Turkey Hunting

Lucky Striker Turkey

May 27, 2014 by Charlie Leave a Comment

This gobbler seemed so easy at the start, it’s now been 2 hours and quiet has settled in with no response to any call. He gobbled and moved closer only to fade off as they so often do. In the meantime there were many gobbles off somewhere else causing my stiff body to yearn for another setup. A little while longer, his last gobble was so very close he can’t be far.

After another half hour or so with more gobbles echoing through valley I succumbed to the move bug. Planning to return later I crept as quietly as possible back to the boat. While stowing my gear I noticed my favorite striker was not in its designated pocket, must be back at the setup. My gaze noticed my gun laying in the boat, a quick internal debate decided it should come with even though it is a short hike to the setup.

As I bent to pick up the wayward striker laying right where it had been set the feeling of something staring came over me. Slowly my eyes rolled around scanning the woods, nothing… I grasped the striker and rose to leave my hunter’s scan continuing to look for the out place line and there it was as my back straightened to full height a tom staring in my direction. He continued advancing towards me in a juking head zigzag obviously searching for the hen who had so seductively called for so many hours.

Wild turkeys have a sharp eyesight so the slightest misstep now would send the turkey off to safe refuges only turkeys know. Gently I leaned my left shoulder against the aspen, it had the same dappled color tones as my camo. At this moment the tension in the that woods was stifling. The purring turkey would take a step or two then stop, look and listen.

My right hand readied on my gun that was pointed at the ground in line with my leg, both (my gun and I) were doing our best impersonation of that little tree as the turkey had slunk well within range. The left hand must soon be brought into play…

The turkey’s head crossed behind a small tree as he started to puff into strut thought the better of it and increased his pace apparently satisfied the hen was gone there was no reason to stay. Fingers loosened from the striker and grabbed the forearm of the rising shotgun, my body rolled around the tree now turned to face the turkey. The tom should have run or flew but as is so often the case they stop to get a better look when they see movement from where they expected to see a turkey.

As the roar of the gun subsided there was barely a break in the other springtime sounds. Just me with a lucky striker laying on the ground pointing at a dead turkey.

Will Wisconsin Beat Missouri Turkey Harvest?

May 17, 2014 by Charlie 1 Comment

Just in Missouri’s 2014 wild turkey season has come to an end with a total 2014 wild turkey harvest of 43,273 birds. This is Missouri’s third year in row of increased harvest numbers, very good news. Congratulations Missouri hunters.

At the time of this writing Wisconsin has a statewide harvest of 35,882 with 10 days of hunting season remaining. If Wisconsin hunters register another 7,391 wild turkeys we will tie Missouri.

Why does this matter you ask? Well it really doesn’t- Just interesting because Missouri is considered a turkey hunting mecca, a turkey hunting powerhouse of t he nation. On the other hand Wisconsin ranks low on the turkey hunting community’s radar. How many turkey hunters dream of making a trip a Wisconsin in the spring. Heck a lot turkey hunters I know travel out state seeking to find the promised land of turkey hunting.

Perhaps, my fellow Wisconsin turkey hunters we are living in the turkey hunting promised land. The turkey population is high, depending on who is estimating the range is somewhere between 500,000 – 600,000+. No one counts turkeys in the state and harvest data has no mathematical bearing on the actual numbers. There are only about 85,000 turkey hunters in the entire state and the hunters are spread out over 6 weeks. A single hunter may buy as many permits over the counter as they choose and there are still thousands left that will likely go unsold. The terrain is varied from big northern pine woods, big central hardwoods that cover both flatland and steep bluffs, farmlands, rivers, swamps and prairies. Allowing a turkey hunter to select the type of hunt they feel like without driving large distances out of state. Without all that windshield time a hunter can spend more time in the turkey woods. What’s not to like?

Hunt on to end of the last season. Remember it’s a long wait to spring 2015.

Sometimes It’s Easy

May 7, 2014 by Charlie Leave a Comment

It was one of those rare magical turkey hunting mornings yesterday, when the weather is beautiful & the turkeys are loud & suicidal.

Morning alarm set at 3am, 70 mile drive to northern unit 2, in the woods before 5am, turkey down at 5:30am. Nice size, 22+ lbs. 5+ pounds of turkey breast to be smoked at Maplewood Meats.

I had planned to hike in about a mile, most of it no-trail, to a wooded ridge. But turkeys gobbled nearby while I was getting out of the car. Set up just a few hundred yards in, 100+ yards from two competing gobblers. Then I fixated on a bunch of brush about 8 yards in front of me, worrying that I wouldn’t have a clean shot. So I stupidly crawled forward & snipped branches. Bad move. I never heard the two gobble again. But somebody must like me, since a third soon lit up 200+ yards out in a different direction. I only ended up calling twice to bring him in, soft yelping & clucking. He came in quiet the last hundred yards, stopping to strut every half dozen steps. While I was tagging him & taking photos another nearby tom began gobbling & was still gobbling as I walked out.

It was the 3rd day I hunted, & the first decent weather day. The other hunts had several non-turkey critter adventures involving a fox squirrel, multiple deer, & a coyote. Had one turkey near-death Thursday. The tom was 60 yards out, coming uphill gobbling to me when a doe & two yearlings stepped out between us. Never saw them until they were in front of me. Incredibly they lingered for 15 minutes 15-20 feet from me while the tom gobbled & plucked on the other side of them. A lot more to that story, but the ending was no turkey.

Interesting thing about the online harvest count. I looked at the Zone 2 number when I registered just before noon yesterday. Then at 5pm I refreshed the page. The count went up ONE, me I assume, from 6249 to 6250. Later at 9pm a refresh added 95 more, where it stays this morning.

How to Hunt Turkeys in Wind & Rain

April 28, 2014 by Charlie 1 Comment

Wisconsin wild turkey hunters are moving into their third season. That comes with rain and wind which is typical of springtime weather. Most hunters think this is better than snow, although on May 5th of 2013 20 inches of wet snow suffocated the woods. Let us all hope there will be no repeat performance this year. The thing a spring turkey hunter must keep in mind is the turkeys are still there doing turkey things no matter the weather. Where else are they going to go?

Soggy rainy days can be productive. The turkeys are still doing what turkeys do.

