Ocellated turkeys

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HartClemson99
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Ocellated turkeys

Post by HartClemson99 »

Well, I bit the bullet and booked my hunt for next spring. Has anyone else on here chased these unique birds?
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vaturkey
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Re: Ocellated turkeys

Post by vaturkey »

Yes I've killed 2 of them Golden Birds !
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Re: Ocellated turkeys

Post by N2deer »

I always thought I would never go, and never really had much desire to do it. But its been on my mind this year.
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ICDEDTURKES
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Re: Ocellated turkeys

Post by ICDEDTURKES »

Absolutely no desire..
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Re: Ocellated turkeys

Post by GobbleNut »

Yeah, I've killed a few of them off of a farmer's roof down by the river. They were roosting there and crapping all over the place, so he asked me to get rid of a few of them for him. Oh wait,....those were peacocks! Oh well, it's the same thing,...and it saved me a lot of money from having to go to Central America to do the same thing! :mrgreen: :toothy7:

Oops! ...Sorry, I just couldn't resist!! (Hope you have a great trip!)
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Re: Ocellated turkeys

Post by Grumpy »

Are those the ones that spin in circles.
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Re: Ocellated turkeys

Post by GOLD HUNTER »

good luck with the trip and post pic. :thumbup:
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ICDEDTURKES
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Re: Ocellated turkeys

Post by ICDEDTURKES »

GobbleNut wrote:Yeah, I've killed a few of them off of a farmer's roof down by the river. They were roosting there and crapping all over the place, so he asked me to get rid of a few of them for him. Oh wait,....those were peacocks! Oh well, it's the same thing,...and it saved me a lot of money from having to go to Central America to do the same thing! :mrgreen: :toothy7:

Oops! ...Sorry, I just couldn't resist!! (Hope you have a great trip!)
But your NWTF claims they are turkeys..
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Re: Ocellated turkeys

Post by redarrow »

I would go if I could. Sounds like fun . Seen one mounted at the Mi. Bow Hunters rendevous once.Though it was a guinea hen version of Liberace.
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Re: Ocellated turkeys

Post by Southern Sportsman »

ICDEDTURKES wrote:Absolutely no desire..
Same here. Just doesn't do much for me personally. I do know a few people who have done it and I would love a set of those spurs though. My luck I'd kill a jake on accident (do they call them jakes down there?)
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redarrow
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Re: Ocellated turkeys

Post by redarrow »

Southern Sportsman wrote:
ICDEDTURKES wrote:Absolutely no desire..
Same here. Just doesn't do much for me personally. I do know a few people who have done it and I would love a set of those spurs though. My luck I'd kill a jake on accident (do they call them jakes down there?)
Joaquin. :lol:
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Re: Ocellated turkeys

Post by hawglips »

Chad's (wiltznucs) been down there a time or two.
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Re: Ocellated turkeys

Post by GobbleNut »

ICDEDTURKES wrote:
GobbleNut wrote:Yeah, I've killed a few of them off of a farmer's roof down by the river. They were roosting there and crapping all over the place, so he asked me to get rid of a few of them for him. Oh wait,....those were peacocks! Oh well, it's the same thing,...and it saved me a lot of money from having to go to Central America to do the same thing! :mrgreen: :toothy7:

Oops! ...Sorry, I just couldn't resist!! (Hope you have a great trip!)
But your NWTF claims they are turkeys..
Yeah,...well I didn't agree with that "claim" back when they did it,...and my opinion has not changed a bit since that time. They may be related somehow genetically, but they certainly are not "real" turkeys in my book. Really, I guess I am just a whiner because I can't afford to drop the coins to go down there and shoot one of them.

I thought about going many years ago when their "declaration of turkeydom" was first made by Keck and Co., but I came to my senses after a while. At that time, you could go on a hunt for them for around $2,500, including air fare to get there, but that was also at the time when the accepted method of hunting them was to go out in the dark and shoot them off of the roost. I just couldn't justify spending that kind of dough for doing that.

