Paul’s Stories from the Road:
Best Hunting Knife for Skinning Boar

By Paul Schwartz

Paul Schwartz, Havalon Division Sales Manager

Paul Schwartz, Havalon Division Sales Manager

Today, I was spoke with Matt from North Carolina. One species that Matt guides hunts for is wild Russian boar, and according to Matt, cutting through the hide of these beasts is like cutting through steel armored plating. On one of Matt’s guided hunts, a repeat client from Maryland observed him sharpening his hunting knife five, six, or more times to dress-out one animal. As is typical for Matt (and most other hunters), he worked harder dressing the hog than hunting it. The client could not believe the amount of work Matt was going through, so he said he would send him a knife that he had to try. Matt was more than happy to accommodate, because after years and years of sharpening knives, like most, he was horrible at it. But he was of the attitude, that it’s probably just another one of those “latest and greatest” tool suggestions.

Not too long after, Matt and his brother each received the promised Havalon Piranta knives. After using his knife, Matt was amazed at how easily the scalpel blade cut through the hide, and was thrilled that he did not have to sharpen his knife. I will paraphrase what Matt said next, “My Piranta is the gall darndest best hog hunting knife I have! That knife will cut through the hide of a boar like nothing I have ever seen. I can completely dress two large boars with one blade.”

Need I say more?

Matt is very eager to become a dealer for Havalon. He knows that having our knife available to his clients will benefit them immensely.

****

About Paul Schwartz:

As the Sales Manager for Havalon Knives, Paul’s primary responsibility is to manage the day-to-day sales through Havalon’s retail, dealer, and web outlets. But Paul adds that making each customer feel appreciated and happy is also an essential part of his daily work.

Originally from Cincinnati, Paul makes his home with his beautiful wife, Maura, in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, which is right on the border of Indiana and Ohio. Paul says, “I can hop, skip, and jump into Ohio. I know; I have done it.” Paul and Maura love dogs, and currently have three rescue dogs. And when Paul’s not working or spending time with his family, he enjoys going to the local stables, jumping on a trusty steed, and spending hours riding through the woods, enjoying the Indiana scenery and wildlife.

What’s your story? Please email me at pschwartz@havalon.com. Let us know why your Havalon Knife is the best hunting knife you have ever used, and what knife now stays back home in the old coffee can.

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How to Choose Your Turkey Calls (Part 1 of 2)
by Steve Sorensen

Two Rules For Choosing Calls,
And Two Reasons For Switching Calls

I could be wrong, but I think turkey hunters have more calls to choose from than any other kind of hunter. There must be a million.

How to Choose Your Turkey Calls Part 1 - Image 1 by Steve Sorensen

If you choose the right call and use it well, turkey hunting can sometimes be as easy as falling off a log. Usually it isn’t, so don’t get discouraged.

OK, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but passionate and resourceful turkey hunters have dreamed up countless types of calls. Many of them are amazingly realistic, with better turkey sounds in them than some self-respecting turkeys have.

Most hunters have one or two old reliable – “go-to” calls that have worked for them. They’re easy to run, feel natural, and give the hunter confidence. But many hunters also clutter their vest pockets with some of the latest, greatest calls to hit the market in the last few years, but still use nothing but their go-to calls. Why load yourself down with calls that you really don’t believe in, and calls you’ll never actually use in the field?

 

Two Rules For The Calls You Choose

The thought you put into choosing your turkey calls before the hunt can make a big difference during the hunt, so it’s best to have a plan. I recommend carrying only a few calls, and I follow these two rules:

Rule #1:  My first standard is for every call to offer ease, comfort and confidence. If a call fails on these points, I probably won’t use it, so I don’t carry it.

Rule #2:  After those three qualities, I select calls for a variety of tones – low-pitched, high-pitched, smooth, raspy, soft, sharp.

Many hunters suggest carrying a box, a pot, and a couple of diaphragms. (That’s not a bad idea, and I’ll talk more about that in Part 2.) But what if your slate sounds a lot like your box call? Are you really giving the gobbler something different when you switch?

Two Reasons For Switching Calls

How to Choose Your Turkey Calls Part 1 - Image 2 by Steve Sorensen

When you’re switching calls, make sure you’re giving the gobbler the voices of more than one turkey.

