The value of unguided turkey hunts.
"...I learned how to hunt turkey on Mid-America land and I am now the proud owner of the 7th largest typical turkey taken in Kansas. I received a small plaque from the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks congratulating me on my accomplishment..." Bill Hass 2002 (now long surpassed)
Another, Steve Miller 2007 #2
Co. |
Year |
Score |
# |
Spurs Score |
Beard Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AT |
2007, spring |
87 5/8 |
25 5/8 |
35 0/8 |
27 0/8 |
Unguided turkey hunts are a bit different than our other unguided hunts. Our turkey hunts are distinctive in terms of the most payback and redundancy from scouting.
Payback is best shown when scouting getting eyes on a flock, tracking that flock from first identification to roost, roost to flydown and then pick one or more spots for a flydown ambush or set up and call location for later in the day.
Redundancy comes from most will in short order have scouted more than one flock.
The Association staff will start this effort through recommendations to the Association hunter of where to begin his scouting effort. These ideas are based on year round turkey sightings plus landowner feedback and not necessarily spring turkey movement patterns. No small matter as most unguided turkey hunts are spring season hunts.
So it comes down to the most effort is on scouting. The next facet is scouting by glassing from a distance due to our open, agricultural land turkey hunting or that area with the best food produces the best toms. Unguided turkey hunts can be made anywhere. Having a turkey hunt in an area where the hunter can be selective of the tom he wants to harvest is another matter. No other description better illustrates the value of hunting through this Association than any other. It is the idea the unguided hunter makes his own hunts.
Our unguided turkey hunts offer flexibility of one to five spring season tags in one to three states covering a six week spring season. Add to that the hunter employs his own techniques, on his schedule and for as many days as he has time he wants to spend. The typical evolution of Association unguided hunters is split between the new to the Association hunter and that of the long term member.
The new to the Association unguided hunter seeks his spring turkey hunts to be a turkey hunt as much as and frequently more of a deer scouting trip. Once that hunter feels secure in having multiple deer hunting spots well scouted and usually by the third spring turkey season that hunter then the spring trips evolves into more of a turkey hunt than deer scouting with more spring tags being filled. The next step is the turkey hunter that seeks in one spring to fill all five available tags. This self competition continues with filling all five tags in as short of a time as possible with the ultimate goal, five tags, five toms on one trip. After that achievement the turkey hunter seasons into being more selective of the toms he harvests letting lesser toms walk while trying to bring into range that one or two toms each flock seems to have of the mature, longer bearded, heavier body bird. By this time this hunter has turned into a long term member or the turkey hunter that now gains more tranquility from the hunt and that being the prime desire over that of having to fill all tags.
This is the value of the unguided turkey hunt. Gaining satisfaction of a good hunt measured by other than the number of tags filled, based on the quality of any tom harvested or just too tough to bring in.