Rio Grande Turkey Hunting

Weather

Weather affects turkey hunting more so than just during the spring turkey hunting season itself.

Specifically the spring brood months hypothermia affect, is relative to a turkey's biology and cannot be compared to what a human maybe affected by under similar weather exposure. Turkey's as a species have a higher normal body temperature than humans, generally around 102 degrees. The warmer a body is, the hasher the effect achieved by what may appear to humans as only moderately cold weather.

Add to this that a turkey has a much higher metabolism than humans and a growing chick an even greater calorie requirement than an adult turkey and the odds are increasingly stacked against the chick's survival during periods of long rains.

It is during the rains, and more sever longer rains, that chicks consume (require) more energy and supply of that energy more difficult to acquire. Consider this one small example that is true for turkey chicks as it is for humans and that is it is far easier to see a moving bug than an inactive one. During a rain bugs stop moving and go still. That one aspect of increased difficulty at finding food under harsh weather conditions may be the last adverse effect or the straw that broke the camels back causing chicks to degrade rather than grow.

Turkeys being ground brooding birds are further adversely affected to a greater degree than tree nesting birds. Ground nesting chicks will be up and out in the wet ground cover following the hen that will search for food regardless of weather conditions. Tree nesting birds are as likely to be on the nest brooding their chicks as out collecting feed. This equates to seeing plenty of juvenile robins following and adult on the backyard lawn does not mean equally good success for the turkey.

Bird dog hunters that raise their own dog training pigeons see this in the pigeon that will nest year round. During cold weather periods the adult pigeon will sit on the chicks throughout the day and night while during warm periods the chicks are often seen alone in the nest.

MAHA Hunter

What does all this mean to the Association turkey hunter wanting to seek a tom? It means that your Association staff is keenly aware of where and under what conditions the best turkey hunting will be. That translates to recommendations of where to turkey hunt.

We are out on the land 12 months a year tracking trends that affect not only turkey hunting, but all our other hunt options as well. That is the assurance the hunter has when we recommend a place to hunt it is backed up with first hand knowledge of that area. That assurance is the reason for our high yearly membership renewal rate that sustains a healthy organization.

Our motivation is pure. To ensure our hunters return each year as motivated by having good hunts. In the case of the turkey hunting Association hunters they will be on turkeys every trip.

When it comes to turkey hunting in general and Rio Grande Turkey hunting in specific one price that must be paid by all turkey hunters is that time consumed by boots on the ground experience. The successful attitude is one that focus on years of hunting to come rather than just on the first hunt at hand. As we offer only wild turkey hunts most will agree on wild turkeys it is 98% failure and we all work toward those special days of 100% success. The successful days will be far more frequent with extra pre hunt effort than just by hitting the fields and woods expecting things to all come together without that preliminary effort.

We will do our part and lease the right habitat within the right region of the states that has a history of production for whatever hunting discipline the hunter may be seeking. Once on that farm the hunter makes his own success or achieves his own failure. That one significant point that we are not a hunter training but a hunter execution organization separates those that can hunt on their own from the guide service hunter.

We have in the past made mistakes and allocated memberships to those that required turkey hunter training in excess of our willingness and much required by that hunter's lack of personal effort. In such cases we have invited those same hunters to the first opportunity of going and applying their evolving skills or to leave the Association as we will not attempt to train anyone at how to hunt.

This approach of do it yourself turkey hunting is as immutable as our rules and we refuse all offers for guide service, allow a member to bring a guide or any other compensated advantage over that of other members. We extend this that gratuities are prohibited right down to candy boxes for our secretary. We also do not sub lease any of our lands and do not act as brokers for anyone or respond to any of the other lesser requested extracurricular activities hunters with more money than self determination have offered us. We do keep our life simple and remain true to our business mission that supports the average turkey hunter with his own turkey hunting skill to hunt on his own. Any variance from that and our quality of life, business life and enjoyment degrades.

The benefit of this discussion to the turkey hunter/member is a further statement of confidence he is buying into what we say we offer. That is do it yourself turkey hunting on private land leased for the exclusive use of the membership.