Wildlife needs proper habitat to thrive. As with any living creature, this is covered by three basic elements: shelter or cover, food and water. Food plots can provide two of the three basic elements in cover and food. Take a good hard look at your hunting haunts, if you’re lacking in game, you’re probably lacking in habitat. A simple way to help is by simply taking the time to make some wildlife openings and plant them into food plots. Your wildlife will appreciate it and you’ll have more quality hunts in the field.

Next on my list of food plots this year is our chufa patches. Turkey season goes out here Friday, May 1 and we’ll start planting shortly thereafter. If you aren’t familiar with Turkey Gold Chufa, click here. Turkey Gold Chufa is a great way to attract and keep wild turkeys on your property throughout the year.

Turkey Gold Chufa is an agricultural variety of the native nutsedge that matures in 90 to 110 days. Chufa produces underground tubers that turkeys relish. Turkeys begin scratching for chufa during the fall, after the foliage above ground has turned brown. The larger birds will continue to feed on chufa until it’s gone, which is usually late spring.

Chufa does best in areas with long growing seasons. In the South, chufa is planted from April through July; in colder climates, it is planted in April and May. It grows in a variety of soil types, but does best in moderately to well-drained sandy or loam soils.

To place an order or receive a free catalog, call 800-THE-NWTF. The NWTF’s Wildlife Bulletin No. 7 also features more in-depth information on chufa.

No, it’s not dove season already. But it is time to plant our dove fields and food plots. So last weekend I took full advantage of being an NWTF member and bought some very affordable seed for this year’s food plots and dove fields.

I purchased year-old Round Up Ready Corn and some sunflowers through the Conservation Seed Program for a fraction of what it would have cost me to purchase new seed from a feed store. Then, I planted what I hope to turn into a great dove field for this fall. The corn and sunflowers will provide food and cover for many different species of wildlife and will help draw birds into the field for dove season.

As dove season nears, I’ll mow strips of sunflower (after the seed matures) using a rotary mower to make the seed available to the birds. But, I’ll also leave some of the sunflowers standing to create late-winter food supplies for turkeys, dove and quail.

The Conservation Seed Program provides seed for planting for wildlife at a nominal price. As a benefit of your NWTF membership, you can purchase the seed for only a few dollars per bag. The seed is shipped by the tractor-trailer load and is handled through the state chapter system. For additional information on the program, contact your local NWTF chapter president or the NWTF’s conservation department.

Blog Note: Before planting and hunting over such fields, be sure to check both state and federal regulations to ensure your plans fall within legal guidelines. Some states do not permit the manipulation of crops in a manner inconsistent with that area’s standard agricultural practices solely for the purpose of attracting game.

We’ve all heard of a fisherman’s lucky hat. Many deer hunters have a pre-season ritual they never break for fear of a bum season. I have my own turkey hunting traditions that have brought favor to myself and my father when hunting our home farm over the years. I’m not going to share that tradition/superstition with you because it’s proven, and if I do, it might not work the next time.

These last few days of turkey hunting have been particularly tough in the Central Savannah River Region (CSRA) where I live. Not only for me, but for the dozens of guys I work with. I get a daily turkey report about many of my friends’ mornings — and across the board it’s been tough. Birds aren’t gobbling, and if they do it’s a courtesy gobble, then it’s right back to a state of tight-lipped paranoia.

To try to break the bad Voo Doo that seems to be looming over my morning hunts, I reverted to an old superstition. Today, I broke out and wore the set of camouflage I was wearing when I killed my last gobbler. Even to me this act of desperation seems silly. Does a turkey care which set of camo a hunter is wearing? Of course they don’t, but I thought it might give me some good karma.

Didn’t happen. Today’s pre-work expedition produced merely a short-lived fight between the boss hen and me, producing one courtesy gobble from Mr. Thunderchicken, then total silence in the wild turkey woods.

Are you stuck in a turkey hunting funk and reverting to superstitions? Is there a tradition or superstition you go through before a hunt? I’d like to hear about them.

Be safe in the woods, and happy hunting
Brian

Gary Mason, founder of the Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame and Alex Rutledge of Hunter’s Specialties are hosting us in Big Sandy, Tenn. Hunter’s Specialties has been a great partner for years and I’ve worked often with Alex during our National Convention and Sport Show. I’ve also seen him work his wild turkey magic on the stage of the Wild Turkey Bourbon/NWTF Grand National Calling Championships. He’s a top notch NWTF volunteer, competition caller, woodsman and hunter, a good friend and a member of the Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame.

