Charlie Elk

pseudonym of a man

Wisconsin 2018 Fall Turkey Drawing – Canceled

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Vic and I will relax now.

When Do the Eggs of Hen Wild Turkey Start Developing?

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On December 23, 2017, I shot a wild turkey hen.  While dressing out the carcass, I found these tiny egg clusters that were attached to the inside of her lower backbone.  Apparently, these are the beginning of egg formation.

Wild Turkey eggs recovered from a hen shot on December 23, 2017

Until I found these tiny egg packets the question of when eggs begin to develop in a wild turkey had never occurred to me. And since I usually try not to shoot adult hens during the fall hunt, this is the first December hen I have dressed out in preparation for the table.

Also, see When do Turkeys nest in Wisconsin?

It is legal to shoot any turkey during Wisconsin’s fall season so why do I  try not to take a hen?

An adult hen (brood hen) is a proven breeder, so I choose to focus on the jakes and jennies, thinking turkey biology, they are the most likely members of a turkey flock not survive the long cold winters. In other words, they are more likely to perish so why not put those excellent eating turkeys on the table?

In December most turkeys are approaching the same size, except for some late in the season hatched chicks.   Documented turkey nests with incubating eggs have been located as late as mid-August. Over the years, on three occasions, I have discovered broods of flightless poults at the end of August.

These eggs located in Wisconsin mid-March

Other interesting observations from the hen.

Pictured are the contents of a Dec 23rd hen’s crop. Temperatures were in the low teens and single digits.

 

This insect was found alive in the hen’s crop.

I do not know what kind of insect it is.  Even when temps are subzero, these bugs can be found moving around at the base of trees and in the bark when the sun warms the south side.

Winter Turkey Hunt; makes for the seasonal slam completion

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The first question; What is a seasonal wild turkey slam? It’s the taking a wild turkey during each season of the year; spring, summer, fall, and winter.  Wisconsin turkey hunters are lucky to have a turkey season open during all yearly seasons. Usually, the most challenging bird to bag is the winter turkey.  In 2017 the first day of winter was December 21, in Wisconsin, the turkey season closed December 31 this gives a hunter ten days to complete their seasonal slam. During winter visibility is excellent against the snowy white background, everything is frozen so that all things from the ground up to your equipment makes a lot of noise that is easily heard by the turkeys.  Not to mention setting up for some “cold calling” takes on an entirely different dimension, if you are lucky some days may rise above zero with minimal wind.

Because the turkeys are in large 50+ member flocks, they can be hard to find but when located the excitement is such a hunter will forget about the cold, at least for a while.  Vic the turkey dog and I searched many empty fields and woodlots with no success in locating the turkey flocks.  Even after being invited on a “there are turkeys there for sure hunt,” we found no turkeys, lots of sign that they had been there.

During the next few days, we continued searching for turkeys, no success until, as usual, when, my attention started to wane as my mind

River’s current if flowing fast and icy.

wandered around random thoughts.  As we trudged up an old logging trail along the river Vic begins sniffing and looking towards the river below.  Some rabbit and squirrel tracks were leading into decaying treetops felled by a tornado a few years ago.   I glanced down towards the ice chunked river and seeing no turkeys continued, leaving Vic to have some fun with the rabbits.

Suddenly the crystallized air exploded with the sounds of scattering turkeys.  Earing aids under ear flaps make it very hard to hear directionally and the sounds of excited turkeys and Vic’s barks echoing off the hillsides all around… I tore off my hat; clearly, the commotion was coming from behind me and down towards the river.  Hastily as I could with the heavy insulted boots clomping along, I headed back towards Vic just in time to watch perhaps seventy-five to a hundred turkeys rising above the standing timber then soaring off in all direction including some flying across the river.   Stunned does not begin to describe how I felt about strolling past that many turkeys.  What the heck?

All the years I have hunted this area and hiked this trail I did not know there was a nearly flat bench tucked in the hill out sight from the path.  While above on the trail you can see the river just beyond what appears to be a very steep drop straight to it.  The bench is not visible, and the turkeys were enjoying a smorgasbord of acorns.  The snow cover on about five acres of ground was scratched away with all the leaves turned around and over.

Vic gave me the most exasperated look, after all the pheasant hunting we had been doing he, no doubt, expected to hear gunfire and watch some wild turkeys fall from the sky.

During Wisconsin gun deer season Vic and I frequently go pheasant hunting.

But he should know I am not real keen on shooting turkeys in flight; it’s time for us to setup and get-to calling some back before the sun sets.  Vic chose a nicely sheltered setup area; I spread out his closed cell foam pad and insulated blanket for cover he snuggled close to my side as I leaned back on my new Alps Grand Slam turkey vest.  (A very thoughtful friend gave it to me for Christmas)  I love this vest.

When it gets cold friction calls do not seem to work as well, perhaps this is due to my stiff fingers, losing the feel through mitten covered hands or the snow dust that is attracted by the call’s surface.   After sitting quietly for about 12 minutes, I begin sending out some inquiry yelps and kee-kees.  Sometime later a distant yelp answered the trumpet which I quickly answered by series of loud yelps breaking a the end as if the turkey was losing its voice, that’s my best imitation of a lost turkey.  I did that a few times and got no answer, except the 40-yard gobbler starring at us from our right and behind us.   He had not made a sound and of course as it always seems to happen this bird came in from behind on my wrong side to shoot.  When he moves behind a tree I cluck once and raise the gun while pushing Vic down,  I hate to shoot this close over his head, so we wait as the tom moves parallel along the river below.  Seems like forever before he steps into the shooting lane, at 45 yards the prototype number 9 Federal Premium TSS (tungsten super shot) dropped him dead.  Vic is released to hold the gobbler down until I get there.  No matter if the turkey does any moving or not that is one of Vic’s favorite part of the hunt.

There is still a half an hour before sunset, so we set back up to resume calling.  Two turkeys fly back from across the river and land down along the bank a bit out of range.  Vic sits up to see better; I have to pull him down and lean my body over him, the movement caused one of the turkeys to move closer in range, my last #9 TSS drops the bird.  Incredibly at the shot, the second bird moves towards us into range, one of my regular turkey loads drops him flopping on the ground.  I released Vic to race down on the flopping bird, and he gets on top it quickly holding it down until the first turkey starts twitching then he races onto that turkey.  I am moving as fast as I can to help contain the turkeys.  Before I can get there the turkey, Vic released flips over off the edge falling twelve feet down onto the river’s shelf ice, in slow motion slides off the ice shelf into the fast current and is swept away out of reach.  I had to scream to stop Vic from attempting a retrieve in the icy river, we both hate losing birds.

Damn it; the other bird is not laying there!  Where in the heck did it go?  While trying to stop the flopper, the “dead” turkey slid off onto the ice shelf below.  As insurance, I immediately shot this bird in the head again even though it showed no sign of life.  No way are we going to lose two turkeys.  It’s a beautiful hen lying dead on the ice sheet much too close to water’s edge.  The bank is twelve feet straight down; I kept from falling by grabbing roots and rocks.  Fortunately, there is a pebbled place to stand off the ice, the ice cracks as soon as I put any weight on it, the turkey is 17 feet out of reach.  I climbed back up to find branch or sapling long enough to hook the turkey with to drag it within reach.

Winter hen and gobbler called in after an excellent scatter.

I can’t recall a time when having a turkey firmly in hand felt as good as this one did but I still have to climb back up which requires both hands.  The bank was too high to throw the turkey up.  No, of course, there was no rope handy, so I did the next best thing; slung the turkey over my shoulder and clamped the leg in my teeth.  It worked.

Vic wanted a vanity shot of him with the hard-won wild turkeys.

Anyone who has hunted with me when the game requires follow up to retrieve knows I did not give up easily on the bird swept away in the river.  Vic and I walked along downstream until the light of day gave way hoping to find the turkey pushed up somewhere we could retrieve it without risking life.   We returned the next morning to resume searching further downstream; sadly we never saw that turkey again.

