Author: stoadmin

By Jim Monteleone

I love the outdoors and all its creatures. There are days in the fall when I carry a bow and others when a firearm is the tool of choice. Then there are other days when I carry a Canon. Not a cannon but a Canon. It is a digital camera that offers me the opportunity to shoot quietly and use many of the skills that define success for a hunter.

There is stealth involved and there is a steady hand needed for clear and sharp images. I treat the shutter button much in the same way as I do the trigger on a firearm.

No Limit

The beauty of photography is the many targets we can encounter as well as the absence of a limit, like those that govern hunting with something other than a camera. I choose to hone and refine the skills I have acquired over decades of hunting upland birds, mammals and waterfowl. Now the quarry is as varied as hummingbirds, butterflies, songbirds, reptiles and anything that flies, swims or walks. I have the freedom and the access to creatures of all sizes, and a myriad of places in which to pursue them. I have carried my camera to faraway places like British Columbia one week and to my back yard or a local park the following week.

Developing Patience

“Hunting” with a camera requires the same commitment to scouting, stalking and sometimes remaining motionless for long periods of time. In other scenarios being very quiet and inching your way to within mere feet in order to cut the distances between the lens and the subject is an absolute requirement.

My standard equipment, until recently, has been a Canon T3i with either a 55/200mm or 75/300mm lens. These set ups require a maximum distance somewhere between 5 feet and 35 yards for optimum results. The challenges of capturing really good pictures include learning and knowing the habits and habitat of birds, insects, animals, and reptiles.

Lighting is Key

The use of light is a key component. I generally attempt to keep the sun light behind me and on the subject(s). I also choose to shoot in manual focus even on moving subjects. It takes practice, but the principles of wing shooting have allowed me to overcome the technical difficulties associated with animals and birds with explosive flight and retreat instincts. Allow for a wider frame to capture movement and swing the camera through the action without stopping until the shutter has been activated.

My inspiration for long hours and long walks is the desire to bring vivid images of both simple and exotic creatures in their native habitat to those who appreciate nature. My reward is the expressed appreciation by nature enthusiasts for the images and the funds raised in donations of my photography to events that benefit children’s and veteran’s charities.

There is nothing quite so exciting!

By Tony Young

My interest in hunting the quirky-moving, nervous-acting, but beautifully colored wild turkey was piqued about 15 years ago by an old high school friend and bandmate of mine, Todd Bevis.

Todd’s a turkey-hunting fanatic if I’ve ever seen one, and the excitement in his voice that’s apparent every time he tells a hunting story played a big part in my getting the fever to experience spring turkey hunting.

My former in-laws owned a nice tract of land in northern Franklin County with a half-mile of deep creek frontage on a major tributary of the Apalachicola River. Over the years, I enjoyed deer hunting there and took a few fall turkeys, but bagging a good long-beard in the spring takes a bit more skill.

I was ready to learn how to call in and harvest my first spring gobbler.  All I needed was the know-how, and I figured I could get that from Todd and from watching Saturday and Sunday morning hunting shows on TV.

Todd encouraged me to get a box call because he said it would be the quickest and easiest call for me to learn – and the spring season was approaching fast.

He taught me how to do some basic yelps and a single-note cluck and said if I had birds on the property that had really never been called to before, and – if I could sit still long enough – I just might be able to call one in.

But Todd warned me, “Don’t make the mistake some people do in calling too much. Let ’em know you’re there, but let ’em come to you – less is more.”

With that advice in mind, I set out early opening day. I needed to get there a half-hour before first light so I could set my three decoys in place and get situated.

Sunrise wasn’t until 7:45 a.m., so I had about 30 minutes before the sun’s first rays would begin to illuminate the longleaf pine and palmetto flatwoods I’d be hunting.

It was a brisk north Florida spring morning, but as dawn gave way to late morning I knew the weather would warm up and it wouldn’t take long for those pesky, deep-woods mosquitoes to come out of the swamps and start buzzing around my ears. I quickly sprayed myself down with an ample dose of bug spray.

