Turkey Hunting

Total Wisconsin Spring 2013 Turkey Harvest

May 28, 2013 by Charlie Leave a Comment

Here are the preliminary spring 2013 Wisconsin turkey kill/harvest stats.

This graph compares the daily 2012 kill to the daily 2013 kill.

2013 = RED

2012 = BLUE

Obviously the extreme historic spring weather made a big difference in Wisconsin’s spring wild turkey kill. Notice the decreased kill in 2013 compared to 2012 until the late seasons when 2013 kill increases substantially above the kill rate of 2012. Without the nonparticipant adjustment the success rate was only 18%, this will increase when the adjustment is made. The figures here are only preliminary. The final stats will be available in the coming weeks.

Here is a PDF of the turkey kill by unit and season in Wisconsin. Preliminary Spring 2013 Turkey Harvest 05282013

Please leave a comment about your thoughts or experience during the 2013 spring turkey season.

Dart Board Turkey

May 27, 2013 by Charlie Leave a Comment

Every year I throw a dart at a map to find a new place to hunt.

Due to all those unexpected things that come up in life Wisconsin’s 3rd spring turkey season did not start off as planned. I could not get out hunting during the morning, you all know how that feels when you have active tags in your pocket and the morning dawns with beautiful hunting weather.

Come noontime the distracting tasks were completed and I was finally free so I decided to head over to unit 3 to a place I had never before hunted. I like to hunt a new area every year without any extensive map studies or scouting. The area was picked by hanging a county forest map on a dart board and where the dart hit I headed to.

Hunting a different area completely cold is something I do at least once each spring and several times every fall. To me it is one of the ultimate challenges of turkey hunting and an excellent way to hunt without any preconceived notions about the lay of the land or the turkeys inhabiting said land. I find this concept keeps my skillset sharp and opens up more “known” hunting acres for me to consider each season. Without pre-scouting you must quickly get attuned to the new area by paying close attention to all the small details of sound and sign. So it was I found myself standing at the end of a county forest spur at 2:00 pm.

After enduring the horrible weather of season 1 this gorgeous day lent itself well to a beautiful walk in woods. Other than the sounds of the usual cardinals, orioles, Canadian sparrows and other assorted song birds punctuated by the occasional goose honk; it was a relaxing walk in the woods. That is, until 6p when the tell tale single yap of a gobbler pierced through my revelry to swiftly draw my attention to task at hand.

The woods was full 50 year old straight manicured oaks dotted with red pines making the selection of a doable setup quick and easy. I’d love to report a long battle of heavy back and forth calling and maneuvering but that would be an exaggeration. From my selected tree I made 2 yelps on a slate pot, heard a half gobble much like a jake and son of gun there he was standing at 20 yards.

But it was quite clear he was no jake perhaps just an experienced gobbler who knew he should not sound off too loudly but ended up vulnerable to a dart board.

How to Find Turkeys in the Late Spring Season

May 16, 2013 by Charlie Leave a Comment

As turkey hunters are all to aware- Turkeys do not share our dinner plans.

The spring of 2013 in Wisconsin has been one of, if not the most challenging spring season in history. More late season tags have sold out this year than in previous years. Some of my buddies are asking where do we find the turkeys? How is their behavior different?

Regarding where to find them:

With the improving weather hens have begin laying. I’m finding turkey nests with 4-6 eggs along with the occasional “drop egg” laying by itself. In the next few days here in west central Wisconsin the hens should complete laying and start incubating. When the hens are incubating they will not roost at night. For a few days this will cause some angst among the gobblers resulting in more gobbling activity.

At first the hens will sound off from their nesting areas as their interest in the toms wanes. So a hunter should experience good luck if they can get in the travel corridor leading from the tom’s roost to nesting area. Once the hens are in the incubation process they are unlikely to run to the gobbler, leaving him “available”. At this point hen talk should work to get the gobbler in.

Watch for the formation of summer time wild turkey bachelor groups and change your calling to gobbler talk.

If this were a normal year or the nature of things “catches up” to normal the gobblers would be forming summer bachelor groups this 6th season. Gobbler talk would then be more effective calling. Each area of the state is different so watch for the signs of what to do from the turkeys.

Key in on insect production areas, new wild flower and woodland grass growth. Hens seem to like to nest in open woodland near these areas. Gobblers like to loaf and refurbish their bodies after the long breeding season. Particularly late in the afternoon and early evening. This is a good time for the audio baiting tactic described in “How to Legally Bait Turkey post” Make sure you take your gun I have killed 2 toms this year between 6-7 pm calling in these areas.