You never know what a gobbler will respond to, so when you’re switching calls in an attempt to trigger a response, make an intelligent decision. Don’t change calls just for the sake of changing calls.

Reason #1:  When changing calls, switch from smooth to raspy. Or high-pitched to low-pitched. Or a soft sound to a bright, sharp sound.

That stubborn old gobbler isn’t standing out there thinking, “Hey, that was a Woodhaven pot call, and now I’m hearing a Quaker Boy box!” He doesn’t know the difference between types of calls, but he does notice if there’s a change in tone, and the change in tone is vastly more important than the change in call style. That’s why choosing your calls properly is so important.

Reason #2:  Most hunters think that changing calls is simply an attempt to give the gobbler a sound he likes. Yes, he might respond to your second or third different sound, but maybe it’s because the second or third sound gives him the impression that you’re more than one turkey, and he’s missing out.

When I switch calls, I try to make sure he thinks he hears more than one turkey. After all, every turkey grew up as a member of a flock, so the most ordinary thing in the world is for a turkey to hear the voices of more than one turkey. That seems totally realistic to him.

Why Switching Calls Works

The life story of every turkey involves other turkeys every day. You know – “Birds of a feather…” and all that. Where more eyes are pealed for predators, turkeys feel safer. Where one turkey is scratching for food, other turkeys are copycats. Where one gobbler is mating, others watch. (It’s not really “kinky”, it’s just that wildlife has no private moments.)

When you switch calls, you don’t want to sound like you’re saying, “Well, this didn’t work. I might as well try that.” There’s no confidence in that. Instead, try to sound like you’re a hen that has called in another hen. That means you shouldn’t completely abandon one sound for another. When you switch from a diaphragm to a box call, go back to the diaphragm for a yelp or two. That tells the gobbler a second turkey showed up – and maybe he should, too.

Next time I’ll talk about the specifics about call choices based on the above rules and reasons.

***

About Steve Sorensen

Steve Sorensen, Outdoor WriterAward-winning outdoor writer and speaker Steve Sorensen loves the Havalon knife, and has been a fan of knives since he begged his dad for a hunting knife when he was six years old. His articles have been published in Deer & Deer Hunting Magazine, Sports Afield, and many other top magazines across the USA. Invite Steve to speak at your next sportsman’s event, and follow his writing on his website, www.EverydayHunter.com.

 

Click HERE to read more articles by Steve.

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by Steve Sorensen

How To Call In a Turkey

My Turkey Calling Lesson in The Bluegrass State

By Patrick Carrothers, President & CEO

How to call a turkey with Jim Boehl

Thanks to Jim Boehl's (left) expert calling, Pat Carrothers was able to bag this big tom on an opening day hunt in Kentucky.

I owe a big thank you to my friend and neighbor, Jim Boehl, for calling in a beautiful gobbler for me last Saturday.  Jim, a retired police officer from Reading, Ohio, is well known among his friends as the best turkey caller in our neck of the woods.   So when he asked if I wanted to go on a hunt with him on private land in Kentucky, I didn’t hesitate to say yes.   Jim knew I had struck out last year, both spring and fall turkey seasons.  He wanted to help, and I need all the help I can get.

how to call a turkey from a blind

The Double Bull blind by Primos provided a quality roosting spot for us.

The afternoon before opening day, we set up Jim’s blind, a Primos Double Bull, on a creek bottom in the hilly Elk Lake region that lies just west of the Kentucky Bluegrass.  He knew from past experience these hills were full of turkeys.   Jim positioned the blind with its back to the creek, giving a wide view of grassy bottom land and cleared hillsides that ran along some deep woods to our right.   I was impressed with the quality construction of the blind and the ease with which it set up.  Once inside we had plenty of room for two chairs.  Plush.

how to call a turkey, decoy set up

Big Bubba behind a hen was a winning decoy set up.

