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Archives for April 2013

When Do Turkeys Nest in Wisconsin?

April 23, 2013 by Charlie 13 Comments

Wild turkey nesting will most likely be very late this year. photo by charlie elk

Wild turkey nesting will most likely be very late this year.
Photo by charlie elk

When do Turkey’s nest in Wisconsin? One of the questions many hunters are asking, and you can understand why after the below average temperatures we’ve been having this spring many days of snowfall and freezing rain.

How will the weather affect the wild turkey’s nesting schedule?

Many studies have found wild turkey breeding depends on photoperiodism, the length of day.  This year the wild turkeys have been mating as they usually do.  However, most

Colder than normal spring is causing to turkeys to feed in groups.

Colder than normal spring is causing the turkeys to feed in groups.

hunters think breeding has not been taking place because the turkeys are still flocked up, and they have been quieter this spring.  A lot less gobbling than usual.   Perhaps the lack of turkeys calling is due to the turkeys feeding in close proximity to each other.  There are fewer feeding areas this spring because of the snow and ice cover, meaning there is no need to call to each other when they can see each other;  also makes the turkeys harder to call in using the traditional calling methods.  (soft hen yelps)

Just because a hen has mated does not mean she is on a schedule to lay her eggs by any given date.  When a gobbler mates with a hen his sperm travels into the hen’s oviduct and remains in there in the infundibulum, sometimes referred to as  “sperm nests” areas that collect and store semen for later fertilization of the turkey’s eggs.  Apparently, this a  built in survival strategy to assure the production of a series of fertile hatching eggs even after the male is not available or lost interest.  No one knows for sure how long the sperm remains viable, but it’s commonly thought it remains fertile for a couple of months or more providing the hen with ultimate control of the egg laying timing.

Traditionally, a spring with the typical weather, peak egg laying occurs the last week of April.  However, in cold and wet years egg laying is delayed.   But what is the trigger for egg laying?  Light – certainly plays a role but no hen is going to make a snow nest.  Research on this is not available anywhere I searched, even Google Scholar did find any studies on this.  Perhaps someone has the answer buried in a dusty file somewhere.  So, for now, I will speculate.

My good friend treerooster brought up an idea that very well could be the answer; that is, ground temperature.  Farmers and gardeners use soil temps to determine when to plant what seed.  It makes a lot of sense that certain wild plants will emerge at the correct soil temperatures.  Are some of these emerging plants the trigger? Consider, those plants are known to provide the necessary food for the newly hatched poults.  Are some springtime plants the signal of the next insect hatch?  Does the hen turkey sense the temperature through her feet or body?

I could find no research done on this potential correlation.  So we need to do some observing and recording to uncover the connection.

For what it’s worth my prediction – turkey nesting is going to be taking place much later this year.  Mid May through June.

 

Filed Under: News, Spring Turkey, Think Pieces / Opinion, Turkey Hunting Tagged With: Wild Turkey, Wisconsin Turkey Hunting

Are Turkeys Responding to Calls In Wisconsin Spring 2013?

April 17, 2013 by Charlie Leave a Comment

Turkeys and deer are having a tough time. Normal spring weather needs to arrive soon.

Turkeys and deer are having a tough time. Normal spring weather needs to arrive soon.

In West Central Wisconsin 2013 average spring temperatures have been running 15-20 degrees below normal with higher amounts of snow fall and rain.  Causing many spring turkey hunters to ask-

” Are the turkeys gobbling and responding to calls?”

It has almost become a cliché “the turkeys are always there doing what turkeys do.”  This is for the most part true but does little to reassure turkey hunters with upcoming valid tags as they look at weather forecasts predicting more of the same cold, rain, snow and wind.

A few more details are in order before answering definitively.

  • Reports from dedicated turkey hunters in northern unit 4 & 7  indicate turkeys are very hard to find in areas that have been traditionally good hunting early spring.  Keep in mind at this writing only season A has been completed.
  • In unit 2 large flocks of turkeys have been reported leading many hunters to believe the winter turkey flocks have not broken up yet. Reports say turkeys are responding to aggressive gobbler  calling. (challenging yelps, clucks and purrs)
  • Western unit 1 those hunter who ventured out in the wind, snow and rain have found scattered groups of turkeys which in some cases responded well to their calls.  However, they usually had more than one turkey come in, jakes being very numerous.
  • Unit 3 about the same reports as unit 1 but typically turkeys in unit 3 are further apart and scattered.

