FEATHERS & FINS

FEATHERS & FINS

Eleven long months have passed; some were excruciatingly slow. Linger they did, but they are now in the past; thankfully so. Being tomatoless made it even worse. I sure hope that doesn’t happen again; we shall see. Yes, it is finally May and I hope it lasts for six weeks instead of two. The mad May rush is on, get everything done before the heat sets in. It’s time to get your priorities in order turkeys, trout and garden in no particular order. Just doing what seems right for the day is the way to go. Enjoy the month; because it will be a long time, until it arrives again.

I don’t turkey hunt nowadays like I once did. I used to be out there guiding or hunting from mid-March until the end of May. I just have no desire to do that anymore. I do not hunt in the naked cold woods of early season. May is the time for me. I choose to wait until the woods come alive with green leaves, warblers, whip-poor-wills and mature gobbling turkeys. I don’t hunt in the rain, either. Been there, done that, don’t like it and I’m not doing that anymore. Yes, there was a period in my life when I lived to pursue the king of spring. The way the area I live in has been destroyed just leaves me disgusted. It took a lot out of me. Oh, yeah I have other places I really like to hunt but they require travel and time to get to. I still get up every morning during the season. I look at the sky. When I see stars, I go to the woods. If not, back to bed. It works for me, I only need one bird. Half for Thanksgiving, half for Christmas that is enough. I hunt the pleasant days when I enjoy being in the woods. I don’t worry about turkeys, I know one will come; always has and always will. One day in May.

For me; early trout fishing with salmon eggs, Clousers and woolly buggers means one thing; actually two things. When I am able to make myself go, the goal is to put six on the stringer and go do something else. It is a time for restocking the freezer and getting a fish head for each tomato plant. That is it and I do not enjoy it. May is the fun time to be on a trout stream. I really enjoy fishing for trout on dry flies. The period following the April monsoons until the waters dry up is primetime. Nothing I have every found is as relaxing and enjoyable. March Browns, Sulphurs, Green Drakes, Isonychias and Light Cahills are all dependable and can produce constant surface action. Most importantly; it is fun fishing. I may keep a few rainbows for the freezer if I still need more. Brooks and browns go back in.

May, without a doubt is the best time to enjoy and explore the West Virginia Highlands. Get out there and do it before it gets too hot and the streams go dry. You’ll be glad you did. Enjoy May when you can; It’ll be a long time until it shows up again.

This is my article for the May issue of Two-Lane Livin

(c) High Virginia Outdoors Photo (c) High Virginia Images ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WV Electronic Game Checking

Electronic game check comes to West Virginia ahead of the spring gobbler season

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Beginning in April, for the first time, hunters and trappers will be able to check in their game from their phones or computers. The new system takes effect just in time for the 2015 spring gobbler season, which runs from April 27 through May 23. It also applies to youth hunters during the one-day season April 25.
"Those hunters who still like to talk directly to someone about their hunting experiences can stop by one of the approximately 180 official license agents and check in their game," said Division of Natural Resources Director Bob Fala. "However, they no longer have to bring the animal in with them. What doesn't change is that hunters and trappers still have to follow the time, field tagging and transportation restrictions as listed in the regulations."
How electronic game check works
To check game in by phone, hunters and trappers will have to know their unique DNR ID number, which is valid for their lifetime. That number will be printed on the top of the license for those who buy a license each year. Lifetime license holders will need to log in to the system at wvhunt.com to obtain their DNR ID number, which has already been assigned to them. Landowners and those who don't need a license (such as residents under the age of 15, resident hunters who turned 65 before Jan. 1, 2012, and former prisoners of war) can log on to the system and obtain their number. They also can visit a license agent or DNR district office to obtain their number.
Hunters and trappers also can check their game in by computer. Those logging in for the first time can set up an account, get their DNR ID number if they don't have it already, and then check in their game.
When a hunter or trapper has completed the electronic game check process, they will be assigned a 13-digit number that confirms that the game has been checked in properly. That game check confirmation number must be written down on a field tag or a sheet of paper along with the other information required in the regulations.
Benefits of electronic check
Electronic game checking will benefit hunters and trappers in several ways. Hunters can hunt later in the day without worrying about driving around to find an open check station. This will also save hunters time, gas and wear-and-tear on their vehicles. If a hunter has cellphone coverage in the woods, he or she can check the game in over the phone and immediately dress and chill their game, helping to preserve the freshness of the meat.
Although the main reason for the change in the system is to help hunters, electronic game check also will benefit DNR personnel with their wildlife management duties. Biologists will be able to monitor big game kills each day instead of waiting until they have the time to visit hundreds of check stations throughout the state to pick up check tags. Not having to visit the check stations a minimum of three times a year will save the DNR hundreds of hours of personnel time and thousands of dollars in gasoline.
Electronic game check also means DNR personnel won't have to spend hundreds of hours sorting and entering the check tags into the agency's computer system for analysis.
From a law enforcement perspective, a Natural Resources Police Officer will be able to see if the person they are talking with has checked in their game.
The Electronic Game Check System is designed to be more efficient than the hand-written check tag system and more convenient for all concerned. Similar systems have proven successful and popular in other states.
To learn more or to obtain a DNR ID number, visit wvhunt.com or call a DNR office.

