Hunting and Fishing News & Blog Articles

I don’t know Tim Wells but I’ve featured a bunch of his bowhunting videos on Bowhunting.net over the years. He travels all over and bowhunts all kinds of wild game. Today he is taking us to Mexico to bow hunt native predators in the Mexican desert.

In this video Tim Wells is using a FOXPRO Game Caller and you get to see first hand how effective this electronic game caller works. The pic below is the remote controll for the FoxPro.

Here is the FoxPro electronic game caller clipped to a branch. This caller is incredibly good. Tim demonstrates how to use it for calling predators. And tells you some tricks that will up your coyote calling success.

And … if you’re wondering if you can cook and eat predator meat, you get the answer in this video,

Tim Wells bowhunts coyotes on the ground and situates himself in the shadows. And as you will know as you watch this video, it works.

My friend Jason Allen of Rush TV  invited world champion turkey caller Billy Yargus up to Michigan a few days ago. They check a few of Jason’s turkey places and when they see two super mature gobblers (aka Kent Daddys) in a large field they concoct a plan to hunt them.

Now, you may or may not know that Jason Allen is one of the best Wild Turkey hunters in the country and Billy Yargus is one of the top wild turkey callers in the world and what happens in this video is an absolute “Must See.”

Obviously I don’t know how well you can call, but I’d bet that you’d enjoy seeing and hearing perfect turkey calling (yes, I said perfect) draw two big “Rope Beard” Gobblers in. Don’t miss this!

Robert Hoague

Below are a couple of pics I lifted from the video. The first is the Toms coming to us.

Learn how you can get the tongue flutter that it takes for you to make a realistic purr on your mouth call. The tongue flutter, comes from the the vibration of your tongue. Practice by breathing in a large volume of air, and let your tongue lay very limp, then blow that air across your tongue with enough force that your call actually vibrate in your mouth. You’ll make your tongue flap. (This is like rolling your “r’s” when speaking Spanish.)

Put the call in your mouth with the round edge towards your throat, letting it lay limply and softly on the top of your tongue. Blow the same volume of air across your tongue as you did practicing. What you’ll get is sounds like a fighting purr call. You’ll notice that increasing your Calling volume  your cheeks will puff out slightly. That‘s the air running over and around the call, and the extra air being held back in your mouth, that causes your cheeks to inflate slightly. That helps keep the rasp down and makes the call have a more realistic tone and a more melodious sound.

Next start backing off on that volume of air until you get a more realistic turkey tone. Once you get the turkey sound down, start adding in some clucks.

To get a cluck use lower tone, and keep it quiet like a realistic cluck is. Clucking is the same principle as cutting, to cut on the mouth call you want loud, short cuts with a large volume of air. But for clucking, you keep that noise soft, while mixing in with some purrs (that we just learned how to do). For an even more realistic and natural sound from a mouth call, mix in some soft yelps or a little whine in there. It all comes together for a great sounding call.

Remember, start with a large volume of air to get the sound coming off the call in your mouth, and then step it down, bringing back that volume to a realistic sound. Click Here and I will show you and you can hear how it should sound.

Watch as bowhunter Sydney Wells stalks a huge black bear 3 times before she has him in the bear woods within bow range. He sees her and the hunt gets tense and dangerous.

Sydney Wells is bowhunting in Canada and sees a monster bear up ahead of her and her dad Tim Wells. And Sydney takes the hunt right to him. Sydney is part of the bowhunting team of Relentless Pursuit TV and is a very experienced Whitetail hunter … who has the moxie to go face to face on the ground with a huge Canadian black bear. You will definitely enjoy watching Sydney’s enthusiasm, hunting knowledge and genuineness.

I started my wild turkey hunting day on a high spot right up against the river bank and close to a curve in the stream. I parked my truck in some thick cedar trees and slipped in carrying a Double Bull ground blind, my bow and 3 decoys along with a pocket full of mouth calls and a slate and striker. I’ve hunted this exact spot for years and knew exactly where I wanted to go and where to set everything up.

When I hunt an area I’m familiar with I prefer to stay out of it before I actually hunt it. I just do not want to take the risk of spooking any gobblers or hens. I’d much rather keep they stay in “relaxed and unaware” mode instead of making them “wired and jumpy.”

Soon a faint streak of sunlight was visible on the eastern horizon. Soon afterward a very loud gobble sounded off from one of the large hardwood trees downhill on my side of the river (which is only 50 yards away). More gobblers joined in from the east and north. And they really piled it on, gobbling over and over.

Now it was a matter of which direction they went after they hit the ground.

