whats the turkey hunting like in bc??

[ROEBUCK]

what are the numbers like?
is there many opertunaties in crown land or is it mainly on private land?
what subspecies are the bc turkeys?
are they white meat or red meat,do they taste simmilar to domestic turkeys?
tell us about turkeys in bc!!

[gary murray]

We do have turkeys on crown land. I tried for them over in Rock Creek this year but no success. The man that will be able to help you with all your answers is huntwriter. He teaches turkey hunting and calling seminars and knows these birds. I just answered to let you know that they do have them on crown land around here in region 8 and other regions.

[Brew]

I have had a couple chances with them in rock creek but I need to practice my calling i think. Lots of people say you need to go farther east for a better chance at them. I used to see lots in cranbrook a few years back. I have heard good thing from creston and kimberly also.

[dave_83golf]

Huntwriter eh. Im interested in this aswell. Is there a contact for him/his business?

[Hank Hunter]

He is on this site, and I am sure will read this and respond. He is a very helpful person.

[300H&H]

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee29/dorf007/CIMG1390-1.jpg

No turkeys left here...I shot them all.
This was from this year.
Took 4 hours to bring him in.

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee29/dorf007/CIMG0450.jpg

This was my first tom.
20lbs
9 5/8 beard
3/4" spurs

They are a lot of fun but do require work.
The closest I can compare them to would be elk.
Both are very vocal.

[ROEBUCK]

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee29/dorf007/CIMG1390-1.jpg

No turkeys left here...I shot them all.
This was from this year.
Took 4 hours to bring him in.

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee29/dorf007/CIMG0450.jpg

This was my first tom.
20lbs
9 5/8 beard
3/4" spurs

They are a lot of fun but do require work.
The closest I can compare them to would be elk.
Both are very vocal.


that looks a fine bird, conrats

did it taste like a dom turkey??
What type of turkey is it??

[300H&H]

Roebuck, here in BC we have Mirriam turkeys. They (to me) taste just like your Christmas turkey. The difference is they are a bit tougher. I tried to eat the legs but had better luck chewing thru a stick. They run everywhere. It seems the only time they fly is to and from the roost and to escape danger. I just take the breasts, save the beard/spurs/tail.
This is a good site to visit but watch out some of those Amereicans are "nutz" :wink:
http://www.turkeyandturkeyhunting.com/GeneralMenu/
If you want to hunt them start now so you can learn to call by opening day. A slate call has worked best for me. I use different strikers to sound like different hens. Box calls work well also. Ive not been able to master the mouth call but this call will get you more birds faster.

[ROEBUCK]

that makes sense!

i can imagine a mature tom being tough!!

a jake would probably make a better eating bird!

[huntwriter]

what are the numbers like?
According to my information the numbers are good and climbing.

is there many opertunaties in crown land or is it mainly on private land?
There are good opportunities in region 8 along the USA border. Turkeys also enter slowly into region 3. The best hunting is on private land because these birds have not yet been made call shy. Crown land can be good too provided you know the animals habits, behaviors and be an expert caller.
Everything being equal the most important aspect of turkey hunting success is calling. Unlike other game a turkey cannot be stalked. There eyesight is par none in the animal kingdom.

Calling:
A beginner should own at least two turkey calls. This would be a glass or slate call and box call. The most important calls for a beginner to learn are the yelp, purr and cluck. It is not important how many sounds you can make but it is very important to make them perfect. Knowing when to call and when to shut up. Knowing where to set up and at what time to call.

what subspecies are the bc turkeys?
Merriam. This is not the heaviest subspecies but sure is the prettiest of all. There is also a small number of eastern wild turkeys entering the Lower Mainland from a flock that has been released a few years ago south of the border.

are they white meat or red meat,do they taste simmilar to domestic turkeys?
tell us about turkeys in bc!!
Turkey meat is white and red. The taste of the meat varies. A turkey from Florida tastes different then one from Illinois and a BC tom tastes different again. Even within a region turkeys taste different depending on their diet, i.e. woodland food source or agricultural food source. Age also plays a part in the taste and so does health condition.

Not trying to advertise but here a few links that will help you out.
Wild Turkey Fever (http://wildturkeyfever.blogspot.com/)
Othmar Vohringer Outdoors Articles (http://www.othmarvohringer.com/article_index.html)

Last year I gave several course and seminars through local Fish and Game Clubs. It was such a great hit that will continue this year and expanded on it here (http://www.othmarvohringer.com/classes.html#turkey).

Ask anything you want to about turkey and hunting them and I will answer to the best of my knowledge.

[ROEBUCK]

According to my information the numbers are good and climbing.