Regarding turkey behavior-

Turkeys behave like turkeys and they are out there even if you do not hear or see them. Turkey behavior changes throughout the seasons and a savvy hunter tries to learn as much as they can about turkeys and their changing flock structure from spring thru winter.

Wisconsin 2013 Spring Turkey Harvest – first 3 periods

May 8, 2013 by Charlie 2 Comments

Update May 28, 2013 Total 2013 Wisconsin spring turkey kill

Wisconsin’s 2013 spring turkey hunt has been one for the history books with all of the record setting cold and snow. Even during the first week of May we experienced an unprecedented, never before recorded May snowstorm that dumped 20+ inches in some areas. Over all it has been one tough hunt this year.

How the spring turkey hunters faired?

Here the preliminary turkey harvest numbers for the first 3 seasons.

Time Period A, 4/10 through 4/16

Zone Harvest

1 2,232

2 1,602

3 1,946

4 770

5 380

6 136

7 66

Total 7,132

Time Period B, 4/17 through 4/23

Zone Harvest

1 1,995

2 1,479

3 1,765

4 720

5 359

6 91

7 61

Total 6,470

Time Period C, 4/24 through 4/30

Zone Harvest

1 2,342

2 1,495

3 1,904

4 967

5 352

6 117

7 77

Total 5,544

Looks like Wisconsin’s wild turkey harvest is on track to be 30% lower than last year’s. We don’t have the registration for season D which will reflect May’s historic blizzard. Unless more hunters go afield during seasons E & F the kill could be down 45% or more from 2012. At least the hunter kill will be down. But what about those turkeys that nature killed? Most likely, as is usually the case more turkeys die of natural causes than by hunters. Hunter only harvest about 10% of the total turkey population each year.

When Do Turkeys Nest in Wisconsin?

April 23, 2013 by Charlie 13 Comments

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Are Turkeys Responding to Calls In Wisconsin Spring 2013?

April 17, 2013 by Charlie Leave a Comment

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

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

” Are the turkeys gobbling and responding to calls?”

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

A few more details are in order before answering definitively.

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

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

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

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

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

Turkeys are answering calls in the spring of 2013

Good hunting.

Double Beard Lightweight Turkey

April 10, 2013 by Charlie Leave a Comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

Back at the hut the hot soup refurbished my resolve…

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

Picture taken from the turkey’s point of view.

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

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

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

An unusually small turkey considering he sports a double beard.

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

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

April 5, 2013 by Charlie 2 Comments

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

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

When to scare turkeys in the spring?

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

What to do now?

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

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

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

Can Turkeys Find Snow Insects?

March 17, 2013 by Charlie 4 Comments

Wild turkeys are amazing, they have proven to be tough survivors under harsh conditions. Sometimes they are referred to as goats with feathers because of their ability find and eat such a variety of food.

Earlier this winter I found a flock of turkeys scratching in deep snow powder but they appeared not to be scratching down through the snow as they would if they were exposing nuts or seeds. This got my curiosity going so I moved in to investigate what they were after.

Even in the dead of winter insects are available.

Insects take refuge in tree bark to wait out the winter and apparently after some high winds they blown out into the snow were they wait helplessly on the wild turkeys buffet.

Here is another iced insect, mosquito?

The Turkey’s Snood Knows

March 9, 2013 by Charlie 4 Comments

What is the purpose of a wild turkey’s snood?

According to research done by University of Mississippi Dr. Richard Buchholz

In addition to uncovering a non-sexual function for the brightly colored, bare head of the male wild turkey (which is crucial for maintaining sub-lethal body temperatures under warm ambient conditions and during physical exertion), my work also demonstrated that one aspect of male head ornamentation, the frontal process, or snood is subject to both inter-sexual and intrasexual selection. Captive female wild turkeys prefer to mate with long snooded males, and during dyadic interactions, male turkeys deferred to males with relatively longer snoods. These results were demonstrated using both live males and controlled artificial models of males.

So according to Dr. Buchholz research the hens prefer a long snood on their gobbler. But what is the genetic advantage of a long snood?

Dr. Buchholz continues

in the wild the long snooded males preferred by females and avoided by males seemed to be resistant to coccidia infection.

Very interesting I will be following the Doctor’s research.

As a hunter, I have noticed all turkeys snoods vary in length depending on their general state of alert or alarm.

When a turkey is relaxed and unalarmed, their snood is longer.