The Toms and Jakes gobbled repeatedly. And when I heard the yelps of a hen that was between me and   the river I felt optimistic. A short while later I heard the hen fly down a little bit to the north east of me but still on my side of the river. Next I heard two different gobbles in the trees close by. And then they flew down and continued gobbling.

Luke Clayton

Wild Turkey Hunters who hunt them in Texas are fortunate, the Texas wild turkey population is well dispersed from the pine and hardwood timberlands in the eastern portion of the state to the ruggedly beautiful Caprock country of the Panhandle. I’ve chased longbeards here in the Lone Star State for over thirty years and each hunt has been a great adventure and no two have unfolded exactly the same.

A few years ago I called a boss gobbler to the banks of the Brazos River up in Palo Pinto County, he simply would not fly across; he was gobbling his head off just behind a big pile of driftwood. I went downriver, around a bend, crossed the river and put the sneak on him.

I also hunted the eastern wild turkeys in east Texas and then traveled out to the Panhandle and enjoyed hunting them there; before I arrived, I likely had never heard a call. Calling up a wary Eastern gobbler on a pine covered hillside in East Texas is a far different endeavor than tricking a Rio Grande Gobbler in the Edwards Plateau. Both hunts are exciting and, because of the vastly different terrain, each presents challenges unique to the region.

Thr 2016 wild turkey hatch was less than optimal across much of the state. The one exception is eastern Texas. Spring and early summer rains came at just the right time for a great hatch. There are pockets in northeast Texas where eastern wild turkeys are flourishing, in other areas, they numbers have been on the decline. A little over two decades ago, the Eastern wild turkey was re-introduced to east Texas and overall the program has been successful.

Let’s take a look at the hunting opportunities here in Texas. My experiences throughout the past three decades may help you decide where you might want to go prospecting for Ole’ Longbeard this spring!

Last week I intended to bowhunt wild turkeys more during the week, but as you may or may not have noticed I’ve been updating Bowhunting.net with more advanced application software  (that will add several important new functions as well as spiffy up the websites appearance and navigation). Frankly, this is a huge job and it’s gonna take time to add all the new sections, that’s in addition to updating the existing content and display too.

Fortunately I can do what’s needed with the “one thing at a time” method.

On Friday I got up an hour before daylight and introduced my frying pan to generous portions of corned beef hash, fresh sliced potatoes and 4 basted eggs. A few minutes after the hash and potatoes I was in the wild turkey woods and inside my ground blind with my bow and turkey calls and a thermos of black coffee.

My iPhone AccuWeather predicted a clear sky and they were correct. Soon the beginning sunlight put a glow in the dark sky and daylight hurried in. Gobbles sounded off from the west (the neighbors pond and roost trees), the east (river roosts) … but not yet from the north.

I did a fly down call with my Billy Yargus Blue Cutter mouth call and paused, listening.

Champ and I drove, and then walked, to a high spot on the bank of the river. We laid 2 fold-out chairs on the ground and I popped up a Double Bull ground blind over them; besides being great ground blinds for wild turkey hunting the Double Bull is simple and fast to erect and most importantly quiet. Champ and I quietly and quickly set out my 3 decoys; a Dave Constantine Jake, a standing hen and a sitting hen. You can see them in the picture above.

We positioned our fold-out chairs inside the blind and got inside ourselves. We sat down  and listened for Gobbles. The first one was surprisingly loud. It was only 40 yards from our blind. The close gobbler attracted nearby hen yelps and some occasional purrs and soft clucks. When the hens flew down the Gobbler loudly joined them. The hens walked to the river’s edge and flew across to the other side and walked in the direction of a nearby small pond. The gobbler followed behind them.

During the first half hour of daylight we heard over a dozen different gobblers sound off to the South, West and North of us. We listened and waited for an hour and then we broke down the Double Bull and collected the decoys and went to my truck.

I drove to a strip of woods that is regularly used by by our sizeable wild turkey population and set up the Double Bull at the edge of the woods and put out our 3 decoys.

I waited half an hour and took out my Woodhaven Doug Crabtree Signature V-Cut call and made some purrs mixed with soft yelps. A few minutes later we heard a gobbler getting with it in the woods to the east. I yelped at him, he in turn blasted me with a gobble and in no time three gobblers walked into view.

I picked up Champ right after he got out of school. We drove to the AA area and walked through the woods to a ground blind mounted on top of a Woodsey Too platform. This is a high spot that is adjacent to a steep, wooded drop off that runs for a mile and goes down to a long, flat area that has planted farm crops bordered by the long, winding river. Wild Turkeys and Whitetail Deer pass through the entire area regularly.

