Charlie

Wisconsin VPA Land Video Explains the Voluntary Public Access Program

October 9, 2017 by Charlie 4 Comments

In August I had the honor of participating in this Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources / USDA video production to promote Wisconsin’s Voluntary Public Access Program; or as most of us know it VPA lands.

My hope is this video will encourage outdoor enthusiasts, fishermen, and hunters to act like good mannered guests while enjoying these private lands. Even though landowners receive lease payments in exchange for allowing public access these landowners are unselfish and enjoy sharing their property.

Give it watch and post your comments.

Thanks.

Wisconsin Summer Hunting Season 2017

October 7, 2017 by Charlie 8 Comments

The opening day of hunting season always dawns with the excitement of high expectations and a healthy dose of optimism thrown in for good measure. More often than not reality begins to set in as the temperature steadily climbs to water gulping levels and all forms of flesh-eating insect life start its daily routine. As it was on the opening weekend of Wisconsin’s fall turkey season, sometimes this makes hunting feel more a slog than a fall hunt in the north country.

No matter, dedicated hunters do not quit over such trivial discomforts. Even with the success of the federal government’s efforts to increase the Massasauga Rattlesnake population; who the heck thinks that’s a good idea!? Vic the turkey dog and I continued hunting. Although, considering wild turkeys may be the snake’s number one predator I did consider pursuing something else. Nah.

We use ravines and dry washes to “sneak” on likely turkey locations.

After all the years of turkey hunting, one would think Charlie would be ready for the early fall birds who spend nearly all day in the treetops. These tree walking turkeys make it hard for a turkey dog to find and scatter and during a setup, it is tough to determine if an approaching turkey is on the ground or coming in via tree limbs. If they are in the full foliaged trees taking a clean shot is also problematic at best.

Over several days of hunting; burning high quantities of Therma Cell fuel, repellant pads, drenching the hunting clothes and Vic’s fur in permethrin. A healthy dose of deet applied around out face and ears; a few really close calls at getting a shot on a turkey, I started to wonder if a 2017 Wisconsin Slam was within reach. A Wisconsin Slam consists of killing at least one turkey during each season of the year; spring, summer, fall, and winter. Official autumn is September 22nd, so Vic and I had better figure out how to get our summer turkey of 2017 season.

Vic’s tongue was hanging to the ground and sweat pouring down my back we figured it was time for water and a rest. Vic had coursed 12 miles so far for the day while me, the lazy human only did about 4 miles. These are known distances thanks to the Garmin Astro 320 tracking GPS.

As the late morning was about to turn to afternoon, we sat together to refresh with water and perhaps a nap. As is my custom whenever there is a pause, I make some turkey noise on a wingbone to which a turkey promptly responded with a gobble! Not a full gobble, rather a jake of the year gobble and his gobble was answered by two more gobbles. A group of jakes is a fall turkey hunter’s dream because they are the easiest to birds to call in, and these birds were not an exception. They came trotting right to us in spite of me not having my face net down nor were my hands covered by gloves. There was a feeling of nakedness and exposure that would cause them to bust before coming into gun range. Must have been all the insects hovering between them and us.

A nice plump Wisconsin Summer jake of the year.

Happy turkey dog Vic on a hot summer day during Wisconsin fall turkey season in 2017.

Here is what this turkey was eating. Crops tell the story.

Beavers Eat and Store Corn

September 13, 2017 by Charlie 15 Comments

Beavers are known for their eating of trees, shrubs, and in particular fresh shoots of willow, poplar or birch. While making my way back in the dark, I have cussed out the beavers for all the punji spikes they left behind. As a courtesy, they should chew things off at ground level instead of midway between the ground and my shin. Indeed, these admirable, engineering creatures have set all these punji booby traps in an attempt to impale an unwary passerby like me. Beavers have done so much of this trap setting that I have started to take it personally.

You can imagine my surprise when the last week I encountered rows of corn cut off at the ground level and hauled down the slope into the beaver’s pond.

Closeup of corn stalk cut by a beaver.

So, I wondered where did the stalks go?

Hmm, a beaver slide with a corn stalk at the end.

Closer examination, yes, beaver tracks.

Looking back up to the corn field; apparently, some beavers have taken a liking to corn on the cob.

Further along, the pond’s shoreline revealed the beginnings of a classic beaver food cache.

Perhaps this farmer is going to be seeking a trapper’s services soon?

Surprised me, this is the first time I have seen beaver depredation on a corn field, even those areas which border water. If this kind of plunder becomes wide spread, skilled trappers will be in demand. Any volunteer trappers?