As a turkey becomes more alert to something out of place the snood begins to shorten.

They alarmed the turkey becomes the shorter the snood becomes.

Snood length gives the hunter an indication of the turkey’s mood or agitation. When the snood shortens you must make the decision- shoot or not shoot. Should the shot not be good you must be very still and quiet for any hope of the turkey settling back down. Most of the time a turkey who has suddenly shortened his snood is getting ready to leave the area.

How to Legally Bait Wild Turkeys

March 3, 2013 by Charlie 1 Comment

After aggressive calling the evening before. This public land wild turkey was waiting for me the next morning and came in without hesitation.

The baiting of wild turkeys with food is banned in all states with turkey populations unless you have a permit to capture and relocate turkeys or a depredation hunt.

However, what I have in mind and the method I use, particularly during the spring turkey hunt is audio baiting.

Audio Baiting

It’s no secret turkeys are attracted by “Turkey Talk”, the sounds made by other turkeys. After all, that is why most turkey hunters make or purchase several different styles of turkey calls. Some hunters have bought into the notion that turkeys become call shy, and you should not call when you are not hunting. Unless you are a terrible caller or cause a big human disturbance entering and leaving the hunting area, you will not scare or educate turkeys by making turkey sounds. By the way, some of the worst turkey calls I have ever heard came out of the beaks of turkeys.

How it works

The evening before your hunt decide where you would like a gobbler to be the next morning, the approximate area. The tom probably will not fly into the exact tree you desire, but he may get close to it. The goal is to pull a wandering gobbler or two into the area you can hunt come morning.

Locate a prominent open location where sounds you make will have the best chance of traveling the greatest distance possible. Trees, vegetation, and hills obstruct or absorb sound. Some unobstructed sound corridors are necessary. Another method is to move quietly along a trail audio trolling; picture floating a river casting in likely spots only you are using audio lures rather than fishing lures. Think of it as audio chumming.

If your season is open and it is legal to take your gun on this setup just in case a gobbler shows, after all, you are in a turkey woods that contains turkeys and you never know when one is going to show. At least one-third of all my spring turkeys are taken late afternoon/early evening.

After setting up start calling; using yelps, cackles, purrs, and clucks; increasing the volume and intensity as sunset approaches. Guide your calling by imagining a couple of hens sparring with each other over the best roost trees. Of course, as you call, listen for an answering gobbler and if you hear an answering gobble begin calling as you would during any other setup.

Assuming you heard no turkeys going to roost, understand, this does not mean there are not any turkeys in the immediate area. If you have no other “for sure spot” at which to start in the morning, arrive at the last evening’s calling location before gobbling time. Many times I hear the gobblers without doing anything else, so all that remains is to pick a good setup location and go about calling em in. If you don’t hear anything owl hoot or tree yelp and listen, then proceed with your hunt in the usual manner.

Late in Wisconsin’s 2012 spring turkey season a friend hunting in northern Wisconsin called me for advice about finding a turkey. He is a very experienced turkey hunter accustom to success all over the country. But he wanted to kill a turkey on his property, something that had eluded him for many years. He described gobblers roosting along the property line of his land but in the morning they promptly flew into the neighbor’s field, strutted and faded away.

I suggested that he should try audio baiting as previously described in order to pull the turkeys deeper into his land in the hopes of then setting up between the turkeys and field. My grateful buddy called the next day with the happy news it worked. He had killed his first ever gobbler on his property shortly after fly down and admitted he had thought I was crazy suggesting the audio baiting strategy.

Update: Kirkland Warblers and Wild Turkeys audio baiting.

The above-linked update article covers wild turkeys being motivated to move into new areas with the use of calling. Wildlife biologists are using audio baiting tactic to get Kirkland Warblers, sage grouse and prairie chickens onto actively managed habitat.

Fall Birds of the Year Called in with Specialized Pot and Peg Call

February 5, 2013 by Charlie 2 Comments

Willowridge Custom Calls makes this very specialized and unique call that is particularly effect for making kee-kees the many other bird of year calls. The striker is tapered to point. The pot wood with a crystal surface and has a single sound hole.

In the fall of 2012 I used this call bring several turkeys to gun after my turkey dog Vic had scattered them. The proof of a fine call is in the pictures.

Wisconsin 2013 Spring Wild Turkey Permit Drawing Completed

January 15, 2013 by Charlie Leave a Comment

Great News–This is the earliest Wisconsin DNR has ever completed the wild turkey spring drawing. Kudos to those at WDNR for making this happen. Sure will make spring turkey hunt planning easier. You can check your spring turkey application results at Wisconsin’s Online Licensing Center.