Champ set out two game cameras, one near the blind, and another on an established trail, you can see the blind one in the picture, it’s by the platform’s left legs.

A week ago all the undergrowth was leafless and full winter tan and brown, except the cedar trees. Only one week ago it was still in the 20’s but mid week the temperature rose and we had a much needed rain. Immediately afterward the color green popped up everywhere.

Our next spot is named the Alley and Champ climbed up to the Tripod seat to be sure it was still steady and otherwise ok. It was, and Champ attached a long cord to the tripod chair that would serve as the way to pull a bow up to the stand.

Next we drove to an ancient and squeaky Windmill and took the barely visible two-track through the woods. Ahead of us, Champ saw a group of wild hog laid up in a wet, muddy area. I quietly stopped the pickup and Champ slipped out with his crossbow and put a stalk on the hogs. A large black sow picked up on him getting closer and the group jumped to their feet, waited briefly, and hurried off and ran right by me.

What broadhead is right for Elk … and Why?

Over the years I’ve heard that question become the topic of conversation on many occasions and sometimes someone even asks me the question. Truthfully, I have purchased a couple of Archery Elk Tags in Colorado but on those bowhunts the number of Elk I tagged was the same number I saw, zero. So anything I told anybody would come from the W.A.G. method (that’s the infamous Wild Assed Guess method) so the appropriate answer to that question is to “talk with a successful elk bowhunter.”

Being from Utah Grim Reaper Broadheads is spearheaded by Jay Liechty (owner) and Matt Bateman (National Sales Director) and they know a whole lot about bowhunting for Elk … as well as Mule Deer.

In this video from the 2022 ATA Archery Trade Show, one of those successful Elk bowhunters, Mark Scalvan fills us in on the broadheads he uses successfully and recommends for Elk. By Robert Hoague of Bowhunting.net

I love Deep Fried Turkey and dove into YouTube to find the instructions and a recipe that was easy to understand as well as effective at preparing and deep frying up a delicious turkey. I settled on the deep frying turkey video by Jeven Dovey. I know you are gonna enjoy your next wild turkey and holiday turkey when you deep fry it just like this.

Got up an hour before daylight, put a Pop-Tart in my toaster and drank a super strong cup of black Guatemalan coffee. The Magic Day Is Here! Wild Turkey Season of 2022 has arrived and it’s Day 1. My gear was already in my pickup so I got in and drove out to my pop-up blind at the edge of a large cedar break that’s a mile from a roosting area on the river. I hid my pickup in some cedar trees  and walked over to the blind and got inside and waited in the dark.

Soon daylight moved in one click, and a lone gobble sounded off 400 yards to the West, right where a stock pond is located on the neighbor’s property. Both gobblers and hens are currently roosting in the tall hardwood trees surrounding the pond.

I waited until some wild turkeys had flown down in the pond area and then I started yelping to let them know where I was. Two gobblers sounded off from the Pond. Gobbles began joining in from the river to the East and where it turns to the North as well as from the aforementioned Stock Pond and from the woods to the North. It was cool hearing all the activity.

I gave them 20 minutes to get on the ground and move around and did some clucks and yelps. Right away some yelps in the woods tipped me off that some hens were not far from me. I yelped softly and in two minutes I noticed ground level movement approaching under the cedar trees.

A hen walked around the left corner of the blind and stopped directly in front of my shooting window. I took my iPhone out of my pocket to take its picture. I glanced up when I heard more hen yelps. More hens were coming from the cedars out past the nearby hen.

Turkey season is coming.  Now is a great time to consider about what broadhead you are going to use on Mr. Tom. There are many options on the market, but few options compare to a  Grim Reaper Broadhead. 

 One broadhead that has sent many turkeys to the turkey fryer is the Pro Series Whitetail Special from Grim Reaper Broadheads. The name implies that this head is designed for deer, but it is just as devastating when it hits the side of a longbeard. The Razortip will quickly cut through any turkey and bring them down quickly.

One reason many people like using the Whitetail Special when turkey hunting is because it offers a cutting diameter of two inches. The Whitetail Special has three blades so when you combine three blades with a large cutting diameter, the result is typically a notched tag.

One of the greatest advantages of a broadhead with a large cutting diameter is the fact that there is a little room for error. The chest cavity on a turkey is about the size of softball. With a typical broadhead, if you hit a little low or a little high, you can easily wound the bird. Wounded turkeys are notorious for being like Houdini…they disappear. With a broadhead like the Whitetail Special even if your shot is off a little, the odds of success are high.

