spring stratigies

[mark hay]

mornin' all ,
the wing is right at the top of the list of the most DEADLY calls in my opinion. having pulled in gobblers with no other sound than fourstrokin' with the wing. i am convinced it makes a more realistic scratching sound than a stick or the hand , though i know they will work.
it weighs nothing at all and mine stays in the game bag in my vest or in warmer weather i stuff it inside my outside shirt.
they are to be used with caution as others have noted ,,,specially on public land.
i make a boot of 2 pieces of leather and lace it up along the outer edges and weave the lacing in and out through the quills to hold it all together . it'll last the season and can easily be replaced with a new one in just minutes.
one quick slice of the knife and then put the flesh and fatty end in some ordinary table salt to cure it,,,,,it'll cure in a few days in warm temps.
hope this will be some help to someone . i don't hit the woods without my wing.

[JPH]

ORIGINAL: mark hay

the wing is right at the top of the list of the most DEADLY calls in my opinion. having pulled in gobblers with no other sound than fourstrokin' with the wing. i am convinced it makes a more realistic scratching sound than a stick or the hand

You know, I've never used one. I think I may need to change that.

I knew I came here for a reason. Just took me a while to figure out what that reason was. [:D]

[turkeydoghunter]

hay....try the last section of a gobbler wing(some states dont allow fall hunting).....you dont have to cure it there aint no meat....you can trimm it alittle (but not to much) and the stiff primary feathers sound better when scatching....also you dont need to rig it with leather ....and (hate to admitt it )silvestris is right a fresh limp one works and sounds better than a dry one replace em as you kill em ....or deep freeze em .....[;)]

[mark hay]

tdog hunter,
i do use the primary portion or lower wing as traditional archery would word it. it makes a perty good racket as is. i like the leather ,,,keeps the oil , and fatty tissue/residue from getting all over everything.
my way or yours,,,i think it's still a real fooler ,,,specially on those ''deffective social gene'' birds.

[turkeydoghunter]

mark you hit the nail on the head they make a big difference .....it s a old school tactact....seldom used .....do you use it in the fall???? i do.... thd

[mark hay]

yes i use it quite a bit both spring and fall. fly down, fightin' purr and wing slappin',,,but in my experience, to sneak into an area that a known gobbler uses , let the woods return to normal for a while and start scratchin' & purrin' faintly,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,DEADLY.
i like to back up to a big log or tree top thats fallen at the edge of a thicket,,,for my safety and to force the bird around the thicket into my gun. late spring and early fall in ohio is usually best as there is better cover with the  leaves on the under brush.

[turkeydoghunter]

yeah man that sounds sneaky....when i have a bird thats playing hard to get i play hard to get and do a lot of scatching with the wing and alittle feeding and confidence calling ......turkeys are like people they like a fight so i also wing slap and do fighting purrs.....mark have you used the wing when roosting at dusk????

[mark hay]

no ,,,not yet anyway. there are times that i do stay in the woods until last light , but not too often. my schedule,,,or RUT,,, has me nearly braindead by sundown, and to tell the truth , i've never thought of using the wing at that time,,,,,,what a bonehead!

[turkeydoghunter]

well in new york and penn. spring time ...i use it when roosting gobblers .....if i locate a roosted bird i will look for my mourning set up then i will.do a fly up cackle with the wing......think about it..... the gobbler sure will and he knows theres a hen that flew up and when i set up in the mouning i have a good chance of killing that bird not to mention knowing theres a bird roosted in the area and having my spot allready picked out . [:D]

[swpatrkyhunter]

Best i can tell you is to scout your hunting areas and learn about the birds you will be hunting. Know the lay of the land,Roosting areas, strut zones, feeding areas, water sources, etc..... Basically. Do your homework. Even the pros will tell you that there is always something to learn about this sport.Each bird is different and will react to things diferently. What spooks one bird might not bother another. You have to learn how to adjust your calling, setups and the use of decoys. As well as many other things like the weather, willeffect the birds you hunt and how you should hunt them.