There are good opportunities in region 8 along the USA border. Turkeys also enter slowly into region 3. The best hunting is on private land because these birds have not yet been made call shy. Crown land can be good too provided you know the animals habits, behaviors and be an expert caller.
Everything being equal the most important aspect of turkey hunting success is calling. Unlike other game a turkey cannot be stalked. There eyesight is par none in the animal kingdom.

Calling:
A beginner should own at least two turkey calls. This would be a glass or slate call and box call. The most important calls for a beginner to learn are the yelp, purr and cluck. It is not important how many sounds you can make but it is very important to make them perfect. Knowing when to call and when to shut up. Knowing where to set up and at what time to call.

Merriam. This is not the heaviest subspecies but sure is the prettiest of all. There is also a small number of eastern wild turkeys entering the Lower Mainland from a flock that has been released a few years ago south of the border.

Turkey meat is white and red. The taste of the meat varies. A turkey from Florida tastes different then one from Illinois and a BC tom tastes different again. Even within a region turkeys taste different depending on their diet, i.e. woodland food source or agricultural food source. Age also plays a part in the taste and so does health condition.

Not trying to advertise but here a few links that will help you out.
Wild Turkey Fever (http://wildturkeyfever.blogspot.com/)
Othmar Vohringer Outdoors Articles (http://www.othmarvohringer.com/article_index.html)

Last year I gave several course and seminars through local Fish and Game Clubs. It was such a great hit that will continue this year and expanded on it here (http://www.othmarvohringer.com/classes.html#turkey).

Ask anything you want to about turkey and hunting them and I will answer to the best of my knowledge.

thank you very much huntwriter!!

that helps a lot!!

im gona buy a box call and a slate call!

has anyone ever hunted them over gundogs??

[darrin6109]

i went turkey hinting last spring and found that most of the turkeys seemed to be on private land and a lot of the owners treated them like their pets.

[ROEBUCK]

when is the best time to call, morning or evening??

do you call in the spring and the fall??

[Gateholio]

Where did the turkeys in BC come from?

[7mag700]

Where did the turkeys in BC come from?

...eggs.

7m7

[huntwriter]

thank you very much huntwriter!!

that helps a lot!!

im gona buy a box call and a slate call!

You’re very welcome. The choice of calls is perfect for a novice turkey hunter and standard equipment in any turkey hunters arsenal. The most important aspect of calling is to get it right. Sounding almost like a turkey is just not good enough.

I have said that four years ago and some hunters responded that they made a turkey sound and the gobbler cam running. I said then. “Wait a year or two when the birds have smarten up.” The last two years hunters complain that the turkeys don’t respond to calling. A turkey knows what he supposed to sound like. Turkeys also know what each sound means. It’s their way of communicating. Using the wrong call, calling at the wrong time, saying the wrong "words", not knowing when to be aggressive and when to be submissive or shut up will tell a turkey that the caller is fake.

Turkeys that have been hunted for a season or two are without a doubt the most challenging critters. Turkeys have everything going in their favour. If they would smell as well as a deer can it would be next to impossible to hunt them.


has anyone ever hunted them over gundogs??

Where legal turkeys can be hunted very successful with dogs. However, only in the fall as tactics radically change from those in the spring. Sorry I have no how-to-article on the Internet of fall hunting tactics, only fall hunting tips on my website (http://www.othmarvohringer.com/hunting_tips/articles/Scatter_a_Turkey_Flock_and_Score.html). Plus there are a view fall hunting tips on my Wild Turkey Fever (http://wildturkeyfever.blogspot.com/search/label/Hunting%20Tips-Fall) website.


when is the best time to call, morning or evening??

do you call in the spring and the fall??

As I pointed out above in the fall tactics change radically and calling works not as well as in the spring. The best times for calling is in the spring are right at daybreak until about 10 to 11 am. and then again at about 4 pm until sundown. However, in the afternoon it is nowhere near as effective as in the morning.


Where did the turkeys in BC come from?

Most of the birds crossed the borders from the USA. Some birds have been realised on private land with the blessing of the government. There have been rumours for quite some time, spread by those that hate turkeys, that the birds have been released illegally, which is not true. The National Wild Turkey Federation does not engage in illegal release activity. All the birds released are from wild flocks, not hatchery raised as often assumed.

[Gateholio]

Do they compete with other upland for food sources?

[huntwriter]

Do they compete with other upland for food sources?

The short answer to that is no. Here in BC the turkey population is not yet big enough to register any completion. Due to the vastness of our land and the predator population it is considered unlikely that turkeys will reach population numbers that could become a problem for other upland birds.

Having said that. There are areas in BC where turkeys "raid" farm crop land. This is not so much due to over population as to easy access to preferred food sources.

In fact I am aware of only one study where turkeys compete with pheasants. This is a predominantly agricultural (dairy cattle) area in Illinois. Both the turkeys and pheasants are overpopulated due to a lack of coyotes (all shot to protect dairy cows and their calves) and restricted hunting access.

