Montana Woods N Water, April 2015, Volume 4, Issue 1

April 2015

Volume 4 Issue 1

Publishers Notes

By Raf Viniard

8 Days Until Bear Season & 4 Days until Turkey Season!

Spring is trying its hardest to set in but “Old Man Winter” just refuses to let go of its grip. As I drive around the NW Montana area, a light coating of snow covers the mountain sides for a few hours and then is gone only to be replaced with a new dusting the next day.

The elk, deer, turkey and bears are busy grazing on the new green shoots of grass. Local guides and bear hunters are already scouting looking for those spring bears and the initial reports are that that they are already starting to scatter due to the amount of green up in the mountains.

Turkey hunters need to get those shotguns patterned and do a little scouting early in the morning listening for gobbles and late in the afternoon listening for the birds going to roost.

Bear hunters need to check the accuracy of their rifles after setting all winter. Dig out all that hunting gear and make sure everything is still in your pack and in good shape that you might need. Throw out those old candy bars. As a reminder you need to get your license before opening day.

Fishermen are already hitting the water and I am getting reports of some nice pike and walleye stretching their lines.

Be safe out there whether in the woods or on the water and send us those photos.

Front Cover Photo Provided By: Montana Mitzi Thomson Falls, Montana Contact Us Montana Woods N Water 171 Clark Creek Loop Plains, Montana 59859 406-08-0576 www.montanawoodsnwater.com Email: raf@montanawoodsnwater.com

Publisher & Editor: Raf Viniard 406-407-0612 Photographer, Print Manager Tina Scott 406-830-7500 Field Editor: Mitzi Stonehocker 406-544-1868 Sales & Marketing, Lincoln County Kori Erickson 406-293-1478 Director of Social Media Misty Loveless 406-250-4191 Flathead Valley Rep: Vacant Missoula Sales Rep: Vacant Pro Staff Writers & Photographers: Angela Gerych Pastor Jim Sinclair Dan Helterline Zach Butcher Paul Fielder Montana Mitzi Sam Martin Jason Badger Tony Rebo Toby Walrath Editorial Policy: Montana Woods N Water (MWW) reserves the right to refuse to publish in any form of content that does not include the author’s name, complete mailing address, and/or valid phone number or email address. Anonymous submissions will not be addressed or published. MWW reserves the right not to publish anything we feel is not in good taste or appropriate.

TURKEY HUNTING

Montana Spring Turkey Hunting

By Raf Viniard A bugling bull elk bellowing out at first daylight sends a shot of adrenalin through an elk hunters body. You immediately go into full alert and planning your ambush and the chase is on. Turkey hunting is no different, the early morning rumble of an old Tom Gobbler echoing across the drains or fields and with other gobblers joining in, often hearing double and triple gobbles will excite the most seasoned turkey hunter. With each gobble you mentally mark the location of each gobbler.

Lucky for you they cannot smell that bacon, egg and cheese biscuit you just had for breakfast like an elk can. If they could smell, they would be a very formidable bird to try and harvest. It would be wise to respect their sight and hearing of these Thanksgiving birds..

Turkey hunting in Montana doesn’t get the attention it does in other parts of the country. This means you will be one of few turkey hunters in the woods. Back East, opening day of turkey season is like opening day of elk season here. However, Montana holds the infamous Merriam turkey that hunters back East would love to add to their bragging rights. Die hard turkey hunters wait all year for a chance to chase that old long beard or fill their Grand Slam ticket. Not every state has a fall and spring season and in some states you can only kill a Tom. Some states are limited to only a spring season. Large sums of money are spent each year by turkey hunters traveling across the United States and Mexico to shoot a turkey from each of the four major subspecies, i.e., Eastern, Osceola, Merriam and Rio Grande to fill the Grand Slam obsession.

Turkey hunting can be a very humbling experience whether you are a green horn or a seasoned turkey hunter. Regardless of species being hunted is all pretty much the same...usually. Get between the Tom and the local flock of ladies (hens), talk to him real sweet and the love sick Tom will usually answer back with a resounding gobble or two and shortly thereafter appear displaying his tail feathers, fanning and strutting like a teenage boy at his first prom. Sometimes he will throw in a few purrs and spits, after all he is the man.