 

 

 

Oklahoma Fall Turkey Flock Finally Located

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Submitted and Written By First Bubba

With nearly a week of “Fall Turkey Gun” season over, a flock of toms is finally located and patterned.

Zeroing in on where they pause to gather before crossing a creek, it’s time to set up an ambush site.

It was awesome this morning! Hard frost, no wind!

It didn’t feel that cold until I jumped in the truck and turned the wipers on. They just bumped over the dew on the windshield! It was frozen solid!

Limping off down the road, I’m hunkered down in the seat to see the way through the one little clear spot.

A dense fog kept me from making much speed, and I wandered from ditch to ditch until the windshield thawed. That didn’t make a lot of difference because of the fog! LOL! Missed my turn in the gloom and had to back up about 30 yards!

I got in my “ambush, ” and set up well before daylight, and a deer began snorting and blowing behind me, guess it spotted me setting up. That’s okay; I’m after turkeys today.

Lying on the tripod with the stock on my lap is the Winchester Model 12 16ga I bought many moons back. I’ve wanted to turkey hunt with it for a LONG time.

I hear birds back to the east. One gobbled and 2 or 3 more yelps and cluck, and then they fall silent …and I wait!

It’s 7 am, and the fog-shrouded bottom is eerily quiet. Big, pecan fattened red squirrels rip from tree to tree, barking and quarreling. The whistle of duck wings overhead is a welcome sound from my past. Seven thirty! Where the heck are the turkeys? …and I wait!

Nothing moves.

Wrens flit in and out of the weeds and limbs I used for cover.

A sudden rushing sound like an approaching flight of ducks and about 15 turkeys sprint by me and stop at the creek crossing 20 yards away. I wait until the last bird passes. Selecting one of the larger birds, the Win M12 comes up out of its rest and mounts easily.

The selected bird sees the motion and takes a step, telescoping his neck in alarm–TOO LATE! The one-ounce charge of 7 1/2’s found their mark! The smooth oily action of the M12 quickly reloads, and the shotgun covers the flopping bird.

There is an explosion of wings at the shot as the remaining birds scatter, leaving one of their numbers behind!

Oklahoma Fall Gobbler by First Bubba

 

It’s 8 o’clock sharp.

18 pounds, 8-inch beard, 3/4 inch spurs

Not a “trophy” bird, but a really nice fall bird! …AND…with my 16ga M12 Win!! I love it!

Patterning Board Surprise!

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Yesterday evening while performing one of the most important spring rituals – patterning the turkey guns, three gobblers sounded off at each shot.  How is that for incentive?  Yes, I do the patterning ritual every year because there are always new turkey loads and a hunter can never get enough practice. Those loud-mouthed gobblers on the hillside who kept me entertained weren’t the biggest surprise of the evening.  It was the Improved Modified (IM) choke tube that performed better than the turkey full chokes.

The gobblers flew up to roost with a lot of shooting light left so; I assume they must have decided to study this situation more in-depth too.  As I continued firing away, checking and double checking the patterns on the targets at varying range, those toms would purr, cluck, yelp and gobble in apparent “turkey deep thought”.

A few years ago Federal Prairie Storm, and their Mag-Shok turkey loads, both use flightcontrol wads with copper coated lead got my attention because the good folks at Federal recommend using an improved cylinder (IC) choke. Using IC choke makes it easy to change from regular upland bird hunting and turkey hunting in the fall.  Patterns are very good for the specific game out my 20 or 12 gauges without needing to swap choke tubes.  These loads raised my awareness of using a more open choke for better performance and accuracy. Still, for spring gobbler hunting my head stayed stuck on a turkey full choke.

Last year a good friend gave me a case of Federal 3rd Degree shells, thank you very much, good friend.  This gift allowed me to test them without spending $4+ per shot.  While patterning the 3rd degree through a variety of chokes from cylinder to turkey full, I discovered the Benelli factory improved modified shot the best pattern from 10 – 50 yards.  The 3rd Degrees put the scatter back into scattergun.  A turkey will need to be standing by himself, at least two feet from another bird or there will be collateral taking involved.  At 50 yards it’s common for all shotshell patterns to be spread out.  The good thing about 3rd Degrees is they are consistently spread into a nice pattern all the way.  Nine to twelve pellets were delivered into the kill zone at 50 yards.  I might try these during this spring’s hunt.

Thinking about the difference in shot metallic hardness of heavy shot, steel, bismuth, copper plated lead and nickel plated lead a light came on regarding the choke effect on each shot type.

Vicker hardness of shotgun shell metals

  • Nickel 638
  • Copper 360
  • Iron 608
  • Tungsten 3500

For decades my turkey shell of choice has been Fiocchi nickel plated Golden Turkey because they pattern well, inexpensive and efficiently kill turkeys.  Plus with the moderate price a hunter can practice without breaking their wallet.  The thing is my head got stuck on the turkey full choke is the better concept and until now.

Nickel plated shot is almost twice as hard as copper, meaning the nickel should perform better out of a more open choke, in the same manner, steel shot does, this is why I was at the range yesterday with an audience of gobblers testing standard factory chokes from Remington V3 and Benelli M2.  With the V3 a modified choke shot best and the Benelli’s improve modified shot best, this was the patterning board surprise. Actually; the second surprise in that I should have thought of this a very long time ago.

 

Carlson Turkey Choke at 50 yards

 

 

IM choke Benelli 50 yards

 

IM Benelli choke 25 yards

I have no plans to shoot turkeys at 50 yards, my personal limit is 30-35 yards. It’s just more fun to call them in close.

As for the gobbling gobblers, well that is just pared for the course here in Wisconsin.  Heck, sometimes they have the audacity to walk in front of me while I’m shooting.  Not to worry, though, that reckless behavior ends come hunting season.

 

Wild Turkeys See In Color; But Will Pink Spook Them?

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New for the 2016 Wisconsin fall turkey season: A whole lot of gun deer hunting is going to be going on.  In my area, a month of the fall turkey season will feature a concurrent gun deer hunting season.   Wisconsin game regulations require all hunters and trappers to wear blaze orange or pink while afield during any open gun deer season.  Turkeys can easily see blaze orange and are spooked by this color, a serious problem for the state’s avid turkey hunters. But what about them seeing pink?

The eyesight of a turkey is nothing short of amazing.  Not only can turkeys see in detail that is equivalent to humans with eight-power binoculars their color vision is outstanding and includes the ability to see UVA light.

Turkey retinas have seven different types of photoreceptors.

Human retinas have only four different types of photoreceptors, 1 rod, and three single cones.

There is one well-known chink in the armor of a turkey’s eyesight, and that is it’s only two-dimensional sight, not the three-dimensional view humans have.  Turkeys compensate for this by consistently juking their heads to focus on objects at differing distances.  An example of a hunter exploiting this vulnerability, if you can call it that, occurs while setup calling from brushy fallen treetop.  The turkeys approach expecting to see movement, and a well-camouflaged human is only allowing a small portion of their figure to move tricking the turkeys into thinking there are more of them feeding in that hide away.

Back to; Can turkeys see fluorescent pink?  On the UVA spectrum, definitely.  Considering turkeys have six types of cones they can probably see pink.  However, pink is sort of present on their heads depending on a particular bird’s mood.  So if a turkey hunter is on a setup while wearing a pink camo vest only bits and pieces of pink are going to be seen by incoming turkeys who are expecting to see other turkeys.  Might just work out better to wear pink versus the orange.

