Charlie Elk

pseudonym of a man

Archives for March 2018

What are the All Time Top Posts on charlie elk?

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The other day over coffee, a magazine editor asked me; “With over two hundred posts,” – “Which have gotten the most traffic?”  Off the top of my head, I knew the “How to Legally Bait Turkeys” is the most searched for: give it a try using bait turkeys or turkey bait.  Other than that I suspected but did not know for sure.  After doing some research here are the top eleven.

  1. How to Legally Bait Wild Turkeys
  2. The Turkeys Snood Knows
  3. When do Turkeys Nest in Wisconsin
  4. Take the Wisconsin Slam Challenge
  5. Wild Turkeys See In Color: But will Pink Spook Them
  6. Beyond the Patterning Board: X-Rays of Shot Turkey Heads and Neck
  7. Patterning Board Surprise
  8. Vic and Charlie Turkey Dogging Video
  9. Pheasants to Last Minute Gobbler on New Years Eve
  10. Raccoon Color Phases 
  11. Below Zero Raccoons are Out

Wisconsin Turkey Hunt Forecast 2018 Spring

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With a wild turkey population of 660,000+ birds, Wisconsin turkey hunting is easy to predict – very good to excellent every spring.  The harvest each spring is controlled by the limited number of authorizations and hunter effort.  Based on in the field observations and previous harvest data Wisconsin turkey hunters kill 43,000 gobblers if hunter effort remains about the same as in past seasons.  If on the other hand spring hunters put in more time and effort during the 2018 spring season, Wisconsin could record more than 50,000 gobblers going into the cook stove.

I have personally been out extensively scouting zones 1,3,4, 6 and 7.   Also, some volunteer folks regularly provide updates regarding what they have seen while hunting, trapping and fishing the more remote areas.

In zone one there is an abundance turkey reported during the fall hunting season continuing through spring 2018.  During summer and fall, there were areas along streams and rivers that experienced flooding some of which was extensive.   Most of this highwater happened after the nesting season, so the turkeys just flew out of danger and seemed to be returning late in fall and wintered over well.

Nice long beard called in a while scouting for spring 2018 turkey hunt.

All across zone one, more turkeys are present than in years past, and it appears there are slightly fewer jakes than usual, so this points to a spring harvest with more adult gobblers than jakes.

The zone 3 turkey population appears to be stable, about the same as last spring, although due to the large blocks of big timber isolated land it is harder to get a good handle on the turkey population here.  Backcountry trappers and snowshoers report encountering more turkeys than usual with a decent mix of jakes and gobblers.  On average this zone has a lot more room to roam than our other zones.  Plus it is under hunted.

Zone 4 a mix of hardwood forest and agriculture maintains a high population of turkeys.  This zone should have 25-30% more harvest authorization than it does.  Many farmers would like to have more turkeys killed on their land; sadly there are not enough hunters available due to the limited issuance of permits.  This fact will keep the turkey harvest equal to past years.

Zones 6 and 7 are the big surprise for this spring.  These zones are the most northern turkey habitat in Wisconsin, and due to marginal habitat, no one thought turkeys could live here let alone prosper and prosper they have!  So much so, the WDNR has issued some farms turkey shooting permits because the turkeys are too numerous and causing damage.  On my trips through these zones, I saw large rafts of turkeys out and about. Apparently; the hunter harvest authorizations need increasing if farmers are granted permits to shoot wild turkeys outside of the season framework.

Zone 5, I don’t get there nor do I have any informants who are out during the offseason.  Those whom I am familiar with always get their turkeys during spring, and they go fishing in the fall instead of turkey hunting.  No accounting for tastes here.

Zone 2, is a mix of urban and farmlands with some woodland country.  I tease my contacts here about how easy it is to shoot a turkey.  Last fall while turkey dogging in the northern part of the zone Vic and I killed two birds in two days of hunting.  But I must admit we hunted hard during those days.  All indicators are for a great spring hunt in this unit.

 

2018 Wisconsin Elk Hunt

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It’s true; elk hunting will start in Wisconsin this year, October 13 – November 11, 2018, and December 13-21, 2018.  Bulls only, but which hunter of the lucky ten drawn in May would want to shoot a cow?  In states with large elk populations, there is nothing wrong with taking a cow elk.  However, Wisconsin does not have a significant population of elk.  Hunting will be not allowed in the areas where Kentucky elk were released in 2015-2017.  Only Wisconsin residents are eligible to draw a tag.

The area of the planned hunt is within the Clam Lake elk range of Sawyer, Bayfield, Ashland, and Price counties in far north-central Wisconsin. Original restoration efforts occurred within this range with the release of 25 elk from Michigan in 1995. This northern herd is projected to reach a population level of over 200 animals this year, including a high proportion of bulls.