Wind and rain bring some advantages to the turkey hunter who perseveres through their discomfort. Both help hide hunter’s movements and noises. When the wind is blowing there is movement all around from greases, brush and trees. A turkey’s eyesight is their first line of defense however it is only 2 dimensional eyesight so background movement makes it harder for the turkey to pick out danger. This causes turkeys to move less and become more wary,(if you can imagine that). A turkey’s second defense is their acute hearing which also is impaired due to wind and rain moving plants while causing background noise that aids in covering accidental human made sounds setting the stage for a successful hunt.

To avoid the loss or degradation of the their primary defenses turkeys hangout or loaf around in areas where the wind has less affect. Such as hollows in hilly country or even folds in open field land and flat woodlands. Rain seems to keep turkeys from moving around as much so when a hunter finds turkeys they’ll be less likely to leave the sheltered area. If the hunter can enter these zones relatively undetected and waits 15-20 minutes for “settle time” before calling softly they may soon find a lonely turkey silently responding to their calls. Keep in mind the rain and wind that takes away from the turkey’s senses also diminishes the hunter’s. This will make identifying the approaching turkey more difficult.

Today’s modern turkey hunters if they go hunting in the rain and wind setup in a blind. This is better than not hunting but remember turkey movements are curtailed during times of less than perfect weather. These blind and decoy spreads are occasionally successful. I have little advice to offer with these blind setups even though I have killed a few gobblers from blinds on bad weather days.

My preferred bad weather tactic is “sneak’n and gun’n”. A version of running and gunning at a much more careful and focused pace. A rain suit is a give away, way too noisy. Instead I wear fleece which is quiet, warm, sheds quite a bit of water and dries quickly using wearer’s body heat. Wood and slate calls will not work wet. Mouth calls, wingbone calls. and crystal pot calls with synthetic strikers are the order of a inclement weather days.

When possible setup with the wind to your back. This is more comfortable and call sounds carry downwind better than upwind. There is a theory turkeys prefer to travel into the wind rather than against it. Traveling into the wind keeps their feathers down in natural position, where as traveling with the wind pushes their feathers forward causing some discomfort and soaking under their feathers if it is raining.

If the hens are nesting they are more likely to stay on nest rather than be interested in any advances from a gobbler. So the hunter may have more lonely receptive gobblers to work with.

Remember when morning weather is bad turkeys will usually leave the roost later. I’ve encountered roosted turkeys as late as 11 am. Unless the hunter has roosted turkeys the night before they may want to wait until they hear turkeys or it’s light enough to see before heading into the woods. On the other side of the day if late afternoon/evening weather turns windy and wet turkeys may go to roost earlier.

So when is a good time to hunt? Whenever you have the open tag and time off.

Good turkey hunting.

Looking Gift Turkeys in The Beak

April 27, 2014 by Charlie 4 Comments

The gobbles carried down to the valley floor as if the toms were spectators in a coliseum cheering on their favorite hunter. With an open tag in my pocket I found the sounds of those turkeys remarkably soothing. So it was on opening day 2014 of Wisconsin’s season B wild turkey season. To use a cliché “Let the games begin.”

Frequently I am asked “How can gobbling turkeys’ sooth and relax you?” There was a time in the beginning when those gobblers fired up my nerves and I would dash from gobble to gobble, seriously, running and gunning to the point of exhaustion by the quiet time of 8:30. I would collapse at the base a tree catching my breath and a bite to eat wondering what I did wrong. Early on a lot of turkeys I killed were more happenstance mainly because I stayed in the woods while most other hunters left for breakfast. Those were heady days of heart pumping adrenaline turkey hunts. But now I take things in more methodically, or at least think I do. I force myself to relax and think.

Somewhere along the line I came to realize there is no rush or at least not usually to get to the gobbler. Instead it is better to take a reflection moment to pause and analyze; where those turkeys are, which direction are they facing, how many are there and are they in the same tree or neighboring trees? Are there any soft clucks, ruffling feathers and wings of other turkeys between me and the noisy gobblers? All this helps determine the most approachable turkeys.

Decision made, I head to the west turkeys moving quietly keeping as many treetops as possible between us as possible. There are no leaves yet and roosted turkeys can see long distances very easily from their roosts. 5:30 finds me comfortably setup with 2 or 3 birds gobbling a welcome to the dawn just uphill about 150 yards. Let the conversation begin – my teaser call makes soft yelps and instantly gets the turkey’s attention. I hear them turn on roost, they are now facing me. The hunter’s life is good.

Should have called more aggressively a group of hens yelp from the field above my toms turn to face them. I call loud and hard they turn back my way making the hens madly vocal. Yelps and scrambling wing beats are answered by my frenzied calling then all is quiet. I could not tell where they flew the sounds echoed back and forth across the valley. Soon it was apparent they’re on

Fading away gobbler.

the ground at the top of hill. I put my Tongue Teaser into aggressive mode, chain gobbling erupted and started closing the distance. They were coming down hill fast hitting the logging trail drumming loudly. Red and blue heads passed by in range behind my bead. It was only about 6 on opening day with one tag in my pocket and good weather in the forecast the gun stayed silent as the gobblers faded away. I don’t usually look gift turkeys in the beak but after a long winter of anticipation it was just so early in my season. It felt good to hunt.

Years of wild turkey hunting will train your ears to hear all the subtle sounds of spring. Wild turkey hunters develop a deep appreciation for the season’s sing songs. However, when a deep throated gobble rumbles out and off a valley laser like focus hones in the source.

I crossed the valley ascending the other side as quietly as possible to within 70 yards of the hard gobbling turkey. He answered and moved towards my calls only to hang up. Then all went quiet.

My setup was not as good as I had thought, downright uncomfortable with some serious visibility issues. I noticed if I side-hilled about 50 yards visibility would be much better. Scoped out a course that would keep brush from scraping on my vest and “turkey walked” my way to a much better setup. Unless turkeys start making noise I’ve learned to always wait for the settle to take place after a move.

After a bit of trail breakfast I heard a distant gobble on land I can hunt, he gobbled a few more times as I considered whether or not to pursue. I cast out a long loud audio line to see if I could hook him…

The deep gobble erupted with authority close by from somewhere on my left – time to get ready for the shooting part. As is a common behavior the turkey appeared before I could get ready. A sight to behold as he strutted closer swinging his beard sunlight dancing on bronze feathers. No trees big enough to block his vision so no gun moves for me. Long delicious minutes passed as he strutted, drummed and shook to refresh his feathers for the next display.

While fanned out he turned away from me, the gun shouldered into position. Perhaps he heard something or maybe that 6^th sense that speaks of things amiss. As his head rose out of strut a single shot ended my first of 2014 Wisconsin wild turkey season within 3 hours from its start.

