Turkeys and Trout

We've been really spoiled the past few years with turkey hunting success coming quickly and close experiences happening throughout the season. This year started with my Dad and my brother Jeff drawing out on a limited entry turkey hunt for Southern Utah. The whole idea of a limited entry turkey hunt is ridiculous and I wish Utah would rethink this. There are many options including an archery-only season, moving the youth hunt (which they should extend) and general season to earlier dates, creating an early season and a late-season to spread out hunting pressure. A lot of hunters believe that decisions by our game and fish come down to one thing: money. I'm not sure it's quite so cut and dry, but sometimes it definitely feels that way!

Anyway, the limited entry hunt was a total bust for us. We found areas with birds but failed to even lay eyes on a public land turkey.  It wasn't a complete waste of time though, we were able to chase some gobbles and I did slip in a few minutes on a small stream catching native Bonneville Cutthroat Trout.

The youth hunt (which is only one weekend) was pretty fun. We were back to hunting areas that we knew and were close to gobbling birds the first morning. Caden and I set up in what seemed like a good spot and actually called in another coyote (you can read about the first time this happened Here) but we didn't get an opportunity for a pic or a shot. Three different toms came within shooting distance, but always on the wrong side of the fence and on private property. So close! An early-season success would've been awesome for Cado who always seems to just miss out on hunting opportunities. 

There were lots of evenings spent trying to guess where the turkeys would roost, and lots of wrong guesses. The mornings available were few and far between with work and family stuff competing for my attention. There were other opportunities, including a group of jakes that came in while I was hunting alone (if only one of the boys would've been with me!) and another group of toms that came within 10 yards, but wouldn't cross the property line. 

With gobbles becoming almost non-existent and hunting the same old spots becoming a little boring, I decided to head to a new area for the last outing of the season. Atley had to work (which is a new, and super annoying issue) and Caden just wasn't interested in the last attempt. So I headed out alone in search of turkeys, or trout. The hunting bug must be wearing off since I packed my fly fishing gear on this trip too and was looking forward to trying out a couple of lakes in the area. 

I made the long drive and arrived just before last light. I hurried to unload the ATV to check out the areas that looked good on OnX in hopes of roosting a bird. Unfortunately, I didn't hear any birds. When I got back to the truck I discovered that my plans of chili for dinner were flawed since I didn't pack a can opener. It seems like I always forget something, although it isn't always something as important as this. I had granola bar dinner and a restless night with no clear plan of what to do in the morning.

The morning came without any sounds of turkeys to direct my efforts, so I found a finger ridge to set up on and do some blind calling to start the day. Hound hunters driving on every little road they could find interrupted the morning quiet and inspired me to change my focus from ghost birds to fishing. The first small lake had some fish in evidence, with small ones rising to a midge hatch, and a nice one that like to follow my flies but wouldn't take. But other than that, the fishing started out much like the turkey hunting had ended. I moved onto lake number two and almost immediately hooked into a nice Bonneville Cutthroat Trout. 

Too bad for him, I was in need of something to eat. With no other fish willing to play, I headed back to the truck for a fried trout lunch. Rainclouds and wind set in just as I was finishing up my delicious meal. With little to inspire me to stick it out, I decided to pack up camp and head home. On the way down the mountain I did luck into seeing a couple of bull elk. I'll be back to this area soon enough, without the distraction of turkey hunting, to do some fishing. All in all, it was a crazy busy season, and I'm looking forward to focusing on fishing this summer. 

Hope you're as lucky, 

Kidder

The Secret to Turkey Hunting

This morning, as I was laying in bed listening to a turkey gobbling in between the wind and thunder of a spring storm I was reflecting on the lessons learned this turkey season. The first one being that kids hate waking up early for anything, and turkey hunting is not an exception, but they also love taking little trips if you can work in a stop or two at McDonald's or something similar. The second is the need for a great hiding spot is more important than the desire to see everything from your seat and facemasks make a difference in your ability to blend in. Getting close to the roost is a dangerous game and sometimes the best tactic is to sit still, or even take a nap, rather than chase birds that aren't gobbling. But the secret? We'll get to that...