**DNR**

Day Three

The rooster crows at 4:35; I get up and step outside.  The wind is blowing and the clouds are rolling in. It would probably be a good idea to go back to bed. But, I'm already awake and it is supposed to rain over the next few days. I don't hunt in the rain anymore. I head out in the darkness, still not real enthused. I park in a favorite spot and listen for a little while. The Whip-poor-wills are not enthused on this morning, either. They sound a little slow. I head up the hill and down a logging road. I find a tree big enough to sit against and clear out a few limbs and briers.

Wood Thrushes, Hooded Warblers and towhees dominate the early morning chorus. The turkeys are silent and so am I. I sit; not making a sound for over an hour. At 6:55, I yelped twice on the slate call. Silence; except for the songbirds. I sit for another fifteen minutes. My left leg is asleep, it is getting windier and I'm ready to go. I stand up and try to get the feeling back in my leg. One gobbles about 70 yards away.

I sit back down, dig out my head-net and gloves. Silence. I yelp once more and he gobbles again. He is closer than before. I put a mouth call in my jaw and wait. Nothing; I call once more, he gobbles and is coming down the road from the same direction that I walked in. Another gobbler is coming behind him. I get shifted around in the direction, punch off the safety and wait. I see movement to my right, in the direction I was originally facing. One head, then two and now five adult gobblers in full strut at twenty yards or less. They are staring directly at me. But, I'm still facing up the logging road where the other two are coming. I know I can't move. I'm stuck. The lead gobbler on the road stops behind a fallen tree top. He is in range, but not in the clear. He is frozen; looking for me. I can still see the other five out of the corner of my eye and they are getting real nervous. A couple are starting to walk in circles, everything is going to be over quickly; if I don't do something.

The gobbler in the road begins to turn and walk away; still obscured by the tree-top. I gamble and cutt loudly. He gobbles and steps out from behind the tree. Game over and the sky is full of flying gobblers. It was a pleasant walk back to the truck on this morning 5/6/2013. Just think, I could have went back to bed and not felt a bit guilty about it.

(c) May 6, 2013 High Virginia Outdoors Photos (c) 3013 High Virginia Images All Rights Reserved

Day Two

May 3, 2013: A few more Whip-poor-wills have showed up and are signing with more vigor this morning. Still no owls to be heard. Sunrise nears and two gobblers sound off; one at 10 and one at 2. I've picked the perfect spot in the dark. Both are within 80 yards and 4 roads meet right in front of me.