I know, I know, we all laughed when Wisconsin became the first state to legalize the wearing of fluorescent pink.  As a matter of fact Wisconsin became and may still be the but of jokes in the national hunting community, and here I am thinking about this as a solution to replace wearing the ugly hunt messing up orange.  Is pink ugly?  Not on ladies but… Personally, I have lived with a pink allergy all my life mostly because I think of it as a girly color.   During the pink legalizing debate, the whole purpose was to make ladies more comfortable hunting by allowing them to wear pink; there was no talk of real men wearing these girly outfits.   Women felt this law was condescending, and men, for the most part, made jokes. Now in all seriousness, I am wondering if this is a viable solution for turkey hunting, where can a fluorescent pink camo vest be purchased and can I work past my pink phobia to become comfortable wearing one?

pink-hunting-vest

Wisconsin 2016 Fall Turkey Permits are available

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As Monday, August 22, 2016, the Wisconsin fall wild turkey drawing is complete.  Turkey hunters must check their turkey permit status online; www.GoWild.wi.gov. At least that is the message on Go Wild, however, on the WDNR traditional website it still says-

 Successful applicants will be notified by mail the week of August 22, 2016

Last week, when I inquired about the fall turkey permits via phone, the DNR representative told me the usual postcard would be mailed to hunters the week of August 22.   Being a fellow who feels a sense of completeness when his license is in hand checked the new Go Wild site on Monday and found my turkey license waiting for me to print.

Come on fall! There has been enough video watching to this to last a lifetime.

Come on fall! There has been enough video watching to this to last a lifetime.

Where to find and buy a Wisconsin fall turkey license

  • After logging in at Go Wild and confirming your personal information, you will see your home page.
  • Select “Buy License.” Then the WDNR product catalog will appear.
  • Under the featured or Hunt/Trap tab “Awarded Fall Turkey Tag” line appears, select to bring up the Awarded Fall Turkey Tag screen.
  • The drawn tag is included with the purchase a fall turkey license at this time.
  • Conservation Patron license holders have the fall turkey license included.

Now don’t forget-

  • Remaining permits will go on sale beginning Saturday, August 27 at 10 a.m. Leftover permits will be issued on a one per-day basis.
  • Permits are $5.00 for 10 and 11 year olds, $10.00 for residents, and $15.00 for nonresidents.
  • One per day per customer, until they are sold out.

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

Go here to review the leftover permits.

As usual, an internal review is being conducted to make sure the drawing was accurate.  The leftover turkey permits will be posted soon.

Update 9:20 pm August 23: The leftover permits are posted.  Here’s the chart of available over the counter turkey permits.

WDNR – Permit Availability

Zone Remaining Permits
FM 0
Zone 1 15,346
Zone 2 4,254
Zone 3 18,150
Zone 4 7,816
Zone 5 0
Zone 6 0
Zone 7 0

Best of luck turkey hunting and above all else have fun, enjoyable hunt.

Update August 24, 2016, WDNR mailed drawing notification postcards.  The cost of this mailing is about $17,789 including postage and the cost of printing the card and hunters still have to go online to buy their turkey license.  The game fund is operating in deficit; Why did they waste our money on this expense?

Pheasants to a Last Minute Gobbler on New Year Eve

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December 31, 2015, found Vic and I coursing through a likely pheasant field. Wild pheasants in Wisconsin can be very hard to find especially on the last day of the season. Most pheasant hunting here is a put and take proposition. The DNR’s yearly stocking is usually done by the 2nd week of December. The last pheasants released are anemic and short lived due to predators getting easy meals before the onset of severe winter.

Vic learned to hold turkeys by the neck so figures all birds should be held by the neck.

Vic learned to hold turkeys by the neck so figures all birds should be held by the neck.

Turkey dog Vic has turned out to be an accomplished upland game dog. He can change tactics to match the requirements of hunting conditions. For a couple of afternoon hours, Vic coursed around me in his effort to force a pheasant or 2 to rise at my feet. One rooster nearly ran into my legs before flushing a few yards in front. Pheasant number 1 of the 2 daily limit.

Tired and wind burn we headed back to the truck. There was a brush line containing some bulldozed brush piles. Vic earnestly began working a scent trail that I thought was the most likely rabbit. He came to a rigid point at one of those piles. He had worked hard so I thought I’d humor him by kicking the pile to flush the bunny.
Well, these “bunnies” had multicolored iridescent feathers, long tails and all 6 of them cackled as they broke off heading to different points of the compass. So startled was I target panic set in as I fired three rapid shots to no effect. “I can’t miss all these pheasants of last season flush” raced to my mind. “dang it, pick a target you fool!” Luckily I did and the biggest and final rooster of the year crashed to the ground. With a limit of pheasants in the bag, single digit temperature, a brisk wind, and an hour & half of daylight left I pondered whether or not to try for a turkey at the buzzer, and this was the first year in decades it looked like we were not going to get a Wisconsin Slam.

Super secret Wisconsin wild pheasant location

Super secret Wisconsin wild pheasant location

The Wisconsin Slam sounds easy, just get a turkey each season of the year; spring, summer, fall and winter. Due to mrs. elk’s chronic health condition my time afield was more limited than normal. And mrs. elk prefers eating pheasants, so we spent more time out pheasant hunting than turkey hunting.

On the way to our super secret pheasant field, a small pod of gobblers had crossed the road onto private land just before the old creek bridge. First time I’d seen turkeys in that area so what the heck, time to investigate. It was only a 5-minute drive back there.
As I drove slowly across the bridge, I scanned the fields, no turkeys, when I looked into the creek valley black blobs were moving in the water. What the heck?  I cursed myself for not having the binoculars in the truck. Stopped to study those blobs with squinted eyes. The blobs materialized into a flock of turkeys wading in the water. Not exactly where they’re expected to be.

Turned around to park the truck about a half mile at the public parking area. Vic and I dumped the orange to change into snow camo jackets, slipped on the turkey pack and headed towards the creek keeping Vic on a heel. A glance at my watch revealed about 45 minutes of 2015 season time left.

The turkeys were there, in the creek heads submerged much like feeding ducks. They do this in the spring to eat invertebrates, first time I’ve seen this behavior in the winter.

The 2015 turkey season continues ticking down as we stalk in closer. As Vic catches their scent as he becomes more eager by the second to do his job. On release, he tears down the ravine in a blur snow powder and yipping. The turkeys take to winged frenzy cackling and clucking as they go water drops are clearly visible dripping off their beards while others have icicles hanging causing a mirage of diamond spears protruding from their breasts.

The beard is ice covered from feeding in the creek.

The beard is ice covered from feeding in the creek.

This late in the day I feared the gobblers might just go to roost. However, in late season turkeys prefer roosting together and with toms on opposite sides of the creek, one group would most likely want to rejoin the other before roosting.

Half of the turkeys flushed out the creek

Half of the turkeys that flushed out the creek, the other half went the opposite way.

Picking a setup was tough, the wind was icy especially for Vic; he has very little hair, so something sheltered was a must. That put us below the field sitting against a tree on the slope towards the creek below. Visibility to see any incoming turkeys was more limited than I like.

After 5 minutes, of course, aggressive calling Vic started trembling. At first, I thought he was cold but no, he was on point, head laying across my lap staring intently to my right. Then I heard it- prrt putt, prrrrrt putt, if I can hear that sound the turkeys are close. Slowly I turn my head and came eyeball to eyeball with a frozen bearded gobbler. He backed away putting; his head darted behind a tree, and my body twists to get the gun on him just when another gobbler sticks his head up to see what all the putting was about- Boom!

Vic smelling success

 

Vic charges to our prize and flushes more previously unseen gobblers. It always surprises me when the gunshot does not scare them. About 15 minutes left of season 2015 so we reset to end the season with a nice gobbler in the bag, a leftover tag for tag soup and best of all memories of gobbling, yelping and roosting turkeys against the red sky sunset.

The last gobbler of season 2015 on Dec 3, 15 minutes before the buzzer.

The last gobbler of season 2015 on Dec 3, 15 minutes before the buzzer.

Take The Wisconsin Slam Challenge

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There’s no better place to hunt turkeys

Vic, my turkey dog, a Vizsla (member of the pointer group), and I begin our fall hunting adventure together, typically setting up where Vic scattered a flock of turkeys. Vic lays next to my left leg with the look of happiness only a dog can express at a glance. As the scattered turkeys start their lost “kee kee” whistles looking to find each other in order to regroup, we know that’s my cue to start lost yelping and assembly calling.  In the case of scattered gobblers, coarse yelps, and aggressive purrs can bring them back into the gun. 

The woods is filled with turkey calls. Vic the turkey dog can't understand why we're waiting.

The woods are filled with turkey calls and Vic, the turkey dog, can’t understand why we’re waiting.

I love it when the woodlands are filled with the sounds of turkeys whistling and yelping at each other and back at us. Vic and I then become part of the flock, talking back and forth. As the conversation continues, Vic stiffens on a laying point towards the direction of the approaching turkeys. My gun will be up at the ready. There are two tags in my pocket and with a couple of gunshots, I’ll be hoping to validate those.

Turkeys are not just another upland bird to be flushed and shot. You can certainly do that; it’s legal. However, to a traditional turkey hunter like me, turkeys are special birds that require more finesse to tag. After all, what other upland game bird can be called in?

And there is no better place to hunt turkeys than in Wisconsin. The combination of seasons, habitat and the fact I can take my dog along in the fall make it turkey hunting heaven.

Summer gobbler Vic's first hunt. Beginner's luck?

Summer gobbler Vic’s first hunt. Beginner’s luck?

The Wisconsin Slam

Summer turkey? Wait you can’t shoot turkeys in the summer.  There is only a spring and fall season, right?

Most think of Wisconsin’s two turkey seasons; spring (April 15 to May 26) and Fall (Sept. 12 to Dec. 31 —  closes during nine-day gun deer season then reopens at the end of deer season).

But if you check the calendar, the fall turkey season dates overlap the official calendar dates of summer and winter. Summer officially runs June 21 to Sept. 22 allowing one to bag a summer turkey in the fall season, and winter officially starts on Dec. 22 giving Wisconsin fall turkey hunters a 10-day opportunity to shoot a “winter” turkey.

It was about eight years ago when it dawned on me that Wisconsin hunters can shoot a turkey during each of the four calendar-based seasons of the year: spring, summer, fall and winter.

Think of it as “The Wisconsin Slam” — taking a turkey in each of the seasons. Who do you know who has accomplished this? No trophies are awarded, and there is no official recognition. It’s all about the personal satisfaction a turkey hunter who understands turkeys and their year round behavior gets from this distinction.

Bar none; Wisconsin is a unique stand-alone wild turkey hunting state offering thousands of tags over the counter that in some units do not sell out by season’s end.

Why pursue a Wisconsin Slam?

The Wisconsin Slam is fun motivation to get out turkey hunting during a time when you might be distracted by something else to do or hunt. The “summer” and “winter” turkeys are harder to bag and offer a fun challenge. The vegetation is thick in the summer making the turkeys harder to find and see.  Winter season is the opposite — there is no vegetation, so the turkeys are easier to find, but that means it is also easier for the turkeys to see the hunter and his dog.

Being able to hunt in all seasons of the year is a uniquely Wisconsin hunting opportunity that so many hunters are overlooking. The spring season is the most popular but I’d like to see more hunters take advantage of hunting turkeys during the four seasons of the year. Need more incentive?  Summer, fall and winter turkeys are more tender and taste much better than the spring gobblers who are the survivors of winter starvation.

Extend the season winter turkey hunting with your dog

Extend the season winter turkey hunting with your dog

Not only can you complete a Wisconsin Slam but the state offers a variety hunting flavors.

Want to chase turkeys in miles of forests? Head to the northern big-woods. Want to try mountain turkey hunting? Wisconsin doesn’t have any “real” mountains but western Wisconsin does have some mighty steep bluffs. Marshland and river bottoms across the state can provide hunting with the feel of southern swamp turkeys, minus the large reptiles. Don’t forget to try southern Wisconsin for some prairie turkey hunting.

I’d argue that no other state offers such a myriad of turkey hunting opportunities.

Another important dimension to Wisconsin’s wild turkey hunting happened when turkey dogs were legalized for the fall turkey hunt season starting in 2011.  It is widely believed hunting turkeys with dogs is a new method; however, turkey dogs in North America are one of the original turkey hunting practices which date back to the founding of Jamestown in 1607. A small contingent of turkey hunters are now bringing the sport of turkey dogging back.

In spring, gobblers advertise their location by gobbling. In fall, this is not normally the case which makes finding the turkeys more challenging. Thus, a turkey dog comes in handy during the fall season. A turkey dog’s job is to find the turkey flocks then flush them in different directions while barking or yipping to let his master know where the action is. When turkeys scatter in different directions, it is easier for the hunter to call the turkeys back together while setup with their dog at the point of the break.

Hunting with a dog in the fall brings the excitement that makes spring hunting seem tame by comparison. When turkeys respond for gathering they do so with gusto, gobbling, purring, kee kees, yelps — you name the call, and they do it. Many times a group of gobblers will not only gobble and purr they’ll fight with each other as they come back.

Turkey dogging also extends the time of contact and interaction with wild turkeys. The first contact is when the dog is flushing or breaking up the turkey flock this is particularly rewarding for the hunter who enjoys the flush of wild birds. The second contact occurs when the turkey answers your call. Yes, turkeys talk to you. Then of course, hopefully, the interaction brings the turkeys in close to you and your dog. A trembling dog close by your side adds to the excitement of the incoming birds as you know you have trained this dog with the skills required. It’s fun to share the excitement, and there’s no better place to do it than in Wisconsin.

 

After breaking up a flock Vic sets up with anticipation of the turkeys reappearing.

After breaking up a flock, Vic sets up with anticipation of the turkeys reappearing.

Wisconsin’s turkey management plan

Wisconsin Turkey Management Plan

Wisconsin Turkey Management Plan

The Wisconsin Wild Turkey Management Plan, a product of coordination between the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, key stakeholder groups, and the public, is available on the department’s website.

People can view an electronic copy of the plan by searching the DNR website, dnr.wi.gov, for keywords “turkey management.”

The Wild Turkey Management Plan will guide decisions regarding the allocation of turkey permits, the structure of our spring and fall hunting seasons, the use of Wild Turkey Stamp funds, and many other aspects of turkey management in the state through 2025. The current plan reflects recent scientific research and changes in turkey distribution and hunting tradition. The management plan was guided in part by input received at 12 meetings held statewide in April and May 2012, as well as an online survey available during the same time period.

Article appeared in the Wisconsin Resource Magazine in August 2015.  Written by charlie elk.

A Thought about Learning Turkey

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Learning about turkey hunting is not to know everything about turkeys – It’s to enjoy life more.

This popped into my head while turkey dogging the other day.  For those who don’t know about turkey dogging- that is when you hunt with a dog to flush and scatter flocks of turkeys in order to call them back.  Anyway,  I read and talk a lot about turkeys and their hunting so I’m not sure if this is something I read somewhere or an original  random thought that flowed in from the spirit of the hunt.  If someone knows who wrote or said that quote please leave a comment to credit them.  Good hunting.

Take your dog turkey hunting. You'll both be the better for it.

Take your dog turkey hunting. You’ll both be the better for it.

Wisconsin Wild Turkey Slam

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What is a Wisconsin Wild Turkey Slam?

During the fall 2007 wild turkey season it occurred to me Wisconsin has a turkey season during all seasons; spring, summer, fall

Spring gobbler

Spring gobbler

and winter, there is no end to the turkey hunting opportunities in Wisconsin.   I’m sure some enterprising employee in the state’s tourism department will declare Wisconsin the “Wild Turkey Capital of the Nation” or maybe even the World!   Hmm, perhaps that would not be good and I should post about the lack of turkeys on a opening weekend 2014?  But I digress.

Summer turkey

Summer turkey

Back to the Wisconsin Wild Turkey Slam.

In an effort to get away from the pressure of shooting the biggest, longest bearded and spurred turkey in the woods.  Instead attempt to kill a turkey in every season of the year.  The concept begin to glow and the more I thought about it the more I liked it.  Nothing wrong with bagging the oldest, biggest and most dominate bird in the woods it’s just that “trophy hunting” sometimes does things to hunters and not all good.  Above all hunting should be fun and if you are not having fun go do something else.

  • Here’s how the Wisconsin Slam Works:
  • Tag a turkey in each season- spring, summer, fall and winter in the same year, any wild turkey counts.
  •  When the spring season is open it is spring, no question there.
  • Summer lasts until September 22 in 2014 so the window to get a summer turkey is opening day Sept. 13 to Sept. 21.
  • Fall starts Sept. 22 and continues to December 31.  Lots of time to get the fall bird except there are many other distractions as in other things to hunt.
  • Winter starts December 21 and goes to the December 31 when the Wisconsin turkey season closes.  Vic and I go a New Year’s Eve turkey every year.

You can double check my dates here.

Fall turkeys . Most turkey hunters do not realize toms gobble and respond to calls in the fall too.

Fall turkeys . Most turkey hunters do not realize toms gobble and respond to calls in the fall too.

Winter turkey

Winter turkey

Why even do this slam?

In my case I became immersed in trophy deer hunting for a couple of decades and yep quite successful at it.  Walls are full and there are boxes of big antlers in the shed.  Same thing with spring bearded turkey hunting.  Yes, I had lots of fun and I’m not about to discourage anyone from pursuing trophies.  It is more of a personal thing for me as it slowly dawned on me that focusing like that was changing me and I did not like what that was doing to me, as in what I was becoming.  Now a days I don’t compete in any hunting related contest.  Rather I create my own goals.  Humans need some goals for motivation and I’m no exception in that department.

Please remember while hunting – have fun however that is defined by you and only you.

Charlie Answered Turkey Dog Questions on Outdoor Life

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New Year turkey 2011 (640x513)

 I’ve enjoyed participating in Outdoor Life’s forum over the last 5 years. Because  I get a lot of  questions about turkey dogging like Turkey Hunter 39 asked on one of the OL Answers Thread. So I thought I would publish it here for other would be turkey doggers to enjoy.

Turkey hunter39 started by asking-

Q: Anyone planning to use a dog for fall turkey hunting this year? If so, what breed?

Charlie elk could not resist helping out a turkey dogger to be. The thread contains a lot of good information so I decided to reprint it here.

I love turkey dogging it only took one season that would be last year to get me hooked. My dog is a Vizsla there are some of his puppy pics in my profile. There would be more of him and his turkeys but OL will not let me load them up without a Facebook page which I don’t have.

If you Google “turkey dog hunting with charlie elk” a wide variety of my posts and pictures on this subject will come up.

Turkey39–

Charlie, thanks for the reply. I am a member of the American Wild Turkey Hunting Dog Association, new member, and have talked to Jon several times. Jon was very helpful in helping me choose a dog. I will be picking up Steve Hickoff ‘s book, it is on my literature list. You are absolutely correct that fall hunting makes you a better spring hunter. In the fall, you get to hear the turkey’s full vocabulary. The fall is a great time to practice your calling, and more importantly, how to match the call to the situation at hand. Turkey dogging is a small world, but almost everyone that I encounter is interested in it. The common response is….”I have never heard of that.” I don’t know that I want it to go mainstream, but it would be nice to have additional resources available for the new guys. Keep posting the material and I will keep reading, maybe even contribute some of my own. If my pup isn’t ready this year due to age, he definitely will be next year. If anyone else is interested, don’t sit on the fence, just ask. Turkey meat is even sweeter in the fall!

Sometimes we get a little off subject, that’s OK too as JM chimes in-

A few years ago I drove 16 hours out of state to bring a friend of mine who was in college archery hunting for the first time (first time hunting at all for anything besides rabbits). Since we were too far away from my farm and he did not know anyone with private land, we decided to go to public land. It was a 2500 acre property (all woods) and for three days straight the same three people had 6 dogs running around barking throughout the entire property looking for a turkey. On the second day we caught up with them at the parking lot when we went in to eat lunch and asked them if they could leave an area alone for me and my friend to hunt. They seemed nice, and showed us an area on the map that they would leave for us (was a nice big area, so we just agreed and headed straight out without even going into town to buy lunch). About 45 minutes later all three of them walked right past us (in the area they said they would leave alone), and when we walked up to them all they would say was “public land.” On the third day we thought we caught a break because they were not in the parking lot that morning…but nope. 30 minutes after it got light they drove down a trail in 4 wheelers (It was illegal to ride them on this section of public land). We just gave up and called the police and they contacted a game warden who came out. Turns out all three of them weren’t even supposed to be hunting (warden wouldn’t tell us why they lost licenses). Needless to say we did not see a single deer (or turkey) and I have been unable to get him to try it again since….hopefully there are some respectful turkey hunters that use dogs (I know Charlie is one), but sadly this was the only encounter I have ever had with one.

charlie elk-

JM those you describe were obviously lawbreakers and or poachers. We should take great care and never refer to them as hunters.

Turkey doggers do not use packs of hounds. The vast majority use one dog maybe 2 (an older trained dog and a younger being trained) that work closely together to find a flock. Then they charge for the break, hopefully they bark to let the hunter know the exact location so they can all setup and call the birds back in.

Welcome to the American Wild Turkey Hunting Dog Association! Glad to have you as a member. I am sure Jon has given you a lot of very sound advice. When I was debating whether or not to get a turkey dog and what kind he was most kind, open and helpful. As a member you have access to a lot of very good information in the member section of the website. Make good use of it.

What state will you be hunting in?

 

Turkeyhunter39-

I have been all through that website and it is great. Read the pamphlet that Jon sends out as well. Most of my fall turkey hunting will be in KY and TN. Jon has extended an offer to come up to Wisconsin and I plan to take him up on it. I was very interested to read how versatile Vic is as far as hunting turkeys and upland game. That is what I am hoping to accomplish as well. Kentucky has two very short fall turkey seasons, 6-7 days in both October and December. Tennessee also has a short fall shotgun season, but a more liberal bag limit. My ace in the hole is a public hunting area that has a really long fall season and an amazingly liberal bag limit. All combined, I could run my Brittany for about 4 months…which is fantastic. I have access to some wild quail as well, so we are going to go the double duty route. It is funny to me how welcoming the turkey dogging community is, and how passionate the hunters are about their sport. Everyone has been unbelievably helpful. I feel like I have stumbled onto the best kept non-secret ever.

JM, I hate that you had a bad experience with some questionable hunters. I would say that conflict would most likely occur during archery season as the seasons will undoubtedly overlap. I will be hunting both public and private ground. The private ground is a non-issue, but I don’t believe I would turn my dog loose on just any Wildlife Management Area (WMA). The public area that I will hunt is more regulated and it is not very likely that I would run into anyone else, if I do, they will be turkey hunting also. I also lease ground from time to time, and didn’t renew a lease this year because of their dog policy. No harm, no foul. There is enough space for all of us. I wanted to do something different than the crowd, and so it wasn’t a good match anymore. All forms of hunting has its time and place, and I have no desire to ruin someone else’s hard earned hunting time. Hopefully your next encounter will be more positive. Happy Hunting.

JM-

As Charlie stated, I shouldn’t have even called them hunters. Just 3 selfish poachers who thought they were more important than anything around them.

-I wish you and your dog luck in the upcoming hunting seasons. I hope someday I will the time to train a dog to hunt with me. I just do not think I could give a dog enough attention right now (I Work 60hrs/week over the summer and still working on my degree).

 

charlie elk-

Turkey hunters are arguably the most considerate sharing easy to get along with hunters of them all. That goes double for turkey doggers.

TH39, WI has no limit on fall turkey hunting you get as many as you have permits for and the season is 3 1/2 months long. Should you find your way to WI drop me a line and perhaps our paths will cross. To contact me just make a comment on my website or PM me on the other sites you see my posts on.

Check out the January turkey hunt at Fort Campbell, they allow dogs. Also some states allow dogs for spring hunting too. Jon has those posted on the turkey dog site.

You are right on about fall turkey tasting so much better.

How old is your pup?

At 4 months old I started getting Vic accustom to gunfire. A turkey dog must endure very close gunfire more so than any other hunting dog. 

Turkey doggers don’t usually interfere with bowhunters. Turkey dogging is a mid-day activity and the vast majority of bowhunters have already left the field by the time we start. Although they should stay on their stands because I see more trophy bucks within easy bow range when Vic is with me than I do sitting on my butt during “prime time”.

But some bowhunters are upset about anyone else doing anything else in the woods because–

The scent control salesmen and inexperienced outdoor writers have too many deer hunters so freaked out about leaving scent in the woods that they think if anyone walks around without a has-mat suit on; the area is contaminated making it impossible for them to kill a deer let alone a trophy.

Oh well what I can say about these guys. Except you need to get out more. 😉

 

JM–

What do you expect Charlie? Have you seen hunting shows lately? I saw one where the “hunter” said that the hunt was the hardest of his life. He spent three hours in a stand and passed on more than 20 bucks (all within easy bow range) that 90% of hunters would have called the biggest deer of their life. Yeah, real tough hunt.

Turkey39–

I do hunt Campbell and it is loaded with turkeys. The fall season has two segments, so you can run ’em early and late season. The funny thing about Campbell is access, you have to call in and get a unit. I tried all spring to get a unit and couldn’t, it was full every day. They allow you to take 4 bearded turkeys in the spring, so I ate 4 tags. I haven’t had any problems, knock on wood, getting in units during the fall season, very few people fall turkey hunt…it is tough hunting. Campbell is one of the reasons I started investigating alternatives for fall turkey hunting, as it is so vast. I hunted multiple days without seeing or hearing a turkey, and I know they are there. So it got me thinking that there had to be a better way, and that is when I came across Jon’s website. I started doing research, decided it was something I wanted to do, verified I could use a dog on Campbell and the rest is history. My pup is four months old now and he is definitely interested in birds, he just seems to not be quite ready yet for any real training. I am reading a lot about Brittany’s and they don’t seem to mature very early. He has taken to yard work very well and has no problem plowing through the brush, but he still seems too hyper to really focus on the task at hand. Could be my training as well. He has the pedigree and seems to have a good nose, he is just very puppyish. I don’t want to rush him and we are keeping it fun. The weather hasn’t really cooperated with me either. It is either 100+ or thunderstorms. My tentative plan is to continue the yard work for another month or so, mix in as much live bird work as I can, introduce the e-collar around 6 months of age, and take him with me in October for the early KY season. It is private ground and we can just go out and hunt. No pressure and lots of birds. I am very familiar with their fall habitat on that piece of land, so I can help focus his efforts. I am working on getting him to settle down next to me and I will introduce him to the bag in the next two weeks. I am definitely seeing progress, I just don’t want to push him too hard. Let me know what you think. Did Vic mature early?

charlie elk-

Come August the turkeys of the year will be old enough to take some chasing. Turkey hunter 39, you should get your pup out in some turkey areas so he can get a nose full of the good stuff. If you have some wings, tails or feathers introduce them into his play routine. Pups have short attention spans but when they like the smell of something coupled with your strong approval; well that is the start of something good.

Vic was about 3 1/2 months when I was leading him in charging across March’s frozen fields yelling turkey, turkey; those flocks broke with cackling, wing flapping pandemonium and the strong scent left behind for him to inhale. Soon he was spotting and beating me to the turkeys though I’m not too tough to beat. Then we did practice setups, I’d call for bit and maybe spend 5-10 minutes kind of still. A couple of times the turkeys came back that quick and he learned to point at them as they came in. He is rigid while pointing.

We did these exercises until my spring season opened 3rd week of April. Vic was allowed to nose the dead gobblers over good and I would direct him to grab their heads and drag them to me. He really like that game. Then we went for a hike to the kill spot where I had left some feathers lying about. Vic would go crazy sorting out the trail the gobbler approached on. All great fun and I let him be like a kid on his first hunt, but Vic did seem to realize there was something very serious going on.

 In August we pursued turkey flocks, scattered them and practice setups. During all this training I should mention I used a blank starter pistol to shoot around Vic including on our practice setups. From there we graduated to 22, a 410 and then 20 gauge. The first time he heard a 12 was on opening day when a nice gobbler rolled over dead in front of him.

Some trainers tried to discourage me from taking him hunting until the next year. Said I was rushing him too much. But like you I did not put the screws to him very hard rather just let him develop at his own pace while giving him plenty of exposure to what counts. All the while letting him know what I liked and disliked.

BTW, Vic does not know what an e-collar is, my training methods are very old school.

You are in for more fun than you can imagine.

 Turkeyhunter39-

Charlie Elk, I laughed when I read your last post, as I too have been waiting for the poults to get big enough to handle some pressure. I want to train my dog, but not at the expense of the animal I love to hunt. I am conflicted about the e collar and if I was just hunting private ground, I might not go that route. I am looking at the e collar to keep him honest and out of harm’s way. Also, the fallout of not bringing the family pet home from a hunt would be unbearable. He follows me everywhere I go, but there is always that chance that temptation could end up in a lost dog, especially with a young dog like him. So I plan to use an e collar and a gps collar. I do some traveling to hunt, so those items give me some piece of mind. I have some wings that I am cleaning up…they were treated with Borax as I make wing bone yelpers. I want to make sure I have the Borax off them before he plays with them. I think the time of year they were born in makes a difference. I got him at 10 weeks old in the dead heat, with poults everywhere. Oh well, I am a patient man…lol. Have you had any issues with Vic getting on a scent and heading to parts unknown? I have read about the old timers leaving their jacket on the ground so the dog could find it and they would pick them up the next day…which isn’t a situation I want to find myself in.

 charlie elk-

I have never lost a dog in afield. Good basic obedience is critical. Does Vic cross property lines while in hot pursuit? Yes. Do I wish I could really teach him a lesson then? Yes. Like with an e collar? Yes, let his hair smoke.

Fortunately it now seems we are past this due to whistle training. We use a very shrill whistle that seems to cut through his excitement of the moment. Once I have his attention he has a strong desire to please so he comes back.

I have never used any training collar so I have no way to give a meaningful opinion. Guys who use them swear by em. Except one friend of Jon’s who thought his dog was chasing a deer so he zapped his dog. Oops, it turned out to be a turkey. The dog never pursued a turkey again for him, he used it to hunt other birds but remained confused as to why this dog refused to chase turkeys. Until he loaned his dog to friend who reported back the dog was the best turkey dog he had ever hunted with. Hmm… Guess you have to be careful with those collars. You might have read about this one I think it is in Jon’s booklet.

A turkey dog must be able to operate independently out to 200-300 yards, this is one of the tough parts of the hunt. Where we hunt there are bears, coyotes, wolves and rattlesnakes; I worry about Vic when he is a little overdue for check in. A GPS locator might be in his future.

 Turkeyhunter39-

“Have you had any issues with Vic getting on a scent and heading to parts unknown?”

charlie elk-

Not so far. Should he, I am prepared to stay afield overnight in the last place we parted company.

To prevent this I used Jon’s technique of showing great displeasure and dislike of things like deer. The idea is to get the dog to think you hate deer or whatever he should not chase.

In my area the deer are more numerous than rabbits. Of course as Vic and I hiked around preseason they would run, what great fun for a pup. My reaction was oh an awful smelly deer, no like deer. Vic would then bark at the deer and bluff charge them a few yards to chase them away and come back for his reward. Now he does not care about deer at all, they are just something on his way to the target birds.

I will never forget the look of betrayal on his face when I came home with the first dead deer he ever saw. He sniffed it over real good and looked at me as if to say you LIAR! But he still does not have any interest in deer while we are hunting.

This is good, in addition to turkeys I arrow a lot of deer each year too. But sitting on deer stand is getting really boring compared to all the excitement and action of turkey dogging.

Turkeyhunter39-

Charlie Elk, The e collar is definitely something you have to be careful with. I haven’t even bought one yet, as I am still reading over the various training techniques and how to introduce and use one properly. I am with you on the overnight vigil if the dog would run off. Private ground, no problem. Fort Campbell, they are going to start looking for you if you don’t sign out. Sign out and stay in the unit to find your dog……? Guess it depends on who finds you, and what kind of day he/she is having. I need to go back and read about the avoidance training…my shoes could definitely use a break. LOL. He likes to carry them around. We still have some basic obedience training to work on as well. He responds well to basic commands, but we seem to have a little bit of a focus problem. Any tips on helping to deal with distractions and increase focus would be much appreciated.

charlie elk-

In a Fort Campbell situation it might be prudent to leave the field early with your dog in order to avoid that lost dog scenario. An old fashion leash would be a good idea, allowing the dog off leash only when turkeys are encountered.

When Vic gets overly spun up I leash him to keep him close until he settles back down. An inexperienced pup encountering all the rich turkey scent…well who can really blame him for getting all excited?

The leashing helps focus attention and keeps the master in command. I keep telling Vic there is a reason I wear the whistle and he wears the collar. 😉

A pup’s attention span is that of a gnat so look for the moments of focus and capitalize training on them at that moment. I believe a trainer of a young dog must be very careful to not crush the spirit of the dog. For example Vic still points and dashes after butterflies, perhaps embarrassing if anyone else sees, but an important part of the desire and drive. As Steve Hickoff reminds desire must be there it is the one thing you cannot train into a dog. So if you stop the dog constantly from chasing he might lose interest.

 Turkeyhunter39-

Charlie Elk, Good tips. Do you have a suggestion on leash length? I have a 20 foot check cord that I let him explore with, especially when we’re someplace new. That really isn’t conducive for a hunting situation though. Of course, I have a 6 foot leash as well. I have found that he does calm down when I leash him, so that might very well work. I guess in my mind, I am having trouble imagining the scenario. I still don’t know if he will point, then flush; point only; flush only. In the leash scenario, are you putting the dog on the leash after the flush, so he calms down for the calling? I know Jon will leash his dogs until he gets to a promising area, and I can see leashing the dog for the walk out when the hunt is over. Can you give me a scenario when you would put Vic on a leash during the hunt?

charlie elk-

I have never used a check cord, too long in woods and as a turkey dog first, Vic needs to range wide. We just use a 4′ leash. My favorite for turkey hunting is the Mendota British-Style Slip Lead in 4 foot length, do a search on Cabela’s to see it. For Vic and I this is just the right size on turkey setup and when necessary for spin down time. It is fast to put on as it slips over his head so you don’t have to find the clip and loop on his collar.

During Vic’s first season, hopefully only because of his youth, he would get over stimulated (spun up) and start dashing about, obviously not hunting just going through the motions at a high rate of speed; this is an example of leash time for spin down. I don’t treat this as punishment, I talk to him a sympathetic soothing tone telling him what and how we need to hunt. When he sees this lead in my hand he now comes over and sticks his head through the loop as it signifies something really good might be getting ready to happen like a turkey becoming dead or I’m taking him to a more game rich area.

The lead was used to teach Vic to “sneak”. Sometimes turkeys are feeding on the other side of a field; if the dog just charges across at the turkeys they flush as a group. The better strategy is heel the dog and sneak in as close as possible ideally so Vic can run into the center of the birds to scatter them all directions. My command to Vic for this is “sneak”, he knows the difference between heel and sneak. It is cute when he sneaks, he crouches down with me and pads lightly.

Another leash scenario is when hunting private land you must be careful of the property lines in order to maintain good neighborly relations. So Vic gets leashed when we are getting close to the lines. I preferred hunting large tracts of public land during Vic’s rookie year in order to avoid these.

Trust me, when you need to leash your pup, you’ll know it.

Yesterday, Vic and I went out scouting we encountered a flock of about 20 feeding in hayed barley field. Told Vic to sneak, we did the crouch to the end of an adjoining cornfield. On command “Turkeys Get Em” – Vic slipped 2 rows into the corn and charged down the row until he was opposite the turkeys, turned into them…

It was a beautiful heartwarming sight all those turkeys, surprise putting & cackling, flying to different areas.

The kee-kees and assembly yelps started before we left the area, clearly those turkeys would have been callable to the gun.

Turkeyhunter39-

Charlie Elk, I will check into that leash. Thanks for the nuts and bolts. I like the idea of “sneak” and will see if Max will take to that. I have been contemplating the command for charging the flock and will probably try “bust ’em.” Any thoughts on what you wish you had done for your first “dry run” or what you did do that worked very well?

charlie elk–

Each dog has a different personality and they each seem to understand our language and inflections with differing levels of comprehension & excitement. So as long as the dog comprehends what is necessary the chosen command does not matter. As long as the master is consistent in its use.

Usually Vic busts the flock on his own. Only when I spot the field flocks do I take control. Otherwise I trust Vic will sniff em out and charge on his own, just wish I could figure out how to get him to bark and let me know about it.

I do like to use different commands than those in the “book” for safety reasons. Like “kennel” I use a different word when its time to get in the truck. Around here there is an unusually high incidence of hunting dog theft. Also, I allow Vic to be a little aggressive toward strangers, I ask companions to not give him any commands.

That way, hopefully if someone stops and orders Vic to Kennel he’ll bark and find me or bite them if they try to grab him.

Turkeyhunter39-

Charlie Elk, Do you use a bag for Vic? Max is white, so we have to use the bag. Any suggestions for getting him to like the bag?

 charlie elk–

Vic is deer colored, he blends in really well so he usually wears a wide reflective orange collar or orange vest which easily slips off for setup. During cold weather, because of his short hair mrs elk made some camo vests to keep him warm. Vic has quite the wardrobe, snow, brown, gray, green camo and orange vests both nylon and fleece. Depends on the weather and where we are going to hunt.

Glad you asked, I have been meaning to post some pics of him in his camo on my website. I’ll try to get that done this weekend.

In Steve Hickoff’s book he describes how to get a dog blind/bag tolerant.

 Turkeyhunter39-

Charlie Elk, I really need to order that book. Thumbs up to Mrs. Elk for making the vests. My wife also sews and is making some custom bags for me. I need something really lightweight for early season and a fleece one for late season. I checked out that leash you recommended online and I think it is available at my local Bass Pro Shop so I will check it out in person. There is one thing in particular that I haven’t decided on and that is water transport in the field. Max drinks a ton and I am not sure a couple of bottles of water in my vest is going to be enough. I will be dealing with warm weather for a lot of my fall turkey season, and a good water source isn’t always readily available in some of the areas. How much water do you carry and how do you do it? At this point, as I go through the mental checklist, I feel like I need to take a mule with us. LOL. Water, blind bag, leashes, calls. Have you encountered the same problem or do you have a minimalist approach you would like to share?

 

charlie elk–

Minimalist while turkey dogging? Let me know when you figure that out. 😉 My vest gained at least 30 pounds and doubled in bulk when Vic joined me.

I have my calls down to 2 wing bones and a slate.

Water is heavy and necessary for an extended warm weather hunt. I carry 2 one quart water bottles, mostly for Vic I don’t drink much.

Tried one of those bladder type re hydration things too cumbersome to operate.

On really hot days we woodlot hop with a couple gallons of water in the truck or boat.

As far as container I just lug the proper size plastic juice bottles and when they get icky throw em away.

 

Turkeyhunter39-

Charlie Elk, I am laughing because I keep looking at the gear and I am wondering just how I am going to haul it all. Glad to see that I am not alone. I have actually been thinking about how I can divide up some of my hunting so that we circle back to the truck. I am also considering carry a tub with water in it as a dunk tank for Max on really warm days…I might see 90 plus degree days. Circle back to the truck, hydrate, and dunk him to cool him off. For the fall, I use wing bone calls, mouth calls, and a tube call, so they are not that bulky. I basically need shells, calls and a therma cell. No blind, no decoys. Realistically, how long do your hunts average? Some of my places we could cover in an hour or two, some we couldn’t cover in a full day. Do you feed Vic between wood lots when you are putting in a long day? Have you ever tried to run Vic and harvest a turkey with a bow?

 charlie elk–

Well TH39, Jon uses a backpack, he carries all the stuff we do plus a pop up blind and chair.

On really hot days I plan a series of shorter hunts and return to the truck or boat. Many hot day hunts take place in river valleys. Not only does Vic need resting, I need resting more than he. 😉

If I need food on a hunt then I offer Vic food too.

