Turkey Hunting Problems and Possible Helps

PROBLEM:
Most hunters place decoys, (when gun hunting), at 25-30 yards; Gobbler hangs up out of gun range; what do you do?

POSSIBLE SOLUTION:
Make sure you have good cover and place decoys at 12-15 yards instead. Who says they have to be farther out? Use a rangefinder and mark outlying trees; Gobblers that hung up 15 yards beyond your decoys before may now be in your effective range...even if they remain 15 yards 'hung up'. KEY: Don't sit directly behind decoys so turkeys look past it and catch you; place them to one side or the other; Take the focus off you.

PROBLEM:
You roosted turkeys the night before but when you walked in the following morning they had moved and you either bumped them walking in or found them too close...or too far away for your set-up; what do you do?

POSSIBLE SOLUTION:
While there is no solution if you find this to be the case, learn from the mistake. Watch the weather channel in your area and watch for high winds or passing storms coming through. Many times turkeys will 'tree hop' during the night, during inclement weather, in an attempt to find a place more secluded & protected, out of the wind. One thing I do more now than I used to is roost birds at dawn instead of at night. By that I mean I drive to one of the spots I know holds turkeys, shut the truck off and get out and listen. When they start gobbling I can move in close enough to set up and call, especially if I'm familiar with these spots. It saves time and improves my success.

PROBLEM:
You have birds on the roost at dawn, they pitch down but the hens start leading them away; what do you do?

POSSIBLE SOLUTION:
1) Start calling to the hens; if there's an Old Mama in the group she'll sass you. Mimic her calls to a 'T' but add more aggression and cut her off. Nine times out of 10 she'll head your way to pick a fight, bringing the gobblers along in tow.

2) Let's say the aggressive calling doesn't get a "boss hen response"; You better stop because the other insubordinate hens will be jealous and will quickly lead the toms away. If this is the case, try starting a fight. Thrash the leaves, snap a twig, and do some aggressive fighting purrs; keep it up and don't stop, and if you wish, toss in a jake gobble or two...but be safety minded if hunting public lands! This will often break a tom away and bring him straight to you. If none of these work, just let 'em go and reposition, but before you do, don't be afraid to be creative.

PROBLEM:
You called to a gobbler and he responded excitedly for the past hour but he's hung up and won't commit; what do you do?

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:
If you know he just won't commit, you'll probably have to reposition, sneak up, and find out why. Oftentimes he's with hens and won't leave them...but is offering you an invitation; Other times he might have been headed your way but hit a barrier or obstacle like a fence, a creek, or a ditch. If there were no obstacles then repositioning just those few yards closer might put you in what we call his "comfort zone"; if it does, try calling again. He just might commit. If you find out he was blocked by an obstacle, make a mental note of it. A good turkey hunter learns by his mistakes and I now consult both top maps AND aerial photos of my hunting areas first...and then I put in the footwork through preseason scouting. Try it.

Hopefully these tips & scenarios will help you on your next hunt. Please feel free to give us feedback & comments here at Beyond the Blind, and check us out at Facebook. I'm running off at the mouth there alot! LOL! Happy Hunting!

Blaine Cardilli/ Ameristep Prostaff

Turkey Tip of the Day....

Here's a good tip when turkey hunting....

Decoy set ups can be tricky, depending on flock size and geographic locations across the country but keeping with the basics when placing decoys is always a good strategy. My personal experience in the past 12 years has taught me that as your season starts, using a strutting tom decoy with a breeding hen is the ticket, as boss gobblers will practically knock each other over to get to them; As the seasons peaks, the strutter might spook more than help so I use a standing passive jake and a hen, and that has kept birds coming in. Finally, as the season winds down and the toms are running out of steam, remove the jake decoys altogether...they may still work but not as well...and switch to just 2-3 standing/feeding hens. There are, of course, no guarantees when hunting any game but by sticking to the tried-and-true methods, you increase your chances for success.

This has helped me bag boss gobblers for most of the 12 years I've been hunting them and hopefully it will help you, too!

-Blaine Cardilli/ Ameristep prostaff

NON TYPICAL

Call it original. Call it innovative. Just don't call it TYPICAL. :) Ameristep's Non-Typical Series treestands break the mold of conventional treestand technology in ways that will elevate your hunt to the next level-like a multi-position shooting rest that lets you sit, lean and rest, turning tough shots into sure sho...ts-or the Super Cam leverage lock system, which provides unmatched stability for a hang-on stand. All of these features and more make Ameristep Non-Typical Series treestand the perfect chpice for a perfect hunt. Next time your lookin you purchase hunting products look for the NON TYPICAL Logo...can't get much better than that.

