Reasonable Turkey Hunting Expectations
Cold overcast winter day.
With a large eprcentage of our memerbs traveling in from out of state much of the inforation we presnet on this website is for those not familar with our area.
An average winter. Our winters on both measures of cold temperatures and snow cover are not the detriment to large turkey flocks as is the case in northern states. Our turkeys remain feeding through the winter, are still with fat come spring and the hens strong to lay high quality eggs.
Turkey hunting reasonable expectations for the new member of what turkey hunting quality he may expect to achieve from Mid-America Hunting Association is a topic we strive to settle before any formal membership application is made.
The steps at developing reasonable turkey hunting expectation is to first examine that which we provide, what we do not provide and how to develop confidence in the former two areas before applying for membership.
What we provide the turkey hunter is private lease land of the right habitat within a productive region of Kansas, Missouri and Iowa, a telephone reservation system that is not restrictive; it is hunter pressure management tool, wild turkeys, a local lodging listing and recommendations of where to hunt.
What we do not provide. We do not post or have feeders. We do not have or allow any type of guided hunt.
All this leaves the self guided hunter to provide his own licensing, transportation, meals, lodging and of course turkey hunting skill. How to prove all of the former remains the last challenge.
What many current members have told us over the years was an effective pre joining research method was to first read our rules. The rules, called conditions of membership, clearly establish the relationship between the hunter and the association. They will also be a good source to develop some questions that may clarify the difference between what the hunter would like to experience and that which we provide.
The next step would be to read some turkey hunter testimonials. There are many on the website and only a few need be read to gain a variety of perspectives of what others found important to their hunt. the assumption is that anyone that takes time to write they only write what was part of their enjoyment of the hunt. Hunter testimonials will also allow for the development of questions that should be designed to fill the void between turkey hunting desires and what MAHA provides.
Take the time to write down all the questions, call us and listen to our answers. If we agree after that conversation that we can work together then we will offer the names and telephone numbers of more long experienced turkey hunter/members than most will take the time to call. The objective to calling these member/references is to ask set questions and gauge the consistency of responses as a measure of what may be expected for that applicants future hunts.
An effective technique to ensure a good evaluation of reference responses is to take all the questions listed from the rules and testimonials along with the MAHA staff answers and narrow them all down to not more than two of the most important to that applicant topics. The value of this is to get to the core of the decision criteria that carry's the most weight and second, not to over extend the good nature of the member/reference. All should remember these references are so due to their good nature and receive nothing for their time. They for the most part are work-a-day folks that in the post work hours seek to unwind and enjoy their families. To interrupt them is permissible, to overextend their courtesy will not gain substantive responses.
In any case of developing reasonable turkey hunting expectations what has not been written here is that the do it yourself turkey hunter of wild turkeys in a fair chase completely natural environment will fill his tag(s). This aspect once we provide the land resource with known turkey populations is completely left to the hunter to complete. And, not all will.
Late Spring Turkey Hunt
A successful late season Missouri hunt. Two for two with the first one being a hunters first spring gobbler.
For those that decide to try a season with us we will offer observations of how the most successful in terms of the most tags filled in the shortest amount of time turkey hunters hunt.
The first is to get recommendations from the two Jo(h)n's of what lease to start the scouting or hunting effort.
Next, pre-season scout or at the very least take the first day to scout before any hunt. A well known, experienced and highly successful waterfowl and turkey hunter, a gentleman that has extra ability at the calling arts, told us the hunt is the day before looking for where the birds are, the second day is a shoot.
Setup, call and decoy hunters are far more successful than run and gunners. Remember the hunter must change tactics to accommodate the terrain and turkey behavior. Our birds feed in crop fields, not acorn or oak patches, our woods are thin not thick like in the north and south USA. Turkeys with their zoom lens eyeball will detect any hunter movement across our open ground.
Take time. The birds are there, the land a plenty, take the time to setup the hunt. It is far more likely the hunter himself rather than any other factor will break a hunt.
Those that report the most exciting/enjoyable hunts have taken the time to first developed a specific locality of leases with roots and typically deer hunt that locality as well. Those that concentrate find more of the golden nugget spots most are blind to on the first trip or two.
After establishing success within one locality the time to expand out to new regions for the added adventure of new terrain and different birds is appropriate. This further develops future options and vacation time flexibility when that next locality is across state lines.
By the time any hunter has two localities with multiple flocks identified then that is about the extent of what should be expected. To have more than that would frequently require taking time away from any other pursuit such as deer hunting and scouting.