I wait for fly-down time. I hear wing beats from the 10 o'clock gobbler and make a single, short fly-down cackle. I hear the other gobbler pitch down. He double gobbles when he hits the ground. The other answers. Perfect, I make a series of yelps and wait. Another double gobble and the bird is closer. I turn slightly and get the old 870 pointed to the intersection. Both birds are now gobbling and moving closer. I think, as I did on Wednesday that this is going to be quick. Suddenly it is silent. More silence follows, a single gobble from the knob across the hollow. Then another single gobble on the same knob, about 200 yards from the first. Something boogered them up again. Living in coyote city must be hard on everything. I sit for a half hour and hear nothing from the turkeys. Oh well, on the bright side; it sounds as if all of the Hooded Warblers arrived last night. Maybe tomorrow.

Images (c) 5-3-2013 High Virginia Images All Rights Reserved

Day One

5/1/13 (c) HVI

There is nothing finer than a May morning in the turkey woods (or what is left of the turkey woods). I have evolved over the years enough to be able to skip the first week of spring gobbler season in West Virginia. You could say that I just don't enjoy the company.

I pulled into one of my favorite spots near home and listened to a Whip-poor-will as I pulled on my boots. the woods began to awaken as I walked up the hill. Towhees and Wood Thrushes dominated the chorus. One turkey gobbled in the distance; then another, still further in another direction.
I stood, enjoying the music and waiting for a nearer gobble. The crows start and there it was, two gobblers about three-hundred yards away. I hurry and settle into a familiar clump of trees. I dig into my turkey vest for the first time this year, head-net, gloves and slate call are actually in the right pockets. I do a fly-down cackle and the woods erupt with gobbles; all are close. Within 200 yards! They get into a gobbling contest with each other. I stay silent until the first one hits the ground; a few yelps on the slate and he is headed my way; quickly.

He double-gobbles at about 80 yards, the others join in. I think; this is going to be quick. I see movement to my right. A coyote head, now a whole blond coyote; headed straight to me. I must have sounded good. He is within thirty yards, I can't turn on him from my location. He gets straight behind me and the wind is in my face. He winds me and heads up the power-line towards the turkeys. All goes silent.

American Redstart (c) HVI

Slowly, the songbirds begin sounding off and within fifteen minutes; all was back to normal. Except for the turkeys. They remained silent. I sat there for about an hour. Nothing. I head on a morel stroll back to my truck. Again, nothing. I reach my truck and get ready to leave. I turn the key and once again; nothing. My fuel pump has decided not to work anymore. Oh well, it was a good morning, this day; 5-01-2013.

Posted by High Virginia Outdoors

Photos (c)5/1/13 High Virginia Images All Rights Reserved

Spring Trophy

I had a couple of hours to spend in the spring gobbler woods, this morning. The whip-poor-wills were very enthusiastic; as I was leaving the truck. The turkeys were silent. I was walking up a small ridge, shortly after daylight and a ruffed grouse flushed; about 4 feet away. There were 7 eggs in the nest. I believe this is the first grouse nest I have ever seen. One interesting note about it was that it was maybe 10 yards away from where I found a woodcock nest last year.
I proceeded to stroll around on some log roads, waiting to hear a gobble. It wasn't going to happen on this day. I walked right into a silent strutting gobbler. Moving to a different area, I found the trophy of the day. Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus ostereatus) are one of my favorites. I usually do not find many of these edibles this early in the season. The spring woods offer many enjoyable bounties for the observant one. I sat for about a half-hour, called a few times and walked back to my vehicle. Of course upon arrival at my truck, I saw several turkeys feeding in an overgrown field; within 50 yards of my vehicle. You have to love May in the spring gobbler woods. The best time of the year.

Posted by High Virginia Outdoors
Photos by High Virginia Images
(c) 2012 All Rights Reserved

A SPRING THING

A SPRING THING

The stars are bright, the air is cold. You stand on a ridge; awaiting daylight. There is silence on the mountain; your mind wanders. Is this frost, or just real cold dew? Stillness, a shiver; a shooting star lights up the sky. In the distance, a barred owl breaks the quiet; who cooks for you, who cooks for you-all. Another one answers from the hollow below. The woods begin to awaken; songbirds tweet and twitter all around. Thinking you heard a distant gobble; you turn to the west, nothing. Geese arise from a distant pond, honking noisily. You think that this racket should make a turkey gobble; as the geese fly over. Silence from the turkeys.

