Turkey Hunting – Are You A Switch-Hitter?

Posted on June 7, 2013 by HavalonKnives

By Judd Cooney

Before next season, learn how to nail that
gobbler that comes in on your weak side.

two turkeys in woods 448x299

Does that bird on the right have a double beard? Being able to shoot opposite-handed might get you the better trophy.

We’d been watching the big Iowa longbeard strutting for half an hour 150 yards down the roadway traversing the ridgetop between two large tracts of dense timber. He was “spittin’ and drummin'” for the two hens that were loitering around him. Although he gobbled at every sound I coaxed out of my slate and diaphragm calls, he showed no inclination to head our way.

My two jakes and a hen decoy were positioned 20 yards to our left front to make it easy for my right-handed client to get into shooting position for the most likely approach of the gobbler. An ideal set up. Ha!

gobbler on your right 299x448

An almost impossible situation. If the gobbler comes past you but turns to his right, you’ll have no chance unless you can shoot left-handed.

Expect the Unexpected
I worked the henned up, vocal gobbler for over an hour, but not being the trusting type when it comes to tom turkeys, I also kept an eye on the edge of the timber along the harvested corn field behind us. Luckily, I caught sight of another heavy-bearded bird while still 75 yards out, moving warily and silently toward us but staying just inside the edge of the timber. Occasionally he’d break into a full strut, but he never made a sound as he closed the distance.

By the time he got to a small clearing just inside the edge of the timber 30 yards away, and once again puffed up into a full strut, my client had eased his shotgun to his LEFT shoulder and was ready. My whispered words, “Take him when you’re ready,” had barely cleared my face mask when the turkey went down in a cloud of feathers and oak leaves.

Two days earlier my hunting partner had never fired a shotgun left-handed. However after umpteen situations where a contrary gobbler approached a calling set up from the backdoor, offside position, where it was almost impossible for a hunter to turn and shoot effectively, I decided to start changing the odds.

takes little practice to shoot left handed 448x299

It takes practice, but surprisingly little of it, to make you as comfortable shooting left-handed as right-handed.

My Own Lessons
Early in my hunting career my dad and I used to head to northern Minnesota, duck hunting each fall. My dad’s good friend, hunting lodge owner and master duck hunter, Clarence Allen and I would often float the local rivers in a flat bottomed duck boat, jump shooting ducks from the rice beds growing out from the banks of the rivers. Clarence was left-handed and I was right-handed, so he’d take the jumped ducks from the right side rice beds and I shot at the ones jumped from on the left-side of the river. As a ten year old I thought a lot more rice beds were on the right side than the left, because Clarence seemed to get a lot more shooting.

shoot at real turkey target 299x448

Shoot at a real turkey target – that’s the only way you’ll know you’re holding the center of your pattern on the turkey’s head and neck.

I decided to remedy that perceived inequity and over the course of a summer, I taught myself to shoot left-handed. Since those early years, being an ambidextrous shooter has been the downfall of many turkeys, waterfowl, predators and even several big game critters that appeared on my offhand side, where least expected.

Outwit Unpredictable Turkeys
As an addicted turkey hunter as well as outfitter and guide for turkey hunters, I find nothing   more frustrating than successfully seducing a longbeard with my calling only to have him upset my best laid plans by approaching from the side or rear on the offhand side. Most of the time excessive movement or trying a shot from an awkward shooting position allows the bird to escape unscathed – and a bit wiser.

Today when a turkey hunter shows up in my Iowa hunting camp, one of my first questions is: “Can you shoot both right and left-handed?”  After over twenty years of guiding turkey hunters I don’t recall more than a couple hunters who allowed they could shoot both ways.

Practice Four Ways
After discussing the philosophy behind my question, I get the turkey hunter on the range for some serious offside shooting practice.