Next morning we started our long walk downhill under the stars to our set up.  A chill west wind was blowing on top of the hill.  By the time we reached flat bottomland, there was no wind, just a mist glowing in the moonlight.   Jim positioned a big gobbler decoy named Bubba close behind a hen and about 15 yards in front of our blind. “That way if a turkey hangs up it will probably be in shooting range,” Jim whispered.  “Position the decoys on the side of the blind that’s away from the woods where you expect the turkey to come from.  They’ll have to walk past you to get to the decoys.”

Many turkey hunters will tell you being out in the woods during the transition from night to day is just about the best part of turkey hunting.  In this part of Kentucky, the whip-poor-will is the first to break the quiet darkness with song.  Cardinals, jays, robins join in next.  Then crows and turkeys.  Due to the unusually warm early spring in this part of the country, we worried the mating season might be over by the time of opening day.  But a couple of unmistakable gobbles came from behind us; a few toms were still on the prowl.

Jim started calling with a slate.  Soft yelps and clucks with a few purrs.  I was surprised by how soft he was calling.  “We already know there are gobblers here so there’s no need for loud calling,” he said.  Then he used a mouth call to start clucking.  It wasn’t long before the gobbles behind us started moving closer.  We could hear feathers drumming.  Soon I saw two huge gobblers emerge side by side from the woods to our right walking directly to old Bubba.  That was my side.

It would have to be a left hand shot.  I managed to mount my Benelli 12 gauge on my left shoulder without making any noise.  The toms were only 15 yards away, intent on Bubba.  They didn’t see my gun extend from the blind.  I put the bead on the one closest to me and fired.  That three inch Remington magnum with #5 shot did its job.  My turkey dropped.  The other took off immediately instead of standing there in a moment of shock as they usually do.  By the time Jim could get a shot off the bird was behind a tree in full flight.  Jim may have killed that tree, but the bird lived to see another day.

how to call a turkey

The author with his spring gobbler. How was your luck this year?

I’m glad I was carrying the sharpest hunting knife in the woods.  It had started to rain, hard.  My Havalon Original made quick work of field dressing that turkey.  I had the breast meat off the bird and on ice in record time.  Now I can’t wait to use what I learned from Jim on my next hunt.  In a couple weeks I’ll be chasing turkeys in Tranquility Wildlife Area in southern Ohio with my son-in-law.  It’s always a challenge to get a bird on pressured public land.  But hunting with Jim has given me an advantage.  That’s the timeless beauty of hunting, passing along knowledge and traditions, building friendships, putting meat on the table, all in the great outdoors.

How did you do so far with your turkey hunts?  Share a comment here:

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Turkey Hunting Mistakes – Part 3

Are You Making These 7 Turkey Hunting Mistakes?
(Part 3 of 3)

by Steve Sorensen

In this third and final installment of “Are You Making These 7 Turkey Hunting Mistakes?” we’ll go beyond scouting mistakes and shooting blunders, to those frustrating on-the-hunt goof-ups. They include bad set-ups, calling mistakes, and the bug-a-boo that raises its head at just the wrong time, a lack of patience.

1.     Set Up Mistakes:

Are You Making These 7 Turkey Hunting Mistakes? Part 3, by Steve Sorensen - Image 1

These turkeys came to within 10 feet of us in an open field – proof that you don’t need much cover if you remain still.

Many years ago, as a novice turkey hunter, I had permission to hunt a Polled Hereford ranch in North Carolina. The landowner showed me around and said, “Here’s a spot where I used to see turkey tracks, but I haven’t seen any for a long time. I doubt they’re here any more.”

Though the odds seemed against me, few days later a buddy and I went there and I slammed the door as I got out of his truck. A gobbler shock gobbled nearby, right along the bank of the Roanoke River. My buddy didn’t hear it, so I whispered, “Listen,” and I spit out some yelps on a diaphragm call. The gobbler sprinted toward us like Usain Bolt. I didn’t know a gobbler could arrive that fast.

The mistake I made was in failing to listen for a second gobble before making a sound. I could have pinpointed that gobbler and chosen a perfect set up. I’m a dummy.

I made another Tar Heel State gaffe a day or two later. I had a hot gobbler answering every call. He came to within 10 yards. The problem was that I was so well hidden that I couldn’t see even five yards. Repeat: I’m a dummy.

