Spring gobbler

FLATHEAD · Mar 8, 2003

It wont be to long before spring gobbler hunting season is here. I started to wonder what hunting season the guys (and gals) here at I-boats like the best. Like I said spring gobbler cant be topped in my book. I am especially interested in what the members from other countries hunt for and how regulated they are as far as firearms. Not the best topic but I'm curios. -------------- Flathead

JB · Mar 8, 2003

Re: Spring gobbler

Ahoy, Flahthead. My favorite hunting is for Pheasants in Midwestern cornfields in the fall. Pheasant is also my favorite wild meal. I have a Browning Featherweight 20ga just for that purpose. If I want a Spring gobbler here I just need to wait 'til one walks through my "yard".

ebbtide176 · Mar 8, 2003

Re: Spring gobbler

dang i'm jealous guys! man, turkey walking thru your yard, and hunting pheasant. i have to wait til i can get to my North AL uncles' to hunt quail/dove. but we're planning on getting one uncle (raises them) to put out a bunch of chukars for us to try bagging. they're said to be supersonic, compared to quail. did ya ever hunt quail in a stand of young pines? super-small windows of opportunity, and bigger specimans. letem propagate til ya have a need for wildness tasting game, and leave a good population, if the coyotes and cats don't getem... too bad many don't understand the whole nature of it all. its more than a hunt, for sure. i'm still a micro-peon, i use a good ole remington 1100 like when i was 13, only now pop gets to carry my 12 and i get the ole 20. we use the improved cylinders. i use modified for dove.

Jack Shellac · Mar 8, 2003

Re: Spring gobbler

We're about to get into Spring turkey season here too. Now you'll never see again those gazillion turkeys you saw during deer season. The state mandates shotguns for turkey hunting and specifically forbids rifles. This , I suppose, is for safety and to add more weight to the penalty for any deer hunter who can't stand it any more and takes a pop at a gobbler from his deer stand.

NOSLEEP · Mar 8, 2003

Re: Spring gobbler

Turkeys are hard to come by hear. You have to put in for a draw. Some ranchers have Turkeys they release under a game farm type environment.I think they are called Mariam turkeys.There is an area close to the Crowsnest Pass that supports an introduced population. I have seen them while deer hunting.

Ross J · Mar 8, 2003

Re: Spring gobbler

Flahthead, down here in NZ the turkeys can be occasionally found but they tend to be escaped and bred rather than wild. There's some to be found in specific areas like northland where farmers have lost them over the years. Lisensing here is a rstrictive thing, a lisense is required for the firearm not the hunting. There are some areas where pressure of hunting has forced the government to hold ballots but they are few and far between. Most of us have friends that own large farms who are only too pleased to have the varmits shot. Pheasant, duck, goose, quail (with a slugun) pigeon, and occasionally swan (when culling is required) are all shot here. I've proberly missed a few but thats generally it! For the cook, try removing all the bones from all birds and starting with a sparrow, place it inside the stomach cavity of a quail, then inside a pigeon then a chicken, then a duck, then a goose, then a turkey, finally the swan. Roast and the cook makes the first incision directly through the centre. To the cook goes the sparrow (a delicacy) andthen the carving begins in earnest. Ross

FLATHEAD · Mar 8, 2003

Re: Spring gobbler

Rossj,True Wild Turkeys here in the states are a far cry from the farm animals that you may be used to seeing. A real challenge to hunt. It sounds like you guys dont have any big game animals to hunt there. Is it that you get the permit for the gun and you can hunt what ever you want at any time? I take it you mean shotgun when you say slugun for the pheasant and quail hunting. Interesting info thanks.

NOSLEEP · Mar 8, 2003

Re: Spring gobbler

Ross j ,I have seen the stuffed bird you mentioned During the christmas holiday advertised forsale very expensive delicacy some of these stuffed birds fetch 500.00 dollars.

Ross J · Mar 8, 2003

Re: Spring gobbler

Flahthead, slugun means an airgun. You know the ones the kids have you "break" them and pump up the air, then aim and they shoot a small lead pellet. Very low power but suffucuent for quail. Great for street lights also. Very quiet. Game animals we do indeed have. Just no dangerous ones. We have deer, chamois, goat, wild pig, thar to name a few. And yes the firearm lisense means you can hunt at any time although there are some restrictions on ducks and swans, (seasons). NOSLEEP, if I thought I could get those bucks (500US is about 1,000NZ) then I'd be into a winner. Still, they take a lot of effort and much preperation. Ross

SpinnerBait_Nut · Mar 8, 2003

Re: Spring gobbler

Turkey hunting is a big sport here. But deer is also. Now with the introduction of the Elk, it will be interesting to see how the deer population does. There is so many white tails though, I don't think it will make much difference. Anywho, I don't hunt so I can't give any specifics as to gun stuff, just that I pack one.

dkondelik · Mar 9, 2003

Re: Spring gobbler

Turkey, Deer, Squirrel,.. They're all BIG here. Many thousands of acres of rolling woods. My favorite, By far,.... Ruffed Grouse. This guys are touigh as a tack to get. They will put something, anything (including your hunting partner) between you and them, in an instant. Our population is about 10% of what it was in the 70's. We can thank the tree huggers for that. Seems that grouse need the cover of thick scrub for habitat. This scrub would come up after a forest fire or a clear-cut. Since both have been stopped, the grouse are on the way out. But,..even with the lower numbers (I've gone 10 days without seeing a single one), It's still GREAT to get out "Bustin' up an' down the Hollers". And when (if) you get into birds,.. MAN!,... they are delicious!. Much better tastin' then a nasty ol' gobbler. But, them, I'm not the best cook either.