Turkey licenses not claimed by drawing will be sold OTC. The availability of OTC 2013 spring turkey tags will announced later.

Good luck.

Update 12:50 1/15/2013 from WDNR press release today:

Leftover spring turkey permits go on sale March 18

The 99,612 remaining permits for the 2013 spring turkey hunting season will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis starting Monday, March 18 at 10 a.m. Leftover permits will be first issued for sale by zone, one zone per day, with each zone having a designated sales date.

Hunters should check the turkey zone map (PDF) to verify where they want to hunt and then check the turkey permit availability page to see if permits are available for the period and zone in which they wish to hunt.

The following zones have leftover permits, and the scheduled sales dates are as follows:

Zone 1 – Monday, March 18

Zone 2 – Tuesday, March 19

Zone 3 – Wednesday, March 20

Zone 4 – Thursday, March 21

Zones 5, 6 & 7 – Friday, March 22 (due to the low number of permits left in these units, sales have been combined into one day)

There are no leftover permits for time periods A or B in the regular turkey management zones listed above.

Wisconsin Mississippi River Backwaters Turkey Hunt

January 13, 2013 by Charlie Leave a Comment

At least they were there

2011 Spring, unit 1 Wisconsin Turkey Hunt somewhere north of La Crosse on the Mississippi River

Hunting some flat lowland was a treat after all the snowy, wet slippery hill climbing of season 2. I could only hunt the weekend of season 3 and still had the snow mixed with rain plus a little high wind just to keep things interesting. I found a sheltered area where the turkeys were hanging out in very good numbers and responded well to lost hen yelping. Truth be told I whiffed on a bunch of gobblers Saturday they just kept picking me out and walking off before I could shoot. Apparently I was wearing the wrong tree so I vowed to change camo for tomorrow’s hunt.
Even though I was damp and cold Saturday I stayed until a gobbler roosted, marked the spot on the GPS and arrived back at the boat landing just darkness settled in.

Oh dark something Sunday morning:

The choppy waves banging on the jon boat’s front made enough noise that I was sure would scare away all the turkeys before I setup. He flew down Sunday in the early dawn light at 5:30 gobbling like crazy in the 20+ mph wind and sleet. He circled to my right side within 6 ft where there was no way to shoot, then circled back around the fallen tree top to the front. At 8 feet he was head on gobbling at me non-stop for what seemed an entirety, my gun drooping from the sling hanging on my knee. He was so close turkey spit was soaking my headnet with each gobble. No chance to even blink. Finally he raised his head up turned it sideways with a branch blocking his eye, my gun was mounted as he juked his head for a better look; the wad never had a chance to open.

2012 Wisconsin Fall Turkey Harvest Up

January 4, 2013 by Charlie Leave a Comment

WI wild turkey taken during a winter snowshoe hunt

Wisconsin’s 2012 fall turkey harvest is up over 2011 as of December 12, 2012 5500 turkeys had been registered. This compares to 5433 wild turkeys registered at the end of 2011 fall season. The final 2012 fall turkey harvest numbers will be released shortly. Given the mild December weather and increase in the reported turkey population Wisconsin fall turkey harvest should increase more.

Share your experiences and observations if you hunted fall/winter turkeys.

How Do You Setup for Winter Turkeys?

January 2, 2013 by Charlie Leave a Comment

Even though Wild turkeys can only see in two dimensions they have good eyesight, no make that excellent eyesight. Any wild turkey hunter knows this after only a few encounters with this king of birds which is why camouflage is so popular among hunters. Although there are a few die-hard traditionalist do not wear camo.

So how do you hide from a turkey’s keen sight in a snow covered landscape?

Snow camo is a big help when a hunter is out in the open or open brushy terrain. This is a typical setup I use for winter turkey hunting.

One snowshoe is used as a backrest, the other is laid flat with a cushion on top for a seat.

Add in the hunter dressed in snow camo and you can see the human lines are nicely broken up. Notice the shotgun is also taped with white first aid tape to break up its outline.

If I were to have picked any of the larger trees in this area the snow camo would have stood out against the dark trunk and the turkeys may have likely been out of range. Turkeys can see in color just like us.

In case a more traditional tree setup becomes required I wear an outfitter camo vest under my snow camo jacket and then zip open the outer jacket so my chest will blend with the tree trunk.