Sportsmans Banquet

Hey everyone just wanted to share a photo of me and Chad Schearer of Team Realtree and host of show "Shoot Straight" with Chad Schearer on the Sportsmans Channel and he is also a world champion elk caller, which was pretty awesome considering I love turkey calling contests. Had the banquet in our hometown and had a great time! Great food and some cool giveaways. Hope everyone likes it!

-Alec Nebel/Youth Pro Staff

A Fabric Fact

A Quick Thanks to everyone who visits and reads our blog :)

A Quick little bit of information for all of you...Our NS3 Fabric Technology is exclusive to Ameristep Quality Hunting and exclusive to our Blinds Only making them the Cadillac of Hunting Blinds. The Premier Microfiber Material is amazingly soft and smooth similar to a fleece feel. NS3 got it's unique name from the 3 key ingredients that make this fabric so great...(1) NO SCENT (2) NO SHINE (3) NO SOUND. Now you can rest easy and know that Any Blinds with NS3 Fabric are made with the highest quality fabric around-worth every penny. You can view which blinds have the NS3 Technology by viewing the Blind Comparison chart in our 2010 Catalog or right on our website at www.ameristep.com under Blinds.

NS3 FABRIC TECHNOLOGY.... Durable is an Understatement.

TOM TAKER CONTEST :)

Ameristep's Tom Taker Contest ....starts....NOW! Here are the guidelines:
Enter to win a FREE Ameristep Tom Taker Ground Blind. The contest
began Monday March 8th and ends Monday March 29th. All entries
must be submitted by 5:00 on Monday March 29th 2010. Email
contest@ameristep.com and submit a photo that includes ...yourself, your
game, and the Ameristep product that you used for the hunt. It can be a
photo of any game and any product. Also include a short story of your
experience/ what your favorite Ameristep product is and why. By
submitting your photo and story you are automatically entered into the drawing. The winners will be drawn on Tuesday March 30th and announced that same day. The winner will receive a Tom Taker Blind Model No 3296 in Realtree APG HD Camo. The Tom Taker includes vertical window technology, shoot through mesh, NS3 Fabric, 10 windows,and is Ideal for Turkey and Deer Hunting. It weighs 16 lbs and its dimensions are 60" Shooting width x 67" tall.

With each photo and story please include a daytime phone number, name, and address for shipping purposes. The winner's photo and story will be displayed on the Ameristep website. By submitting your photo and story you are giving Ameristep consent to use the information on our website. More information on the rules will follow... but hurry up and get yourself entered to win!!!!!

The contest is limited to non-employees of Ameristep and non-affiliated representative groups. Entrants must be of the legal age of 18 to be eligible to enter or have their parent enter for them. Please note: Photographs that are mailed in will not be returned and will become sole property of Ameristep. Ameristep may prohibit an entrant from participating in the contest or winning a prize if, in sole discretion, it determines that entrant is attempting compromise the contest by cheating, deception, or other unfair practices that includes manipulation of the photo image submitted. Ameristep is not responsible for late, lost, damaged, misdirected, incorrectly addressed, incomplete, illegal, undeliverable, destroyed, or postage due mail entries and/or lost, late, misdirected, undeliverable or incomplete e-mail entries due to system errors or failures, or faulty transmissions or other telecommunication malfunctions.

Last but not least...Winners and entrants also agree to release, discharge, indemnify and hold harmless the contest and each of the representative officers, directors, representatives and agents from and against any claims, damages or liability due to any injury's, damage or losses to any person (including personal injury or death) or property of any kind resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from acceptance, possession, misuse or use of any award or participation in this contest, or any claims based on rights of publicity, rights of privacy and/or merchandise delivery.

-Brianna/ Ameristep Quality Hunting

Good Day In PA!!

Hey everyone!! Thought I would share some cool pictures I got today while walking around some of our hunting property. Found the first shed of the year today! 4 points on the side not big at all but an awesome find! Also found some cool buck rubs, and seen a flock of 30+ turkeys, which got me really pumped for the upcoming spring season!! But what can I say pretty much anything is getting pumped for that!!! Hope you enjoy, Let me know what you think.

-Alec Nebel/Youth Pro Staff