As he lay still on the carpet of last fall’s leaves I sat by him slowly stroking those bronze iridescent feathers that even in death catch and bend the light. Appreciation and reflection is good for the soul. That being said–Never look a gift turkey in the beak and if you do – DO NOT do it twice in the same day.

After Melt Winter Kill Finds

April 7, 2014 by Charlie Leave a Comment

A lot of questions are being asked about the extent of Wisconsin’s winter deer and turkey kill. Of course it will vary by area.

All the reports coming in here concerning turkeys are indicating the population is strong and vibrant with strong gobbling reports coming from all across the state of Wisconsin. So it is looking like as predicted Wisconsin’s 2014 spring wild turkey season is going be a good one. Additionally the early reports are of strong gobbling all across northern Wisconsin including units 4, 6, & 7 where WDNR needlessly cut the spring permits. Apparently northern turkeys are either well adapted for survival during adverse conditions or they use their wings and sharp eyesight to find better areas of food and cover to move to. Then return as temperatures become mild and the snow melts.

Unfortunately deer become stranded in deep snow leaving them dependent on local food and shelter conditions. This clearly has led to some die-off in areas exactly how extensive we don’t know yet. Apparently all the monitoring takes place on computer screens these days rather then in the field. In West Central Wisconsin I documented 31 winter killed deer in about a 1,000 acre area, additionally buddies reported more dead deer further north. I reported my findings to the local WDNR manager, he did not inquire any further than expressing surprise at the high number. Even with that overwinter kill deer sightings are very high this spring. A lot of deer survived here in spite of the harsh winter.

WDNR does not have teams that go out and observe deer or turkeys across the state to assess the health of populations. Many think they do but old fashion hands on wildlife management is rarely practiced any more. This is true with the vast majority of game departments across the country. For better or worse they rely on internet postings on social sites and blogs.

Not much happens if a hunter shoots an obliviously sick animal and takes it to a WDNR headquarters or sends pictures. There is no tracking or analysis performed. Hunters are left to their own to really figure out what has happened in their areas or what is happening.

Now is the time to get out to inspect your hunting area if you think there has been an overwinter kill. It’s easy to see the remains now. Here are some pictures of what you may find.

Turkey feathers are well preserved during winter in Wisconsin.

Turkey feathers last a long time.

These feathers were left overwinter from a fall kill.

The feathers above are well preserved so if you scout your area evidence of winter kill will still there.

These turkey bones are from an owl kill about a year old.

Carcass bones remain in the natural kill area longer than most people think. Look for these and feathers as you scout your area.

This is a picture of deer I found in late January. Still easily identifiable after the spring thaw.

Deer carcasses are easy to find especially if you hike with your dog. It is natural for them to become curious and point the way to you. This grizzly stuff to find but important in order to try and understand how a hunting area was affected by the severe winter. If deer were stranded in a deer yard for the winter you will find several carcasses in the general vicinity.

If you do not find evidence of dead turkeys or deer as pictured above perhaps you can consider your hunting area in good shape. Be thankful. Study what deer and turkeys ate over the winter and work to increase the supply of those food items for the next severe winter. This is how carrying capacity of the land can be increased.

Wisconsin 2014 Spring Turkey Hunt Forecast

March 29, 2014 by Charlie 18 Comments

Wisconsin is divided into 7 turkey management units. Units 1,3, and 4 are covered in this post. According to a consensus of retired turkey biologists and dedicated hunters who are year round turkey observers Wisconsin has one of the largest turkey populations in the nation numbering in excess of 500,000+. In spite of a severe winter across the

northern third of Wisconsin the turkeys seem to have survived intact. There are some localized reports of dead turkeys being found and these may have started a perception of a higher than average die off. Every winter results in the death of some individual turkeys due to disease or for whatever reason entering the winter in a weakened state. In actuality Vic the turkey dog and I have not found any evidence of massive turkey die off nor have any of my fellow turkey hunting buddies.

2014 Spring Turkey Forecast for Wisconsin Turkey Management Unit 1, 3 & south unit 4

Turkey hunters should expect to have solid turkey numbers. The 2012 spring recruitment was excellent due to near perfect spring nesting conditions. 2012 Fall hunters regularly encountered large numbers of jakes of the year. There is no reason to think many of these birds died off making them 2 year olds for spring 2014 hunt. Also consider the spring 2013 weather was horrible keeping hunters on the sidelines staring out their windows in disbelieve of all the May snow. 2013 gobbler harvest was down 30%. Most of these toms survived adding above normal 3 and 4 year old gobblers to the total 2014 spring population.

Bad news here is spring 2013 did not have good recruitment. 2013 Fall hunters encountered fewer birds of the year.

2014 Forecast summary for Wisconsin Spring Turkey Units 1, 3 and 4 –

2014 Wisconsin spring turkey hunters will find more 2-4 year old gobblers and fewer jakes than in past spring turkey hunts. At the right times 2 year gobblers are the easiest

turkeys to call in, sometimes referred to as the bread and butter of spring turkey hunting. With more of those2 year old turkeys available hunter success rates should increase significantly over spring 2013. Perhaps there will be fewer hunters afield due to the perception of hard winter effects on turkeys. Considering the suppressive effect on hunter numbers due to the misguided WDNR reduction in unit 4 permits. All of the negative news stories could take a toll on hunter attitudes and suppress their efforts. For those hunters that do not let that negative narrative discourage them and go out hunting will find a spring woods with more mature gobblers than ever before.

At this time judging by the slow sale of OTC permits and the lackluster conversion of drawn permits into turkey license purchases; Wisconsin’s spring 2014 turkey hunt will see a higher population of gobblers with fewer hunters out chasing them. What’s not to like?

The above forecast is based on my extensive 2014 field observations along with other hunters who have been putting on miles scouting turkeys. All of us get out of your trucks to hike miles of turkey habitat, glassing distant ridges and fields while taking notes of our observations. I digest all this “data” and come up with my gut instinct based on decades of turkey hunting and observations.

Feel free to get back to me with reports of your hunts and observation. Above all have fun and good hunting.

Wild Turkeys Migrate

March 25, 2014 by Charlie Leave a Comment

Do wild turkeys migrate?

Winter 2014 has been severe in most of Wisconsin. Also the winter of 2013 was challenging for wildlife survival.

