After catching up on my sleep and reflecting on the Spring 2011 turkey season, I’ve formed a couple of observations.
First, northern cardinals seem to go with Eastern turkeys like ham goes with eggs. Their ranges are very similar, although cardinals also inhabit Osceola and Rio Grande country, and extend south into Mexico. Cardinals are almost always the first bird to sound off in the morning, acting as a precursor to roost gobbling. It wouldn’t be spring turkey hunting without hearing the redbirds sing at first light.
Second, have you noticed that turkey hunters are very superstitious? I am, at least. Every spring, I wear various camo hats until I kill a bird. That cap then becomes my lucky hat for the spring. Switching to another hat can be disastrous.
Also, you can carry as many shells as you want, provided it’s seven or four. Seven is the best. Four is OK. Six can go either way. That typically indicates you had seven but fired one at a gobbler. If you got the bird, having six shells is great. If not, it stinks.
I’m sure I’ll come up with more random thoughts during the off-season. Maybe I’ll share them, too. After all, fall hunting doesn’t open for another 107 days.
I never noticed that about the Cardinals, called Redbirds here in Mississippi. Maybe I haven’t noticed a relationship between Cardinals and gobblers, because I have long carried a “Grudge” against those red devils because one once caused me to miss out on a big tom. On one my early days afield, I had approached a gobbling tom from a thick swamp, and stopped in the most open area that I could find, which was only a small clearing on a hillside within 60 yards of the gobbling tom. The tom would have to come slightly downhill and get within 15 yards to be seen by me. I called softly and he began coming closer, gobbling ever minute or so as he approached. He last gobbled at 20 yards and about 2 minutes later, I saw a flash of red movement just outside the edge of my glasses to my extreme left. I slowly turned my head until I could focus on the red flash and it turned out to be a Redbird on a slender swinging branch attached to a low bush so I relaxed. Just then, I saw movement back in front of me. When I focused back on that movement, there stood a huge tom right in front of me at about 6 yards and he was giving me the evil eye. I realized my gun was now pointed to the left of him. I froze and time stood still as we stared at each other. After several seconds, he started putting and moving back to cover. I tried to swing my gun into position, but failed to make it before he disappeared into the cover. Although, it has been over thirty-five years, I still remember that evil Redbird with his dastardly deed and those thrilling moments of that face to face stare-down with that big Boss Gobbler that got away.
I am also a little superstitious since I must have my own lucky gobbler hat that was given to me by a nephew in 2004 just prior to a great hunt where I called in a stubborn gobbler for my nephew’s first long-beard.
Seven is the number of shells that I carry. The first shot and second shot are 4-5-7 heavy shot shells and the thrird shot is magnum 4’s. I carry a second set of these same shells and an extra third shot shell. I rarely have to shot more than once, but it has happened a few times over the years when i needed more than one shot to close the deal.
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