How To Prevent Mountain Lion Conflicts

Important: Do not feed wildlife, including deer, raccoons or other small animals. They all are lion prey species and feeding may attract mountain lions. Feed pets indoors if possible. Pet food left outdoors may attract mountain lions or lion prey, such as racoons.

Mountain Lion Range, Periods Of Activity and Breeding.

Mountain lions (Puma concolor) have large home ranges, up to 50-350 square miles. A male lion’s range will overlap multiple females.

Mountain Lion Sign

Mountain lion tracks appear round, are approximately 3 to 4 inches in diameter, and the claw marks usually are not visible. Droppings are 4 to 6 inches in length and 1 to 1 ½ inches in diameter, cylindrical, and blunt on the ends. Droppings often have hair and bone fragments visible. They are
often covered with dirt.

Approximate size of an adult mountain lion fore print. Length: 3–4.3 in, Width: 3.3–4.8 in

DO NOT RUN

If you are with children, pick them up without bending over. Do not turn your back on the lion. Do not  crouch down or try to hide. Remain standing and facing the lion slowly back away. Leave the lion an escape route.

Cooking With SusieQ: 14 Turkey Recipes

This recipe was sent by James and Susan Brannan
Turkey Legs with Gravy over Egg Noodles
Boil turkey legs till the meat can be pulled off the bone.  Make the turkey gravy either from scratch or out of a can.  Mix in the turkey meat that was pulled off the bones, mix in the gravy and let simmer.  Cook a bag of egg noodles then pour turkey and gravy over noodles and serve.

This recipe was sent by John Maynard (COJO)
CAJUN DEEP-FRIED WILD TURKEY
(Courtesy of NWTF)
1 (10-15 lb.) unstuffed wild turkey
5 gallons peanut oil
2 tbsp. Cajun seasoning
1 stick butter or margarine
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

Pour peanut oil into a 10 gallon pot. Put pot on propane cooker and heat oil to 375 degrees. Have turkey completely thawed and dry turkey thoroughly. Tie two cotton strings around the carcass so bird can be easily lifted out of oil. Carefully submerge turkey in oil. Deep fry for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 minutes per pound and cook until turkey floats to the top. Remove bird from oil, and immediately dust heavily with cajun seasoning. Melt butter or margarine, and add to it garlic powder and cayenne, if desired. Brush turkey with butter mixture. Allow to cool 20 to 30 minutes before carving. Yield 12 to 16 servings.

This recipe was sent by Doug Moore (D4hunting)
Chicken Fried Turkey
One skinned, cleaned (without the innards) and de-boned turkey.
Seasoned Salt 1 1/2 teasp.
Black Pepper 1/8 teasp.
Flour 1 cup
Eggs l ea.
Milk 3/4 cup
And oh yea! Honey!

Cut up skinned and de-boned turkey into strips suitable for frying.
Batter: Combine flour, Seasoned salt, and pepper. 
Stir in mixture of egg and milk until well mixed.
Cooking: In large skillet, heat enough oil to cover the bottom to a level of approx. 1/2″. Heat oil to 375 F. Dip turkey pieces into batter (coating evenly). Put a few pieces at a time in hot oil, and fry until brown. Place on towel and allow to drain.  Now the best part! Serve lightly coated with honey!!!
Venison may also be substituted for wild turkey. 

My first priority for a broadhead relates to the the CUT the broadhead produces on the Gobblers I hunt.

A broadhead’s cut is critical. Of course, I want a broadhead that creates a lethal cut. But also, I want a generous cut. I think Big or Very Big is good, and definitely on a wild turkey. A wound from one of those nice flying super small cut broadheads can easily get plugged up with a turkey’s body feathers. if your gobbler flies away you’ll appreciate some blood spots to follow.

How well do your arrows fly with the broadhead on?

You want your arrows to fly smoothly with the broadheads on. Shoot a couple at 10 yards and also at 60-80 yards. Don’t worry about where they hit, you’re looking for smooth arrow flight. Wobbles and pitching up and down are no good. If your arrow wobbles or pitches get a different broadhead.

Then test two arrows, one with your broadhead and one with a field point. And be sure both the broadhead and field point hit alike. Shoot the arrows together and shoot 6 sets. If they fly poorly or do not group tightly get a different broadhead.

How do your arrows group?

Grouping is good. Anything else is unacceptable.

Is the broadhead’s penetration adequate?

Unlike in hunting deer, getting complete penetration isn’t your goal. An accurate shot in the vitals, smooth arrow flight and a big cut are your goals.