While snowshoeing across a hilltop field a flock of 30 – 40 turkeys flew in loose formation over head looking like they were on their way somewhere not near here. They were a couple hundred yards in the air and until that moment I had never seen such a flock flying so high. My first thought was they were migrating.

Posted here on March 7, 2014 Turkey Turkeys Everywhere .

Suddenly after being absent all winter except for a few dead ones here and there I feared the worst. Then suddenly where there were no turkeys on the 6th come the 7th there were turkeys all over the area. The appearance of turkeys struck me as similar with waterfowl, not there one day and then there the next.

On March 8 and 9 more turkeys showed up. While out in unit 4 I saw turkeys circling overhead looking for a place to land. Their heads turning side to side and the turkeys on the ground starting purring & clucking at the flyers which seemed to encourage those in flight turkeys to come in and land. Much in the manner waterfowl arrive in an area.

For the next couple of weeks these wild turkeys ate heartily of box elder seeds, fallen apples, wild grapes and other assorted berries. The berries of course were dried looking very much like small raisins. There was much gobbling and yelping from one end of the valley to the other.

Then one morning it was silent. As I explored the valley it was apparent to the most casual of observers all of the box elder seeds and grapes were stripped away, gone, all consumed. Clearly the turkeys numbering in the hundreds, it was not possible to count them all, ate all the “easy” food and moved on.

Were these turkeys from the northern part of the state that had come south and now on their way back? Or just wide ranging winter flocks? I have observed turkeys in this particular area for 14 years and have never seen turkey movement and behavior like this before.

Migration may not be the right term but clearly this winter of 2014 caused some very different wild turkey movements. Friends in southern Wisconsin unit 1 have told me about seeing more turkeys than ever before during the winter. Now as March thankfully comes to end they are reporting significantly fewer turkey sightings. Other buddies in the north are reporting turkey sightings after a long winter of no or few turkey sightings.

Wisconsin 2014 Spring Turkey Permits Reduced 25%

March 13, 2014 by Charlie 1 Comment

2014 Turkey permits are being reduced by 25% according to WDNR press release:

Although Department of Natural Resources biologists recognize that spring harvests do not play a significant role in wild turkey population dynamics, it is clear that prolonged periods of cold and deep snow have impacted turkeys throughout the northern part of the state.

MADISON -“The concerns we are hearing from turkey hunters are justified,” stated Scott Walter, DNR upland wildlife ecologist. “The deep and persistent snow cover across the northern counties this winter has limited turkey movements. Those flocks without access to adequate food sources are having a difficult time, and mortality could be significant locally.

Remaining over-the-counter permits in Turkey Management Zones 6 and 7 will not be issued and over-the-counter permits in zones 4 and 5 will be reduced by 25 percent in response to hunter feedback requesting a conservative approach to the number of permits issued for this spring’s hunt, due to concerns that increased winter mortality has depressed turkey numbers.

“Wild turkeys were successfully reintroduced to Wisconsin through a broad partnership that was based on exactly the kind of interest and commitment being expressed by our hunters, and their successful management will continue to incorporate input from the engaged hunters who care about our turkey resource,” Walter said .

The decision was made to hold back on issuing the remaining 426 over-the-counter permits in zones 6 and 7, as winter impacts were likely to be most severe in these far-northern zones given the relative lack of an agricultural food base and large tracts of unbroken forest.

The 25 percent reduction in zones 4 and 5 will result in 866 fewer permits being issued. These reductions were put into place to help address concerns that turkey flocks may have suffered significant local losses in areas where they did not have access to adequate food. Permit levels will be reduced by 25 percent in each of the time periods for which over-the-counter permits are available.

Did anyone else get mental whiplash reading this press release?

Turkey Turkeys Everywhere March 7, 2014

March 7, 2014 by Charlie 1 Comment

Descending into the valley listening to snowshoe crampons scraping along the icy trail rain drops spattering on wool covered shoulders I thought at least the temperature is 30 some degrees above zero. That in itself is a welcome change. Vic and I have trudged up and down this steep trail almost daily all winter no matter the weather and oh has there been weather this winter. Now on this March day during the winter of 2014 it is finally mild of temp. For that we are grateful in spite of the light rain, at least rain should not need to be shoveled when we get back home. It is the same with so many winter weary Wisconsinites venturing out to find signs of spring, all of us appreciate the small improvements.

A turkey hunter seeks more signs of spring, they want to hear and see turkeys, especially those turkeys who gobble. At first this morning’s descent seemed like all others of the past frigid weeks and then sounds of birds begin to tickle the ears. Ah, the silence of winter punctuated with a long lost sound of past springs. That alone is enough to rustle the leaves of my heart.

Vic, up ahead has more prance in his step, being careful to stay on our well packed trail. For if he weaved off, the cold deep snow would grasp his body chilling him to bone.

Thin fog wisps are floating in leisurely circles as we turn to make our south circle. This trail has become like a graveyard this winter. Deer bones are strewn all along. Apparently as the deer became too weak to move through the deep snows as subzero temperatures robbed their bodies of its remaining life energy they came for final rest along these warmer southern slopes.

Usually by now, in years past the turkeys have been very vocal and active. Until this morning all places seemed devoid of turkeys. At first I thought the cluck was just the inner pop of a cold tree. But then there was another. Vic snapped to point up hill as 30 turkeys rose to flight. The turkeys looked to be in remarkably good health, though hard to tell for sure through all the winter feathers.

But the rush of turkeys lifted the hearts of these winter weary hunters. Vic tried vainly to bound up after them. He got a good cardio workout in snow over his head and returned to trail with a smile on his face. As we continued along more turkeys flushed, clucked, yelped and yes…Gobbled. Clearly they are back.

Over the years during hard winters or tough spots in winter I have thought perhaps turkeys migrate. But where to?

Last winter was tough too. While snowshoeing across a hilltop field a flock of 30 – 40 turkeys flew in loose formation over head looking like they were on their way somewhere not near here. They were a couple hundred yards in the air and until that moment I had never seen such a flock flying so high. My first thought was they were migrating. To my knowledge there has never been a study of turkey travel during a hard winter. Some studies have tracked fall broods as they join into winter flocks and other studies tracked spring hen dispersal. These studies found turkeys that moved 15-20 miles. Is it possible winter turkeys move much further? I think it is very likely. Which is why a “good” area can be devoid of turkeys for so long and then all of sudden the turkeys are there just as quickly as they had left.

Back the morning hike; we found at 200+ turkeys in area that no turkeys yesterday nor any of the weeks before.

