Outdoors
3B • Daily Corinthian
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Turkey hunting isn’t just an early morning thing Over the years I’ve known several turkey hunters who would hunt only during the early morning hours and call it quits. They’d go hoping to cash in on the morning gobble bonanza and leave once the birds became tight-beaked, usually around 8 a.m. Turkeys, however, can be taken at any time during the day. They don’t have a time schedule as most of us do, and their mood is subject to change on a whim just like the weather seems to go from one extreme to the next these days. If you talk to veteran hunters, they’re likely to
tell you they’ve t a k e n a good many of their birds between David 10 a.m. Green and noon, or thereOutdoors abouts. By then, hens have left their boyfriends to attend their nests. The toms get lonely and, subsequently, become more susceptible to falling prey to the hunter’s well-spoken hen chatter. The lull period between the early morning’s frantic gobbling activity and late morning can be a tough time to hunt, but a
gobbler can still be taken. It requires patience, confidence in the area you’ve chosen, and a clever approach to calling. Start out the calling sequences with soft clucks and purrs just in case a bird is close by, and if there’s no response, quickly pump up the volume and excitement level. Often, just when you think nothing is going to happen, the silence of the woods is broken by the booming gobble of old tom. And when a bird does get fired up during this period, they’ll usually cut off every call that’s made with a gobble and come in a hurry. Even though turkeys
are typically far less vocal in mid to late afternoon, every once in a while, you’ll find a hot one that can be worked into a frenzy and bagged. A good place to look for a gobbler in a strutting mood in the afternoon would be the same general area close to where you found him on the roost earlier that morning. The Eastern turkey doesn’t travel too far from their roost in a day’s time, and there’s a good chance his strut zone is nearby. Turkeys strut in the same general area year after year, and even if one gets shot, another one will usually take its place. There is an advantage
to hunting in the afternoon, even if you’re unable to get a bead on tom. Turkeys are fairly easy to pattern if left undisturbed. By observing while keeping your presence unknown, you’ll be able to figure out where to be positioned before first light on the next morning. And by setting up close to the bird’s roost, odds are good it will come over to investigate a call even if there are hens nearby. Turkey hunting is not just an early morning thing, though it does provide some of the most exciting hunting. But, more times than most hunters care to admit, the hunt does not always go as
Tips for preparing a successful dove field BY JAMES L. CUMMINGS Conservation Corner
Most hunters know the mourning dove is the most popular game bird in Mississippi. Dove season begins another year of hunting. Also, it is a big social event. Many landowners take pride in preparing dove fields for their own enjoyment and for their friends hunting. In order to have a successful dove field, one must properly prepare it. A successful dove field may be relatively small. A 10- to 40-acre field is very common. Small fields scattered throughout an area will provide better hunting than a large field. The first consideration in planning a dove field is soil type. It can vary from sand to clay, but it must be welldrained. Location is another item of concern. Doves
like to feed and drink as close to their roost as possible. By locating a dove field adjacent to or close to roost trees, a source of water or near other grain fields, one can establish a field that is attractive to a lot of doves. Field preparation is a must. First, they must be disked. It is most important that the field be kept clean. If not, doves will not be able to find seeds and hunts will be unsuccessful. Next, one must control weeds. For recommendations relating to pre-emerge herbicide for this purpose, contact you local county agent. The type of seed to use is a small, black sunflower called Peredovik. It can be obtained at most seed supply houses. It is important to use this type of seed. Normal sunflower seed is too large. Planting should occur between March 15
and April 15; however, one can plant as late as June 20. A good, firm seed bed must be prepared as for cotton or corn. Plant 3 to 4 pounds of seed per acre on 40-inch rows using cotton plates, with 7 inches of spacing in the row. A stand that is too thick will produce small heads and weak stalks and a stand that is planted too thin will produce large heads that fall over and are slow to dry. Cover the seed with 1 to 2 inches of soil. It takes between 100 to 130 days for sunflowers to mature. After maturing, they will yield approximately 1,200 pounds of seed per acre. Cultivation is optional, but post-directed chemicals are a must. Contact you local agent for recommendations relating to post-emerge herbicide applications. After the plants
are 6 inches tall, cultivation may be needed to bury weeds. Do not cultivate after the plants are 12 inches in height. The next step is preparing the field for the hunt. Approximately two weeks before the season opens, cut several trails through the field. However, leave the majority of the sunflowers standing to extend the life of the crop and provide cover for hunters. Normally, blackbirds and starlings feeding on mature seed heads will scatter enough seed to attract doves. (James L. Cummins is executive director of Wildlife Mississippi, a non-profit, conservation organization founded to conserve, restore and enhance fish, wildlife and plant resources throughout Mississippi. Its website is www.wildlifemiss.org.)
planned - leaving behind a feeling of frustration. Those feelings can be put to rest if you can manage to stay afield for the long haul. Use what the turkeys taught you that morning to formulate a strategy and stick with it so you can turn the trick on tom later in the day. (Alcorn County resident David Green is an avid hunter and fisherman in the Crossroads area. Anyone wishing to share their own unique outdoor story or have any news to report pertaining to the outdoors, David can be contacted at dgreen_outdoors@yahoo.com.)
State crappie fishing outlook looks good For the Daily Corinthian
JACKSON — Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) fisheries biologists are optimistic about fishing in 2012 on north Mississippi’s Corps of Engineers’ flood control reservoirs (FCRs). Arkabutla, Sardis, Enid, and Grenada Lakes are some of the best crappie waters in the country, boosting local economies as they support about 1.5 million hours of fishing yearly. Fall 2011 sampling by MDWFP found good white crappie spawns from 2009 through 2011.
“The big 2009 spawn averaged just under 12 inches, but many were legal size. Black crappie from a huge 2008 spawn also averaged about 12 inches,� according to MDWFP Fisheries Biologist Keith Meals. Abundant small crappie in the FCRs are young, not stunted. (For more information regarding fishing in Mississippi, please visit website at www.mdwfp.com or call 601432-2199. Follow on Facebook at www. facebook.com/mdwfp or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ MDWFPonline.
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