  1. Start with light trap loads rather than shoulder bruising turkey loads to get used to weak side gun positioning.
  2. Concentrate on non-dominant eye sight picture and wrong hand trigger squeeze.
  3. Fire your shotgun offhand, from the opposite knee or a mono-pod or bi-pod to simulate likely shooting situations.
  4. It takes only a few shots to get proficient and confident enough to be ready for a sneaky offside gobbler.
turkey in a field 403x336

If he’s at your extreme right, is he a sitting duck, er, turkey? Not unless you’ve practiced shooting left-handed.

Most hunters are amazed at the results of a little offside practice and become hooked on this effective tactic.

The hunter in the opening scenario had taken a number of turkeys in various states and didn’t figure he really needed to learn to shoot left-handed to kill his Iowa and Nebraska birds. He could have been right, but curiosity got the best of him. He quickly mastered left-hand shooting with half dozen shots from various positions and actually enjoyed the challenge.

When he killed his Iowa bird left-handed, he was as ecstatic as if it had been his first gobbler. He also purposely shot his Nebraska Merriam’s turkey left-handed just to extend the challenge and prove the first bird wasn’t a fluke. As he left camp for another turkey hunt in the Dakotas, he emphatically stated, “I’ll never take another hunter after gobblers again, especially neophytes and young hunters, until they get some lessons on switch shooting for those contrary offside gobblers!”

***

About Judd Cooney

judd-cooney-head-shot-457x542For the past 30 years Judd has been writing and photographing full time in addition to running his guiding and outfitting operation, spending 18-20 hours a day trying to avoid working an 8-5 job. He says, “I wouldn’t change it for the world!” He has articles or photos in many of the outdoor magazines every month, covering bowhunting, muzzleloader hunting, big game, small game and predator hunting, plus turkey, waterfowl and upland game hunting. He can be reached through his website, www.JuddCooney.com.

Click here to read more great articles on turkey hunting.
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10 Tips on Scouting for Deer in the Spring

Posted on June 5, 2013 by HavalonKnives

By John Trout, Jr.

Here’s what a whitetail hunter should be
doing in the spring.

Editor’s Note: We’re privileged to have John Trout, Jr. writing for the Havalon Sportsman’s Post. He’s one of the best whitetail photographers in the country, and he’s no slouch at hunting either. He has given us a photo essay on early scouting for whitetails – way before they become wise to your ways. Take his suggestions, and you’ll be more likely to score some nice antlers this fall. – Steve Sorensen

1 john trout jr scouting spring dear 300x448

Spring deer scouting is a tactic seldom used by many veteran hunters. Not because it isn’t feasible, and definitely not because it’s ineffective. On the contrary, if you hunt spring gobblers, you already have a good reason to head for the woods. Even if you don’t pursue turkeys, you could find sign that puts you a step ahead next autumn.

2 Velvet Buck 300x448

Antler growth may have already begun for many bucks during the spring. Bucks are commonly within their home range, and will still be there during the early autumn when the hunting season debuts. Their feeding habits and patterns might vary from season-to-season, but you can bet that the spring buck will be nearby.

3 john Trout Jr scouting Deer Trail 300x448

Typically hunters rely on finding hot trails during the fall to locate and plan their ambush. However, well-used trails such as this one are not always easy to find during autumn due to heavy foliage.

4 Deer Tracks 448x300

Before the major green-up in spring, you could easily locate trails riddled with deer tracks. The ground is soft and the foliage is light, which provides you with the opportunity to find heavily-traveled routes. Even better, you can safely follow these trails for a considerable distance to see what else they lead you to.

5 Buck Rub 300x448

Many hunters dwell on finding fresh rubs during autumn, such as this big cedar tree. After all, they could provide proof that a monster buck passed through. However, during the rut locating sporadic rubs could cost you time and effort.

6 Trout Jr Old Buck Rub - Spring 448x298

I’ve always relied more on locating rub lines. They show that a buck has repeatedly traveled a certain route. Even better, I love finding a line of these “old rubs” during spring. Granted, because they have lost their bright, glossy appearance, they could be difficult to locate. Finding old scrapes could be difficult to find as well, but could also benefit you. Nonetheless, large scrapes that once attracted several bucks should remain visible throughout the spring.