About a month before our National Convention, Gary called and let me know the Legends of the Outdoors Board of Directors had selected NWTF to be awarded the prestigious American Outdoors Organization of the Year. Gary made the official announcement in Nashville during the Thursday Night Welcome Party. This is quite an honor for all of the NWTF’s dedicated volunteers.

The Legends of the Outdoors National Hall of Fame Induction Banquet is August 22, 2009 at the Sheraton Music City in Nashville, Tenn. The Induction Banquet is open to the public, giving individuals the opportunity to meet many present and former inductees of the Legends of the Outdoors National Hall of Fame and a host of outdoor and country music celebrities during the Meet and Greet portion of the event and to witness some of these outdoor icons being honored by their peers.

NWTF member Michael Mason, Gary’s son, put us on some great gobbling actoin this morning and Alex pulled a trio of longbeards into our setup using the HS Ring Zone friction calls and the company’s new Infinity Latex mouth calls. I was able to harvest my first bird of the year and the first I’ve even taken in Tennessee. The Hunter’s Specialties calls sound great and are extremely easy to operate. I even made some gobblers sound off with them this morning.

Stay tuned for more, and as always, let me know how your spring’s unfolding. Happy Hunting,

Brian

Happy Easter afternoon everyone. I just wanted to drop a quick line and let you know that improved wildlife habitat has again played a key role in a hunting success. My friend Harvey was fortunate enough to harvest his first gobbler Saturday morning. There’s nothing more exciting than experiencing someone’s first turkey, to say the least he was ecstatic.

I’ve seen a ton of turkeys this year on our hunting property, in fact, dozens more than the last four years. I attribute the increased turkey population to several land management practices we’ve implemented. During the last three years we’ve burned a third of the property per year and have started using aerial herbicides to kill off unwanted undergrowth the fires didn’t kill. We’ve also enlarged our wildlife openings, or food plots, to create more area where the birds can feel safe while they feed.

Life’s good, hope you’re having a great Easter Sunday and a wonderful spring.

Let me know what’s working for you in the woods, and stay safe.

Brian

I wanted to drop a line to everyone and say Happy Easter, I hope you have an opportunity to enjoy some beautiful spring weather with your family and remember the real reason we celebrate the holiday. It is a great time of year, my favorite!

I leave Monday to visit with my friends Alex Rutledge from Hunter Specialties and Gary Mason with the Legends of the Outdoors in Tennessee.

One thought for everyone, I’ve had a stellar spring and had some really good action and responsive birds at daylight. Dad and I were able to seal the deal opening week in SC, and we called several birds in for Chip’s son Matthew. How has the gobbling action been where you hunt?

Happy Easter everyone

Brian

After a great hunt with my dad on Friday, he and I struck out Saturday morning with my friend Chip and his 9 year old son Matthew on another property Chip has permission to hunt. The birds cooperated fully, well, almost.

At daylight we had a very vocal tom on the limb, but because of topography, had to set up about 200 yards away from him across a long pond. Dad and I were the callers, Chip and Matthew were set up below and in front of us so Matthew could shoot. Matthew killed a jake with his dad last year, and things were looking good for him killing his first longbeard during this hunt. All the bird had to do was walk up the hill, across the dam and he would be within the ethical range of Matthew’s 20 gauge.

Instead of following the script, the big longbeard flew 125 yards across the length of the pond and lit in a tree in front of dad and me. Turkeys just don’t do that (of course, I know they don’t have a script to follow.) After what seemed like an eternity, he flew down. We tried to entice him down to Chip and Matthew, then two more hens flew to him. Meanwhile, while he’s strutting in front of me, a jake walks within 15 yards in front on Matthew and two more jakes walk within 20 yards behind him. Matthew told his dad he wanted to wait on “Big Boy.” He gobbles dozens more times and eventually faded away with his hens.

Simply incredible. But… the kicker for me came on the ride home. Matthew told his mom on the phone that he had seen “the most awsome thing ever.” Priceless. That’s why we get up and take youth hunting. Remember, if you’re a hunter, someone took you on your first hunt and many thereafter. If you’re not a hunter, ask someone to take you. You won’t regret it.