Only 10 permits are available;

  • 4 permits will be awarded to Wisconsin residents through a random drawing.  Entry starts in May 2018.
  • One tag will be given to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation so they can raise funds by raffling the tag to a Wisconsin resident.
  • 5 tags will be given to with the six Wisconsin Chippewa tribes to comply with the Federal Court order.

 

Wisconsin 2018 Fall Turkey Drawing – Canceled

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Starting in 2018 the state of Wisconsin will no longer require hunters to enter a drawing for their fall turkey license.  All fall turkey authorizations will be sold over the counter or more accurately via the internet at Go Wild.

I do not know when this decision was made or if there was a press release, I missed it.  As new hunting seasons approach, I don’t feel complete until all my new licenses/tags/permits–no wait–the correct term is changed; license, tags, and permits have become authorizations.

When I purchased my Conservation Patron authorization, I always apply for all auths available this prevents forgetting to submit the applications later.   Panic set in when the fall turkey auth was already part of my package!  What happened to all the leftover auths we used to purchase.

A quick to Wisconsin DNR website and keyword search “turkey” provided the answer.

One fall turkey harvest authorization is included with each fall turkey or conservation patron license purchased. Customers will need to specify their zone of choice at the time of purchase. For select zones, bonus fall turkey harvest authorizations (formerly known as leftover tags) will be sold over the counter. Availability will be posted in the summer.

Whew, this means after the turkey committee meets we will be able to purchase more fall turkey harvest authorizations.  Got a little nervous there that turkey dog Vic’s turkey hunting opportunities were being curtailed.

This is good news, it has been a waste of time and money conducting the fall turkey drawing because there are so few fall turkey hunters in WI nearly every unit has leftover authorizations.  Now each hunter will receive an authorization with their fall turkey license.  Previously, they would not get this if they had not applied for the drawing.

 

Vic and I will relax now.

Turkeys Gobbling Time To Scout

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Start scouting now?  It’s only March in Wisconsin! Turkeys are still in winter flocks; What possible reason is there to start scouting wild turkeys now?  The birds are likely going to be in different woods and fields by the time my spring season opens.

Turkeys spend more time in trees than we realize

The number one reason: it is fun and educational to be out talking to actual wild turkeys anytime of the year, even

Sign turkeys have been around.

better when an upcoming season is only a few weeks from opening.  Rarely does a “spring only turkey hunter” venture out to experience the pure yet complex world of wild turkeys.  Those who are year-round hunters know the male turkeys gobble and strut at all times of the year.  Meanwhile, the other turkey hunters are shocked when they hear fall turkeys gobbling their heads off.

Here’s a brief what should you look for:

  • Goes without saying, try to find birds they make it all the more fun. This time of year wild turkey flocks are getting a little frayed around their social edges but still spend the day and night in their winter flocks.  Hens plus jennies and gobblers with jakes satelliting, when the opportunity presents a lone gobbler the jakes like to harass him.  Jakes act like the teenage boys of the turkey world, full of energy and trying to be part of the turkey world.
  • Travel corridors, with snow or mud or just soft ground walking turkey leave tracks which are quite easy to see.   You can also determine the number and sex of the turkeys traveling together.
  • Turkeys use their wings more than most hunters realize.  When turkeys are fluttering and flying around the bare treetops, they are easy to spot. On many occasions, I have seen turkeys hovering, much like giant hummingbirds pecking the swelling tree buds, typical behavior when the ground is an icy snow sheet.
  • Sounds of wild turkeys. Many of the flock’s members are beginning to disagree with the hierarchy they agreed to last fall and getting noisy about it.  Especially the gobblers, who, for the most part, have not talked to any of the ladies in the neighboring gaggle for quite some time.
  • Call to the turkeys.  Yeah, I know, all the “expert” advice is you are not supposed to call outside before the season opens.  I’ll go out on a limb here and admit a secret;  I have practiced my spring time calling to real live wild turkeys for the last twenty years. And what is the worst thing that has happened?  Wild turkeys have moved into areas I can hunt.  That’s right turkeys are very social birds and regularly seek out those other unknown interlopers.  Read about “audio baiting” here– How to Legally Bait Turkeys

An icy beard hanging as he flies to the trees.

Whenever you can get out–do it and enjoy. By the way, if you deer hunt, their trails, bedding

Frozen insects are high protein food for winter time turkeys.

and feeding areas will be very obvious. These are the same areas the deer frequent during WI firearm, muzzleloader and late archery season.