Firstly, my sympathies on the losses of your dear family members. Time may not always heal the wounds of such a loss- I can still close my eyes and picture my best two buddies from HS- both are buried in Arlington and their names are on the Black Wall in DC. I was one of the lucky ones-
I am an avid waterfowler, tried turkey hunting last April with a private land senior license here in MI-and got "beginner's luck" took a Jake with a head shot at 35 paces mid-morning 19th of April 2010. He and two hens walked right up to my "hide" and I used my tight choked 12 LC Smith 32" F&F- No. 6 paper Rem express in both tubes- he never knew what hit him-- here are some reasons why I 'got lucky" at least, IMO-if they help you, well enuf!
(1) I have been waterfowling and shooting woodchucks, crows and pigeons on that private farm for 25 years, know every square inch of the land.
(2) I had scouted for several days, when scoping the fields for woodchucks, and had seen turkeys in a going to water pattern from the picked corn fields and the hard woods- remember, oaks mean- deer, turkeys, squirrels and wood ducks!
I got their early and was in full camo- like I use for crow shooting- the old sniper's mantra- No rattle, No shine- also-- "every deer thinks a hunter not moving is a stump-- every turkey thinks every stump in the woods is a hidden hunter- their eyesight and depth perception/sense of motion is akin to Superman's X-ray vision-- have your shotgun positioned where you expect the bird to come from, less motion, better- and remove any sling when you get to your hide-out, so it won't catch in the brush at a critical moment of truth.
(3) pattern your gun and know it like a soldier knows his rifle- if the safety catch clicks, get that silenced before you go out. If you shoot a choke tubed gun, make sure the choke of your choice is solidly in place in the muzzle-
(4) If you don't know how to call- Don't- I call very little for waterfowl, none at all for turkeys- I hunt like a sniper- 100% concealment, 100% confidence in my choice of weapon and knowlege of its killing range and patterning potential-
Lastly, I am also an avid pistolman- mainly Colts- both wheelies and the great 1911-A-1 .45 ACP. I have a "Statie" for a close neighbor, so I get to shoot on their qual course several times a year by invite-
Hello Dee-enjoy your postings greatly!
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