You don’t need much cover to hide from turkeys. Once, a hunting partner called two birds to about 10 feet in the middle of an open field. We were lying in a plow furrow, screened by a few whisps of long grass.

A common mistake, even among experienced hunters, is to set up with too much open ground between the hunter and the gobbler. The gobbler is looking for a hen. That’s why decoys work so well in open fields. If you don’t have a decoy, set up where he can’t see everything. Take advantage of a rock, a fallen tree, or some kind of vegetation. You’re telling the gobbler there’s a reason he can’t see the hen.

When calling gobblers uphill, a common mistake is to set up too close to the slope. Again, you want a gobbler to think there’s a reason he can’t see the hen. Set up on top, 30 yards from the drop-off, so the gobbler doesn’t expect to see a hen until he reaches the top of the hill. By then he’s in range.

2.     Calling Mistakes:

Here’s where hunters lack confidence, but the truth is that hunters make fewer calling mistakes than they think they do. Yes, turkeys have incredible hearing, but they can’t distinguish a real hen yelp from a reasonable fake. Don’t be afraid of calling mistakes. If you think you’ve made a bad note, continue with a couple of good ones.

Are You Making These 7 Turkey Hunting Mistakes? Part 3, by Steve Sorensen - Image 2

Knowing when to fold ’em one day, made this gobbler
vulnerable another day.

Forty years ago we thought we should make three perfect yelps – then shut up and get the gun ready. That can work, but it won’t work when gobblers lose interest.

My advice is to take the gobbler’s temperature. If he’s hot, you only need to encourage him. If he seems slow to respond, call softly. Make soft purrs and clucks. Convince him you’re a hen, but not an aggressive hen. If he goes silent, wait an hour – he might be coming in.

Then, turn up the volume. Get him excited. Give a command performance. After all, you’re trying to reverse the natural order of hens coming to gobblers. Be the boss hen. Order him around. Switch calls. Sound like a flock. You have nothing to lose.

3.     Patience Mistakes:

Finally, we come to the tool that takes more gobblers than any other – patience. But while patience can bring success, it can also spell failure. Sometimes patience simply makes you bored and tired.

In the words of Kenny Rogers, “You gotta know when to hold ’em, and know when to fold ’em.” One day last year I was calling the classic “hung up” gobbler. He was stuck at about 100 yards, and when I called aggressively, he barely inched closer. He probably had a place where he insisted hens meet him.

That day, patience took the form of waiting till another day. A day or two later I found him roosting in a different place. I invited him home, and he accepted. In that case, patience meant folding my hand, and getting dealt a new hand another day.

There you have it – seven mistakes you can avoid. Back at the beginning I promised more beards and spurs if you fix your mistakes. But I also said there’s one thing you won’t collect more of – turkey hunting stories. It doesn’t always take a dead gobbler to make a lively story. Sometimes, stories about our mistakes are as good as stories about our successes. Without mistakes, turkey hunting couldn’t be so much fun.

***

About Steve Sorensen

Steve Sorensen, Outdoor WriterAward-winning outdoor writer and speaker Steve Sorensen loves the Havalon knife, and has been a fan of knives since he begged his dad for a hunting knife when he was six years old. His articles have been published in Deer & Deer Hunting Magazine, Sports Afield, and many other top magazines across the USA. Invite Steve to speak at your next sportsman’s event, and follow his writing on his website, www.EverydayHunter.com.

 

Click HERE to read more articles by Steve.

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Turkey Hunting Mistakes – Part 2

Are You Making These 7 Turkey Hunting Mistakes?
(Part 2 of 3)

by Steve Sorensen

Failure to do enough scouting and the right kind of scouting aren’t the only mistakes that lead to disappointment in the turkey woods. Another big pre-season blunder is failure to have your shotgun ready.

1.     Shotgun Mistakes: 

If you have a 60-yard shotgun shooting five-dollar shells through a custom choke, but don’t take the time to pattern it, you might get a gobbler in front of you only to go home crying the blues. Today’s shotguns are turkey killers, plain and simple, but you still need to know what your pattern looks like at 30, 40, 50 yards or more. If your pattern is off-center, or a certain choke or cartridge tends to leave baseball-sized holes in it, you’re going to have turkeys get away. The point is this: Know your shotgun, and don’t shoot beyond its range.