All of this is usually happening within a few yards of where you have setup to ambush this big show off. Often times you are graced with more than one Tom vying for that sweet talking hens attention. Usually if you have done everything right you have a ring side seat to one of the greatest shows on earth. With the tips of his wing feathers dragging the ground he turns in circles showing off his colorful plumage and his head tucked to his chest glowing red, white and blue.

Notice I use the word usually several times in the last paragraph. Many variables can change to what appears to be a slam dunk on harvesting a bird and within seconds you hear the bird a quarter mile away gobbling his head off and you are the one left spitting out your diaphragm call and scratching your head as to what just went wrong.

Let’s dive into a typical turkey hunt with the assumption you have the basic knowledge of how to call a turkey using a turkey call. There are plenty of videos out there to learn from. You don’t have to be a champion caller to call in a Tom turkey...but by varying your calls and inflections will usually up your success rate. Continued on Page 4.

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TURKEY HUNTING CONTINUED

nights seem to make the gobblers quieter...a swaying tree and falling limbs makes it hard for gobblers to get any sleep. A mature Tom sometimes will not gobble first because he is listening for his competition or has been wised up by other hunters. Often times he may be sitting right with the hens and feels he is already in charge.

Toms will also shock gobble in the tree or on the ground.

A shock gobble is where something loud got their attention. I have heard them shock gobble because someone slammed a vehicle door, banging on a piece of If you have found turkey sign (tracks, dusting areas, farm equipment, a blast from a train horn or a bull poop, feathers, wing drag (strut) marks, etc.) or seen bellowing off in a distance. Screaming woodpeckers or turkeys in an area that is great, but you really need to someone shooting will sometimes cause a gobbler to find where they roost, learn their travels patterns, sound off. At daybreak and owl hoot is good but as it feeding and nesting areas. Learn to identify hen poop gets more daylight switch to a crow or woodpecker call. from gobbler poop as shown above. They are creatures In the early morning your ears is what you rely on the of habit and usually stay within a mile or two of their most. If you hear a bird gobble it is best to know your home range unless pushed out by humans, predators or terrain and have an idea where that bird is going to fly a change in their the food source. Turkeys walk old out of the tree...to! If you hear hens in one area and the roads, field edges, open timber and prefer more open Tom in another set out to get between them. I have areas to watch for threats. seen Toms fly out of the tree, sail over a river and land Unless you have done your scouting and roosted the finally land across a 200 acre field. There is nothing birds the evening before the hunt, don’t just rush into worse than thinking you have them figured out and you the woods and start calling. Approach the area quietly are on the wrong side of the river or field. More often and don’t slam the truck door or be talking loudly if or not they don’t just fly straight down to the ground, if someone is with you...it may be dark but that gobbler they can see or hear the hens you can pretty much bet can still hear you. More than once I have gotten out of he is going to make a beeline for them. Listen for the my vehicle and not walked more than 30 feet waiting on hens to cackle as they leave their roost or the Tom to fly daybreak and a gobbler sounds off at first light in the top down...you will hear their wings hitting limbs and beating of tree no more than 100 yards from where I parked. If the air if you are close enough...they are a big bird and you have to walk into an area that you know holds a make a lot of noise. I have had Gobblers set in the tree gobbler, walk in as quietly as possible. Keep the until 10:00 AM before leaving the roost. flashlight pointed at the ground not up in the trees or If you know the bird is way out in front of you. Even if you know where the bird close, a little trick I use is to roosted, stay back a couple hundred yards and get setup. do an aggressive cackle and At day break listen carefully you may hear the Toms take a turkey wing and gobbling and the hens starting to wake up. If you have beat it against the brush ever been around chickens they do the same thing. The and my leg for a second or rooster starts to crow and then the hens start to cackle, two...this simulates a hen cluck and peep. As the forest starts to wake up the birds flying off the roost. A old get more vocal. However, this may not always happen as Tom within ear shot knows just described. If it is a windy day they are going to be what that is and will harder to hear. I have seen mornings that it seems all sometimes leave the roost the turkey’s have had their beaks wired shut. If you to investigate. I pause for a don’t hear anything start with an owl or crow call to try few more seconds and then start to call like a lonesome and locate a gobbler still on roost. If that don’t work, hen trying to locate other hens. Continued on page 8. ease into a few gentle hen clucks and chirps. Real windy 4

LOCAL CELEBRITY

George Nass of Baldy Mountain Outfitting hugs his 2nd BIG kitty of the season. This lion was harvested in Mineral County, MT and weighed 130 pounds.