While carrying a jake and two hen decoys in one hand, I toted my shotgun, camo seat cushion and small flashlight in the other and made my way in the dark down a trail that weaved through a patchwork of saw palmettos toward a spot where I often saw turkeys.

The setup was near one of my favorite deer stands, on a ridge that jutted out between a creek and a ravine. It was where turkeys roosted most every evening amid juniper, tupelo and cypress trees hanging over the water.

Before I could even finish setting up my decoys, the sounds of gobbling echoed in the darkness from the creek bottom below. The strange vocalization of three, maybe four, birds was something I’d never heard, and it fascinated me.

I picked out a large pine tree to lean back against to hide my silhouette. Then I used a pair of hand pruners and began to snip some of the surrounding native vegetation of galberry and titi and used the clippings to construct my make-shift ground blind.

I settled in against the tree – my gun across my legs and my box call in my lap – and the sound of gobbling continued to fill the otherwise quiet predawn.

At 7 a.m. it started to get just light enough to see. As I sat facing the hardwoods of the ravine and creek swamp, I could make out my decoys 10 steps in front of me.

About 15 minutes later, when the visibility was noticeably better, I picked up my box call and made my first yelp to make those gobblers think there was an interested hen nearby.

A reassuring gobble answered me right away!

I was so excited I couldn’t believe it – a gobbler actually had responded, just like on those hunting shows.

“What am I supposed to do now?” I wondered. I remembered Todd telling me not to call any more often than about 15 minutes. So I sat quietly in anticipation for what seemed to be the longest 15 minutes of my life, but when I glanced down at my watch, only five minutes had elapsed. After another five minutes of real time had passed, I couldn’t stand it any longer and made another call.

Another gobble immediately followed, but this time it was louder.

This bird actually was coming to me! My first spring turkey hunt was beginning to play out in textbook fashion.

I sat just as still as I could be for another 10 or 15 minutes and called out for a third time.

The “GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE” reply sounded like it was being screamed into my ears. This Eastern turkey was right on top of me!

I couldn’t see him, but he had to be just out of my sight behind the brushy terrain.

A few moments later, the longbeard stepped out from behind a galberry thicket in full strut, and my heart starting pounding. I couldn’t see its legs because gold, iridescent feathers were covering them, but the bird seemed to glide like an apparition as it cautiously made its way toward the decoys.

The way its head was changing colors from red to blue and back again, and the show this gobbler was putting on, was truly a sight to behold. Now I realized what Todd’s and so many other turkey hunters’ infatuation was all about.

Its instinctive, ritualistic courtship dance was so beautiful I almost didn’t want to end it, but the big tom was getting too close, and I knew I’d better take the shot soon for fear he’d spy me.

The opportunity to raise my 12-gauge pump shotgun came when he went behind a palmetto clump at 12 steps, and I fired just one shot when he stepped out the other side.

What a rush!

It was my first spring gobbler, and it had a 9-inch beard. Now what was so hard about taking a spring turkey, I thought?  After all, it was only 8 a.m., and I already had my then daily bag limit after calling just three times.

But like every turkey hunter knows, spring turkey hunting rarely happens that way. Maybe it was beginner’s luck, but whatever it was –

I have been hooked ever since.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission has adopted innovative conservation tools and strategies, focusing on incentives for private lands and fish/wildlife management.  Strategies may include enhancing partnerships, incentives, and streamlining regulations.  The FWC’s Community Relations Office produces several feature columns each month.  Each column focuses on a specific element of Florida’s fish and wildlife resources or type of outdoor recreation.

To learn more about Florida Hunting and Fishing, visit: http://myfwc.com.

The message from the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism is a message that applies to turkey hunters across the country as turkey seasons open and run for about a month in multiple states at this time of year – Hunt Safely.

The Kansas Spring Turkey Season opened April 12 and is in full swing through May 31.  Reports from the field indicate that birds are plentiful and responding to hunters’ calls.  However, the tradition of spring turkey hunting, where the hunter hides in full camouflage while imitating the call of a hen, requires special safety consideration.