Are You Making These 7 Turkey Hunting Mistakes? Part 2, by Steve Sorensen  - Image 1

2¾", 3", and 3½" shells are all capable turkey takers at the right range.

Innumerable turkeys have been killed with general purpose shotguns and 2¾” shells. In fact, I never missed nor wounded a bird with my old Ithaca Model 37 Featherlight pump. That’s not because it’s so powerful; it’s because I shot only at turkeys I knew I could kill. Stretching the yardage is never a good idea. I’ve passed up many shots between 25 and 40 yards. Had I taken every one of those shots, I would have killed a lot more turkeys. But I would also have<br>wounded some.

I’ve retired the old Ithaca. Now my go-to gun is a Remington 870 with the ShurShot synthetic stock and a 3½” chamber. The patterning board says it’s a 50-yard shotgun. But, I haven’t shot at any turkey beyond 30 yards – yes, that’s only 60% of its<br>effective range.

I recommend limiting your shots to 60% to 80% of your shotgun’s range. That does two things: One, it will compensate for a common mistake – badly misjudged distances. And two, it will almost guarantee that every time you shoot at a gobbler, you’ll cancel his<br>next date.

Another common shooting mistake includes lifting your head above the line of sight. That will cause you to shoot over the target. A scope can correct that tendency. So will discipline.

Another shotgun mistake is taking a shot at an extreme angle. Last spring I had a gobbler coming in behind me. He passed on my right, which is a difficult shot for a right hander. I got the gun on his head, but as I strained I canted the shotgun and dropped it a little as I squeezed the trigger. I took his legs out from under him. It was a bad shot, even at just 30 yards, but I was fortunate enough to recover him after I sprained an ankle in the chase. The lesson is this: Don’t settle for shots that aren’t comfortable. You won’t hit where you think you’ll hit.

2.     Gear Mistakes: 

Manufacturers sell a tremendous amount of must-have gear. That’s a testimony to the creativity and resourcefulness of turkey hunting fanatics. But it’s possible that your gear can get in the way of a successful hunt. A vest full of calls, decoys and other paraphernalia might do more harm than good.

Are You Making These 7 Turkey Hunting Mistakes? Part 2, by Steve Sorensen - Image 2

Remington’s ShurShot stock offers a comfortable hold.

Most turkey hunters are suckers for hunting gear. I’m fascinated by new ideas that hit the market every year. But is it really possible that the newest call on the market is the killer sound that outperforms the thousands of other calls that claim the same thing?

Here’s my advice on gear: Go sit on your back deck and rummage through your vest. Put everything you didn’t use last year into a box.

Then work all of your calls several times over the course of a week. You’ll find out which ones sound the best, which are easiest to run, and which you are most confident using. Commit to three of them, put the rest in that same box, and hide the box. I recommend at least one box call, maybe a slate, and a diaphragm. Make sure they all sound different. OK, take two diaphragms – they’re small.

Regarding other gear, invest in things that will keep you comfortable. Get a thick seat pad, or maybe a stool that will keep your derrière a few inches off the ground. Otherwise, a jutting root or rock will make its point ten minutes into a three-hour sit.

Also, use a shotgun you can hold comfortably. That’s what attracted me to Remington’s ShurShot stock – available on the 870 pump and the 11-87 semi-auto, it’s the most comfortable I’ve ever held on an approaching gobbler.

We’ve covered pre-season mistakes, shooting blunders, and gear goof-ups. Next time we’ll examine mistakes in set-ups, calling, and that all-important character trait every turkey hunter must have, patience.

***

About Steve Sorensen

Steve Sorensen, Outdoor WriterAward-winning outdoor writer and speaker Steve Sorensen loves the Havalon knife, and has been a fan of knives since he begged his dad for a hunting knife when he was six years old. His articles have been published in Deer & Deer Hunting Magazine, Sports Afield, and many other top magazines across the USA. Invite Steve to speak at your next sportsman’s event, and follow his writing on his website, www.EverydayHunter.com.

 

Click HERE to read more articles by Steve.

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