A clear sign of a good spring hunt to come.

Wind and Wild Turkey Hunting

March 1, 2014 by Charlie Leave a Comment

Many small things go into a successful turkey hunt.

For the most part wild turkey hunters do not like windy days. The wind makes it harder for hunters to hear the turkeys and for the turkeys to hear the hunter’s calls. Not sure about latter. A turkey’s hearing is so fine tuned they can probably hear the hunter’s calls it’s just that the hunter who can’t hear the turkey’s response. Blowing wind masks the sound of approaching turkeys perhaps causing a hunter to give up their setup prematurely in the mistaken belief there are no turkeys out and about.

Questions not usually considered or discussed much:

Does wind alter a turkey’s behavior?
If so how can a turkey hunter change strategies to bag a gobbler?
Excellent article: Let the Wind Blow a Bird Your Way by Judd Cooney. Get a copy and enjoy.

An article by Judd Cooney in the March 2014 Fur-Fish-Game titled Let the Wind Blow a Bird Your Way, Wild Turkey Tactics

This article got me thinking about wind and turkeys on a deeper level than in the past.

Mr. Cooney writes:

I speculate that turkeys, being heavy-weight gliders, have a tough time navigating on the wing through tree branches – as any hunter who has heard them going to coming from a roost in a thicket might attest. Flying into the wind gives them better control, much as a bush pilot always tries to land into the wind. It also makes sense that turkeys feel more comfortable feeding into the wind, when it is blowing with and not against the natural lay of their feathers.

Good observation there Mr. Cooney I too have noticed turkeys seem to prefer facing the wind. This is why a setup with the wind on the hunter’s back usually works out better. Not only will the wind carry the sound of your call more effectively… The turkeys are usually already pointed and upwind up wind. As on longtime deer bowhunter having the wind at my back doesn’t fell quite right because deer will smell the hunter and be gone. Fortunately, turkeys on the other hand have no sense of smell. However, I had not considered the wind effect on determining a turkey’s fly down direction. As I think back over past hunts where the turkeys went the “wrong” way it was very likely that the wind had something to do with it.

There is more in Judd Cooney’s article explaining his observations and conclusions regarding wild turkey behavior in the wind. Hunting turkeys on those particularly windy spring days is more challenging. A hunter with a good understanding of all the things affecting turkey behavior is better able to tip the odds in their favor. This is another tidbit of information to help in that quest.

Good hunting.

Also read tips in How to Hunt Wild Turkeys in Wind & Rain

Wisconsin State Park Rules Eliminate Turkey Hunting Zones

January 8, 2014 by Charlie Leave a Comment

Proposed rules for hunting in Wisconsin State Parks will eliminate the current wild turkey hunting zones.

The 2011 ACT 168 that was signed into law in April 2012, established that hunting and trapping activities are generally allowed on state park properties effective Jan. 1 2013. The Department of Natural Resources implemented emergency rules for the first year of state park hunting under Act 168. These rules were approved by the State Natural Resources Board in December 2012.

Under its authority to limit hunting and trapping for safety reasons under Act 168 the board set the open hunting and trapping seasons in state parks from Nov. 15 through Dec. 15 and from April 1 through the third spring turkey period. In addition deer hunting with a bow will be open Nov. 15 until the end of the archery season in early January. Act 168 gave the DNR the authority to prohibit hunting and trapping within 100 yards of a designated use area such as a campground, picnic area, or beach, where there are public safety concerns, or to protect unique habitat.

The board also limited the types of traps used at state parks to those that would prevent catching dogs and prevented shooting across trails in areas that are not open to hunting.

The department is not proposing new season dates or modifications to periods when hunting and trapping are allowed in state parks that would be different from what was implemented in December, 2012.

The permanent rules will include all of the same hunting and trapping rules included in the emergency rules and will include some additional changes such as eliminating the spring state park Wild Turkey Management Zones. and allowing hunting dogs to be off leash for dogs actively engaged in hunting at three state parks. The rules will also eliminate language that is no longer needed, simplify existing regulations, and create new rules related to safety.

“With turkey hunting now allowed on most state park properties there is no longer a need for individual state park turkey management zones,” says Scott Loomans, DNR wildlife regulations specialist.

Prior to Act 168, 17 state park properties had already allowed spring turkey hunting by permit. Each of these properties had been listed under hunting regulations as separate turkey management zones. Under the proposed permanent rules, those state park turkey zones will be eliminated and a park property will become part of the surrounding zone in which it is located.

The proposed rule and fiscal estimate may be reviewed and comments electronically submitted through the Wisconsin Administrative Rules website . Written comments on the proposed rule may be submitted via U.S. mail to Mr. Scott Loomans, Department of Natural Resources, PO Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707-7921. By email to scott.loomans@wisconsin.gov.

Comments accepted until Jan. 24, 2014.

25 Below Zero Turkey Hunting

January 6, 2014 by Charlie 3 Comments

Last night a farmer had called inquiring why I had not been out turkey hunting on his farm? Last time Vic and I hunted this farm there were no turkeys, that happens a lot during fall turkey season. The turkeys are there and then they are not. My farmer friend continued “As of a couple of days ago he said there had been a turkey invasion.” OK 2 days of fall turkey season left–time to squeeze in a Wisconsin unit 3 hunting trip.

The truck’s thermometer said 25 below I as stepped out into yesterday’s unit 3 sunrise. The frigid air started crystalizing around my face instantly and the snow screeched with each step of my snowshoes. All I could think is how dangerous a turkey addiction can be. But waiting for a warmer day is not an option with the season closing in only 2 days.

Faint sun dogs on the morning’s horizon outlined the roosted turkeys. There were turkeys roosted nearly everywhere along the field edges. The only approach available is across a barren snow covered 140 acre field and those turkeys. Hiding from all those sharp turkeys eyes was impossible so all the noise of my approach did not matter. What does matter in this situation is the directness for a hunter’s approach. By that I mean if you were to walk in a straight line towards the turkeys they will get very nervous and flush. Usually a good thing during a fall hunt, if the turkeys break apart and head off in different directions. That is Vic the Turkey Dog’s preferred strategy. However due to the intense cold Vic is not on this hunt, he has no coat to keep him warm during a prolonged cold setup. Cold of this magnitude affects all dogs so I grudgingly left Vic at home.

