Our turkey season opens in about three weeks in NY.  I have seen a number of flocks around in my travels.  Some states are already open.  A number of my friends are reporting gobblers in the freezer already.  Hopefully, everyone has their weapon of choice ready and their camo clothes all set.

My son, Tyler, will be hunting in Louisiana.  He will trying for his first gobbler somewhere around Ft. Polk. He is stationed there with the 10th Mountain Division.  I know he has his Winchester 1300 all sighted in.  Tyler grouped it at 20,30 and 40 yards and is comfortable with the results.

Most turkey hunters will be using shotguns but there are some diehard archers that will be flinging arrows at their birds.  I have decided to join the latter group this year.  While at a Gun Show in Barre, VT in February with Tyler, I found a prize worthy of America’s Frugal Sportsman note:  I found a vintage 45# fiberglass recurve bow…for $15! You know me and bargains…I snapped it up.  The manufacture cannot be deciphered as the label as faded, but the bow is in top shape.  There I have my trusty PSE Predator sitting,  anxiously to go,  and I am taking a relic out instead.

Yep! It reminds me of when I started bow hunting in the mid 1960’s.  I do have to get a hip quiver for the arrows, however. I never liked the Kwickie Kwivers for recurve bows.  ALso, the Carbon Express I use in my Predator will do just fine on the old recurve.  Besides, it will make a more enjoyable article to write should I be successful with the recurve.

Turkey should pose no real problem, as long as they are inside 30 yards.  Many deer have died as a result of a an arrow loosed from a 45# recurve.  I will be using the same heads I did for deer, 125 grain Eastons.  Why…that way I don’t have to buy any different heads.  If you already have perfectly good and perfectly deadly broadheads, use them. With the ecomonmy the way it is, a sportsman needs to conserve funds wherever he (or she) can.

Turkey season is a long season in most states. Here, in NY, it covers the month of May, which is also the striper run in the Hudson River.  Guess I will have hunt in the morning then go chase stripers.   I have some neat reals from Australia that I will be field testing, but that is for future writings.  All I need now is to find a deal on a good box call and I will be set.

The goal of the Sportsman should be to spend as much quality time afield with friends and family as possible.  For quite some time I have been preaching about doing it on a budget.  Now, thanks to the country’s financial mess, many of you will be on a budget. By all means that does not mean to hunt or fish less.  It simply means that maybe you don’t buy the newest rifle, shotgun, bow, boat, camper, optics or Huntress pin-up calendar. Ok, buy the calendar, but watch the sales in classified ads and online auctions. With the bad ecomomy come some fantastic deals on toys and such.

I really hope I get a shot at a turkey with my bargain-basement bow.  But, I will be out there hunting and that, after all, is my goal…isn’t it.

Whatever you do in the Outdoors this spring, take a youngster with you.

Hey y’all. A number of folks have posed the question to me: What is the best cheap gun? I have been around long enough not to step into that one. Once a writer invokes the word “best” he is proclaiming superior knowledge on that subject. The readers, many times, will disagree with the expert in whole or in part. I will, instead, address what are some “good” cheap weapons.

The first thing the prospective buyer should do is answer some basic questions: What is your budget? Who is the gun for? Are they experienced in the handling of firearms? What amount of felt recoil will they be able to tolerate? What type of game will be hunted with it? What type of sights will be necessary? There are other questions, but these are the main ones that need to be addressed. If you find a great deal on a 338 Winchester Magnum and your 14 year-old needs a deer rifle, the deal is not necessarily good because the caliber is over kill and most 14 year-olds cannot withstand the recoil of this round. A deal is not always purely about money. Many hunters get caught by this, which explains why a lot of firearms are for sale in the classifieds. There is any number of mismatch pieces available. Those are guns with too much scope or insufficient scope mounted on them, rifles with magazines missing (a magazine can run over $50 real quickly), a weapon with a “slight’ crack in the stock (unless you are competent to properly repair the crack avoid this weapon unless the price is incredibly low), the bore is dark but just needs cleaning (I would only buy it after I saw it clean) or other qualifying statements you see in an add.

So what do I feel are some “good” cheap rifles? Well, now we need to know a budget. In the $200 to $450 range, you will find many acceptable pieces. In that range I would look for a Savage or a Ruger first. The Savage has an undeniable reputation of being ugly but shooting exceptionally well. It’s sort of like finding an unattractive person to date, but they cook, clean wild game and own a 4X4. Rugers are better looking but do not command the price of a used Winchester or Remington. Is that deserved? Not to me, personally, but to many it is. Next would be a top brand weapon that was mistreated, i.e., scratches, exterior rust, adjustment caps missing off the scope. These obvious indicators drive down perceived value. On the other hand, if you are handy and can clean the weapon up or resurface the stock, then you can get a real deal

It comes with a scope…man, what a piece of bait that statement is. There are a lot of very poor quality scopes on the market that do not add any value to the weapon. Dealers call them throw-aways. Their best purpose is to hold a window up. If the gun has a low end scope (if you are unsure…ask someone), bargain as if there were no scope on the gun. If it is a decent scope, ask the seller if they will warranty the scope. I always do that. If they are unwilling to warranty the scope then it is not worth what they thought it was. I hear someone saying “I’m not going to ask anyone that. They’ll think I am an idiot.” Guess what, you walk away with a gun you paid too much for and you know what the seller thinks? “Idiot” So as long as I am going to be an idiot, I might as well be an idiot with extra money in my pocket.

Buying in person is always best. That way you can check the mechanical workings of the weapon making sure that the bolt functions properly, the safety engages, the clip is there and functions properly and the scope is clear and undamaged. If you purchase online, as I often do, or are purchasing through an out-of-state ad, you must have window of opportunity to examine the gun, usually three days. If the buyer is unwilling to extend the privilege of inspecting the weapon subject to returning it, stay away from that purchase. Without a written examination clause in the purchase, you would have no legal grounds to recoup your money, should the weapon, indeed, be faulty beyond reasonable repair.

Next time I will be talking about some “good” weapons that can be purchased in the $150 or less range. I love being cheap…I mean frugal.

Hey and check out this site: http://www.camospace.com/nmcowboy It’s a myspace for hunters!

Remember, when you go outdoors this summer, take a youngster with you and pass it forward. God Bless