The first flock of crows sounds off and there it is, a gobble; from the hollow below. How far is he? You wait. He gobbles twice more and you now have his roost site pinpointed. You head down the ridgeline, as quickly and quietly as possible. He hasn’t gobbled in a while; you stop and wait. What seems like an eternity in reality is about 5 minutes and he sounds off once more. You think that he is about three hundred yards further down, roosted in a little cove. You find your favorite diaphragm call and place it in your mouth; to loosen it up. The head net and gloves are next; as you travel on.

The woods are getting lighter by the minute and you have closed the distance by half, all is good. Then it happens; deer, those dreaded deer. Four explode from a spicebush thicket; blowing and snorting. They head right through the little cove that the gobbler has roosted in. Dejected, you trudge on and set up on a little flat above the cove. Silence and more silence. You make a few soft tree calls; nothing. The sun has risen, you wait. One minute seems like an hour. Then, you think that you may have just heard a turkey fly down from its roost. You think; but you’re not sure. You make a short fly-down cackle and wait. Nothing. You patiently sit and whatever you are sitting on; seems to be getting bigger and more uncomfortable by the minute. A shrew is determined to go up your leg. You grow impatient and try a series of yelps. Wait ten minutes and do it again. Eight o’clock nears; the gobbler has not announced his presence.

Your legs are asleep and your butt is numb. You think; one more try and I’ll go. You do a loud series of cuts and a gobbler sounds off from the next ridge over. He gobbles again and is headed down the ridge. You need to go down the hollow and get in front of him. Hastily, just gather up all of your junk. You stand and take three steps and there he is the one you’ve been waiting for all morning. He has just ventured out of his little cove and come up on the flat. He takes one step and sails down the mountain. Gone.

What happened; you may ask. Nothing, this is a normal scenario played out morning after morning in the spring turkey woods. You need to remember that the turkeys are just being turkeys; they go about their normal routines and are in no hurry to do so. They sure aren’t bothered by deer. We are the impatient humans. Be patient and be successful.

This article first appeared in Two-Lane Livin

(c) 2011 by High Virginia Outdoors  Photo by High Virginia Images All Rights Reserved

The Last Day of Spring Gobbler Season

Last Day of the Season


The alarm clock sounded at 2:45. The plan was to leave an hour early and get back into the head of a particular hollow in the black dark. Hopefully this tactic wouldn’t spook some turkeys which had been roosted along an access road. The only way in. At 4:50 I awoke. Way too late. I think I may just pass on the mornings hunt. No, maybe I’ll go over to another place. No, I don’t want to deal with the owl hooters and four-wheelers, Maybe I’ll go over on the hill. Hate hunting there. Talking to myself, running options through my head.

In the truck ay 5:05 headed to the original destination; I know that I’ll get there too late. It is a mile or more into the head of the hollow; where I want to be. I hurry up the road and reach the top of the first hill, it is 5:32 and one is gobbling already. I hurry on towards the next ridge. I can hear two other gobblers in the distance, as I close in on the nearest bird. At 5:55 I settle in above the gobbler. It now sounds as if there are two there. Silence, more silence, I yelp softly. They double gobble and are all ready on the ground and headed my way. I yelp a few more times. Silence.

I look down the ridge and here they come; three big gobblers. For some reason, I was expecting jakes. They are closing in fast and I’m in a super uncomfortable spot. Safety off, gun pointed in the right direction, one arm wrapped around a sapling, this spot really sucks. No time to change. Yelp, gobble, boom. It is over; the other two gobblers attack the downed bird. They jump in the air and come down upon their fallen comrade, spurs digging in in fury. One struts around the deceased, the other picks up the dead gobblers head and slams it on a rock. I stand up and everything is once again quiet. I look at my watch, it is 6:26. Two gobblers are gobbling in the distance as I walk back to the truck. A nice way to end the 2011 spring gobbler season. There are good days and bad days; but you will never experience the good ones, if you don’t go.

Posted by High Virginia Outdoors