Features







 

Books

 

Fun & Games

Trivia Games

 

Contact Us


 

 

 

John's Journal... Entry 137, Day 5

MASTER TURKEY HUNTERS

What We Know about Turkeys That Can Help You Bag One

EDITOR'S NOTE: Each year John E. Phillips hunts with some of the nation's top turkey hunters and learns all he can about their calling and hunting strategies. This week we've talked with a couple of master turkey takers to learn more about how they hunt. Today we're going to look at what we know about turkeys that will help you bag one.

Today hunters know many intriguing facts about turkeys.

Turkeys:

  • eat fruit, nuts, weeds, grasses, cultivated grains and insects, but they favor acorns.
  • will take a couple of fast running steps, hop several times and then fly to get out of gunshot range quickly when they're frightened.
  • can fly up to 55 miles an hour for short distances but tire easily.
  • must have water on their range to live.
  • have many predators, including horned owls, golden eagles, bald eagles, foxes, bobcats, coyotes, wolves, dogs, raccoons, crows, skunks and snakes.
  • move two to four miles in an average day but may cover as many as 15 to 18 miles in a day's wanderings.
  • may have beards 8 or more inches long, if the gobblers are three years of age; but beards are not reliable indicators of age since they can wear down, and some turkeys may have four or five successive beards.





 

 

Check back each day this week for more about Master Turkey Hunters ...

Day 1 - Harold Knight on What Makes a Master Turkey Hunter
Day 2 - Harold Knight on More Master Turkey-Hunter Characteristics
Day 3 - Harold Knight Names More Master Turkey-Hunter Attributes
Day 4 - Ben Rodgers Lee Talks about Spring Turkey Hunting
Day 5 - What We Know about Turkeys That Can Help You Bag One


John's Journal