7 Clover Field food source for deer300x448

Clover fields and other “green” pastures you locate during spring could also provide a food source for whitetails during the autumn months. Many of these fields are left alone and not disked and replanted through the summer, giving you an opportunity to search for a potential hotspot, such as a nearby bedding area.

8 John Trout Jr finds Shed Antler in Field 448x300

Because most bucks have shed their headgear by spring, you could easily find an antler. Although it adds a memento for all your hard work, it also tells you that the buck is a survivor of the previous hunting season, and that he will be a year older during the next hunting season.

9 Buck Rut 300x448

In the fall, this buck could easily vanish after being bumped. During autumn, as you continuously search for hot sign, you must avoid leaving scent, scouting at the wrong time of day, and getting into areas that could push a buck out of hiding. In the spring, you do not have the worry of changing the habits of a deer, or pushing them into a new area that could leave you high-and-dry.

10 Bret Swiertz Pruning trees 300x448

If you locate a promising ambush location, there is no better time than spring to prepare for a shooting opportunity. That’s not to say you should set up a stand, but it is the best time to clear shooting lanes. It’s no big secret that passing deer quickly notice even a small change to the area, not to mention the possibility it could spook a trophy buck. Removing limbs months in advance will provide plenty of time for the area to calm down, and allow it to look normal by the time the hunting begins.

***

john-trout-jr-236x235About John Trout, Jr.

Southern Indiana hunter John Trout, Jr. is a full-time freelance writer and photographer specializing in whitetail deer, wild turkey and black bear. He has authored eight books and his work has appeared in nearly every publication in North America. You’ll enjoy a visit his website at www.troutswildoutdoors.com.

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Wild Turkey – 8 Fast Facts You Didn’t Know

Posted on May 30, 2013 by HavalonKnives

by Bob Robb

Wild turkeys are fascinating creatures. Do you know why? 

only gobblers have beards-mostly 336x340

Only gobblers have beards (mostly), although an estimated 10-20 percent of hens have beards.

With so many wild turkeys in America that they’ve become a nuisance in many urban and suburban areas, many of today’s turkey hunters have a hard time imagining that only a generation ago – back in the early 1930’s – the wild turkey in America was near extinction.

Lack of quality habitat was the key culprit in the past, but since the Pittman-Robertson Act of 1937, hunters have been paying an excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition, which funds wildlife restoration programs. Some of that money has helped restore wild turkeys and wild turkey habitat. Couple that with the invention of the rocket net, and wildlife agencies and the National Wild Turkey Federation (www.NWTF.org) can readily and easily trap and transfer turkey populations to areas of suitable habitat. That’s the big reason numbers today have skyrocketed.

Yep, from only about 30,000 turkeys in the early 1900’s to nearly 7 million today… now that is a conservation story!

eastern wild turkey 448x299

Of the 5 wild turkey subspecies in North America the Eastern is the most populous, with an estimated 5.1-5.3 million birds throughout its range.

The wild turkey is a fascinating creature, one that Benjamin Franklin recommended be named the United States’ national bird instead of the bald eagle. Here are some fast facts about Meleagris gallopavo that will amaze your friends!

  1. Between 5000 and 6000 feathers cover the body of an adult turkey in patterns called feather tracts. A turkey’s feathers provide a variety of survival functions – they keep them warm and dry, allow them to fly, and enable them to show off for the opposite sex. The head and upper part of the neck are featherless. Most outer feathers exhibit a metallic glittering, called iridescence, with varying colors of red, green, copper, bronze and gold.
  2. Only males have spurs. Both sexes have powerful legs covered with scales and are born with a small button spur on the back of the leg. Soon after birth, a male’s spurs start growing pointed and curved and can grow to about two inches. Most hens’ spurs almost never grow any longer.
  3. Mostly, only gobblers have beards. A gobbler’s beard is really tufts of filaments, or modified feathers, growing out from the chest. A “jake” (which is a one-year old gobbler) usually has a beard of 3-4 inches in length, while a 2-year old gobbler has a 7-9 inch beard. Older gobblers have beards of 10-plus inches. A mature gobbler will have a beard that is about 9 inches, though they can grow much longer. Worth noting: As many as 10 percent of hens have beards.

    jill and wayne shelby with osceola turkey 448x298

    Osceola turkeys are found only in parts of Florida. Jill & Wayne Shelby are thrilled with Jill’s first.

