Almost Time To Make Another Dusting Pit.

[blackbeltbill]

     Sometime in the next few weeks,I will once again make a good sized Wild Turkey Dusting Pit. Fairly  close to the one,I made last Summer.Now that Cynthia and,I know exactly where Hens and Adult Gobblers are traveling up and down a gentle Hillside,it might work out for a long sit.

   This is not State Land. Rather Open Land that has been Hunted,Hiked, Biked,a ATV German Expressway, and a Dirtbike haven since the early 1970s.

   I make Large Dusting Pits. At least 6 Feet in a Square pattern using a good sturdy Limb. The object is to get a good 3 inches of of loose Dirt on the Top. And being so large,I know that all age groups of Wild Turkeys will discover the Dusting Pit eventually  through the Summer and into the Fall.

   The key is to come back once every 2 Weeks or before and use that same Sturdy Limb thrown nearby and Stir up that Dusting Pit once again for a good 10 minutes.

  Hopefully,I will see loose Turkey Feathers in the Pit. The more loose Dirt- the better. Keep all debris off like small branches and blown in Leaves. 

   I learned this a good 30 years back after reading - Turkey Hunters Digest by Dwain Bland .

  Fall Turkey Hunting has been Slim Pickings since the 2015- 3 Way change in Zones 3 and 4. I can understand Cutting the Fall Take from 2 Birds to 1. No problem with that. And cutting the Fall Turkey Season by 2/3 from 6 Weeks to 2 Weeks. No problem  there either. But the 3rd Part- moving the Former October 1st Opening day to some years since 2015-- October 19th,20th,even the 21st- has made Traditional Fall Turkey Roost Sites a thing of the past before 2015.

  All it takes is 2 or 3 mornings straight of Roosted Turkeys watching and getting Flushed away by climbing Bow Deer Hunters for them to change their Roost sites on a almost Nightly basis.  

    On this Open Land and a good chunk it is are at least 12 Permanent Deer Stands. A few hundred yards from where,I will make this Dusting Pit is a  2 - Man Tree Stand.   It must have cost a bundle!   I have seen a few Trail Cameras here and there. So my Dusting Pit will be known to others,I am sure. 

   Since 2015- the one big change that,I have seen is a Huge increase in Wild Turkey Hens compared to the Gobblers. Obviously Gobblers are targeted in the Spring which would cut their numbers. Few avidly hunt Fall Turkeys anymore. This has resulted in the Hen Turkey Population increasing substantially compared to the Gobbler Population.  So much so that my stance on Killing Hens has changed in the last few years.   

  I won't  make much of a difference though. I believe,I have killed just 1 Fall Turkey since the 2015 change in NY. That was a Hen after a good 12 or more Hens flew down in front of me near my Tree where,I was sitting. 

 I hope that the DEC in the Future moves the Fall Turkey Season in Zones 3 +4- back to October 1st so more Hens can be taken out.

  I sent out a Hand Written  Letter to the DEC a good 2 Months back regarding this.

  Have a good day all.

    

[blackbeltbill]

So in the picture below is my Turkey Dusting Pit. It only took a good 30 minutes to make.  I will back in a few weeks and stir that pit up again. The pit is a good 7 feet long and at least 4 feet wide.

[blackbeltbill]

Plenty of loose Dirt on the Top.

[blackbeltbill]

7/15/23- Stirred up the Turkey Dusting Pit for the 2nd time. And cleared the whole surrounding  area of Limbs,and Branches.

[blackbeltbill]

8/2/23-- Returned after 2 Weeks to stir that Dusting Pit and - Oh Yeah!-- Plenty of Wild Turkey Scratching  all around my Dusting Pit.  Pic below

 

[blackbeltbill]

  I also recleaned around the Dusting Pit by removing as many dead limbs as,I could find and the above picture  shows that.

 

[blackbeltbill]

8/12/23-- I believe  this morning was my 4th time to Take 10 minutes and really stir up again my Turkey Dusting Pit.

 Another 20 minutes was spent on removing more Limbs and all size Branches from the area around the Dusting Pit.

  Looking Good!

 

[Lawdwaz]

Nobody builds a dusting pit like you Bill.    NOBODY

Great job

[Mattypotpie8s]

My chickens would like you!

[blackbeltbill]

34 minutes ago, Mattypotpie8s said:

My chickens would like you!

 I learned about making Dust Pits from reading- Turkey Hunting Digest by Dwain Bland. He wrote that one should return on a regular basis to keep the Dusting Pit stirred up with about 1" of loose soil on top.

  

[Farflung]

years ago, when the wild turkey  population was much  thinner, I built a couple of dusting pits and carried in playground sand to top them off. worked well. I would put a thin stick on top. I  could see from a distance if turkeys had been there.

[blackbeltbill]

8/19/23-- Back once again to Stir up the Top Soil on the Turkey Dusting Pit.

  Some Turkey Scratching  was seen in the area of the Dusting Pit! 

[ZAG]

Turkey birds made one in the new plot.

[Mattypotpie8s]

Why not put a camera on it? @blackbeltbill

[blackbeltbill]

1 hour ago, Mattypotpie8s said:

Why not put a camera on it? @blackbeltbill

 I have never used a Trail Camera.   I like to be surprised .