It’s Not If...

But When!

When it’s time to go...go in style!

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OUTDOOR PATRIOT Why do government bureaucrats make rules to control industry contrary to the industry's best interests? Who better to make business decisions than those in the business?

Burdensome rules cause businesses to ask, "Who owns my business, me or my government?" Over-burdening regulations force those businesses out of this country at least as rapidly and effectively as do direct taxes. One example is the venerable Consumer Product Safety Commission - ostensibly formed to make products safe for American Consumers - that Commission decrees manufacturing rules for American products, but has no over-sight over competing Chinese products!

The third item listed is a toss-up when we eliminate the first two: collective bargaining. If union members are naive enough to price their employer out of the market place, they deserve unemployment. Do not believe for a moment, that the members will allow that to happen, especially when competing in a Right to Work environment. While we are at it, rescind the "Davis Bacon" law and cut government's costs in a free-enterprise society. That law requires that only prevailing (union) wages be paid on all government contracts, which dramatically drives up the costs of those contracts ($600 toilet seats, anyone?)

FAREWELL TO GREATNESS

By Dick Wells In the late 19th century, howls of fear emanated from the halls of the British Parliament: They feared that all business and capital would flow to prosperous America. At that time American businesses were doubling America's GDP every decade, so exceptional was the financial prosperity of Americans. That period of exceptional prosperity in America was characterized by very low taxation and so few regulations that American businesses were able to operate with a free hand.

Unions are frequently more interested in profits for their leadership than benefits for the membership. We saw proof of that in Wisconsin recently, when facing bankruptcy; the governor saw collective bargaining in the public sector as the problem. Moreover, recalling the events in Wisconsin, note how state insurance costs dramatically decreased when the insurance carrier no longer paid kickbacks to the union bosses!

Often, the union's self-interests drive up the cost of government and make American businesses uncompetitive in the work marketplace. Those are only a few of the reasons to divorce collective bargaining from the public sector, not to mention unions are frequently dictating the actual operation of governmental departments.

Now, investment capital and businesses are flowing out of America (and Montana), seeking more favorable business environments. It is increasingly difficult to find a "Made in America" label on any products in our stores. What happened?

Three crippling burdens on America's businesses have come from our government (who know little about business). They are:

The actual costs of these three burdens far outweigh any perceived benefits. Abolish direct taxes, rescind un-necessary regulations and forced union membership laws, and watch our industries come home to this country (The British fears will become a reality). When we eliminate direct taxes on businesses and get out of their way, businesses will once again prosper and so too will our people. Let the collective bargaining settle out with the laws of supply and demand in the free market place of industry, ideas, invention, creativity, innovation and productivity our country formerly enjoyed for many generations.

1. Direct taxes; 2. Over-burdening regulations; Collective bargaining.

Direct taxes destroy the Right to own property. Liberty and prosperity depend on Property Rights, the Right to own ones Property, whether real, personal or income. Investors are looking to foreign markets, and placing their money in offshore accounts to avoid excessive, penalizing direct taxation. Many companies make more tax decisions than business decisions; and then spend a great deal of money on tax consultants and lawyers seeking compliance. Therefore, more often than not, they relocate to friendlier, less costly shores.

If we do not unite to eliminate these crippling burdens, in the words of a bard, we can only have this to say: "Farewell, a long fond farewell to all our greatness!"