  4. Wild turkeys have excellent daytime vision, but they can’t see worth beans at night.
  5. Turkeys are fast. They can run at speeds up to 25 mph, and can fly up to 55 mph.
  6. Hen turkeys lay a “clutch” of 10-12 eggs over a 10-14 day period, usually laying one egg per day. Eggs are incubated for about 28 days, occasionally turning and rearranging them until they are ready to hatch. A newly-hatched flock must be ready to leave the nest within 12 to 24 hours to feed.
  7. Turkeys prefer feeding in the afternoon, though they also feed during morning hours as well.
  8. The most common of five subspecies in North America, according to the National Wild Turkey Federation, is the Eastern (an estimated 5.1-5.3 million). It has the largest range of all subspecies. Next most common is the Rio Grande (1.25 million); Merriam’s (350,000); Osceola, or Florida turkey (100,000) and Gould’s (less than 5000).

Wild turkeys are fascinating, beautiful, and they represent one of the most successful wildlife conservation stories across North America’s landscape.

***

About Bob Robb

bob-robb-head-shotFor over two decades, Bob’s articles and photographs have appeared in most major outdoor magazines. Currently he is editor of Whitetail Journal and Predator Xtreme magazines. Bob was founding editor of Petersen’s Bowhunting magazines, and the author of many books, including The Field & Stream Bowhunting Handbook, and The Ultimate Guide to Elk Hunting.  Bob sees the value of super-sharp, lightweight Havalon knives.

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Trout Fishing Tips: Five Strategies for Finding and Catching BIG Trout!

Posted on May 14, 2013 by HavalonKnives

Trout Fishing Tips for
Finding and Catching Big Trout!

By Judd Cooney

Stream trout fishing...it ain't fishin, it's huntin 448x229“Binoculars for trout fishing? Ya gotta be kiddin’,” chortled my companion as I unlimbered my pocket-sized Nikons.

“Nope, not kiddin’. Right now we’re huntin’ trout. When I find the fish I want, then I’ll start fishin’.” I began glassing the 100-yard stretch of San Juan River below the high bank where we sat comfortably against a huge cottonwood tree.

1.  Stalking the Trout

camouflage helps you get close 448x302

Camouflage can help you get close without spooking trout.

A half-hour later I eased along the far side of the river staying well back from the edge of the bank, and ended up crawling the last ten yards to the tail end of the long pool. It had a gravel bar on the far side and a steep cut bank on my side.

A few feet from the bank about 20 yards upstream in the pool, the current swirled around the rock and into the undercut bank. I’d glassed several large swirls right at the lower end of the rock – along with lots of little dimples from smaller fish taking flies. I figured the big swirl was a good trout feeding on the smaller fish.

2.  The All-Important First Cast

big trout need careful handling 302x448

Big trout especially need careful handling if you plan to release them.

Much the same as the first shot at a critter is the most important, the first cast and lure presentation on a trophy sized trout is equally important. Like spending time on a benchrest tuning your rifle and your shooting skills is time well spent, practice at casting with your flyrod or spinning gear will perfect your lure placement accuracy. It’s time never wasted.

I eased slowly onto my knees to keep my silhouette as low as possible and flipped the 2″ rainbow-colored Rapala countdown into the fast water right at the upper edge of the rock. As the lure touched the water, I gave the line a couple quick, sharp jerks to make the lure dive and started a fast retrieve to keep it down.

A few seconds later I felt the jolt of a big fish hitting the lure and immediately put as much pressure on the 4-pound test mono as I dared to get the hefty fish to the lower end of the pool, into the riffles, and down into the next shallow pool where I could fight him into submission. Worked like a charm. Ten minutes later I beached a hefty 6-pound brightly colored brown trout which I quickly released.