My approach towards the turkeys was indirect, a steady meander across the field to a shrubby point that had frozen wild grapes, dogwood berries and elderberries. This setup put the turkeys at an angle to my left that way if things go according to plan the turkeys coming off roost will be approaching on my strong shooting side. Many years of hunting turkeys have taught me turkeys do not seem to remember danger after a period of quiet waiting. So after a long silent 20 minute wait, -25 makes a 5 minute wait seem long, 20 minutes feels like hours. I belted out the first series of assembly kee’s to the still roosted turkeys. Feathered wings began shaking off frost and a bunch of turkeys sailed off roost passing by and stumbling to their landing in the field about 25 yards to my right- a gobbler rolled dead at the shot. Large wings stirred up a whirl of snow crystals as they clawed their way back into the sunrise.

As anyone who has been out in serious cold temps knows a lot of things don’t work in this kind of cold, various body joints, mechanical parts, particularly anything electronic and this morning that included my camera. As I trudged back across the field I could the turkey getting stiffer the turkey was frozen by the time I reached the truck for the drive home.

A gobbler from a different hunt. My camera did not work at 25 below.

This was my coldest turkey hunt ever. Over the years I’ve been asked what makes me do these extreme hunts? Interesting term as I don’t think of them as extreme. It’s mostly simple I look forward, no I obsess over the next hunting season, my quiet prayer is “Oh God, please just one more season. So if the season is open, no work on the schedule (that can’t be rescheduled) and an open tag in my pocket it’s a good day to hunt.

To me the best part of hunting is getting into the hunt, being immersed so that no other day to day mundane problems enter the mind. It’s a mental preparation so that you are not thinking about any discomforts, undo home front tasks or checking the happenings on the grid. A sense of freedom washes over and through the soul of a hunter. It’s just you, the weather, the turkeys and the surroundings. If not for those turkeys that morning I would not have been there. Had I not been there I would not have the seen the sun dogs at sunrise, heard the squeak of the snow nor the frosty feathers being ruffled as the natural morning wakeup time arrived. As a hunter I was a participant rather than just an observer.

2013 Wisconsin Fall Turkey Permit Drawing Results

August 19, 2013 by Charlie 2 Comments

Update 8/23/13 The corrected number and zones of Leftover Wisconsin Fall Turkey permit numbers has been updated. 2013 Fall Turkey Leftover Permit Availability

Here is a PDF table of Wisconsin’s 2013 fall wild turkey drawing results. 2013 fall turkey permits pdf

There were 20,000 more fall turkey applicants in 2013 than in 2012 as a result there are hunters who did not draw a fall tag in units 2, 5,6 & 7 including 130 landowners did not draw a permit in these units.

55, 711 wild turkey permits were awarded out of a total of 96,700 permits available.

Leftover tags are available as follows:

Unit 1 – 15,845
Unit 3 – 17,340
Unit 4 – 7,804

These tags will available for sale starting August 24 at 10 A.M. Hunters may buy one tag per day until sold out.

Warm up the calls, the fall turkey season starts September 14, 2013

Wisconsin 2103 Fall Turkey Drawing and Over the Counter Tags

August 14, 2013 by Charlie Leave a Comment

Turkey dogs are legal statewide in Wisconsin during the fall. Dogs are used to find and breakup fall flocks then master and dog setup to call them back.

Update 3: 2013 Wisconsin Fall Turkey Permit Drawing Results

Update 2: 8/19/13 OTC turkey permits, Wisconsin Fall 2013 Leftover tags to be sold over the counter numbers here.

Update: The fall turkey drawing was just finished Monday morning 8/19/13. Results will be posted soon.

With great anticipation serious Wisconsin fall turkey hunters are waiting for the drawing to be completed and the results to be announced. We all know that all applicants will most likely be drawn; with 97,000 permits available and only an estimated 40,000 applicants odds are very good at winning this lotto. The drawing is not completed yet, WDNR expects results to be posted early in the week of 19th.

The most serious of hunters like to buy their licenses as soon as possible. This gives them their

Fall is beautiful time to hunt turkeys. Gobblers gobble and strut in the fall too. 3 gobblers that fought their way into my calls.

first sense of completion – “yep, I’m going hunting” even if the start is still well into the future, having that license in hand brings a sense of reality, a concrete step in the preparation process.

Other turkey hunters are more casual you can see them standing in the license line the day before opener. Worse are the hunting buddies you pick up early on opening day morning who inform you they need to stop and buy a license. If they are in my truck this is a good way to get booted out. But I digress.

Leftover 2013 fall turkey tags are sold over the counter (OTC) at the rate of one per day until sold out. In previous years there are thousands of tags left at season’s end Dec 31st so there appears to be no hurry. Except again for those seriously addicted turkey chasers

who have all their other gear ready to go, some never put it away so it’s always ready, these turkey hunters will be buying their OTC tags each day starting August 24, 2013.

My motto: It is never to early to start obsessing about the next season. Or put another way: “Dear Lord please let me have just one more season.”

Wisconsin winter turkey offers an additional challenge.

Happy hunting.

Turkeys and Poults Find Them During the Summer

July 22, 2013 by Charlie Leave a Comment

The poult watch is a popular summer time activity of turkey hunters; well maybe not

Wild turkey hen with brood of poults.
photo by Kevin Cole

the casual turkey hunter but certainly those who are the hard bitten turkey hooked type of hunter. Many hunters I have talked with lately see no sense to scouting turkeys now. After all turkeys will, most likely, not be in the same areas come September 14th Wisconsin’s 2013 fall opening date. Besides these hunters add the cover is so thick you can’t see the birds anyway. Well maybe there is some truth to that on both accounts…

Will turkeys be somewhere else come the opener?

Maybe, maybe not.

Turkeys in my section of Wisconsin are wide ranging they can be one place one day and somewhere else the next. You just never know because they do things for turkey reasons. Heck during the fall season on any given day turkeys could be all over in one area and gone somewhere else the next. Turkeys are very random creatures so no matter the time of year turkeys might be somewhere other than where they were last seen.

What is the definition of scouting? I think it means different things to each hunter. To me it does not matter if you call turkey observing scouting or whatever. I simply like watching turkeys period. Observation is a prime method of learning and there is a lot to learn about turkeys. But first you have to find turkeys to observe.

Contrary to the conclusion some spring only hunters come to. Turkeys respond to calls year round. You can even call turkeys during the summer months. During the summer I like to find and watch hens with broods so I use hen talk such as the assembly call, putt, clucks, and feeding purrs young poults instinctively respond quickly to these calls. When the hen calls poults pay attention because their lives depend on it for survival. In the case of alarm putts and assembly calls they must come quickly so the hen can shepard them out of danger.