Besides, you can go on a bunch of turkey hunts for "real" turkeys for what it costs to go down there and shoot one or two "Ocellating" gobblers, and I would personally rather do that. More power to those that think otherwise, however.

...And by the way,...it is no longer "my" NWTF. Like apparently so many others around here, me and them had a "parting of the ways". They just seem to be pissing off more and more of their volunteers that, like me, staunchly stood by them for a long time.
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HartClemson99
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Re: Ocellated turkeys

Post by HartClemson99 »

vaturkey wrote:Yes I've killed 2 of them Golden Birds !
Any suggestions on gear to bring? Anything to add to the trip?
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Re: Ocellated turkeys

Post by MKW »

ICDEDTURKES wrote:Absolutely no desire..

Same here.

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Re: Ocellated turkeys

Post by Hognutz »

HartClemson99 wrote:
vaturkey wrote:Yes I've killed 2 of them Golden Birds !
Any suggestions on gear to bring? Anything to add to the trip?
I would suggest some diarrhea pills! :salute: :lol:
May I assume you're not here to inquire about the alcohol or the tobacco?
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TS
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Re: Ocellated turkeys

Post by TS »

Bug spray and make sure if you are gonna ship it back to have mounted that your taxidermist is reg. with the usda i believe.

Like said earlier i have no desire but would love a set of 2 inch plus daggers.
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Re: Ocellated turkeys

Post by Gobbler »

When i went to mexico. I only took boots and camo and regular clothing. we did not take ammo or guns or knives. I hunted goulds not Oscellated. So I don't know if you will have a bug problem. The outfitter had all licenses and guns ans ammo for us. It saved allot of headaches. What did your outfitter tell you to bring?
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Re: Ocellated turkeys

Post by Gobbler »

PS. I don't believe anyone on here would not have the desire to kill one. So just tell the truth you don't have the money or time or your scared of the Mexicans. :lol: :lol:

My "current" excuse is I can't find anyone with Nerves enough to go with me. :lol:
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Re: Ocellated turkeys

Post by wiltznucs »

I hunted them in 2011, killed three and will do it again one day. Here's the recap I wrote back then.

I flew into Merida, Mexico in the Yucatan area. I want to say now that at no point did I ever feel unsafe during my trip. The people were generally warm and English speaking individuals were very easy to find. We overnighted in Merida before a 3+ hour trip to the town of Carlos Cano Cruz in the state of Campeche, Mexico. The hunt was conducted there.

In that area of the world the turkey is known as "pavo". The equivalent of our dominant boss tom is the "cantador" or "singer". The singer has a unique song that he sings on the roost and when he hits the ground to attract females. The social order for the Ocellated turkey is a bit different than our American birds. There is and will only be one singer in each group of turkeys. He rules the roost and he and he alone breeds the hen. There will never be another singer among his harem. The singers are very territorial and some hunting strategies have been developed to exploit this trait. For all intents and purposes there are no real hen vocalizations so emulating a hen is not an effective hunting strategy. Historically, most all Ocellated turkeys have been killed in the traditional Mayan way which is sneaking into a roost and shooting a bird off the limb.

The guides are Mexican locals who know the area and until recently were subsistence hunters. They are phenomenal guides and our turkeys should be very glad they are not hunting here. I named them the Ocellated Mercenaries as they have killed hundreds of turkeys among them. A byproduct of this is that the Ocellateds are very sensitive to human pressure in the area. The mere sight of a human or vehicle and they are hauling tail. On several occasions I saw turkeys sprint for cover after hearing a gunshot that was hundreds of yards away. Another note, the Ocellated is much smaller than our turkey and typically flies away when threatened. They get airborn as fast as any quail or pheasant I've ever seen. Pretty remarkable..

The hunts are held where the forest meets some agricultural fields owned by a local Mennonite group. The forest is extremely dense and requires a machete to negotiate and to build blinds on the fields. Most all hunts are conducted in these blinds constructed of recently cut native vegetation.