Three more casts into the 100-yard long pool and I had two 4-pound rainbows and another 3-pound brown. I had located each fish by using my binoculars before making the first cast. My client was in total shock as I had let him fish the same pool the previous day where I had caught six trout, the largest a 12″ rainbow.

3.  You Need to Get Past the Small Trout

big lures for big trout 313x448

Use big lures for big trout.

I like catching big trout on streams and to consistently catch the trophy-sized fish once you locate them, your toughest problem might be getting past the smaller fish. I know umpteen trout fishermen that feel the ultimate challenge is using a 1-pound or less tippet and No. 22 dry flies for their trout fishing. They delight in catching lots of small trout and the occasional lunker 12-14 incher. To me, that’s a cop-out for failing to catch big fish.

When trout fishing with a flyrod or spinning rod  I don’t do a lot of fancy long distance casting but sneak quietly as close to my target as possible, often crawling into position to drop or flip my fly or lure into exactly the right spot.

4.  The Best Big-Fish Lures

I use ultra-light spinning and fly rods with 4-pound test mono or 9-foot tapered leaders with 4-pound test tippets. However when it comes to lures or flies, I want bait that is going to discourage the smaller trout and appeal to the trophy lunkers. Big fish don’t get fat on tiny tidbits in the form of minuscule insects or midges unless there is a major hatch with millions of the little bugs in the air or water.

My favorite big fish lures and flies are limited to those that produce consistently. I love 2″ and 3″ countdown Rapalas in the rainbow and brown trout pattern. However, the gold/black is almost as deadly. Large Mepps Aglia or willow leaf spinners in sizes 2 or 3 are also deadly big trout catchers. For my fly rod I stick to big wooly buggers in black, brown and olive green with a red yarn tail. Occasionally I use large streamer flies. Big lures for big trout!

5.  Your Fish-Fighting Tactics

judd cooney with hunted fish 256x448

Fishing for a trout you’ve hunted is truly satisfying when your plan works.

I take my time glassing and studying the water I am about to fish, watching for large telltale swirls that indicate big fish feeding. I often spend a half hour or more trying to locate several big fish in a given pool and then figure out the best way to approach and catch them with the least disturbance to the pool. I always fish upstream as trout face into the current and are a lot less likely to spook from movement behind them.

When I hook a big fish I try to move it downstream as quickly and quietly as possible to avoid spooking other big fish in the pool. After making a catch in a small pool or area of the stream I’ll often wait patiently for half hour or so for the pool to settle back to normal watching for more big fish activity.

Like hunting, I’ll take a single, up close and personal shot at a trophy anytime, over a haphazard “Hail Mary” approach. When it comes to the biggest trophy trout in the stream, trout HUNTING and CATCHING sure beats fishing for any fish that just happens to be where your lure hits.

***

About Judd Cooney

judd cooney outdoor writerFor the past 30 years Judd has been writing and photographing full time in addition to running his guiding and outfitting operation, spending 18-20 hours a day trying to avoid working an 8-5 job. He says, “I wouldn’t change it for the world!” He has articles or photos in many of the outdoor magazines every month, covering bowhunting, muzzleloader hunting, big game, small game and predator hunting, plus turkey, waterfowl and upland game hunting. He can be reached through his website, www.JuddCooney.com.

Click here to read more great articles on trout fishing.
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Trout Fishing Tips: How To Study the Water For Trout

Posted on May 10, 2013 by HavalonKnives

By Tom Claycomb

Five trout fishing tips that get you an immediate payoff.

Every year at various sport shows and outdoor stores I do seminars on “Glassing for Big Game”. I know that it sounds funny but in them I also talk about glassing for trout.

study the stream you'll catch more fish 448x297

Pause to study the stream, and you’re almost guaranteed
catching more fish in less time.

Two Lessons, Years Apart
I stumbled on this idea almost by mistake. A combination of events led to my discovery. The first was a family fly-fishing trip in Colorado. My brother and brother-in-law thought they saw a good hole down the mountain, but it was near the end of the day and they were tired. So, they pulled over and glassed it to see if it was worth crawling down there.