Wild turkey poults must feed extensively during summer months.

My goal using a call is to locate the poults not necessarily to call them in as I would while hunting in order to get a shot. I like to find the birds then just shutup and watch them interact while going about thier business. Dense cover in fields and woods frequently inhibits the ability to see. This is a two way street, the turkeys can’t see well either which many times causes them to use their wings to get above the cover or they may fly into trees for a look around. Too often we think of turkeys as ground birds during the day and tree birds while they roost at night. In reality turkeys especially the young are in the treetops more than we think. Dittos for the use of their wings. Sometimes after making some calls the turkeys will flutter and hover a bit much alike a hummingbird does up above ground cover to get look.

Turkeys most preferred summer food is insects from the smallest of gnats to large grasshoppers. Find a good source of insect life in good turkey habitat and you should find the birds. Don’t over look areas in and around water. Not only does water concentrate insects it also holds all kinds of high protein morsels such as crayfish, tadpoles, frogs, snails and many types of aquatic bugs. I have seen water feeding turkeys dunk there heads underwater to feed on these.

Turkeys prefer eating insects and other high protein critters.

Your Secret Hunting Location and Metadata

June 21, 2013 by Charlie Leave a Comment

Metadata may lead another hunter to your most favored haunts.

So you thought you’d done a good job keeping your prime hunting spots top secret even from most of your closest buddies. Heck, season after season you’ve bagged a trophy so what’s there to worry about now? Except then on occasion, you see another truck parked around “your” area, then another and another. What’s going on? A random hunter invasion or something else?

Well if you took pictures near the kill site, texted or made a phone call. Oops, you’ve marked the location of your honey hole with metadata.

Metadata is information that includes GPS coordinates, information about communications you send and receive, the type of device used, email subject lines, search terms and the websites you visit. It exposes your reading and viewing habits. If you carry your cell phone to a gun range- Don’t worry about any of the firearm databases; you have just disclosed to anyone in the world who understands metadata that you are probably a gun owner. As a matter of fact, if someone cares to track you, metadata can construct a map of your daily movements.

Analyzing metadata requires specialized computer skills right?

Not really, all you need is a computer program with the right algorithms; Google has apps for that which are available for free. Digital pictures contain the GPS coordinates of where and when they were taken, so do text messages and emails. You won’t find GPS coordinates listed as such because they are contained in the code, so you need to run a program to sort them out. With this program you can check out all the vanity pictures posted online, sent by email or texted.

Very soon there will be a new easy to use deer scouting app advertised by some large hunting company that will search the trophy deer picture for its GPS coordinates. Someone somewhere is working on that app marketing right now. In the meantime with an understanding of metadata analyzing and the right Google app, anyone can find the GPS coordinates of a picture taken with smartphones and the new digital cameras including trail cameras.

Metadata is one of the reasons why charlie does not carry a smartphone hunting, and his camera is old with no GPS capabilities.

Ways to avoid having your hunting location metadata-ed

Do not take a smartphone hunting
Take your vanity pictures in locations where you do not care about disclosure
Do not use your phone as a GPS rather use a GPS that broadcasts no identifying information
Do not text or send emails from your hunting spots

Of course, the best-looking pictures are those taken in the field shortly after the game is killed.

How to “scrub” your photo for online use:

Open the photo in one program and open another new file, use a crop box tool to select the open photo displayed on your screen. Paste it into the other empty file then rename it and save. The only metadata it should have now is the file creation date, file type, and size.

Treble Hooked Triple Beard Turkey: What?!?

June 17, 2013 by Charlie 5 Comments

My good friend and hunting partner Jerry Cusick had one of the toughest spring turkey hunting seasons during this Wisconsin 2013 season. We all had some seriously tough weather to contend with but nothing like Jerry experienced so it is good he killed this unique gobbler.

Story as told by Jerry Cusick:

What I remember is it was downright cold that morning (First day of 3^rd WI turkey season). I was bundled up pretty good and that was just barely warm enough. I was hunting above the river bluff on the edge of a picked corn field. There was gobbling in the dark before legal time, but nothing after fly-down. It was at least 2 hours later when I heard a faint gobble somewhere down the bluff. I called and he did not answer a hen yelp. I switched to deep drawn out gobbler yelps and he gobbled back. In my scouting the day before I found male turkeys still hanging out with other males, so I wasn’t surprised that it worked. It only took about ten minutes and he came up from below. I had a hen and jake decoy out and there was also a live jake that had walked in minutes before. The adult gobbler immediately went into strut and ambled towards the live jake until he moved off. The adult tom then turned and came right into my set-up. He never gobbled the whole time I watched him and he never broke out of strut either. I could hear him spit and drum clearly many times before I finally pulled the trigger at about 10 yards. He had good spurs, a triple beard and the odd thing was the treble hook with swivel that I found imbedded in his waddle. I have no idea how he got it, but believe he may have tried to roost in a tree near the river where someone had lost their tackle up on a limb.

photo and kill by Jerry Cusick.
Triple bearded wild turkeys are rare but what was imbedded in the turkey’s neck is even rarer.

A Treble Hook in a wild turkey’s neck?!
photo courtesy of Jerry Cusick.

I have killed a lot of turkeys over the years many of them near rivers and streams that experience heavy fishing pressure but I have never seen a fish in a wild turkey. Nor have I ever heard of it happening before, ever. How is the world would a fish hook find its way into a wild turkey’s neck?

2013 Wisconsin Spring Turkey Final Harvest Numbers

June 4, 2013 by Charlie 1 Comment

Not all hunters stayed home during Wisconsin 2013 spring turkey season. Many of those who endured the historically cold and snowy weather were rewarded with gobblers.

Historic Cold & Snowy spring results in drop in turkey hunting success

Wisconsin Hunters experienced bad weather during early time periods

WDNR Press Release

MADISON – Turkey hunters ran into poor hunting conditions during the first half of the spring turkey hunting season, resulting in a preliminary registration total of 37,804 turkeys, which according to Department of Natural Resources officials is an 11 percent decrease from the spring 2012 turkey season.

Unseasonably cold weather persisted into May throughout the state, with deep snow in the north and rain, snow, and wind throughout the early season in the south.