The first hunt I decided to use an electronic Ocellated caller I read about in Lovett Williams book. In short, he found that using the song of the dominant "cantador" brings in neighboring singers looking for a fight. So I downloaded some MP3 files of the Ocellated into a iPod and connected it to a battery operated speaker. I played a series of the songs and within a few moments a "cantador" answered from a hundred yards away. A few minutes later I played the songs again and he answered again from far closer. I quickly played the song again and two minutes later he was flopping.

11 lbs, spurs 1 9/16" and 1 11/16"





The second morning of the hunt we returned to the same field and moved to another location on the opposite side. A singer came in but swept in from behind the blind and sang at only 15 yards from us. The forest is so dense you couldnt see him at all. So we set up on him again in the afternoon and he started singing back to the caller around 5 o'clock. He hung up at 200 yards away and this kept up for over an hour. My guide was named Marcos and we decided to make a move on the bird. Using a machete we slowly and methodically worked our way toward the "cantador". To my surprise, this spot and stalk worked. As dusk settled in the singer worked toward the field edge and I shot him at 25 yards.

11.5 lbs, spurs 1 12/16" and 1 14/16"






For my third bird I was given a choice. I could hunt the blinds again or try to shoot a bird off the roost that had been located the night before. I thought it over and really didnt want to shoot one off the roost. There was an experienced Ocellated hunter in camp with 40+ pavos under his belt and he came up and told me I should do it. He reminded me that this is one of the only places you can do it legally and that cutting your way into the forest in the cover of nightfall and working your way to a roosted singer was a real gas. He also explained that half the time it doesnt work anyway as you get busted coming in or the vegetation doesnt allow for a shot.

I took him at his word and off my guide and I went. The singer was about 100-150 yards deep in a thicket. We arrived around 4:30 and slowly worked our way to where the bird was last spotted. The leaves on the forest floor were dry and the briars and bramble were thick. It took nearly a half hour to arrive at the area we thought the bird was at. My guide and I sat there silently waiting for light. Around 6:00 we could begin to make out the trees, some time later the nests of birds and coati's(a relative of the racoon). The trees were full of vegetation and the bird wasnt singing. Marcos tapped me on the shoulder and said there he is... I looked over his shoulder and to my surprise the singer was asleep on the limb only 15 yards in front of us. We had been under him for over an hour. I watched as the "cantador" woke to meet the morning sun and then gave him a face full of shot. The experienced hunter was right, it was an absolute gas!

10.5 lbs, spurs 1 13/16" and 1 15/16"




A couple of reflections on the hunt... It is expensive no matter how you cut it. There are other animals you can hunt as well. A few Brockett Deer were taken and several SCI Gold Medal bucks were seen over the week. The outfitter I used was very good and I'll be happy to give leads to anyone interested in pursuing the Ocellated. The camp was clean and very rustic, it may not be for everyone. Water was provided from rainwater cisterns heated by solar power and there wasnt any air conditioning. The food was freaking outstanding and I must have put on 5 lbs over the week. Fresh made salsas, tortillas, beans, rice, and vegetables at every meal. Local favorites of chicken, beef, fish, shrimp, and pork were served in traditional Mayan recipes. I could go on for hours raving about the cuisine. The guns were serviceable Remington automatics but the ammo left a bit to be desired. The only ammo they had was 2 3/4" unbuffered lead #2 Express loads. We had a few misses over the week including my own and I attribute many of them to this. Between the smaller size of the Ocellated making it tough to judge distance and the small shot volumes some slam dunk opportunities were blown. In all 10 trophies were taken among 4 hunters in a 5 day hunt... Not too shabby!