It was the only hole in that stretch of river so Bobby told Eddy to go down and he’d watch from the road. When Eddy got there he deftly laid a caddis on the water under an overhanging bush. A nice 17-inch rainbow slammed it. Bobby was able to watch everything in vivid detail through his binoculars from his vantage point above.

Years later my boss Mike Rempke took a few of us fly fishing on the famed Silver Creek in Idaho. I was hooked up with a guide named Nick Price. One day we pulled up to a hole and Nick said hold on a minute. I like to study a hole before I hit it. It amazed me what he observed that I would have missed. He said. “See that one feeding over by the log? We’ll hit him first.” Then, “There’s one occasionally sipping flies by that grass. That’s a big fish.” A few minutes later, “See at the head of the hole where that one just hit? There are two feeding there.”

use binoculars to glass a stream 381x336

Through binoculars, you can tell this is a hole where fish tend to stop as they work upstream.

Nick taught me a lot that day about studying a hole before I hit it to see where the fish are, what they’re feeding on, and to plan a strategy first before ever entering the water.

His advice taught me that what I learned years earlier from Bobby wasn’t a one-time occurrence. Do I always glass a stream before entering? No – not when I’m close enough to observe with my bare eyes, but up close or from afar, you should take a minute and study every hole before you jump in.

Glassing Holes Saves Time
What if you’re hiking down a trail and the river is 300 yards below and you see a nice hole? Why not glass it to see if it’s worth sliding down to? It may take you 45 minutes to slide down, fish and get back up to the trail. If you’re in the back country that means you may only get to hit 16 different holes in a 12 hour day. Why waste nearly an hour on a dead hole? Use that time more wisely on holes in which you can see fish feeding.

I’d like to think that I can tell a good hole when I see it but every now and then I’m fooled. For instance, last year I backpacked into the backcountry and had thrown up a camp. I hiked four to five miles downstream and found a log jam on the river. There was a little pool in front of the log jam so I crawled out on it and figured I’d catch a few fish. Gee whiz – 18 hits later I was amazed!

Sometimes you don’t know, so ask yourself two questions:

  • Does the hole supply a good food source?
  • Is it the first hole after they’ve swam a half mile and they’re congregated up there?

You may never know but it pays to examine every hole you see.

glass the stream when in mountains 448x336

In a mountain area, you’ll save lots of time by glassing the stream below and planning your approach to maximize your
time and your catch.

A couple of years ago I backpacked in for a few days on a backcountry trip by myself. I was going down the trail and looked down and noticed that a back eddy fingered off the main stream.

I stopped and studied it for a minute. Wow, there were four to six decent cutthroats feeding in the dead water. It wasn’t even a foot and a half deep, so I carefully approached it on my knees from downstream. I hammered a few nice fish that otherwise I would have hiked right on by if I hadn’t stopped and studied the river.

I’ll bet you a dollar to a donut hole if you’ll slow down on your next trip and study the hole before you jump in that you might just make a few observations that will net you more fish.

Tips for Glassing Trout Waters

  1. Glass holes if you’re up above them. You’ll be able to choose the best.
  2. Notice if there are stoneflies in the trees. Observe everything, not just the streambed and the water.
  3. Notice if there are grasshoppers in the meadow – they’ll feed themselves to the fish.
  4. How close are other holes?  If you’re looking at the first hole for a half mile, fish may be congregated there.
  5. Use the current to drift your fly into strategic spots – you’ll be able to determine the strategic spots before getting close to the water, so you won’t spook as many fish.

***

About Tom Claycomb III

tom claycomb outdoor writerTom lives in Idaho writes outdoor articles for various newspapers, magazines & websites. If it’s something outdoors, he probably likes it. You can read some more of his writings at: www.Amazon.com, www.TomclayComb3.com, and www.BassPro.com.

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Read what by Capt. Dave Sipler says about the Havalon Baracuta, and then watch his video.









 

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