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OUTDOOR VETS

Donna & Doug Chase owners of the non-profit organization Magazines For Troops (MFT) is based out of Lakeside, MT. MFT was started in their home by adopting a soldier serving in the middle east. Word soon spread of their effort to send magazines to our men and women serving on remote assignments. At the peak of the war they were serving over 270 military units shipping thousands of boxes of magazines. There are about 40 magazines in a box and cost $12.65 to ship one box. Donna said, “We don’t have a shortage of used magazines but we constantly struggle to have the money to ship them.” MFT needs your financial support to continue this patriotic undertaking.

Please go to their website and make a donation to send a box a month for our troops. Montana Woods N Water donated last years leftover publications to share a little taste of Montana with our troops serving over seas.. To learn more, call Donna at 406-844-2474.

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TURKEY HUNTING CONTINUED

coming to a call are looking for movement and a hen and this is where decoys can change the odds in your favor.

A Jake decoy with a hen decoy can bring a Tom in running...it may get ugly and your Jake decoy may just get a can of whip butt sprung on him.

Whether a Tom acknowledges your call or not he knows within feet of where you should be. Not all birds come in gobbling, I have had many walk a few steps look around and walk a few more steps and never gobble. I have had birds gobble hard for about 20 minutes and then go very quiet...stay put for at least an hour...he may be within mere yard of you watching through some brush. These are usually educated birds from you or hunters past .

Once a Tom has joined up with a flock of hens it is hard to pull them off. It can be done but you will have to get close to the flock as he will not leave them to come to you. A young Jake (Juvenile Tom) or satellite Tom will be easier to pull off the flock than the dominate Tom. If you know where the hens are headed to feed or nest get in front of them and work that call softly...hens don’t like strange birds in the flock and will often get into an argument with you while you are calling. This is a good thing...whatever the opposing hen does, you repeat. If she is chirping you chirp if she is cackling you cackle that gets the Tom excited. Some Toms like it fast and loud and others will stop gobbling altogether if you get too aggressive with a call. I prefer soft and gentle calling at first and increase my intensity as the bird gets more excited. You want the Tom to steer his hens in your direction. These hunts can be over within a matter of seconds if he is hot enough. He thinks he is about to add to his little harem. As the morning moves and the hens head to their nesting areas, the Toms are trying to find other hens to breed.

Sometimes Toms will gobble but never seem to be getting any closer and this is usually a sign he is with some hens. Stay put or parallel the birds out of sight because as soon as those hens are bred and leave for the nest he remembers where he heard you last and will return, maybe gobbling maybe not. Subordinate birds will not gobble, sometimes in fear of getting their butts kicked so they may come in quiet as well.

These young or satellite birds are hoping “Old Boss Gobbler” will never know he stole a hen from their turf.

As the day wears on and usually by noon the hens have left the Toms and are sitting on the nest. Toms are now looking for other hens to breed and competition can be As a flock of turkeys get closer keep in mind there are now several eyes watching for you...a hen or one of the fierce. They will stand in an open area like a field and just strut. If the sun is out and heating things up, Toms other gobblers will bust you in a second if they hear or will walk in and out of the shade. The sun beating down see something that isn’t right. You are talking about a bird that can see a seed tick on a blade of grass. They see on their feathers gets really hot. So before stepping out into a sunny opening, use your binoculars and scan just color and movement better than you and I combined. inside the tree line.

If you are busted stay put, they may not be really sure what you are...once they leave the area, slip out quietly I have called turkeys in at all hours of the afternoon right up to within an hour of sunset. Most Gobblers will start and setup again. I usually switch to a different type call working their way back to one of their prized roosting with a different tone and inflection before working the areas about an hour before sunset or sooner. If they are same flock. Use good cover and concealment as you with some hens then they usually will roost with or close move into position. Remember when turkey calling; Continued on page 10 bobcats, wolves, bears, coyotes and other predators are by the hens. looking for a meal as well...watch your back. Toms 8

