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It s turkey time: Tricks for finding Georgia gobblers
The wild turkey is one of the
most popular game animals in
Georgia. Ben Franklin wanted
the wild turkey to be the national
bird, but it lost out to the bald
eagle by one vote! The wild turkey
was a staple in the diet of
American Indians and colonial
settlers who were dependent on
wild life as a source or meat.
Market hunting and habitat
loss gradually depleted wild
turkey populations. Populations
in Georgia reached their lowest
levels between 1900 and 1930.
The Georgia Department of
Natural Resources Game and
Fish Division initiated an inten
sive wild turkey restoration pro
gram in 1972. This effort includ
ed a county by county inventory
of turkey populations, the amount
of habitat present, and factors
limiting population habitat.
Turkey numbers have
increased dramatically since the
inception of this program. The
following statistics indicate the
extent of this increase statewide.
More than 4000 wild birds
have been trapped and relocated
to over 300 sites since 1973.
Turkeys have now expanded into
just about all available habitats.
In 1973 the wild turkey popu
lation was estimated at only
14,700 to 17,400 birds. In 1997
the turkey population was esti
mated at a minimum of 425,000!
Today the population is stable
at around 400,000 birds; but it
goes through normal ups and
downs.
In 1973 forty-one counties and
six wildlife management areas
had a spring gobbler season. In
1992 one hundred forty four
counties and fifty-seven wildlife
management areas had a spring
gobbler season. Today- all 159
Georgia counties are open to
turkey hunting. In 1996 approxi
mately 82,000 were taken by
hunters.
The minimum economic value
of turkey hunting to Georgia is
estimated at 128,000,000. The
restoration of the wild turkey in
Georgia has been largely funded
by hunters through hunting
license revenue and Pittman-
Robertson Funds (an excise tax
on firearms and ammunition).
In Georgia, the wild turkey
population is near the point
where increases from expansion
of existing populations will be
offset by population losses result
ing from reduced quality or elim
ination of habitat. The Georgia
Department of Natural Resources
Wildlife Resources Division is
committed to working with land
owners and sportsmen to improve
and protect wild turkey popula
tions and their habitat. If you
desire assistance on managing
wild turkeys contact your local
DNR wildlife biologist.
Turkey hunting is a very chal
lenging (and sometimes frustrat
ing) sport, but that’s what keeps
the thrill of the hunt so strong.
There are many varied ways to
hunt turkeys, most of which
involve trying to call a turkey
within shotgun range.
Knowing when and when not
to call to a turkey is critical to suc
cess says Chris Kirby, a member
of the Realtree hunting team. He
uses Quaker Boy calls.
Kirby says that when to call
and when not to call are difficult
things to tell another turkey
hunter because you can only learn
these things through experience.
Time in the woods with turkey
gobblers is the classroom we all
must attend to learn lessons that
count in turkey calling.
And there are a lot of subtle
things to know, and do, when you
locate a bird and work him into
gun range.
Usually, though, he’ll owl hoot
to locate a gobbler, then move
close about 150 yards to work the
bird. If it’s before daylight, and
the tom is still on the roost, he’ll
use tree yelps, and call slowly and
softly, hoping for a response.
If the turkey gobbles and cuts
him off, and is real hot to work,
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John
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Times-Joumal
Outdoors
just a fly down call and a yelp or
two may be all it takes to bring
him in.
This is a pivotal time in day
break turkey calling. You’ve got to
judge the temperament of a tom.
If he’s red hot and going to come
right in, just a couple of yelps will
generally do it. All you’re doing is
letting him know where you are by
imitating a hen. He’ll do the rest.
But that’s not the way it usual
ly happens. A lot of times you’ll
hear hens with a tom, and right
away you’ve got a problem
because it’s hard to pull that bird
to you by imitating a hen when
he already has a harem with him.
It’s best to first call soft and
sweet, and hope the gobbler does
the rest.
If he doesn’t respond, or if you
think he’s moving away, call more
aggressively.
Lots of hard cutting and yelp
ing may fire him up and bring
him in. This is where experience
really helps, and even then you
still can make mistakes.
Aggressive cutting and yelping
may the only way to get the bird
to respond, and you’ve got noth
ing to lose by calling that way
because he may have hens with
him and he probably is leaving
the area anyway.
joe Drake, of Columbus is one
of America’s best known compe
tition turkey callers and a mem
ber of the H.S. strut calling team.
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He likes to mix his turkey calling
with mouth calls.
Drake says that mouth turkey
calls have changed dramatically
over the years, and much to the
better. Just seven or eight years
ago the only mouth calls available
had a single reed that produced a
pretty high pitched call. Those
calls brought in a lot of birds to
hunters, and a lot of toms became
dinner entree because of hem.
But the mouth call really
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1985 GRAY HIGHWAY-MACON, GEORGIA 31211
912-742-5346
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Price* May Vary Mar 03/31M If Stare are market variations
improved when Paul Butski
designed the first one that had
multiple reeds. The multiple reed
call has to, three, or four latex reds
with small cuts in the latex that a
lot of people call “cutting calls”
because you can make turkey
“cuts” and make a lot of realistic,
raspy sounds. Then more layers of
latex are added to a call, and vari
ous notches, cuts and “V” shapes
are taken out of different layers of
latex, the range of sound and the
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types of calls that can be pro
duced are incredible. Some of the
newest calls are so called “V cut”
or “diamond” cut calls that have
such shapes taken out of the mid
dle, front of the latex. These calls
are quite easy to use, especially for
good tone yelping and cutting.
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You are also invited to experience our exquisite
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complimentary antique carriage rides.
Call for Reservations: 912-988-8696
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Perry, GA 31009
Joe Drake’s favorite-mouth call
now is the H. S. Strut “Gold
Premium Flex .34)00 3.5." This
call is one of the easiest on the
market to cut with, and it’s made
with very fine latex so it take*
verylittle air pressure to use.
The call almost yelps by itself.
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