Caden didn't feel like getting up, so I headed out alone. Got set up in a spot where I've seen turkeys in seasons past, but that I hadn't really set up this season. The birds gobbled from the roost and the hens responded, but minutes after fly down it was over as the birds found each other for their morning hook up and went about their business. There was definitely a part of me that wanted to head home to get a little more sleep since it felt like the morning hunt was over before it began, but I keep hearing how mid-morning is when the birds disperse again and a Tom can be called in. Being patient does not come naturally to me, I want to get after it and make something happen, but I knew that it made no sense to start moving on a morning when there wasn't any gobbling or ways to know where the birds were. As the morning progressed and warmed I let my lack of sleep catch up to me and started to doze. Sleeping under a tree in the warm turkey woods is a wonderful thing. When I'd wake up for a moment I'd make a few light calls and listen until I fell back to sleep. 

Time passed much more quickly than I'd realized utilizing this method, and midmorning was in danger of ending unremarkably when I thought I heard something moving through the leaves nearby. I sat up a little and in a moment was only about 3 yards from a jake that had come in from the side to investigate the calling. Two other jakes followed him into the set-up, and I figured this was it, I was going to shoot a jake. I hesitated, trying to see which jake had the biggest beard (like it makes a difference!?!) when the tom came into view. The jakes were all off to my left side and extremely close, but the tom was checking out the decoy 10 yards in front of me. I held as still as I could until his head went behind a bush, then I reached down for my gun and got it into position before his head came back into view. Off went the safety and I made the shot on my first tom. A rush of excitement was only tainted by the wish that Caden had been there and had this opportunity. 

The walk back to the house was a sweet one, with a bird over my shoulder I answered the text from Deli asking if I was going to come home. Coming back heavy! I'm not sure how the tradition of getting a picture with your bird on the porch started, but I love it. Deli was nice enough to take some pictures for me. 

We tried to get out and replicate my success for Caden, but in the same set-up a couple of days later only a couple of hens showed up. We tried our best, getting up early and hunting late until the end of the very last day but it never came together. So the secret to turkey hunting? It's better to be lucky than good!

Hope you're as lucky, 

Kidder

The Way You Say It

The fishing itch has been creeping in on me again. So we planned our trip where I knew we could also do some fishing if the hunting would allow it. Hunting does allow for downtime if you let it, but usually, I can only focus on one thing and during the limited hunting season my focus has to be there. I've often said that I can't even have fishing gear with me because I might get distracted. 

The first canyon that we ventured up seemed to be overrun with OHV's to the point where the trees on either side of the main road were dusty. We tried a few spots and had a great tailgate hot dog roast (forgot the pan to cook in...) but it became obvious that this area was too crowded for what we wanted to do. So we made a late-night drive to another area where we've seen turkeys before and settled down to sleep for a couple of hours in the truck. The downside to the new canyon is that it isn't exactly a great one for fishing, but fishing can wait a little while longer.

Morning came quick and cold! Once we had our hunting clothes on and were mostly packed up we walked a few yards and made a call. We heard a faint gobble, so we moved toward a ridge to set up. Before we had walked the 80 yards to the ridge two hens fed their way towards us. Too bad they didn't have a tom (or jake) with them! This has been the story of Caden's hunt, all hens. 

The hens continued to feed past us so we moved towards the nearest cover to call and hope that our luck would change. Just before the sun crests the ridge is the coldest part of the day and I was sure feeling it! Or not feeling it in the case of my fingers... Caden seemed fine, so we toughed it out for a little while, watching deer feeding below us, when I caught a glimpse of something gray a couple hundred yards out. Immediately, I told Caden to pass me the gun and called one more time. The coyote came in a straight line right towards us and only stopped when it was about 15 yards away from us and 5 or so yards away from the decoy. I had a clear shot at its head so I took it and bagged my first coyote!