On the note of darrin6109 comment that many landowners regard turkey as pets and wont let hunters on their land. Turkeys have a ferocious appetite for protein. Grubs, small mice, small snakes, grasshoppers and many other insects are a favorite on the turkeys menu. If you have turkeys on your property you do not need pesticides.

Of course turkeys also love corn, beans, berries, fallen fruit, grapes and other agricultural crops, and that sometimes gets them in trouble with landowners. Find a farm that suffers a turkey "problem" and you likely will get permission to hunt.

[Gateholio]

The reason I was asking was because a few years ago, there was some coffee shop talk about some being relocated to this area, and I wondered if they would out compete the native grouse.

Nothing ever seemed to come of the relocation scheme, though.:tongue:

[Darksith]

when elk hunting I see long lines of turkeys running across the road. How do you tell the males from the females?

[gary murray]

Hey Othmar. You forgot to mention Youtube. Remember how we met lol?

[huntwriter]

when elk hunting I see long lines of turkeys running across the road. How do you tell the males from the females?

As you can see on this picture hens are more of a subdued earth color than toms. These are Eastern Wild Turkey, but the difference of male and female is the same in all subspecies. I took this picture on a farm in Missouri that was part of my turkey hunting guiding operation.

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g221/huntwriter/Turkey/Feb_19_Turkeys_023.jpg

The birds you have seen crossing the roads are most likely hens. Hens form flocks from 6 up to 60 birds, whereas toms usually form groups of 5 to six birds.

I took this picture in Illinois on a farm I leased as part of my turkey and deer guiding operation. The total hen flock had over 70 birds.

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g221/huntwriter/Turkey/wild_turkey_flock.jpg

This is what the Merriam's we have in BC looks like.

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g221/huntwriter/Turkey/merriam.jpg

[huntwriter]

Hey Othmar. You forgot to mention Youtube. Remember how we met lol?

You got me lost a bit. Memory is not what it used to be.:mrgreen: YouTube what? Where did we meet? Was that on a turkey seminar? PM me your real name and location and I'll remember.

No offense intended. I know quite a few people personally from this forum but only remember them by their real names. Give me a hint.

[huntwriter]

Nothing ever seemed to come of the relocation scheme, though.:tongue:

It's quite an operation to relocate turkeys and expensive too.
A. You have to find the proper habitat.
B. Find a landowner willing to play "foster parent" for a flock of turkeys
C. Get permission from the government.
D. Capture wild turkeys from an area where they have a surplus. Hatchery releases have been tried in the mid 80's in America but they did not well adapt to the habitat and soon died off.

[gary murray]

You got me lost a bit. Memory is not what it used to be.:mrgreen: YouTube what? Where did we meet? Was that on a turkey seminar? PM me your real name and location and I'll remember.

No offense intended. I know quite a few people personally from this forum but only remember them by their real names. Give me a hint.
Someone was asking for advice on turkey hunting and i had suggested Youtube to get started which you strongly disagreed with by using a rolling eyes emote. I ended up PMing you asking for advice as i was heading over to Rock Creek to try.

[huntwriter]

Someone was asking for advice on turkey hunting and i had suggested Youtube to get started which you strongly disagreed with by using a rolling eyes emote. I ended up PMing you asking for advice as i was heading over to Rock Creek to try.

Now the bells are ringing all over the place.:mrgreen: Did you ever go and try to get a turkey?

[gary murray]

Now the bells are ringing all over the place.:mrgreen: Did you ever go and try to get a turkey?
Yes i tried with no success. However when i was on my way home there were 5 of them standing in the middle of the road around that hair pin turn going up the hill out of Rock Creek towards Osoyoos.

[huntwriter]

However when i was on my way home there were 5 of them standing in the middle of the road around that hair pin turn going up the hill out of Rock Creek towards Osoyoos.

It often happens that way. Whenever I see turkeys in the middle of the road on my way home I could swear I see their tongue sticking out.:mrgreen: Hope you have better luck next year.

[mark]

I couldnt even spell tercee 4 years ago when they opened up. bought a box call, and bagged a tom 3 years in a row all on crown land!

http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=21604

http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=11788

[bighornbob]

I couldnt even spell tercee 4 years ago when they opened up. bought a box call, and bagged a tom 3 years in a row all on crown land!

http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=21604

http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=11788

What happened this year???

BHB

[huntwriter]

What happened this year???

BHB

Turkeys got smarter. :mrgreen:

[mark]

What happened this year???

BHB


Turkeys got smarter. :mrgreen:

Actually guys, I was in the middle of moving right near opening day!
I only made it out for 1 day and the wife was to do the shooting, had 2 close calls but it didnt come together! :neutral: