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Archives for August 2017

Wisconsin 2017 Fall Turkey Drawing Complete; Estimate of leftover permits Updated with final stats

August 18, 2017 by Charlie 2 Comments

Update: 5:00 PM 8/18/17 the official leftover fall turkey permit numbers are posted. Scroll down the page for table and link to WDNR page.

The 2017 fall turkey hunting drawing has been completed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.   Notification cards will be mailed very soon.  In the meantime, hunters can check their Go Wild account for their application status; look under “current licenses.”

Leftover fall turkey hunting tags will go on sale Saturday, August 26 at 10a.  Turkey hunters may purchase one permit per day until all permits are sold out.

Estimated Leftover Permits for Fall 2017 turkey hunt:

Zone 1 – 15,000+

Zone 2 – 5000+

Zone 3 – 18000+

Zone 4 – 8000-

Zone 5 –  150

No permits are leftover in zones 6 or 7.

When the leftover permit statistics are verified the exact number will be posted on the;

2017 Fall Turkey Hunting Leftover permit availability page. 

Update the final leftover turkey permit numbers are posted. Here is a copy of the WDNR table.  Click the link above to visit the WDNR page.

Zone Remaining Permits
Zone 1 15,486
Zone 2 5,073
Zone 3 18,531
Zone 4 7,936
Zone 5 180
Zone 6 0
Zone 7 0

Permits are $5.00 for 10 and 11-year-olds, $10.00 for residents, and $15.00 for nonresidents.

Please note that at the time you purchase your permit you will be required to purchase a fall turkey license. If you did not buy a spring turkey license, you would also need to buy a Wild Turkey Stamp.

2017 Wisconsin wild turkey fall season dates;

Zones 1-5  – Opens, September 16, 2017, Close December 31, 2017

Zone 6 and 7 – Opens, September 16, 2017, Close November 17, 2017

Filed Under: News, Turkey Hunting Tagged With: Fall turkey, Turkey Hunting, Wild Turkey, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Turkey Hunting

Wisconsin Collector Stamps; How to order

August 17, 2017 by Charlie 1 Comment

All 2017 Wisconsin wild turkey hunters can request a collector turkey stamp.

There was a time when hunters and fisherman received the actual stamp at the time of in person purchase.  Nowadays we all buy our sporting licenses digitally, and the stamp fee is listed on our receipt to prove we have paid.  For the most part, hunters just pocket their receipt or in some cases load it onto a smart phone and head for the fields, marshes, and forests.  In all the

2016 Wild turkey stamp is still available to license buyers, for the asking.

the excitement of preparing for the hunt, the last thing we think about is an artistic stamp.

Not long ago the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced the artists who won the collector stamp competition.  This news got me to thinking about, “back in the day”… where upon it dawned on me that I have a lot of the old stamps. Are these new stamps available even to those who purchase licenses online?  The answer is YES.

2017 Wisconsin great lakes salmon trout stamp

To see the contest results and rules for upcoming stamp competition go the Wisconsin DNR website and enter key word “stamps” in the search bar.  The artists compete for the honor of being the best; they are not compensated monetarily, their work is a donation to the cause.  Of course by competing they get publicity for their work and bragging rights if they win.  My grandpa also said, “it ain’t bragging if you do it.” and “no brag, just fact.”

2017 Wisconsin Pheasant Stamp

2016 WI state waterfowl stamp

 

 

 

 

 

 

To obtain stamps for previously purchased stamp privileges:
If you purchased a license for the previous or current year with the Wildlife or Fish Stamp privilege(s) you can obtain the stamps by the following methods:

  1. Request your stamp online by completing the Online Order Form;
  2. At any DNR Service Center.

Anyone can purchase Wisconsin collector stamps by:

  1. by mail using the Collector Stamp Order (form 9400-567) [PDF]
  2. at any DNR Service Center.

The funds raised through the purchase of these stamps are used to improve habitat.  I encourage more people to step up and do their part

2017 WI trout stamp

to improve wildlife and fishery habitat across the state of Wisconsin.  Some folks are probably wondering why charlie has the fishing stamps; each year I purchase the Conservation Patron license, this license includes the financial requirements for almost all the outdoor activities in WI.  Even though I do not use the state park system, rarely fish and only sometimes trap I recognize these are important aspects of outdoor recreation that deserve support so that all can enjoy pursuits of the outdoors now and in the future.  Money well spent.

2016 WI pheasant stamp

 

Filed Under: News Tagged With: hunting, news

Leupold LTO Thermal Tracker Viewer; User Review

August 16, 2017 by Charlie 6 Comments

A hunter who is planning to purchase a Leupold LTO thermal tracker to use for finding downed game–Save your money.  If you are thinking of using this unit for security, then it might be worth it.  The LTO works for seeing intruders outside in cleared areas around buildings if there is nothing in the way.  In other words, it can function as a limited night vision scope.

In July Cabelas gave me a special price, $499 plus free shipping.  I’d been reading the professional/celebrity hunter reviews regarding this tracker. Heck, sounded like the solution to those difficult tracking problems particularly during the early season bow hunts when the Wisconsin vegetation makes seeing a downed deer or bear nearly impossible until you bump into it.

Sadly, this does not perform well under field conditions.

