was a GREAT hunt even if they didn't get me much gobbling to listen to. ;D
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Post by Rich on Apr 24, 2006 17:02:58 GMT 12.75
Toby,
Sounds like you had a good trip but, I'd of probably wet my pants when the angry farmer drove up in his pick up and my partner headed for the hills. Nasty, nasty joke. Just glad it was you and not me.
You know the old saying though "What goes around". So, maybe you'll get the opportunity to get even some day.
Glad you had a good time and glad you made some new friends. That's always a bonus.
Rich
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Post by Carter Northcutt on Apr 25, 2006 8:35:54 GMT 12.75
Congratulations Toby! Aren't jokes fun? Well my hunting partner of these past 37 years finally got his bird today. After seven years of turkey hunting! It was a jake but that doesn't matter. I told him where he should sit this morning and sure enough that is where the birds came to. Funny thing is, those same two jakes came by me at about 08:00. I thought about shooting one of them but wanted to wait for a bigger bird. Besides, I could not see any beards. The one he shot at noon had a short beard but it was legal. I'm glad Gary finally got a bird. Oh, we did the picture thing too. His tail feathers are drying on a piece of cardboard and his beard is drying in a piece of foil. Reckon I'll get mine tomorrow. We could of stayed longer but it was hot and I didn't want his bird to spoil and my youngest son crosses over from Webelos to Boy Scouts tonight and I wanted to be home on time for that.
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Post by Toby Benoit on Apr 27, 2006 9:08:59 GMT 12.75
Hooray for Gary! ;D ;D Glad he popped his cherry!
Now get a biggun' for yourself! ;D
I think I brought home a little more than I bargained for from KY 'cause my sinuses are KILLING me! Must have been because I was so close the Mason and Dixon line that all them Yankee vapors was pourin' over on me and it made me sick.
I just recieved an incredible offer to hunt in New Yorkstate, near Ithaca next month. If I can make that trip, who knows what I'll catch up there!
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Post by Carter Northcutt on Apr 27, 2006 12:03:36 GMT 12.75
Toby, were ticks a problem while you were in Cadiz? I know from experience the western half of the state is usually bad with them. Gary and I went out again Tuesday. I tried to put him in the spot where I sat the first day; a spot up on the hill. If he had gone up there he may well have bagged his second bird because he kept working back and forth on that section of tractor road gobbling to my calls. I tried to belly crawl towards him as there is a rise in the road between where I and the turkey were. I guess he got tired of waithing for the hen to come in and left cause he was gone by the time I got close enough. Looks like I may not get out again till next Monday morning due to stuff going on with the kids. The season ends day after Derby.
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Post by Toby Benoit on Apr 27, 2006 13:33:45 GMT 12.75
No the ticks weren't bad, but all of my clothes were treated for them already. I always treat my clothes with permanone treatment as a habit because ticks are so terrible down here. I got home from a hog hunt once several years ago and my Dad helped me pick thirty-six of the nasty little boogers off of me! I learned my lesson from that; my clothes are always treated.
Bird was walking up and down an old tractor road, huh? That's where I'd head first thing as soon as you get the chance. They love to walk them roads don't they?
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Post by Mars on Apr 28, 2006 1:28:31 GMT 12.75
Toby, heading up to my old stomping grounds huh? Best hunting is around Cornell U.. You'll have to take you fishing pole as well and hit the lake or below the falls.
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Post by Toby Benoit on Apr 28, 2006 6:02:41 GMT 12.75
I might be hunting on a private farm owned by Craig Dougherty. Where that is in relation to the college I couldn't say.
I don't know if I'm definitely going to make it yet or not. It all comes down to $$$. I can't drive it, so the travel expenses really mount up. Especially since I have to pay for two seats when I fly beause I'm fat.
I'm hoping to make the trip though. Charlie Alshiemer does a lot of his whitetail photography on this property and I would love, just to get to go see it.
I talked to Craig again last night and the turkeys are gobbling like crazy right now. He and I hunted a couple of times together here in Fl. several years ago and he got his bird both times, now he wants to repay the favor. Cool!
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Post by Carter Northcutt on Apr 30, 2006 6:03:00 GMT 12.75
Toby, I hope you get to make the trip.
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Post by Carter Northcutt on May 8, 2006 13:58:25 GMT 12.75
Well, the season is over. I did not get a turkey again this Spring. I saw a few but most were hens and a couple of jakes. Maybe I'll get one one this Fall.
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Post by Two Tales on May 8, 2006 16:09:34 GMT 12.75
I've been out a few times (3) still have time ;D Day one (opener) I get to the parking spot get out of the truck go around unlock the door put on the vest pull out the gun and the sky opened up so hard that I was soaked to the bone before I could get back in the truck...with the door open...watched it get light saw the birds roosting watched them for about two hours through the binos...they never left the tree..at 9:30 I went home to get some sleep before work..drove by the same spot about 1:30PM and them birds was still in the tree...Day two, this was Thursday, in the woods at 4:30-4:45AM binoed the birds roosting..double checked..yep they was toms...as it got light I expected some to fly down...so I put the glass on them and they all seemed to be looking down and off to the right...they looked like the cartoon beagle Snoopy when he pretends to be a buzzard...I glassed the hill and all the hiding places I could see to make sure there were no other hunters in there didn't see a thing..that's when I heard the hens coming down some 300-400yd off in the other direction I glassed at least a dozen more still flying down..then the toms begun to drop out of the tree..but as soon as the hit the ground they ran in the opposite way and across the road...never looked back...well the better of my what the hey got to me and I wandered over there...still checking to make sure that it wasn't another hunter...jumped 4 yotes that had been laying up under some brush 60 yd from the base of their roost tree...scratch another day..Day three Saturday AM...20 min till five...desided to hunt an ambush run between the toms and hens..10 till I hear a shot and and get rained on by pellets...it's still 18 min prior to legal shooting times...it's just barely light enough to see to walk...figure the shot came off the other property... I'm assuming here but I figure that the shot was at a roosting bird...here's why I'm on a cut road 70 to 80 feet above the land the shot came from..it was what sounded like about 300 yards from me...and it came down at about a 60 degree angle...it wasn't until around 8:00 before I heard another sound out of the birds...oh well going in the AM maybe I'll get one that'll fly down toward me this time...
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Post by Toby Benoit on May 8, 2006 16:34:47 GMT 12.75
Too bad you didn't get a load of #4's into one of those 'yotes. Well, I ain't making it to NY, so it looks like my season's over for '06. Now it's time for hog hunting and bass fishing! Best of luck in the AM TT!!! I want to hear all about it.
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Post by Two Tales on May 9, 2006 1:19:32 GMT 12.75
Went out for a while this AM...still aint got all my stamina back yet, got wore out pretty quick..saw a hen and heard one tom gobble and that was it...pretty chilly this moning only 38 defrees out....er....up here this morn, nice mornng though very pretty sunrise...as far as whacking the yotes..no can do during Turkey season haven't a clue as to thier (DEP)thinking on that one....
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