Turkey hunting can be excellent on state wildlife areas, as well as the nearly 250,000 acres of private land enrolled in the Spring Walk-In Hunting Access Program.  Hunters on public land must always assume other hunters are there, too.  Although hunting in Kansas is safer than playing golf, when you consider injuries per 100,000 participants, one tragic hunting-related accident is too many. A few simple precautions can help ensure you or another hunter don’t become a statistic.

First, NEVER wear the colors black, blue or red, the colors prominent on a tom turkey as it displays for a hen.  Set up to call with a good view in front and a tree wider than your shoulders at your back.  A shoulder-width tree to lean against will protect you if another hunter stalks in from behind.  If you see another hunter, whistle or call out; never wave or move, which could draw fire.  Always assume a sound you hear is another hunter, and act accordingly.  Many hunters will wear a fluorescent orange hat or vest when they walk out after hunting, or if they are successful, they may wrap an orange vest around their bird as they carry it out.  Hunting-related accidents during the spring turkey season are rare, but let’s keep it that way.

Another kind of hunter in the woods this time of year is hunting morel mushrooms and reports from the field indicate that hunters are finding them now.  It is legal to pick morels on state and federal public hunting land as long as they are kept for personal consumption.  Mushrooms collected on state and federal lands may not be sold commercially.  Spring Walk-In Hunting Access land is leased for hunting access only.  Morels found incidentally by turkey hunters on WIHA lands may be collected for personal use.  Mushroom hunters should assume they will encounter turkey hunters on public lands, but potential conflict can be minimized by hunting mushrooms mid-day. Most turkey hunters prefer to be in the woods at daybreak and are often calling it a day by mid-morning.

For more information on KDWPT, please visit www.kdwpt.state.ks.us. 

More about the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism: 

KDWPT employs approximately 460 full-time employees in five divisions: Executive Services , Administrative Services , Fisheries and Wildlife , Law Enforcement , Parks and Tourism.

Department History:

• 1905 – Fish and game laws were organized under the Kansas Fish and Game Department and implementation of a state law requiring a license to hunt.
• 1911 – The State Fish and Game Department was placed under the supervision of the University of Kansas Board of Regents
• 1925 – The Fish and Game Department was reorganized as the Kansas Forestry, Fish and Game Commission with three board members appointed by the Governor.
• 1927 – Commission was reorganized and was given approval to organize a warden service. Fishing licenses required of men 18-70.
• 1939 – Commission’s three-member board was abolished by the legislature and replaced by a six-member bipartisan commission appointed by the Governor
• 1943 – Legislature gives the commission full authority to set seasons and dates

• 1955 – The legislature and Gov. Fred Hall create the State Park and Resources Authority.
• 1960 – First Kansas boating laws enacted
• 1987 – Gov. Mike Hayden signs executive order merging the State Park and Resources Authority and Fish and Game Commission to create the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
• 2011 – Gov. Sam Brownback signs executive order moving the Division of Tourism from the Department of Commerce to the newly renamed Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism

• One Way to Meet Mr. Big Deer!
• About the “Tink-Tink” Learning Curve
• Moments of Joy, Moments of Magic 

By Joe McAdams

My son Shawn grew up in an outdoors family.  We hunt, fish, trap shoot and love the outdoors.  When he was 14 years old, he already had 2 years of small game hunting and was proficient with his .22 rifle.  In New York, kids need to turn 12 before it is legal for them touch a firearm, even a bb-gun, but Shawn had been getting “hands-on” exposure to guns and sportsmen as he worked as a “trap kid.”  He then shot trap for 2 years at our local gun club and was now old enough to hunt big game with a bow.

We carefully searched out a bow that would fit Shawn and allow him to use it for a few seasons.  The salesman assured us that although it was a “junior” bow, it was more than capable of putting down a deer.  We practiced all summer with his new bow, attending as many 3D archery events as we could.  The last 3D shoot of the summer was a 30-target event.  The final target was a standing black bear at the far end of a pond – it was a 50-yard shot over water.  I asked him if he wanted to try the shot and without hesitation, he drew back and let the arrow fly.  It found its mark in the bear.  He was ready.