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

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:

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

Anyone can purchase Wisconsin collector stamps by:

by mail using the Collector Stamp Order (form 9400-567) [PDF]
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

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.

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.

How Hen and Poults Roost Photo Essay

July 17, 2017 by Charlie 8 Comments

Thanks to Tennesse Magazine for these photos

Wild turkey on the roost with her poults trying to give them the best shelter that she can provide.

Giving shelter with her wings

Notice the large lateral branches the hen has chosen. When scouting note trees with these types of branching, wild turkeys favor them for roosting.

Looks like the poults are getting unruly–Yelp!

Attention, something is coming our way.

Notice how small these poults are and they’re sitting up in a large tree already.

Looks to be more peaceful while the kids were in the eggs.

Looks like the nesting hen is turning her eggs.

Please post your captions in the comments. Enjoy.

Wyoming Snow Turkeys

July 13, 2017 by Charlie 38 Comments

In many parts of the country, July spells are hot, or July suffers hot spells, in any case, the heat can be oppressive. While all this is happening memories of snow and frozen turkeys sound extra appealing. After experiencing an intoxicating Colorado turkey hunt that came to an end much faster than anticipated any “regular” turkey hunter would try to figure out where to hunt next. Well, Wyoming is on the way home from Colorado to Wisconsin, right?

At times it seems like Nebraska is everywhere

On the drive north to Wyoming, hey forgot about having to traverse Nebraska too, the weather forecast for Sundance not only contained rain. But the rain was expected to turn into snow by morning in the shadow of Devil’s Tower. Change of plans on the fly seemed a prudent choice. Check the Wyoming map, err; What Wyoming map? A stop at the Sidney Cabelas fixed that problem with the purchase of aWyoming onXmap GPS map chip. Cell phones do not work where there is prime hunting in the hills of Wyoming.

Wunderground has personal weather stations all over the country for which they provide point weather forecasts. Due to incoming weather, my decision was to hunt much further south than usual where only rain was supposed to fall during the night. The map chip got me to a remote campsite in an area with lots of potential and high enough that I should be able to hear morning turkeys for quite a distance.

Totally content, sipping a hot cup of coffee in a snug camp I figured I’d better refresh the old memory about the ins and outs of Wyoming hunting regulations. “You have got to be kidding!?” my brain silently screamed, a habitat stamp is required, and the kindly elder lady at the gas station forgot to mention when I asked if this is all the license needed to hunt turkeys. Oh, well, bless her, my mother wouldn’t have told me any different.

Turkey hunting destinies do not work out in obvious ways. The jeep’s bouncing along in the dark on my camp’s trail signaling the 160+ mile habitat stamp round trip was nearly the end. I now felt like something great was going to happen in the morning. Thank goodness that Shopko had still been open on this fateful Sunday.

At my predawn awakening, it was evident by the sag in the tent, that snow had moved further south. The good news, the temperature was

Wyoming spring turkey hunt welcome mat

well below freezing which ensured the Colorado gobbler was frozen solid, likely for the duration of the expedition.

At this point in the story, I’d love to write about toms on every mountain top angrily gobbling the snow away and stomping in practically tripping over their beards. But, alas, that is not the way the day went. This turkey hunter did his share, make that more than his share of tromping or slipping up then down hill and dale to the tune of a gobble-less day.

My body tells time, there is no sense to wearing a watch or checking a phone see what the time is, a turkey hunter must learn to operate on turkey time. Whatever in the world that is exactly. Unmistakably, it was approaching evening meaning it would be a good idea to move from my after dinner relaxation and into putting a gobbler to bed mode. Camp is remote, thankfully, I shouldn’t have to travel far, just to point over there and make some turkey talk.

Stretching as I stood up from a good camp meal I put the wingbone call to my lips and let loose some plaintive lost yelps immediately answered by the first gobble of the day. The sound echoed making it difficult to tell where it emanated from, yelped again. By golly, those birds are close and getting closer fast!

Grabbed the shotgun and started heading for some kind of a setup. As any experienced turkey hunter can attest a “setup” can be overrated in particular when you see the strutters heading your way across an open alpine meadow. Hunter movement is not helpful in this case, so I artlessly hide standing behind the closest towering Ponderosa pine.

The gobbling has stopped for what seems an eternity. A peek to see what is going is imperative in my mind. The peek reveals two toms strutting on their toes as if a pair of ballerinas. At thirty yards it’s time to get to the shooting part. Mountain Merriams are not noted for how close they get to a hunter.

As I stepped around and even with the tree keeping my left shoulder in contact the far gobbler drops out of strut and begins eating! The near tom stays in half strut while extending his neck to get a better look at the expanding tree.