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TURKEY HUNTING CONTINUED

You have finally closed the deal and the birds are within shooting distance. Know what your shotgun, choke and load can do at what range. Learn how to judge distance and keep in mind you are not using a rifle...try to get the bird within 40 yards or less. You are only shooting at the turkey’s head not its body Wait for the bird to stick its head up...not while it is tucked down on his chest while he is strutting...be patient. Also, be mindful of other birds in the background, you don’t want to kill two birds or a hen (except where legal) or wound other birds. As soon as you shoot, get on your feet and be ready to make a follow up shot if you did not finish the job with the first shot. Tom turkeys have very sharp spurs and will give you a severe cut and/or beating with their wings if they are not dead when you go to pick them up. I have missed birds no more than 15 feet from me because my pattern was very tight and I held a little high. Better to hold a little low than high. When you set up make sure you have at least a 180 degree field of fire/vision if possible. Get comfortable you might be there a while!

allows you to have your hands free. I use a diaphragm mouth call mostly so my hands are always free. I also bring a seat cushion or wear my turkey hunting vest with a built-in seat...nothing worse than a Gobbler hanging up and you have a leg cramp or a rock or stick gouging you in the butt. I don’t leave home without my ThermaCELL to keep blood sucking mosquitos away...I hate mosquitos swarming my eyes when looking down the barrel at big Tom in full strut looking right at me. I also carry a pair of snips in my pack to make sure any small saplings/weeds don’t get in the way of me moving the barrel. Only move when the turkey has the back of his fan (tail feathers to you) or its head goes behind a tree. Move very slowly.

Camo, camo, camo, head to toe!

One trick I have used several times to bring the bird into shooting range is if you have dry enough conditions call gently and scratch the forest floor like a cat scratching.

The sound of the leaves and sticks being brushed away mimics other turkeys scratching.

When I first started turkey hunting I was told, turkeys will not cross a log, wade a stream or walk through a thicket to come to your call. They call these “hang up” points.

None of these myths are 100% fact. I have had turkeys jump up on a log in front of me, wade water to their bellies and sneak up behind me through a thicket.

There is nothing worse than setting up with a good back drop of brush or against a big old tree and you hear the distinctive sound of spitting and strumming behind you.

You will never be able to get up or spin around and get the shot off. All you will hear is the turkey making a clucking/popping noise letting every other turkey in the woods know there is danger and have been busted.

During late afternoon hunts if you did not connect with a wise old Tom, listen for the birds going to roost. They make a lot of noise settling into their roost flying from limb to limb. They purr and cluck to each other as they get settled in. Sometimes the Tom will gobble one last time as he settles in for the night.

If hunting with a partner hunt just like hunting elk with a bow. Setup one person a little further back to do the calling and hopefully the bird will be pulled in front of you for the shot. You want the old Tom more focused on where the person calling is or the decoy. Some partners They make pads (see picture above) to fit on your knee to sit next to each other facing a different direction so they can communicate if a bird is seen. cradle your gun and when using box or slate calls this

Continued on page 12

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TURKEY HUNTING CONTINUED

This picture by Montana Decoy shows how to properly use a decoy. Note how the decoy was not set up in front of the hunter.

If using a decoy never set it up in front of you, always to the side in case another hunter shoots your decoy. Position a strutting turkey decoy so it's facing you. Most birds will approach a subordinate tom head-on or from the side Never ever wear the patriotic colors of red, white or blue while turkey hunting...these are colors on a Gobblers head. If you see another turkey hunter stalking your calling or your decoy….stop the hunt immediately and stand up and speaking in a very audible voice that you are in the area. It is best not to be waving your hands. Better to regroup than get a face full of No. 4 or 6 shot. If you see the hunter, so has the turkeys so the hunt is over anyway. You have often seen pictures of a dead turkey thrown over the hunters back as they walk out of the woods. After harvesting a bird it is a good idea to drape the bird with an orange vest so other hunters can clearly see you.

To learn more about turkey hunting join the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) and pick other turkey hunter’s brains on how they close the deal on long beards. Watch for guys with a necklace full of spurs or a wall full of beards. Just like elk hunters, don’t expect a turkey hunter to tell you where he or she hunts.

A word of caution, make sure you spray down with a insect repellent. Ticks are already out and from what I am hearing it is going to be a bad year for them. Use turkey season to scout for bear and watch for sheds. Some hunters carry both a rifle and shotgun once bear season kicks in and if you are doing any amount of walking, that can be a chore. Think about carrying your bow instead. Yes, it is more challenging but it can be done and that is a article for a future issue. Think it can’t be done...look at the pictures in the article on page 14 “Suburban Turkeys” by Toby Walrath.

