Outdoors In the Green Hills Area

It’s Turkey Time
by Jeff Berti
Grundy County Conservation Agent
Monday, April 16, marks the opening of spring turkey season in Missouri. The regulations have remained the same as last year, so I won’t spend any time repeating the same things over again. If you need to refresh your memory, pick up a copy of the Spring Turkey Hunting Digest from any permit vendor. With that being said, I would like to use the remaining portion of this article to talk about something that many hunters take for granted; turkey hunting safety.
Any hunting accident is tragic. The irony is that almost all hunting accidents can be avoided. Every hunter must have safety on his or her mind, first and foremost. From the time that a hunter takes the gun out of the gun cabinet to the time that they put it away, they should be thinking safety.
One safety problem stems from people who want to get a turkey so badly that they risk making a mistake. They feel 90 percent sure that what they are about to shoot is a gobbler, so they shoot before they positively identify their target. Hunters must think before they pull the trigger. Once the trigger is pulled, the hunter cannot call the shot back. The decision has been made; just make sure it is the right one. No turkey is worth a human life or injury.
Carefully select the colors that you wear in the woods during turkey season. Studies conducted during deer seasons have proved that wearing hunter orange reduces accidents in the field. However, turkey hunters have ignored wearing hunter orange because they believe turkeys can see it. If you choose not to wear hunter orange while working a gobbler, at least wear it when entering or exiting the woods.
Colors that should never be worn in the turkey woods are red, white, blue and black. Hunters may associate these colors with a gobbler. Black looks like the body of the bird, while red, white and blue are all colors that a gobbler’s head can be at a given time.
The most common type of spring turkey hunting accident is one in which the victim was mistaken for a turkey. Usually the victim was wearing camouflage improperly or wearing the “dangerous” colors of a turkey. Regardless of the circumstances, however, the shooter is responsible for identifying their target before shooting. Remember, shouldering your gun, aiming it at something, and pulling the trigger is a deliberate act, not an “accident.”
If you are lucky enough to call a bird to your location, try not to get too excited. When the bird appears, first identify it as a legal turkey (one with a visible beard). Look past the turkey before you pull the trigger. Make sure you have a safe backstop or a clear view of what is beyond the turkey. Carefully release the safety on the gun and shoot.
Once you have harvested the turkey, make sure it has finished flopping before you approach it. The spurs on an adult turkey are sharp, and can cause severe damage when “ripping” at your flesh.
Once you have the bird in hand, wrap him in a blaze orange cloth or bag. Never carry a turkey out of the woods without some kind of hunter orange on the bird. Many people make the mistake of carrying a bird over their shoulder, covering the hunter orange that they may be wearing. A hunter carrying an “un-wrapped” bird is asking for trouble. The freshly harvested bird is limp, causing the wings to flap and the tail feathers to fan out. This, combined with the sound of the hunter walking in the leaves, adds up to an extremely dangerous situation.
These hunting tips are not regulations, they are merely suggestions. The Department of Conservation wishes you a safe and enjoyable hunt. If you follow these simple safety tips, your hunting will be safer and more enjoyable. Ethical behavior, coupled with hunter awareness is the key to the safe pursuit of the most majestic of all game birds, the wild turkey. Hunt safely and pass on the tradition.