For many years I’ve been a big fan of Leupold optics, so I expected this tracker to work as advertised.  Sadly, it does not live up to the hype.  Here the selling points:

  • Operating Temperature: -4F to 140F – The temps I used it ranged from 65F – 90F.  If anything was between the target and the tracker heat interference was so intense the target could not be discerned.
  • Detection Distance: 600 Yards- No way this thing can help you see anything at 600 yards distance.  In the dark, looking for some horses and cows standing 200 yards distance. Nope, could not identify them, they were just “heat lumps” mixed in with the heat rising from the pasture and fence posts.  If a deer had been down somewhere in that field, the hunter would have had to walk around checking out thousands of heat signatures.  My flashlight did a better job of locating the animals.
  • Six optional thermal palettes and adjustable reticle – Yes has these but they were not helpful dealing with any background or foreground heat signatures.  Heat from everything; trees, grass, brush and the gravel road showed up on the screen as blurry colored heat spots.
  • Find game using thermal imaging – The prime reason I purchased.  Wanted this LTO to work and I tried to find ways to make it work for finding downed game.  I killed a rabbit for some fresh animal blood to experiment with, not to worry we ate the rabbit meat.  I could not see the blood spots using the LTO during the day or in the dark. The rabbit lying dead in the lawn was obscured by background heat on the screen even though I could plainly see it.  It seemed like the rabbit’s fur blocked its body heat.  The only heat was on its nose and the openings of the ears.

Fur blocks body heat!?

Yes, it does.

My Siberian husky has a lot dense fur (as do deer), and only her nose and eyes showed up on the Leupold LTO.  My Vizsla has short hair; his body heat signature showed.  However, when he entered long wispy grass, he disappeared from the LTO screen.  It is puzzling that anyone who has sorted through a challenging trail would find this unit helpful. I suspect those reviewers who claim that the Leupold LTO is going to make hunters “lazy trackers” because it is so easy to find downed game have not used this product in the field or bothered to test it under any semblance of conditions on the ground.

I concluded, after using the Leupold thermal tracker under conditions commonly encountered while hunting that it will be more of a hindrance than a help.  There are no technological shortcuts to finding game animals.  Hunters must train themselves and continue to practice good woodsmanship.  Thankfully, I purchased it from Cabelas and was able to return it for a full refund.

Filed Under: News, Think Pieces / Opinion Tagged With: hunting, product review

Grandkids and Puppies Go Together; especially if the puppies are Vizslas!

August 9, 2017 by Charlie 9 Comments

Some questions don’t have to be asked twice-I’m going to visit Vic’s breeder and he has a litter

A basket of puppies. Life is good.

of Vizslas; “Would you like to come with?”  Heck, I don’t remember hearing an answer but the Jeep had both the grandkids sitting in it ready to go. Clearly, those kids had puppy fever which was betrayed by all their quivering as we drove the 200 some miles to Lone Oak Vizslas in Hutchinson Minnesota.

I have to admit this trip could have turn out to be “dangerous” for me, Vizsla puppies, particularly those from a strong hunting line are very, very tempting to a man with an empty

Please get off me!

place in his heart. However, I am not known as a fellow who would pass on an adventurous trip due to any type of challenge being involved.  Besides, the main reason for this trip was to talk to Marc about breeding Vic.  We had planned to do this a few years ago but Mrs. elk’s cancer put those plans on hold.

Vic will be seven years old in December 2017, it’s getting time for him to work with an apprentice. Turkey dogging requires a dog to learn a specialized skill set and to know the difference between turkey hunting versus other upland birds.  For example, Vic knows he must range out 200 to 400 yards to find a flock of turkeys then charge in to scatter those birds rather than point them.  If I have heard the turkeys scatter Vic finds me and leads me back for a setup.  While on setup during the call back he needs to be still and hold steady at the gun as the turkeys come into range.  On command, he goes out to hold the bird in place rather than retrieve as he does with the traditional upland game birds.  As regular readers of this blog know when Vic and I are hunting the upland birds like grouse, pheasant, and woodcock he works the traditional pointing style hunt.  That is he finds the bird, points holds steady to the gun and retrieves to hand.  Assuming I have done my part in that equation, if not, I become the recipient of “the look.”

Vic chatting it up with the ladies.

All that is easy to write and with the right bloodline in the dog, training in all those different skills is achievable.  With Vic, it was remarkably easier than I had anticipated.  Marc is a good breeder who loves his dogs who have good hunting pedigrees.

As of a couple of weeks ago, there were a few puppies not spoken for from this litter so if you have an interest you can contact Marc or Kerri at Lone Oak Vizslas.   Also, there was another litter born last week with some puppies not spoken for yet.

We plan to breed Vic late October – early November, so his puppies will be born in December and ready for pickup early February 2018. There is never a guarantee, hopefully, Vic’s offspring will continue his hunting pedigree. To say I am excited about training up another hunting companion is an understatement.

Enjoy all the pictures.

Papa to be Vic.

 

Am I cool or what?

 

What you want now?

 

Super heroes are boring.

Take me home with you?

I can point.

Seriously? I know I can hunt.

Filed Under: Featured Stories Tagged With: Fall turkey, hunting, Wisconsin Turkey Hunting

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