On opening weekend, Shawn and I made our way to our favorite hunting spot.  We were in before daylight and I set him up in his ground blind, then made my way to my tree stand.  We kept in contact over walkie-talkies and waited patiently.  Shawn is a VERY patient hunter, willing to sit quietly for a long time – something he learned while squirrel hunting.  I was the first to break silence and suggested we make our way out for an early lunch.  After I descended from my tree stand, I heard Shawn over the walkie-talkie “dad, dad!  There’s a buck heading your way and he’s coming up behind you.”

I spun around and sure enough – there he was, a beautiful 6-point buck!  There was no time to get back into the tree stand, so I took my shot from the ground.  The hit was solid and into his lungs.  We tracked and located the buck and high-fived each other celebrating the success.  I promised to help Shawn get his deer the next weekend.  It had been a great and unforgettable day.

Shawn was up earlier than usual for hunting this Saturday.  I knew he was particularly excited about our hunting trip this weekend – since this was going to be his hunt and he knew I was going to help him get his deer.

Once again, we were in the woods before daylight and I made sure he was all set in his ground blind.  This time, I didn’t get into my stand.  I told Shawn I would make my way to the top of the ridge in hope of pushing something his way.  Slowly and quietly I made my way to the top.  I found a comfortable spot to sit in the goldenrod field until daybreak and waited.

I was awakened by the sound of Shawn calling me in my earphones.  “Dad, dad.  Are you there?  You’re supposed to push for me.”  After assuring him I only dozed off for a minute and was up to the task, I stood up stretching and came face to face with a massive 12-point buck.  He was less than 20 yards away and turned suddenly and with a mighty leap, headed down the ridge – right towards Shawn!  I immediately called to Shawn on the walkie-talkie and told him “oh my God – there’s a huge buck heading your way!”  I saw Shawn starting to peer over the top of the blind and knew that the buck would make him out if I didn’t think of something quick.  I dropped my bow and started whistling and shouting at the buck – waving my arms frantically.  The buck stopped dead in his tracks and turned towards me.  He was 30-35 yards from Shawn facing broadside.  It was perfect!  This was an easy shot for Shawn.

I watched as Shawn rose to a stand and drew back his bow – all the while the buck was still watching me waving my arms and shouting.  Shawn seemed to take forever – and then the buck bolted and headed down a ravine.  I ran down from the ridge as fast as I could – straight to Shawn to find out what happened.  When I got there, he was sitting on the ground and he had tear streaks on his cheeks.  I asked “what happened and why are you sitting on the ground?”

He looked up and said “my knees got all wobbly” with a few more tears.  He told me that when he drew back his arrow he was so excited that he overdrew the arrowhead into the riser and knocked it off the arrow-rest.  He tried hard to rock the arrow back onto the arrow-rest by moving around, but only succeeded in knocking the arrow off the bow completely.  When the buck heard the ‘tink-tink’ of the arrow dropping off the bow, he turned and quickly made his way to safety down a ravine.

Shawn refused to give up the hunt for the day – and was unusually quiet over the walkie-talkie.  We didn’t take any breaks and stayed until dusk.  By the time we were packed up and on the way home, Shawn had quickly recovered from the experience.  Our entire ride home was buzzing with excitement about that monster buck and our return to hunt the next weekend.

The destiny of the weeks and years that followed have been an ultimate gift for the both of us.  With every hunt we never stop looking for the luck of the unchangeable big buck – he will remain in our memory for all time.  We understand what good fortune means from those countless years ago, in 1999, when we first went hunting big game together with archery gear.

A friend to hunting and archery, Fred Bear once said, “I come home with an honestly earned feeling that something good has taken place.  It makes no difference whether I got anything, it has to do with how the day was spent.”

Priceless moments are never forgotten.