The language arts teacher had invited my science class to participate in a video call with the award winning book author, Ben Mikaelsen, who wrote- Touching Spirit Bear. This got me thinking about a catchy title for my next blog. I briefly thought about calling this blog, “Touching Spirit Turkey”. Instead, I recalled the adventure novel, The Call of the Wild, by Jack London.
The thunderous gobbling call of a “Tom” (mature male) wild turkey is a sound that is a rite of spring- kind of like seeing that first red-breasted Robin or yellow dandelion on the lawn. Except this bearded “gobbler” can weigh twenty-five pounds and with it’s razor sharp, inch-long spurs on it’s heels, can send that robin flying back to where it came from – this Butterball is built to brawl! The gobbling calls are intended to entice a nearby hen turkey for breeding. As a turkey hunter, these calls and the urge to breed can be the “Achilles’ heel” that may lead to the downfall of the otherwise keen-eyed and sharp sensed, hunter wary, “Gobbler”.
My bird hunting outdoor adventures have allowed me to successfully harvest Ring-necked Pheasants, Bobwhite Quail, Ruffed Grouse, Canadian Geese, and ducks of many species. However, the one feathered game bird that has eluded me is the Eastern Wild Turkey. For many mornings, I had been hearing these taunting gobbles outside my bedroom window. Having successfully being selected to receive a coveted first-week NJ turkey hunting permit, made me decide to take this seriously and put an end to this “turkey-less curse”. My “ace in the hole? -New Jersey Fish and Wildlife was going to be conducting a Turkey Hunting Seminar and Calling Clinic at Batsto Historic Village in South Jersey. https://goo.gl/maps/Gu6iALaS1Yx
Driving the Jeep Wrangler from Central New Jersey down to the Batsto Historic Village brought me past acres of blueberry fields and through the “Pine Barrens”. The Pine Barrens are a part of the Atlantic coastal pine barrens eco-region where the legendary, “Jersey Devil” (not the NHL professional ice hockey team) is said to reside. According to New Jersey and Philadelphia folklore, the Jersey Devil is a legendary creature said to inhabit the Pine Barrens of Southern New Jersey. The creature is often described as a flying biped with hooves, but there are many variations. However, on this day, I was not going there to see this Jersey Devil, but rather the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), State Chapter President and turkey hunter speak on the topic of turkey hunting.
Tips and techniques on using the various types of turkey calls to imitate the luring calls of a hen turkey were discussed. Also present at the seminar was the maker of custom turkey calls, Uncle Dickies’s Yelpers, Newton, NJ. There are many types of calls; box calls, push buttons, slates, and diaphragms– all intended to fool a mature “gobbler” into coming within shooting range.
Armed with new found knowledge of the biology and habits of the Eastern Wild Turkey and hunting techniques, tips and advice, I feel better prepared for this upcoming Discovery Outdoors NJ turkey hunting season! Hopefully, I can be successful in harvesting one of these majestic birds like Nina and Dan with their -“doubling up” turkey hunt on the Eastern Shore of Maryland– GOBBLE! GOBBLE!! GOBBLE!!!
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