Searching for Turks again.

[Ugly Sauce]

Suddenly, just like that...it was winter. Spent the day on the state land again with the bow, looking for Turk. This is the "Big Meadow", and I saw some on the other side, but that was it. Sent the hen call at them for a while, but they didn't care, and went away. Fall turkey season here until late December, but unlike spring hunting, one just has to walk around and hope to blunder into some. I was excited to get out today in the fresh snow, and read the tales that the tracks had to tell, but it's pretty dead out there. Coyote and one big buck tracks was all I saw. No other hunters had been out since it snowed. I owned the place!!

My weapons of choice, the bow of course and the 1860 Colt. I thought about taking Bess, but was too lazy to load it and re-arrange my hunting/possibles bag. (man-purse?) And, dang it's nice carrying a probably less than one pound bow (maybe a pound including quiver and arrows?) instead of 8.25 pounds of walnut and steel. And powder. And lead. I also switched to my "winter pack" as it holds more stuff. !!! That comes in handy when I want to take extra layers in case I get cold, or more room to put layers I take off if I get too hot, which is usually the case.

Within about twenty minutes of getting dropped off by the wife, I ran into Bruce. Yeah. Bruce the MOOSE. Way too close, he never saw me, and walked from my right to my left only about 50 yards away at most. I had a good head-wind, so he never smelled my rank and rancid B.O. Dang. I never moved a muscle. I did not BLINK! And, he just moseyed on and away. Nice bull, not one of the giant ones, but big enough to stomp me to death.

That was today's hunt. Bruce the Moose says: "thanks for listening".

 

[BigBlue 94]

I did not BLINK! And, he just mooseyed on and away.

There, fixed it for ya!

Sounds like a great day in the woods

 

[Ugly Sauce]

As long as he went on his way.....!

 

[BigBlue 94]

As long as he went on his way.....!

No kidding! Saw my first wild moose a few years ago (Kansas boy) out above winter park. A group of four young bulls. I was able to get out of the van, and take some terrible pics of one not 25 feet away. But unlike those idiots in Yellowstone, i was 15 feet safely above it on a vertical road cut. Sweet Jeebus those things are huge! Im used to horses and cows but dang! So tall!

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Yep even a short moose is tall. We have some giant bulls around, real dark almost black, and real heavy-bodied. Bruce wasn't a giant, but he was more than a couple of years old. I remain leery and careful around moose, last year I blundered into a cow and calf, and she put her head down and started walking towards me. She stopped as soon as I backed up and walked away. We have gone from no moose or elk around here, to lots of moose and elk. You can really tell the difference between who gets hunted, and who don't. The moose are quite calm around humans, our elk are like...wait for it...typical wild elk. Outside of spring and the rut they don't pose a threat, but can be unpredictable, I'd rather not get so close to them.

 

[BigBlue 94]

Yep even a short moose is tall. We have some giant bulls around, real dark almost black, and real heavy-bodied. Bruce wasn't a giant, but he was more than a couple of years old. I remain leery and careful around moose, last year I blundered into a cow and calf, and she put her head down and started walking towards me. She stopped as soon as I backed up and walked away. We have gone from no moose or elk around here, to lots of moose and elk. You can really tell the difference between who gets hunted, and who don't. The moose are quite calm around humans, our elk are like...wait for it...typical wild elk. Outside of spring and the rut they don't pose a threat, but can be unpredictable, I'd rather not get so close to them.

Most certainly! Either could toss us or trample us in half a second. I prefer to give them the respect that they command. Heck even a whitetail can really screw you up!

We obviously dont have moose here on the eastern edge of the prairie, but we do have the occasional elk that wanders in or escapes from the herd at Ft. Riley. And the occasional mountain lion too. I think they follow the Platte river and then the Republican or Delaware. Gotta have that source of water!

We are lousy with turkey. Easterns i think. Idk im not an avid hunter currently. Killed a couple though, and sleep under a 23lb one stuffed in full flight lol. I know the secret to consistently seeing them though, a 1000lb corn feeder set to go off 3 times a day . Ive got a resident flock of 8 and sometimes up to 100 or so.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

How to see turks: drive around an urban area where you can't hunt, or watch the whole darn flock crossing the road when you are not hunting. !

Moose don't worry me much when I have a good powerful rifle or musket, or my .44Mag. When I saw Bruce, I had my bow and 1860 Colt. Arrow would have killed him eventually, after he killed me, and the 1860 would have made him madder I'm afraid. !!!!

 

[BigBlue 94]

How to see turks: drive around an urban area where you can't hunt, or watch the whole darn flock crossing the road when you are not hunting. !

Aint that the truth... My pops worked maintenance for an old folks home a while back. They had a flock of turkey in the yard every day, snatching bugs like they were hired guineas!

 

[Speedo66]

Most certainly! Either could toss us or trample us in half a second. I prefer to give them the respect that they command. Heck even a whitetail can really screw you up!

Yeah,even a whitetail can really screw you up!

 

[BigBlue 94]

Yeah,even a whitetail can really screw you up!

Why do people insist on filming instead of helping!?

But yeah, them hooves are sharp. And animals are a lot stronger than humans. Even a turkey or goose can do good damage.