JB · Mar 9, 2003

Re: Spring gobbler

Ahoy, Klondike. I agree that ruff is the ultimate challenge to a wingshooter. If you can outdraw Roy Rogers and outshoot Annie Oakley you might get one out of 5 flushes. I am a better than fair wingshot and I carried a featherweight, short barrel, superposed 20 with cylinder chokes installed. They really humiliated me.

shooter26 · Mar 10, 2003

Re: Spring gobbler

I have to say Duck and Goose on the water in the morning then walking the fields for Pheasants in the afternoon. Steel shot in WFPA areas and your gun must be plugged for 3 shells only. I would like to take up Turkey hunting…But we have to many people running around our public woods with a Rifle that can shoot a good distance and they have NO SAFETY TRANING. If I had or knew someone with private land that supported the habitat, you could count me in.

pmueller · Mar 10, 2003

Re: Spring gobbler

Count me in as well for Grouse and Woodcock. Roscommon county, MI has some great territory. Big stands of Aspen, Oaks and Cedar swamps. My trusty Winchester 101 20 guage with skeet chokes does the trick...at least once in every dozen or so shots

Klondike, we look for a thick grove of young aspen (about the diameter of a quarter), with heavy ground cover (ferns, grasses, etc.) If it's next to an oak grove or cedar swamp then all the better.

dkondelik · Mar 12, 2003

Re: Spring gobbler

PJ57, Been up in Wisconson a few times for the Ruffs. Yup, they seem to like the scrub. Big problem is all of the swampland up there. Darndest thing. If your boots get wet, DON'T WALK up-hill! You'll Drown! I don't know how they do it, But the water seems to get deeper as you go UP! Down here in Indiana, we seem to find the Grouse in THICK briar type scrub (OUCH!), close to young pines, and often times near to grape vines and Blackberry thicks. WoodCock are a GASSss! They take off like a hen Pheasent. Strait up Like a slow moving helecopter,...THEN,.... VOOOooom. And all the time that squeeking sound,...like they need their wings oiled. I just about breakout anytime I get into them. Guys, I pack an ol' Russian made, 20g, stack barrel with screw in chokes. To darned-many huntin' laws to keep track of. With this, doesn't matter what I'm huntin': dove, turkey, grouse, pheasent, quail, or even squirrel or deer; I'm never chambered over the limit.(Grouse -DELICIOUS!, WoodCock- EHH, but I like said, I AINT the best cook. Got any recipies that make a WoodCock good?) My wife on the other hand (BIG SMILE) shoots one of "them-fancy" Beretta Auto Loaders. She can bust "clays" all day long but I've NEVER had to dress a real bird from her. She likes the BOOM of her 12g. for the day,...if she ever gets a gobbler. YOU try tellin' her that the RIGHT load in a 20 is PLENTY for a humane kill. I tried once,.... but got bored with sleepin on the couch (the dogs snore). Turkey are in next month. Time to start scouting. JB, Yup! Grouse IZ IT! You got any Ruffed down your way? Never been, but herd you've got some different species (Sage?, Blue?, Prarie Chicken?)

mellowyellow · Mar 12, 2003

Re: Spring gobbler

plenty of turkey round these parts. 1 smart bird! one year openin week deer season, was sittin at base of huge pine tree from bout 4:30am till 3:00pm. no action so 4 of us start headin out, me last. soon as I stand up, a big Tom, who was perchin above me get's spooked and takes off. scared the cr@p outa me!!!! pretty loud up close

pmueller · Mar 12, 2003

Re: Spring gobbler

Klondike, I'll agree with you about the flavor of Woodcock. Thing is, I don't believe in shooting 'em, if I won't eat 'em...and I love to shoot 'em. So what I've learned is never freeze them. You've got to prepare them fresh. I saute the ****** meat in butter, mushrooms, onions, whatever spice you like, and a bit of wine at the end. A little heavy cream stirred in doesn't hurt either. Now the secret: drink as much of the wine as you can while preparing. Save only a little for the saute.

By the way, I'm glad they squeak..other wise I'd never know which way those buggers are going. Good luck on those gobblers.

pmueller · Mar 12, 2003

Re: Spring gobbler

Uh-oh. I guess the censors didn't like the word I used for "chest" meat

dkondelik · Mar 13, 2003

Re: Spring gobbler

Thanx for the cookin'tip PJ. And yah, I agree. If it aint gunna get et, it aint gunna get shot (sep fer maybe one of my neighbors up the road). As to the wine, in the recepi, and, in the cook. I'll give it a go. gobbel gobble bobble

Spring gobbler

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