Coyote's get a bad rap and I'm not sure where I stand with it all. On the one hand, research says that you can't eliminate them, or even reduce their numbers through hunting or trapping. On the other, they kill turkeys and fawns and if we can knock their numbers down, even for the short term, at the right time of year we could help recruitment for these species. As far as I'm concerned right now, any hunt becomes a coyote hunt once you see one. Steven Rinella of MeatEater fame has said that if you pronounce it KIH-OAT-EE then you never shot one, but if you have you say KIH-OAT. So I guess I need to adjust the way I talk now. 

Hope you're as lucky,

Kidder

Lucky Little Punk

Growing up, turkey hunting was something that we saw on TV but not something that we did or thought about. In fact, it wasn't even a hunting show that we'd watch unless there was nothing else on. Fast forward about twenty years and turkey hunting has become one of my favorite hunts and one that I love sharing with my boys.

This year the turkeys seemed to be a little more scarce than in years past, but then Caden and I went out to scout one evening and the birds were everywhere. We saw hens, jakes, and toms in spots that we could access. Our confidence was almost as high as our excitement and the youth opener couldn't arrive soon enough. 

I've been talking to the boys about turkey hunting all winter, including pop quizzes on where they should aim, how to identify jakes/toms, and all the little decisions they would have to make in the moment. Trying to get them as prepared as possible to be successful, ethical hunters is always my goal so we went out to practice shooting. Time with the guns helps young hunters gain confidence and stay safe (and it's fun to shoot!). 

Headed up the hill just a little later than we were hoping to get there, but made it to the spot, got the decoy out and just barely got set up before some turkeys appeared on the hill across from us. One hen spooked and flew so we knew we didn't have much time before the others followed suit. Atley had the best angle on them so I said if you can see the one with the blue head go ahead and shoot it. He checked for a beard (because that's what we had been talking about doing in preparation for the hunt. Training!) and made a great shot! 

After looking at his bird and taking some quick pictures, Caden and I moved in the direction that the birds ran and caught up to them. Caden could've gotten a shot at the other tom, but couldn't figure out which one that was before they all took off. With a lot of morning left, we decided to move in the direction of a bird that was gobbling and try for a double before heading home. Despite our efforts, the birds continued to move away from us so we headed home to take care of Atley's bird. 

Despite what you might've heard, turkeys are delicious. We breasted out the bird to make some amazing nuggets and saved the legs/thighs for another meal. I honestly think this is the reason that the boys like turkey hunting so much! I just wish they were bigger...

It always makes me happy when my boys take me outdoors! With lots of time left to hunt, we were confident that Caden and I would be filling our tags soon. 

Hope you're as lucky, 

Kidder

Recentering

The weekend started by taking the rifle out for a long walk, otherwise known as elk hunting. Going into it I didn't have much confidence in the last day of the rifle season, but I decided to use the hike to explore a new area. Coming across bear tracks when you're out hiking always puts a new edge on things, but when it's obviously a sow with cubs it definitely makes you pay attention!

I wasn't about to let seeing some tracks ruin my hunt or deter me from the area, so I continued on up the trail. As I was trying to find a way across the gully I found this really cool claw. Not sure what it is, but I think it's pretty neat.

Slowly working my way across the north-facing hillside I found some heavily used bedding areas and was getting excited when I spooked a cow that spooked every other elk in the draw. I tried to find a spot where I might see the elk on the opposing side, but couldn't before the herd had worked it's way out of my life forever. This is definitely an area that I'll be heading back into, but I don't know if that will be this year or next. 

I finished the day sitting on a hillside above a group of does watching the light fade on the rifle elk season. The next day I was really feeling all the hiking, so I stayed around the house and tried to get some honey-dos off the list. Fixing posts on the patio and running kids around is all part of the job, but when we pulled the cards from our back yard trail cams I got excited to set some traps. 

  

Got the traps set and planned on taking it easy with the wife until we saw some turkeys in the yard and Atley wanted to fill his tag. We snuck up behind the flock and Atley made a great shot on a bird, then he handed me the gun and I couldn't help but fill my tag too. I had to leave to pick Caden up from a sleepover and told Atley to take care of the birds. When I got back I was pretty impressed that Atley had both birds cleaned out and ready to go. Pretty fun, and really tasty! 