The Sun Sets on 2012 Wisconsin Fall Turkey Season

January 1, 2013 by Charlie 2 Comments

I have a personal tradition of hunting the last day of a season to reflect and say “good bye”. This is the sunset of the final hunting day of 2012. Vic and I had just flushed a flock of 50 turkeys, the last we saw they were flying off into the sunset; a fitting end indeed.

What a great season 2012 was and many of us are sorry to see it end. There are high numbers of game birds across the landscape especially turkeys. After an easy 2011/ 2012 winter followed by a spring with just right weather recruitment was outstanding.

I think the wild turkey in Wisconsin has not only recovered from the devastating losses suffered during winter 2010 but also significantly increased above the population level of 2009. There is no official census just my gut feeling after fall hunting turkeys over 3 months’ time in units 1, 3, and 4.

Vic became much more polished in 2012 I am very proud of his progress I lucked into a very fine turkey dog, in October he earned his turkey dog diploma with pair of unit 1 turkeys.

Vic did a text book scatter, barked to call me other to the break area where we setup. I called in the first turkey on a hen wingbone made from a turkey we killed last year. Vic laid low next to me as the turkey approached within gun range and waited for the “get turkey” command. We retrieved the first turkey and called in the second. Both times Vic lay very still next to me, waited for the shot and “get turkey” command.

This was the first time Vic had done it all right; usually his excitement would get the best of him causing movement or noise at the wrong time whereby saving the turkeys life.

Back to the day of the last sunset we started morning hunting in unit 1 and killed a turkey at 9 in the morning after a very cold setup. Back in unit 4 we killed another turkey at 3 in the afternoon after a slightly warmer setup.

With one 2012 tag remaining we watched the sun set on 2012 hunting.

Fall Turkeys and Kids

September 25, 2012 by Charlie Leave a Comment

We covered the 100 yards to where the turkey had disappeared. The quivering of Vic’s legs and tail indicated the turkey was near, the electricity of excitement crackled through the air between the kids and dog. I whispered to my grandson tell Vic to “Get em up Vic; TURKEY!” his young voice quivered as he gave the command. Vic launched charging uphill, but I had seen the turkey go down towards the creek. The sudden chain cackling, putting and large wings beats certainly proved Vic knew more than me at that moment. He busted a big flock; turkeys ran by us, flew overhead and some landed in trees all around us; the kid’s eyes bulged with excitement as they gleefully giggled with delight.

Then it was quiet even the creek seemed to stop for a moment, the kid’s mouths were agape with no sounds and their wide eyes darting around to catch another glimpse of a turkey.

Breaking the silence in a trembling whisper my grandson says “what now grandpa?”

I told him to watch and listen this is what grandpa does when hunting-“kee, kee, yelp, yelp, yelp yelp”

Turkey talk exploded everywhere around us, we stayed, watched and listened for about half hour as the turkeys regrouped giving the kids a lesson in turkey flock reorganization.

My 9 year old grandson begged me to take him hunting with me this fall, he even promised to carry the turkey for me; of course I readily agreed to take them both.

There is no doubt fall turkeys, turkey dogs and kids go together.

Round About to Turkey Hooked

July 29, 2012 by Charlie Leave a Comment

To me hunting is not a sport, it is not a hobby and certainly not just another pastime; rather it is a “way of life”. Hunting is woven into every fiber of my being I must hunt in order to be whole, much as in the manner religion fills the yearning voids of spiritual need.

When a hunting season is not open I am planning my next; I am out there watching, learning and listening. More importantly, I am always hunting for that insight; you know; those fleeting moments when you see clearly the reasons…Then it’s gone just as fast as it came and on goes the hunt. But there are epiphanies, those moments when you understand a small piece of the driving force.

Turkey hunting did not grab me or more accurately infect me for several seasons. Originally turkey hunting started as an add-on hunt; in other words turkeys are only thing in my neighborhood available to hunt in the spring unless you consider bowfishing a form of hunting. Some do, some also consider fishing a substitute for hunting, but alas, for me, fishing does not quench my parching thirst for the hunt.

For several years, in the spring, when a 5 day permit could be drawn I’d halfheartedly turkey hunt and at times accidentally kill a turkey. Oh, I thought I was really turkey hunting mainly because I did not know any better and no one would ever have convinced me that dead turkey was an accident.

Until… A realization dawned; there was more to successful turkey hunting than hearing a gobbler, setting up, scratching a call and blasting him.

In truth turkeys are dumb, random in action and down right complex all at the same time. That is assuming you go out to kill one on purpose and not by accident.

