About a week and a half ago, a friend convinced me to go fishing with him on Cayuga Lake. He had heard reports that April was the time to catch salmon, although he had no idea--nor did I--how to go about catching one. So we hit the public fishing piers. And sure enough, they were full of people fishing for salmon. Little by little, as we fished the piers, we chatted up the local fisherman for information. By our third outing we had the proper set-up (a bobber/minnow combo or a simple bucktail jig). On our forth outing my buddy caught his first salmon ever which he followed closely by catching his second salmon ever. We've been addicted--me more than him--ever since.
Salmon is a delicacy I can't afford, and haven't been able to afford for really long time, on my student budget. So what a treat! We've been addicted--me more than him--ever since. Thus far we've caught a total of six salmon. That's good eatin'. Much better than any turkey. So for now its all about the salmon.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Turned Back
Finally headed up to Connecticut Hills--an 11,000 acre wildlife area roughly 15 minutes from my house--yesterday only to find the roads are still snowed over. Only made it in about two hundred yards before having to turn around. I'm guessing it will be another two weeks or so before the roads clear and I can make it in there to do some scouting, which isn't too troubling since I possess some vague familiarity with the area from hunting this past Fall for deer.
As it turns out, on the way back home my girlfriend and I saw a sign for the Arnot Forest, which is owned by Cornell Plantations and managed as a "working forest," meaning in addition to research it is also actively managed for resource production (timber, maple syrup, mycology, etc). It is part of Cornell's Earn-a-Buck program, which apparently has made some unfavorable changes for 2011, and is one of the few, if not the only, Cornell land holdings where hunting for game other than deer is permissible (I think). You must register with Cornell, which I did this past Fall, to hunt the land and all state laws are still applicable. I still need to do some research but if this land is open to turkey hunting I will likely put some effort into learning its ins and outs. If nothing else, I can hit it on my way back from CHills.
As it turns out, on the way back home my girlfriend and I saw a sign for the Arnot Forest, which is owned by Cornell Plantations and managed as a "working forest," meaning in addition to research it is also actively managed for resource production (timber, maple syrup, mycology, etc). It is part of Cornell's Earn-a-Buck program, which apparently has made some unfavorable changes for 2011, and is one of the few, if not the only, Cornell land holdings where hunting for game other than deer is permissible (I think). You must register with Cornell, which I did this past Fall, to hunt the land and all state laws are still applicable. I still need to do some research but if this land is open to turkey hunting I will likely put some effort into learning its ins and outs. If nothing else, I can hit it on my way back from CHills.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Two Month Checklist
As I previously mentioned, turkey season begins in just about two months. For the seasonal turkey hunting veterans, that's plenty of time to prepare, as they likely already know how to call and possess at least some vague knowledge of where to find turkeys. If you're a newbie like myself two months is not a whole lot of time, and fitting all the pieces together (land ownership, scouting, turkey biology, calling tactics, rules and regulations) can be frustrating enough to make anyone swear off hunting for eternity.
So here is my list:
1) Learn how to produce various turkey sounds using a variety of calls.
2) Learn the fundamentals of turkey calling. What is the function of the cluck? Purr? Yelp? Etc? And when should I employ those sounds in the woods.
3) Find an area to hunt. For me, this will involve doing some internet research on local public hunting areas. I'll likely just draw a thirty mile or so radius around my place of residence (Ithaca, NY) to see how many public hunting areas fall within it and adjust it as necessary.
5) Find maps of the areas and try to narrow down where the turkeys might be, which is to say take a big long guess and cross my fingers.
6) Scout the areas that fall within that thirty mile radius. This step can take an infinite amount of time. Often, just finding routes in and out of the woods can take weeks. Finding turkeys at this stage is probably more a matter of luck.
7) More scouting.
8) More scouting.
9) More scouting.
10) Go hunting.
11) Repeat 7-10 in varying orders.
So here is my list:
1) Learn how to produce various turkey sounds using a variety of calls.
2) Learn the fundamentals of turkey calling. What is the function of the cluck? Purr? Yelp? Etc? And when should I employ those sounds in the woods.
3) Find an area to hunt. For me, this will involve doing some internet research on local public hunting areas. I'll likely just draw a thirty mile or so radius around my place of residence (Ithaca, NY) to see how many public hunting areas fall within it and adjust it as necessary.
5) Find maps of the areas and try to narrow down where the turkeys might be, which is to say take a big long guess and cross my fingers.
6) Scout the areas that fall within that thirty mile radius. This step can take an infinite amount of time. Often, just finding routes in and out of the woods can take weeks. Finding turkeys at this stage is probably more a matter of luck.
7) More scouting.
8) More scouting.
9) More scouting.
10) Go hunting.
11) Repeat 7-10 in varying orders.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Let the Madness Begin
Took my friend to the Gander Mountain store in Binghamton the other day to buy a bow and came home with three new turkey calls. They are the mouth variety that utilizes a small sliver of stretched latex to mimic the high pitch clucks and yelps of the hen (female) turkeys. That same model of call is also used for elk due to the multitude of high pitch sounds produced by elk. The high pitch sound of the call tends to drive non-hunters (such as GF's and family members) a little crazy when practiced indoors. Three years ago, when I was first learning how to use the call in preparation for my first elk hunt, my girlfriend nearly left me. Yeah, seriously, it drove her that crazy.
So the other day, after I returned home from the store, I slipped the turkey call into my mouth and moseyed into the living room where my girlfriend was reading peacefully. When I let out a few clucks, she slowly raised her head, shot me that not-again look coupled with a straight frown, and stated flatly--Let the Madness Begin. Hopefully we're past the point where she would leave me over a simple little annoyance because my turkey calling skills are greatly lacking (I've never called turkey before) and I'll need plenty of practice before the season begins in about two months.
So the other day, after I returned home from the store, I slipped the turkey call into my mouth and moseyed into the living room where my girlfriend was reading peacefully. When I let out a few clucks, she slowly raised her head, shot me that not-again look coupled with a straight frown, and stated flatly--Let the Madness Begin. Hopefully we're past the point where she would leave me over a simple little annoyance because my turkey calling skills are greatly lacking (I've never called turkey before) and I'll need plenty of practice before the season begins in about two months.
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