ETA: I didn't have issues with insects. As others have mentioned don't go without setting up the taxidermy first. Shoot me a PM if you want info and I can share the mp3 files if you want to build a caller. Don't let these jokers fool you, they'd hunt them if they had a chance. See them for yourself, watch how they behave and then tell me they aren't turkeys.
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Re: Ocellated turkeys

Post by ole5beards »

I have no desire either, but if that's what you want to do, I wish you the best of luck! I've seen several ocellated hunts and it just didn't look like fun to me. Like others I would love to have a set of those spurs but to me this would be a hunt that I could say been that done that. It doesn't look fun to me. I'm saying fun as compared to the other species of turkey's. I've seen several hunts where these birds where shot out of trees, and the hunters on these hunts where saying how difficult the birds were and that it is legal so they shot the bird from a tree. To me that's not fun. They do seem to be elusive and a challenge to an extent. Based on what I've seen the hunting method for an ocellated differs a good bit from other species, and that's what turns me off about them. I'm sure most will agree on this point. With all that said it's not for me but that doesn'tean it's not for you. You seem excited about the opportunity you have and I wish you the best of luck on your pursuit! Hopefully you'll bring back some 2" daggers or bigger, good luck!
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Re: Ocellated turkeys

Post by Southern Sportsman »

Gobbler wrote:PS. I don't believe anyone on here would not have the desire to kill one. So just tell the truth you don't have the money or time or your scared of the Mexicans. :lol: :lol:

My "current" excuse is I can't find anyone with Nerves enough to go with me. :lol:

I will rephrase a bit. They are turkeys and I love hunting turkeys more than anything else on earth so on some level I would like to kill one. If money were absolutely no object, I'd probably go every year. But if money were absolutely no object I would just fly from one hunt to the next just about year around and no huntable species on earth would be safe. But since money is an object and probably always will be, I would much rather spend my money hunting different states and different terrains and different subspecies here in the US where a majority of people speak some form of English and there are fewer drug cartels per capita.

P.S. I wouldn't mind shooing one off the limb down there since that is how they are traditionally hunted. "Sneaking" through the jungle just can't be easy.

P.P.S. Wonder if you could get the address of the outfitter and mail yourself a good choke and some good turkey loads about a month before you leave so they would be waiting for you when you got there? I've heard the same complaint about shitty turkey shells from everyone I've ever talked to that hunted them.
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HartClemson99
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Re: Ocellated turkeys

Post by HartClemson99 »

Thanks wiltznucs!
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Re: Ocellated turkeys

Post by wiltznucs »

Southern Sportsman wrote:
P.P.S. Wonder if you could get the address of the outfitter and mail yourself a good choke and some good turkey loads about a month before you leave so they would be waiting for you when you got there? I've heard the same complaint about shitty turkey shells from everyone I've ever talked to that hunted them.
You wouldnt know it with all the narco-violence in the country but Mexico is very restrictive about ammunition and guns. My outfitter cautioned us about making sure no shells, cartridges, etc were in our bags as we flew into Mexico. One guy in our camp had a single 300 Mag shell that he had left in his bag from another hunt. The Mexican Customs Officials were not pleased and it delayed our departing the airport for a few hours as he was questioned. You can bring a gun, but it requires that you register beforehand and register at a local Army base on the way in and on the way out. It's just not worth it. Theres a hefty fee and most outfitters wont even let you know that its a possibility.

In retrospect, I think a lot of the misses could have been avoided if some time was spent by the hunters at the patterning board when they arrived at camp. That didnt happen until after the misses began on my hunt. Another issue is the quality of shells, the ones I used were some old relics from Spain or Portugal I think. I missed a bird at 20 yards on the third day of the hunt. By missed, I mean stoned him and knocked him over. You could hear the pellets hit him, I'd compare it to the sound it makes when you try to shoot a goose thats too high and the pellets just dont have enough velocity to anything. The bird jumped up and took off. I attempted to shoot again but the shell I fired didnt create enough energy to cycle the action completely on the old Rem 1100 and the shell was stuck.

I'd imagine that this has probably gotten better but the old guns and crappy ammo are just part of the Ocellated experience.
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Re: Ocellated turkeys

Post by guesswho »

Gobbler wrote:PS. I don't believe anyone on here would not have the desire to kill one. So just tell the truth you don't have the money or time.
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