Never Too Old (or Good) to Learn

It's funny, last week I was asked at a seminar if I had ever fallen out of my kayak into the water. No, was my answer. I'm pretty careful on the water. I don't normally take risks, and I always have adequate safety gear with me. The Predator kayaks I paddle are so stable, I couldn't imagine tipping one over. Well, I've never met anyone who was exempt from complacency...including myself.

Yesterday was an incredible morning of flounder fishing with my good friend Mike Baker and fellow Tim Moore Outdoors guide (and close friend) Chuck. We absolutely crushed the winter flounder from our kayaks. I had a limit of nice fat flounder in my catch bag (over 20 pounds worth) by late morning and was ready to call it quits. I lifted my catch bag out of the water and turned around to swing it into the very back of my Predator. As I went to swing it, the extra weight, coupled with my leaning out farther than normal, caused my kayak to tip. By the time I realized I was going over it was too late to do anything about it and I was in the water. I distinctly remember thinking, I can't believe I'm tipping my kayak over right now, as I saw the water surface racing toward my face.

I no sooner popped up and grabbed hold of my overturned kayak, than I realized that all but two items of gear had gone to the bottom. As shock, embarrassment, and fear began to subside I felt myself wanting to cry. There was over $1000 of gear sitting at the bottom and at that moment I considered it all lost. The worst part? It was an act of my own stupidity that caused it.

Mike had already left, but Chuck was still on the water with me and witnessed the whole thing. He was almost as shocked as I was and paddled over to see how he could help. He collected the couple of floating items while I got myself up on top of my overturned kayak.

Normally I would have flipped it right there, but I was only about a hundred feet from shore, so I caught my breath and paddled to shallow water to flip my boat. While catching my breath we realized that it was low tide and we could see a lot of my gear sitting on the bottom. We spent the next two hours dragging jigs on the bottom and were able to retrieve all except three items, my GoPro, net, and a rod holder.

This incident was a wake up call. Replaying it in my mind I realize that it was complacency that did me in. I leaned over the side as if I could do so with impunity. It was ridiculous to think I could lean that far over without tipping and I have learned several lessons as a result. All kayaks, regardless of their design, have their limits. While it is good to know first-hand what the limits of the kayak you're paddling are, this was a costly lesson. I will also secure gear better than before. I'm out a GoPro, expensive fishing net, rod holder, and my iPhone case leaked. My phone currently sits in a bag of rice, and I sit with hurt pride hoping my phone can be salvaged. In the end, I will be more conscious as a result of this experience, which will make me a better angler and guide. No matter how long you have been doing something, or how good you think you are, you're not exempt.

In case you are wondering, yes I was wearing my pfd...I always do.

5 Turkey Hunting Lessons I've Learned

 

I've turkey hunted in New England for more than 25 years. I'm by no means the best turkey hunter out there, but I have made enough mistakes to know what not to do. My guide service is one of the most popular services in New Hampshire for turkeys. While I may not be the best there is, I have learned many valuable lessons that I have been able to test time and time again. Some are better than others, and a few are worth their weight in gold...at least to me. Here are five of my most important "Cardinal Rules."

1) Less is More

I'm a minimalist when it comes to calling turkeys. So much so that it drives most of my friends and clients crazy, until they see how well it works. Turkeys have good hearing. They rely on their hearing to help detect predators and find lonely hens off in the distance. Many hunters want to call a lot and way too often, especially when a tom is fired up and responding by gobbling.They think that if a turkey gobbles every time they yelp, they should keep yelping. Trust me, if there is a tom in the area, he hears you. If you call, and he gobbles, you got him. A few soft yelps every 20-30 minutes is all you need to let him know you are still there, and still interested.

2) Hold That Pose

My wife loves yoga. I've been with her a few times. One thing they tell you in a yoga class is that when you feel like you can't hold a pose any longer, hold it for ten more seconds. Turkey hunting is similar. I can't tell you how many turkeys I have shot that other hunters called in for me. By that I mean, they had been in an area calling, got impatient, and left. I come in, set up, and finish what they started. My clients are often dismayed when I tell them that we may sit in the same area until noon. If I know there are birds in the area, even henned up toms, I will sit for a long time. When I feel like leaving, I sit for a while longer, usually in 30 minute increments. When the birds are done feeding they begin to move around, and they are curious. If you been calling, and not too much, many of the birds will come to check you out. If you're patient, and another hunter doesn't do you in, you will often be rewarded. It doesn't work 100% of the time, but works more often than not.