WWW.NWTF.ORG

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TURKEY HUNTING BY TOBY WALRATH Concealment Pop up blinds have made the task of concealment much easier but anything that will allow you to draw your bow

By Toby Walrath unseen, will suffice. I once made a blind out of pine needles which had been conveniently raked up by the landowners. Old barns, wood piles and hedgerows have all aided me in my quest to take advantage of relatively undisturbed quarry.

Shot Placement There are probably more opinions on this subject than free roaming turkeys but I'll throw mine out there anyway. Turkeys are well constructed arrow stopping shock absorbers. With fluffy feathers and rock hard wing bones combined with their propensity to move when hit with an arrow, careful consideration must be made when selecting equipment. The fastest bow in the world won't get adequate penetration without the correct broad head design, arrow weight and shot placement. Choose a heavy arrow and cut on contact broad head for the best Every turkey hunter worth their turkey call knows how to results. roost a gobbler the night before, set up decoys predawn New Hunting Challenges and purr softly when the strutting birds get close. But Here in western Montana, turkey hunting is fast what if all the birds are living in between houses, becoming a favorite springtime activity. Valley floors are driveways and highways? Surprisingly, these turkeys filled with prime habitat in stark contrast to the adjacent aren't all that much different than their wilderness snow capped mountains. I enjoy hunting turkeys and cousins, but the methods for hunting them are very must ignore the human encroachment each spring to let unique. out a few purrs and clucks in wait of a thunderous Access to Residential Hunting Areas gobble. As for the excitement of hunting America’s As usual, gaining access to hunt requires a knock on the wariest game bird; I have accepted the challenge to property owners' door, only this time you'll need to observe turkey behavior and explore new hunting tactics convince the owner that what you're doing won't wake even while hunting on the well-manicured front yards of them up from a dead sleep at 6:30 in the morning! western Montana!

Convincing them to allow you to hunt there may require you to put down your favorite shotgun and replace it with the much quieter bow - if you haven't already.

More and more turkey hunters are switching to the bow and arrow for spring turkey hunting, mainly for the challenge and excitement a bow harvest can bring. But for "front yard turkey hunting action", it may be the deciding factor for a property owner.

Turkey Behavior Turkeys are turkeys, no matter where you locate them.

They have preferred roosting and feeding areas, strutting zones, travel routes and hideaway places that they prefer. They also possess a desire to be with other turkeys. Pre-season scouting is just as important for front yard turkeys as it is for the more “wild” wild turkeys.

Katie closes the deal with her bow!

Front Yard Turkeys

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Memaw’s Kitchen by Montana Mitzi Apple Slices 5 cups peeled and sliced apples, I use whatever I have 1 tablespoon flour 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup sugar 1/4 cup brown sugar Mix together and set aside.

2 1/2 cup sifted flour 1 cup shortening 2 tablespoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 egg yolks 2/3 cup cold milk Sift together the flour, sugar and salt. Add the shortening to the dry ingredients and mix with two folks until like fine crumbs. Add the egg and milk mixture and mix until you can handle. On a floured board, cut the mixture in half and roll out to fit a cookie sheet, place the apple mixture on the dough and roll out the other half to fit over the top. Don't worry if it does not fit perfect! Crimp edges and add a little sugar/cinnamon mixture on top. Bake in a preheated oven 350 degree for 45 minutes. Remove and cool slightly. Top with Carmel and a glaze consisting of 1/2 cup powder sugar and cream to thin. This is a great way to use apples for a easy desert that is great for young and old! Hugs and love from Memaw's kitchen

Outdoor Vet

Laurin Pershern son of Andy Pershern (formerly of Trout Creek, MT) recently graduated from the USMC boot camp.

We Salute You, Pvt. Laurin

From A Young Boy.

To A Young Man!

There are only two kinds of people that understand Marines: Marines and the enemy. Everyone else has a second-hand opinion. ~Gen. William Thornson, U.S. Army!~ 16

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