What is an accidental turkey kill?

You come around a bend in the trail to find a strutting gobbler – Bam.
You set up on a trail, do no calling, turkey flies off roost and walks the only trail to the only food source – Bam.
You lay against the trunk of a tree sunning yourself to nap, crack an eye see a bird – Bam.

Nice but accidental kills none the less. Yea I have had some “easy” turkeys but more often than not they have required some work, a lot of work plus strategy. These easy turkeys do not hold a candle to; putting one to bed, arriving before the hint of light, setting up and being part of the first turkey conversation of the day. Hooking that bird with your calls and bringing him in on the audio string, playing him like a fiddle or like fish on light test line careful not to break it before – Bam. Walking through the big woods lush in bloom of spring flowers; casting out your audio line anticipating the strike—set the hook and play in the string – Bam. The turkey offers a complexity like no other game. It needs to grow inside the hunter like a fragile seed planted in fertile ground. No one can place it there and you can not force it. Be patient. In the meantime enjoy your hunts with open heart. Mr. Turkey will take care of the rest and you too will be become “turkey hooked.”

Here is the moment I got turkey hooked.

Dawning of an understanding

One of the hardest things for me – a hunter is explaining why I hunt. Like those who have tried to justify hunting before me I feel a certain humble inadequacy with the subject. My insight into this question is no better than any others and you can learn from the greenest of hunters…….While elk bugling into Circle Creek Valley from high up on Saddle Mountain in Colorado; the young lad upon hearing a response exclaimed “he is talking to me, he’s talking to me!” Whereas my thoughts had just turned to a satisfying meat-laden pack biting into my shoulders. The lad was more right in his assessment of that for which I am forever grateful for that epiphany. A subtle and at the some time profound observation, for at that moment we had truly become a part of nature as participants. It carried forward into my next spring turkey hunt – “he’s talking to me!” In quiet moments I’ve thought how strange to have gotten “turkey hooked” on an elk hunt with one so inexperienced.

Wild Turkeys in Hot Dry Weather

July 13, 2012 by Charlie Leave a Comment

Wild turkey hen with a brood of poults.
Photo by Kevin Cole

Many hunters and other nature lovers are wondering; how all the hot, dry weather is affecting the wild turkeys? They are all going die off…
Not necessarily. Wild turkeys do not require very much water on a daily basis, as a matter of fact, they get most of their moisture from the food they eat even if this food appears dry to us. Dying plants produce more food for turkeys; some attract more insects, while others cast off seeds and nuts. There are a lot very arid habitats in the Western U.S. that have very healthy populations of turkeys. That being said, I don’t like the heat or the extreme dryness any more than anyone else but apparently, so far, the wild turkeys are loving it.

Wild turkey nesting success rates were high due to warm and dry spring
photo by charlie elk

If my observation of brood flocks and those of other hunters is any indication; we have an unprecedented nesting success rates here in Wisconsin. In most cases, wild turkeys do better in drier conditions rather than wet especially during the brood

season.

So how can all the dried and dying plants produce the food growing poults need?

There are hosts of insects, particularly beetles that feed on or under the dead plants. These dead and dying plants have seed pods, flower buds, catkins, pine cones, plus failing ag crops such as beans or peas, etc. are all eaten by turkeys, when there is a drought the bush, tree or plant sheds them early making an easy ground food source the turkeys relish. Depending on the area, failed ag crops may not get harvested at all; it’s very likely they may be plowed under sometime after the crop insurance has paid. If these are not turned under or cut for silage, the standing crop will provide food above the snow and valuable thermal cover.

We become dismayed as we watch the receding water levels of swamps, ponds, rivers & lakes. However, the wild turkey must celebrate as the water recedes a shoreline full of high protein dead aquatic delights (minnows, leeches, water bugs & all the different water plant buds and seed pods) are exposed for easy feeding.

The other day I was out in mid-Southeastern Wisconsin where it is currently arid, a particularly parched & wilted corn field was full of turkeys feeding on the immature dried out ears of corn. The farmer, of course, was very distressed, who can blame him as he watches his livelihood turn to dust. Fortunately, crop insurance will help him and perhaps some of our hunting organizations should pay some of these farmers to leave the destroyed crops in the field until next spring to benefit all wildlife and the soil if the drought continues.

Come this fall and the spring of 2013 there should be a bumper crop of turkeys. Wild turkeys continue to amaze me with their survival tenacity.

« Previous Page