Generally hunting pressure so far has been very light, many hunters choosing to stay home rather than bear the uncomfortable weather.  Recently more late season OTC tags have been selling.  Apparently some are deciding to forego hunting early season and try later.    I have toured several public hunting areas in units 1,3 & 4 and found very few hunters or sign anyone had been there.

I hunted the morning of April 10 while a storm was moving through.  The turkeys were not vocal until I gave them reason to be vocal and then they responded very well to my calls with full throated chain gobbling.   I filled my tag before noon struck.

Colder than normal spring is causing to turkeys to feed in groups.

Colder than normal spring is causing to turkeys to feed in groups.

Because I am a total turkey addict and some would say nut I begin touring hunting areas.  During these tours it was rare to hear a gobble that was not initiated by my calling.  Where no one was hunting I moved through the areas mid day making turkey calls as I went.  Turkeys did respond to me and many started to come in.  So, I would say if you are in an area that holds turkeys and you call, they are responding.  At this time don’t be surprised if the turkeys don’t sound of to tell you where they are before you give them a reason.

Turkeys are answering calls in the spring of 2013

Turkeys are answering calls in the spring of 2013

Good hunting.

Filed Under: News, Spring Turkey, Turkey Hunting Tagged With: 2013 Wisconsin Spring Turkey, hunting, Turkey Hunting, Wild Turkey, Wisconsin Turkey Hunting

Wisconsin Woodcock Arrive in Large Numbers

April 14, 2013 by Charlie Leave a Comment

The evening of April 8 was my first woodcock sightings.  They were all along Highway 10 through the Clark County forest.  Considering the horrible spring 2013 weather the number of woodcock is surprising.  The ground snow covered and mostly frozen.

Since the 8th Vic and I  have encounter large numbers of woodcock along brushy hillsides along the Mississippi River.  The large numbers of woodcock are  unusually in the areas I frequent.

Is it because the weather to north is worse and the migration flights are backing up

Large numbers of woodcock are back in Wisconsin April 8, 2013. Hopefully this bodes well for this fall's hunt.

Large numbers of woodcock are back in Wisconsin April 8, 2013. Hopefully this bodes well for this fall’s hunt.

waiting for spring like weather?

Or is the population of woodcock experiencing a dramatic increase?

The weather is the prime suspect as the spring of 2013 has been averaging 15-20 degrees below normal.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: migration, woodcock

2013 Wisconsin Spring Hearing Results

April 11, 2013 by Charlie Leave a Comment

6096 attended the 2013 DNR Spring Rule Hearings – WCC County Meetings Summary of Results Statewide by Question are here 2013_StatewideResults

Remember the results of  these meetings are advisory only and carry no other weight in the rule setting process other than the special interests will site the results favorable to their positions.

Very few outdoors men and women attend these hearings.  It is time to allow votes via the internet. There is no reason we should not be able to enter our WDNR customer numbers and express our thoughts online.   Certainly there would be more participation, but then, perhaps the special interests  would have a harder time stacking the meetings with their supporters.

 

Filed Under: News Tagged With: news

Double Beard Lightweight Turkey

April 10, 2013 by Charlie Leave a Comment

On April 10th the opening day of Wisconsin’s 2013 wild turkey season I awoke to find the temperature at 21 degrees, 16 mph wind, snow covering the ground  and sideways freezing whatever.  Not exactly the kind of weather spring turkey hunters dream about.

So I did what any self respecting old turkey hunter does on days like this-

  • Enjoyed a pot of coffee
  • Chatted with Mrs. elk
  • Puttered around with stuff until I figured the turkeys were well off the roost.

My Reasoning– When there is no foliage  the  woods is  naked and as was the case this morning  it’s very easy to see anything against the white landscape.  Roosted turkeys with their 8 power binocular eyesight would have spotted me in an instant.  Best to wait until they are down  on more  equal footing. 

Since I had no idea where exactly any turkeys were I setup cold on a windswept point over looking a 2 mile valley.  I chose my  Willow Ridge Death Wish pot and peg call to start and  after 2 sets of calling to my utter surprise a group of gobblers across the valley enthusiastically chain gabbled  back.  I called more aggressively and they moved along their side until they were almost straight across from me.  The sound of large wings lifting off brought a spark of hope as they pitched off and sailed to the bottom of the valley on my side.  My plaintiff calling brought no more responses  for an hour.  I was iced over and soaked obviously  under dressed for these spring time conditions.

My Reasoning– When the turkeys are not gobbling you must try and make things happen.  I frequently setup on points where the sound of my calling will travel a great distance and in return I’ll have a better chance of hearing turkeys answer.  Listen for turkey vocalizations other than gobbles.  Toms will not always gobble an answer, many times they cluck or yelp back.