Started the next day with a family breakfast and cleaning up around the house. After our turkey nugget lunch I started getting the bug to get out and do some fishing! I haven't been out for months, but the itch seems to be coming back and I wanted to hit a local stream for the afternoon. Started out hot with an olive jig fly that caught a few then turned off cold.

Made the switch over to a Purple Haze to throw at some risers and picked up a few more fish. If they were rising consistently the fishing was pretty simple, just put a good cast in front of them without spooking the fish and you'd get an eat. I was working my way upstream switching between the small parachute dry and a dry/dropper set-up when I tried a Barr's Emerger pattern for the first time. Why haven't I used this fly before? Several more fish came to hand, including a nice one to end the day.

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The next day I woke up to dogs barking and a headache. Whenever I have traps set I make sure to check them often and I was sure glad that I did this morning. Both traps that I had out had a fox in them! First catches ever for me and quite the way to end our Fall Break! Hopefully, Deli's chickens will be a bit safer now...

I'm not sure if a break like this makes it any easier to go back to work, but I'm very thankful for the time to be with my family and to get out into nature. 

Hope you're as lucky,

Kidder

Turkey Town pt 1

Even though I'm a complete novice turkey hunter, this is quickly becoming one of my favorite hunts of the year! Not only was I excited to get back into the woods, but I was also excited because this was going to be Caden's very first hunt. Since he passed Hunter Safety earlier this year (read about that HERE) we've been looking forward to his turkey hunt to practice what he learned. I put in some evenings scouting and found a few toms and some jakes doing almost exactly what they had done last year. We also came across several spots where some turkeys hadn't quite made it through the long winter. 

The 'scouting' hikes were also a great opportunity to do some shed hunting and we actually found a few!

Being a music teacher never seems to come with an off-season, but spring isn't even close to that. Festivals, concerts, practices, and finishing out the school year all managed to get in the way of turkey hunting but we tried our best to get out in the evenings whenever we could. The boys were going to take turns going out with me because we only have one shotgun (and I thought having fewer people would be easier to minimize noise/movement/distractions). The first evening came and Caden got his first chance in the field. The plan was to catch the birds on their way to roost, not really trying to call them in unless they wanted to talk. The cold evening was just starting to go dark when we spotted some birds that had snuck in behind us. Caden got a shot at a tom, but he had to turn quick to shoot, and missed. 

Atley got the 1st morning hunt, but we completely struck out other than spooking some birds as we were still trying to get where we wanted to set up. Amazing how quickly thoughts of being cursed, or unlucky, creep in despite him having success in the past. The youth hunt ended without a bird for either boy, but they still had the opportunity to get one during the general hunt. Unfortunately, the weather kept trying to extend winter and I didn't want to force the boys to go out in bad weather, fearing that a bad experience might turn them against going out at all. Of course this is when a group of several jakes presented an opportunity. I decided against filling my tag with a young bird since I'd shot one for my first-ever turkey last year.

An evening of better weather got both the boys to come with me and Atley was up. Again, the plan was to catch the birds on their way to roost. Before we could get into position we spotted some birds in a field on private. We used the terrain to stay out of sight and worked up and above them. We slowly worked to where we thought they'd be coming through on the way to roost. As seems to be the trend of this year we were busted by a hen on our way to set up (maybe we're being too aggressive?) and we froze in our tracks until she moved off. Then we went into "Ninja-Sniper" mode, as Atley called it, and tailed the group of birds hoping they'd cross the fence to where we could get a shot. Super slow going! We did get to see a jake try to mount a hen and get smacked down by a tom. Suddenly, a red head was on the right side of the fence, but Atley couldn't see it. Quickly, it disappeared down the trail and we were in hot pursuit. Once we spotted it again Atley made a great shot and filled his tag! 

One thing I'm trying to be better at is letting the boys be more involved with the decision making and calling. Atley made all the decisions that led to his harvest. Once we spotted the birds he decided to use the scrub oak to hide us, he decided to take the high trail, and he decided to trail the flock. It definitely made the experience better for him and hopefully will translate into getting him out hunting more.

More to come about Caden's hunt and how I finished out my season. Good times with great people and lots of turkey nuggets! 

Hope you're as lucky,

Kidder