 3) Sometimes Silence is Okay

Every turkey hunter loves the call-and-response of a fired up gobbler. There's nothing like making a few yelps and getting a thundering gobble in return. Some hunters like it so much that they won't even enter the woods (not my preferred way to hunt) unless they hear a bird gobble. While I like it too, if I've done my scouting and I know there are birds in an area, I will sometimes sit there all day...gobble or no gobble. In areas with high hunting pressure, the turkeys seem to be adapting to a lifestyle of less gobbling. It seems like most gobblers shut up as soon as they hit the ground, except for a few random gobbles throughout the day. Knowing this I sit for hours, making only a few yelps every 20-30 minutes. I can't tell you how many times I have looked only to see a strutting tom that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. In fact, most of my birds have come that way.


4) Let 'Em Come

Another one of my cardinal rules is to stop calling when an approaching tom is within sight. Once a gobbler has decided to come, you don't need to keep reminding him where you are, he knows. They will often veer slightly, making you want to turn him back toward your direction, but don't do it! If a gobbler is able to pinpoint your exact location, he knows exactly when to hang up and let "the hen" close the distance. If he doesn't know exactly where you are, don't tell him.

5) They're Closer Than They Sound

There are many variables that can change the volume of a turkey's gobble. The direction he is facing, tree density, hills and hollows, and even wind can alter the volume, and thus your ability to judge how far away the gobbler is. One thing I've learned is that they are ALWAYS closer than they sound. I have found that if a gobbler sounds 50 yards away, he's more like 35 yards away. If you think you can close the distance by 10 yards, and almost be within shooting range, then you probably can't. The only time I try to close the distance on a gobbling bird is when it is moving away from me.

Interested in a guided New Hampshire turkey hunt? 
Visit www.TimMooreOutdoors.com/turkeyhunts.html

A Better Morning in the Turkey Woods

Some days, the experiences in the turkey woods far exceed any successful harvest. Today was one of those days. I set up in the dark in an area I had seen a few mature birds the day before. I heard a few gobbles around 6:30am, but when they hadn't appeared by 8am I decided to try another spot. 

I drove by a few fields to see if there were any visible birds (my least favorite turkeys to hunt) and also to see how many hunters were around. There wasn't much happening so, I switched to Plan B, I always have a Plan B. I know a few wooded areas that have regularly held birds for years. These areas get hunted hard, but most people give up on them way too early in the morning. It was 10am, I had two hours of hunting time left, more than enough to seal the deal. So, I decided that this was where I would finish out the day.

My clients are often dismayed by my desire to sit in the same area for hours on end, even when we aren't hearing any gobbles. I believe that confidence is as important when hunting as it is when fishing. When I'm in an area that I know holds birds, I am confident and can sit longer. The turkeys in southern New Hampshire get a ton of hunting pressure. As a result of all the pressure the turkeys are becoming conditioned to gobbling less. This leads to many hunters giving up and searching for a bird that will gobble. Don't get me wrong, I like to hunt a fired up tom as much as the next hunter. I also love the satisfaction of being patient, sitting tight, calling only a little, and scoring big with a mature bird that comes in completely silent.

My custom calls from Finger Lakes Custom Calls

I was set up inside the woods where I could just barely see two fields separated by a road. I started out with a few series of loud long-distance yelps, before settling in for a two hour sit that would consist of just a few "here I am" yelps every 20 minutes or so. An hour into my sit I noticed a tom appear on the far side of the far field. He was coming straight to me. When he got to within 100 yards I broke one of my own cardinal rules and made a few yelps. I should have kept quiet, he knew where I was. Instead I allowed him to pinpoint my location, and decide how far away from me he would stay. He made his way into the woods and began gobbling his head off. About 20 minutes in I hear two more gobblers, some wing beats, and a real donnybrook. Then, the first bird appeared behind a brush pile at 40 yards. After a few minutes the big bird spotted me and made his retreat, alarm putting and taking the others with him. Moments later three young jakes and three hens walked right by me as if to signify the 12 o'clock hour had arrived. I didn't seal the deal, but I couldn't have asked for a better morning in the turkey woods.