Back at the hut the hot soup refurbished my resolve…

Changing into more and dry snow camo I stuffed the snow net in my vest and headed down and circled  around where I thought I had last seen the birds.  Willow’s Death Wish call sang out and was promptly greeted by thunderous gobbles below and out of sight.  I moved down the tight logging trail which offered no good setup locations. So I setup in a not so good spot, if the turkeys came they would be nearly in my lap with only the snow net between us.

Picture taken from the turkey's point of view.

Picture taken from the turkey’s point of view.

The first set of 3 came in, jakes, I thought about taking 1 to fill my tag because the forecast was full of bad weather for the next several days. There is no dishonor shooting a jake but I didn’t want my first turkey hunt of the year over so quickly.  Instead of shooting I  waved my gun barrel to scatter them out of the way.  I was convinced a long beard lurked behind.   The jakes flew up into the trees around me and they were worked into a frenzy;  started loud angry purrs, clucks and putts.  I yelped loudly back at them, one of the treed jakes caught my moment and he took to flight, in the same moment a thunderous gobble on the hill  above  snapped my head around. Yeah, I know, couldn’t help it, he startled me with his feathers rattling at the tail of each gobble.  In spite of him obviously being  in range, incredibly I couldn’t see him on that brush choked snowy hillside.

My Reasoning– In a tight spot like this the jakes needed to be cleared off the trail to make way for sir gobbler.  If a gobbler is out numbered by jakes he rarely pushes his way in rather he finds another place.  Since these turkeys were challenging each other I changed my calling accordingly.

More aggressive gravelly yelps from me; I don’t know how he got to standing on the trail but there he was gobbling hard at 16 feet with only  the snow net separating us.  In my early days of turkey hunting the turkey had the advantage during a stand off like this.  Not so any more;  as you can see he did not win the race.

An unusually small turkey considering he sports a double beard.

An unusually small turkey considering he sports a double beard.

Nice double beard, 1/2″ blunt spurs and weighed only 14 lb. 12oz.  I wonder if all the turkeys are going be small bodied this year?  Aw, who cares, it’s all fun.

 

Filed Under: Spring Turkey, Stories, turkey hunting tips Tagged With: Wild Turkey, wild turkey story, Wisconsin 2013 wild turkey opener, Wisconsin Turkey Hunting

Scare Turkeys to Call Them In (an answer for Ray Eye)

April 5, 2013 by Charlie 2 Comments

http://www.dreamstime.com/-image28886831In Ray Eye’s last book “The Turkey Hunter’s Bible” he wrote that he did not understand why anyone would scare a bunch of turkeys before attempting to call them back in.  His reference was primarily regarding the common fall tactic of scattering a flock.  Ray makes his point about this tactic being counter productive that it’s better to call undisturbed turkeys.  Well, that works too, I’ve done it many times.  But there are situations in spring and fall that scaring turkeys does increase your chances of calling them back in.

I must admit I feel a little apprehensive about disputing anything Ray says, after all  I respect  him as  an expert turkey caller and hunter.  Be that as it may I have had great success calling in scared turkeys and I will at times  scare them on purpose.

When to scare turkeys in the spring?

You find a mixed a group of turkeys out in a field with the toms strutting for the hens who are not paying a lot of attention to the wannabe suitors.  Most hunters setup, attempt to call and lure  the turkeys over to them.  In most cases these turkeys ignore the hunter’s overtures continuing to attend to the turkey business at hand.  Think of these turkeys as comfortable turkeys.  They are doing what they want to do in what they consider good company with no reason to go anywhere else.

What to do now?

As long as the turkeys are content they have no reason to investigate you or any other turkey that may desire to compete with them.  Time to shake up their confidence.  In this situation I sneak, as best I can as close as possible and then rush them in an attempt to send the hens one way the gobblers the other.  Now you have turkeys that are no longer comfortable or complacent rather the turkeys are nervous and their ingrained behavior pattern urges them to regroup.

I move to where the hens were and setup, many times this requires hiding in plain sight.  Wait about 10-15 minutes to begin calling.  Usually the gobblers are back within 30 minutes of calling.  Bang!

Ray’s book contains good advice and I recommend it.  It’s just that unlike Ray Eye  I am not an pro turkey  caller so comfortable turkeys feel no  reason to come on over to visit my calls.  My tactic is to make them uncomfortable and vulnerable.  Vulnerable turkeys are killable turkeys.

Filed Under: Spring Turkey, Turkey Hunting, turkey hunting tips Tagged With: Turkey Hunting, turkey hunting tip, Wild Turkey, Wisconsin Turkey Hunting

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