“It really was an amazing contrast, weather-wise, from 2012’s hunt,” said Scott Walter, upland wildlife ecologist for the Department of Natural Resources. “Last year, we were snow-free statewide by opening day, with winter flocks broken up and hens initiating nests. This year, spring didn’t arrive until mid-season, and hunters had to deal with some challenging conditions, especially in the northern zones where many hunters had to don snowshoes to get in the woods after a turkey.”

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

According to Scott Walter, the poor weather likely reduced hunter effort and made harvesting a bird more challenging because gobblers were still tied to winter flocks of hens.

“Hunters simply won’t spend as much time in the woods in inclement weather. The persistent winter weather therefore presented a double obstacle for hunters, and is the major reason we saw a drop in harvest and success,” said Walter.

Zone 1 again produced the highest overall turkey harvest at 11,054 birds, followed by zones 3 and 2, where hunters registered 9,468 and 8,955 turkeys, respectively. The highest hunter success was in zone 2 with a preliminary success rate of 21 percent, followed by zones 1 and 3 at 18 percent, and zone 5 at 17 percent. Success rates were between 12 percent and 15 percent for zones 4, 6, and 7. Overall, the statewide success rate was 18 percent, compared with 21 percent last year.

Though harvest was down, the number of permits issued for this year’s hunt increased by 5 percent, from 201,984 to 211,307.

“The increase in permits is likely due to hunters purchasing more leftover permits for the later time periods to take

advantage of better hunting weather,” said Walter. “Harvest during the first two time periods was down 34 percent statewide compared to 2012, yet we actually harvested more total birds during the last four time periods this year. It’s clear that hunters who were able to do so took advantage of over-the-counter permits to enjoy a later-season hunt with good weather conditions and turkeys that were finally engaged in normal breeding behavior.”

Telephone, online registration working well

This season was the second spring turkey hunt in which hunters could register turkeys through phone-line or online registration systems, first introduced with the fall 2011 turkey hunt and in place for all future spring and fall turkey seasons. No in-person registration will be available.

“Hunters seem to have transitioned to the new systems well,” said Krista McGinley, DNR assistant upland wildlife ecologist. “The majority of hunters have expressed satisfaction with the new systems, frequently citing their convenience. Quite a few hunters stated that they were able to register their turkey via cellphone right in the field.”

2013 fall season

Although the recent severe winter may have proven challenging for turkeys, biologists note there is reason for optimism regarding this fall’s hunt.

”We had a great hatch last year,” Walter said. “There was a large cohort of jakes headed into this spring’s hunt. With poor weather limiting hunter success this spring, hunters should see additional opportunity both this fall and next spring as these jakes mature into adult gobblers.”

However, the prolonged winter may have resulted in localized mortality, especially in the north.

“That’s something that’s very difficult to detect,” Walter added. “We know prolonged severe winter weather can reduce survival in northern turkey populations, especially where agricultural foods are not available. At this point, we haven’t heard solid evidence for any unusual mortality associated with the hard winter, but there are definitely folks who’ve been speculating about such an impact.”

A successful nesting and brood-rearing season propels turkey numbers upward. Generally speaking, dry conditions during June keep newly-hatched chicks from getting chilled and suffering from exposure, leading to good production in all upland game bird species, according to Walter.

“Things have been wet so far this year during the nesting season. However, most turkey nests hatch around the first of June in Wisconsin. Dry weather over the next month will help those chicks survive the critical first few weeks,” said Walter.

The fall 2013 wild turkey season will run from Sept. 14 through Nov. 21, with an extended season only in Turkey Management Zones 1 through 5, from Dec. 2 through Dec. 31. The deadline for applying for a fall permit through the lottery process is Aug. 1. Applications cost $3 and can be purchased through the Online Licensing Center, at license sales locations, or by calling toll-free 1-877-WI LICENSE (1-877-945-4263).

The 2013 Fall Turkey and 2014 Spring Turkey regulations are included in the 2013 Wisconsin Small Game Hunting Regulations pamphlet, available on the hunting regulations page of the DNR website and in hard copy at DNR service centers and license vendors. For more information, visit wi.dnr.gov, search keyword “turkey.”

Snowbound Turkeys & Hunter

May 30, 2013 by Charlie Leave a Comment

This is a turkey tale during the May snow storm of 2013, the turkeys who lived in it and the hunter who hunted in it.

This adds a dimension of challenge I had never in my turkey hunting life dealt with.

I stepped out the door into knee deep snow, my first thought “Is it really May?” Yes it was May in Wisconsin and the 4th week of spring turkey season had begun with 20+ inches of grainy wet snow. The deafening sound of trees giving way under all the snow’s weight gave me pause; and I wisely chose to hunt the next day instead. In the old days we called those crashing trees and limbs widow makers. I don’t often change hunting plans but I have a lot of respect for widow makers.

The sun struggled even harder than me to get up the next morning and it, the sun, did not make it up. Well, it might have been up it’s just all the snowy drizzle clouds might have just been blocking my view.

Not a turkey could be heard so I setup for some cold calling. Ten minutes into my first set of lost yelping – a GOBBLE! But it sounded odd with a kind of deadening muffle to it. His red head stuck out harshly against the white landscape, something about his movements were very strange…

This gobbler could not walk on the snow either, he sunk right to his breast and this manned up turkey was not about to let a little snow get between him and a damsel, I mean hen in distress. Never before had I seen a turkey clawing the snow with their wings with move forward. It had to be tiring; soon his great wings lifted him up onto a large snow covered oak branch. He trudged back and forth causing the snow to fall off. Kind of like he was shoveling a strut zone and strut he did. I was not sure if his booming gobbles were causing the scattering of the snow on surrounding trees or if it was from a breeze up above.

This gobbler’s show was worthy of an Oscar as time slid by unnoticed. He gobbled, I yelped trying to sound as lonely and cold as I felt. We were a fine duo him and me. If he had not been out of range our song would have ended before all those other turkeys came flying in.

That’s right, more turkeys, 5 hens, a jake and 2 more gobblers flew in to apparently start up a choir. Snow scattered filtering its way to the ground. The turkeys fluttered from limb to limb cackling, clucking and gobbling to an unseen director. My numb hands could not keep up the right tempo on the crystal pot call. I could not get any of those turkeys to move a few more trees over towards me and since they were up above me I am quite sure they saw me; but they gave that no clue to that.

For over 3 hours or so it seemed; time was irrelevant, those turkeys entertained, taught and frustrated me. They had quieted down while feeding on the oak buds and blossoms eventually fluttering away to do whatever it is turkeys do on snowy May days.

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