A day in the life of a turkey hunter
Now this is a nice story to read. It gives you an idea of why we do what we do. It also gives a good description of Turkey Hunting. I know for me my turkey hunting experiences are really just beginning as I just recently finished my first season but, that first time I heard a turkey gobble will be forever etched in my mind.
By: Rick Kratzke
DRESSING FOR THE OCCASION — Because turkeys have very acute senses, it is important to be still and dress in camouflage. ‘A turkey can pinpoint you. If I make a call and there is a turkey around, he knows right where I’m at,’ Hoffman said
ST. MARYS - Walking down a forest road in Highland Township at 5 a.m., turkey hunter John “Hog” Hoffman hoots like an owl, stands poised with his hand cupped over his ear for 20 seconds and continues walking.
He is on the hunt for a gobbler.
Deer, geese, doves - Hoffman hunts just about everything, but he has been hunting turkeys for about 20 years. A modest hunter, Hoffman said while he has bagged a few turkey in his day, his skill is attributed to the time he puts into it.
“It is one of the most exciting things. I think you could kill a turkey if you put the time into it that I do,” Hoffman said. “Turkey hunters are freaks. I get up at 3:30 every morning and march around in the woods. I never miss a day. I always have a saying that the morning you miss was the morning you would have got one.”
Turkey seasons in the area range from the end of April to Memorial Day. With an abundance of state game lands, Hoffman said this area is the place he prefers to hunt.
“They’re one of the prettiest, ugly things I’ve ever seen,” Hoffman said. “Why do people want to do it? Turkey is about a $1.99 a pound for a turkey breast at the grocery store. At $4 a gallon of gas, it isn’t for the eatin’, I’ll tell you that.”
Hoffman said his favorite part of hunting is time spent with friends, and the look on people’s faces when they finally get the much anticipated bird. When the bird is caught, one of the first things a hunter does is cut the beard off.
“The beard is a growth of feathers that come out of the middle of the turkey’s chest. It is a display thing. The bigger the beard, the more excited a hunter gets,” Hoffman said. “They also have spurs on their legs, and supposedly, the length of the spurs has to do with how old the bird is. Spurs can get up to about two inches. I think the record is about two-something. If someone shoots something like that around there, you’re going to hear it.”
As a turkey hunter, Hoffman is very cognizant of time. If someone doesn’t meet him by 4:30 a.m. to roll out to the hunting spot, he won’t wait.
“The turkeys are asleep right now. Some turkeys only gobble right away in the morning. Gobbling is a sign to let a hen know you’re around,” Hoffman said. “The turkey is vulnerable now because they only breed once a year, so if a hen wants him, he’s going to go look and see what she wants.”
Sitting still and camouflaged is a large part of turkey hunting. Once a turkey is found, hunters hope a hen call will elicit a response from the turkey.
“This is what we call ‘working them.’ A turkey can pinpoint you. If I make a call and there is a turkey around, he knows right where I’m at,” Hoffman said. “The crazy thing is there are people who will go out and go to their camp every day and hunt the same bird. You get to know them, know what he does. Then, you can hunt ‘em like that, or you go to different spots and find different birds. Turkeys like it where turkeys are.”
Hog is a mobile hunter. Often he goes out the night before, hooting and hoping for a return gobble. This way he knows where to go the next day.
“If you hear one on the roost, you have an ace in the hole,” Hoffman said.
He also said the nature of a turkey hunter is often enveloped in superstition. For Hoffman, changing up his clothes, call, or wearing a different one of his three hats might change his luck.
“It’s like a softball player in playoffs, if he’s winning he’s not changing his socks or shirt, he’s coming to the game the same way,” Hoffman said. “That’s the way turkey hunters are, if they’re doing good they don’t change their call, their shirts, they just want everything to happen the same way it did yesterday. It might sound stupid, but it makes you feel like something might change.”
Words of encouragement from Hoffman to prospective hunters are to go out in the spring and just try to listen to one.
“If you can get up in the morning, get out there and just try to hear one,” Hoffman said. “When you hear one, you’re going to say “holy cow” and if you don’t, then go home and go back to bed. If it doesn’t hook ya right away, the chances are you won’t get hooked.”
He also warns the public, with a smile, that all turkey hunters are liars.
“We lie about where we’re going because we don’t want someone else to find our spot,” Hoffman said laughing. “And more often than not, people are lying about what they heard and what they didn’t hear, what they used and what they didn’t.”
After a morning of hunting on a week day, Hoffman hops in his car to head back home and get ready for work. On his way through Johnsonburg, he grabs a big cup of coffee, a scratch off lottery ticket and grins from ear-to-ear.
“Look at all we’ve done this morning. Just think, most people aren’t out of bed yet,” Hoffman said. “I’ll admit I’m really glad turkey hunting is over because you need about three days to catch up on your sleep. But after those three days, you’re ready for it to start back up again because you miss it already.”
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October 29th, 2008 at 11:20 pm