No on the bow; I have killed numerous turkeys with arrows and have found I just don’t care for it. This may sound strange but I do not find any extra challenge in taking a turkey with a bow. For it is about the same as shotgun, so I just use the shotgun. Plus with a shotgun the turkeys do not flop away requiring tracking. Although, with a turkey dog tracking is no big deal.

Last spring a neighboring hunter arrowed a gobbler but it got back up and ran away. He mentioned this to me, I told him about my turkey dog. In about 10 minutes Vic found the turkey dead 250 yards away from point of shot. The hunter had thought the turkey survived.

Forgot to answer your question about how long does hunt last.

Vic was a pup last season, his attention span was short so at first a couple of hours at a time or less depending on his attention. Sometimes we just leash timed out, spun down, while we practiced being setup with some cold calling. Other times Vic would start hunting for himself rather than with me.(very bad habit for a hunting) Then it was back to the truck, until he recovered and settled down.

Typical day last season; I would go out bow hunt deer early morning until 10. Come back get Vic and hunt until 3-4 in the afternoon. Then Vic spent resting time with mrs elk while I went back out deer hunting

Turkeyhunter39–

Thanks for all the helpful advice. I have noticed a change in Max over the last week or so, it seems he is starting to understand what I want him to do. Not perfect mind you, but he seems much more focused when we are going through exercises. I have noticed from your comments that you really focus on Vic having fun along with getting down to business. I decided I would relax some and Max has responded well. I mentioned bow hunting for turkeys due to season length. With the exception of Campbell, both of my typical states have really short shotgun seasons. With a bow, I have months. I have considered just taking Max and putting him in a blind with me, a little bonding, and let him get good and excited over a fresh kill. I plan to take him out in a week or so and see if we can’t get on a flock…see what he does with it. I have roughly 6 weeks until we could potentially start chasing birds on Campbell. I am planning to run him, carry a gun, keep expectations low and see how he does. A lot of trial and error headed my way. I guess I am a little unsure and don’t want to mess him up, as he is a good dog.

charlie elk–

TH39, this has been an enjoyable exchange, thank you.

If a bow was the only way I could turkey hunt, well then bow hunt it is. Please do not let my comments about that discourage you and anyone else who is reading. I am not against bow hunting turkey. In WI we are blessed with a 3 1/2 month fall season, bow or gun, I just choose gun.

If you would like to write about Max and your experiences, Jon would love to post them on www.turkeydog.org and of course www.charlieelk.com complete with any pictures you would like to share. The more turkey doggers the merrier.

Turkeyhunter39–

Charlie Elk, I too have enjoyed the exchange. I have learned a lot. It has been nice to get practical advice. I plan to post our adventures as the season progresses. I will keep you posted on the training and Max’s antics. I hope others who are interested will come across these posts and join in on the fun of turkey dogging. Good luck this fall. Check back periodically, as I am sure I will need additional advice. LOL.

charlie elk–

Oh yes Th39 there will some Max antics and I will love to hear about them.During hunting season I become what the OL editors lovingly refer to as a ghost. So if you have a story or two you could also email me at elk@charlieelk.com Good hunting and have a grand time building a relationship with Max.

Full Outdoor Life thread can be viewed here –

 

 

 

 

Wisconsins Fall Turkey Drawing Completed August 14, 2014

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Good News for Wisconsin’s fall turkey hunters. As of today August 14, 2014 the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has completed the 2014 fall turkey drawing.  Cards will be sent out next week to notify the successful hunters.  If you are an avid turkey hunter who can’t wait results are posted in Wisconsin’s  Online Licensing Center

Leftover fall turkey permits go on sale over the counter starting Saturday August 23th at 10:00 AM. Hunters may buy one per day until sold out.  Hunters who were not drawn are still eligible to purchase leftover permits.

Details on the leftover turkey permits available can be found here soon when they are posted.  As of this writing the final number of leftover permits are not available.  Should be there within a couple of days.

 

Most turkey hunters do not realize toms gobble and respond to calls in the fall too.

Most turkey hunters do not realize toms gobble and respond to calls in the fall too.

 

2014 Wisconsin Fall Wild Turkey Permits Stable

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Wisconsin 2014 wild turkey permit status:

After the last minute spring turkey permit reduction fiasco that very few knowledgeable hunters thought was a good idea.  Fall turkey hunters were concerned those same few complainers would manage to convince the WDNR to reduce fall turkey permit availability in 2014.  Thankfully, wildlife management based on science prevailed and the fall turkey permit numbers will be  equal to the number offered during the 2013 fall season.  Statewide 96,700 permits will be available with permits allocated to specific turkey management zones based on the amount of habitat available.

Fall permit levels are set by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources after review by the Turkey Advisory Committee, a group that includes representatives from the department and numerous partner organizations with an interest in Wisconsin’s wild turkey resource.

Zone-specific fall 2014 permit levels are as follows:

  •  Zone 1: 27,500
  •  Zone 2: 18,000
  •  Zone 3: 30,000
  •  Zone 4: 15,000
  •  Zone 5: 3,800
  •  Zone 6: 1,400
  •  Zone 7: 1,000

Scott Walter reports:

“We certainly heard from hunters who were concerned that this past winter might significantly impact our northern turkey flock,” said DNR upland wildlife ecologist Scott Walter. “We do know from research in the Midwest that prolonged periods with deep snow and cold can lead to increased mortality, and with up to four feet of snow on the ground and weeks of bitter cold in some areas this year, those concerns were justified. However, when the snow finally began to melt and winter flocks broke up, folks began to see turkeys in large numbers across the north.”

Fall either-sex harvests can impact turkey populations if hen harvest is excessive, but the number of hens harvested in Wisconsin is very low. Biologists are not concerned that fall harvests will influence turkey populations. Given these low hen harvests and indications from the spring season that turkeys came through winter in decent shape, the advisory committee decided to maintain fall permit availability at 2013 levels.

“In northern zones 6 and 7, hunters harvested just one hen for every 50 to 100 square miles of forest cover last fall,” said Walter. “In some counties, total registered hen harvest was in the single digits – these very low hen harvests are well below the level capable of influencing population abundance.”

According to Scott Walter,

since all permits are utilized in the northern zones, every permit not allocated would lead to one hunter that would not be able to pursue turkeys in that zone in 2014. A permit reduction would provide no benefits for the turkey population, so a reduction in hunting opportunity is not necessary.

In layman terms think of turkeys this way; Turkeys live about 2 and half years whether you hunt them or not.

Most turkey hunters do not realize toms gobble and respond to calls in the fall too.

Most turkey hunters do not realize toms gobble and respond to calls in the fall too.

So even if you did not apply by August 1st for a fall turkey permit you can still purchase over the counter tags when they go on sale August 23.  Successful applicants will be notified by mail the week of August 18.  Hunters who did not apply for the drawing will not a receive a tag with their turkey license, they will need to purchase a tag over the counter.

2014 Wisconsin License Permit Application Deadlines

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Wisconsin 2014 Fall turkey

  • 96,700 wild turkey permits are expected to be available to hunters for the fall 2014 turkey hunting season  same number of permits that were offered in 2013.
  • Please note that this number is preliminary and may be revised following review.
  • Any fall turkey permits remaining after the initial drawing will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Aug. 23.
  • Leftover fall turkey permits will be sold by zone until sold out or the season ends. Hunters who receive fall turkey permits in Zones 1-5 will be able to fill their unused permits during the extended season in the zone where the permits were issued.

Application Deadline is August 1, 2014

Wisconsin Fall Turkey 2014 Season Dates

  • Sept. 13 to Nov. 20 for all seven of Wisconsin’s turkey management zones; and
  • an extended fall turkey season for Zones 1-5 from Dec. 1 to Dec. 31.

Canada geese

NRB  will set waterfowl season dates at its Aug. 13 meeting.

  •  Note that Horicon zone hunters no longer need to apply in advance for hunting tags. Hunters in this zone will simply need to indicate their zone preference when they purchase a license. Licenses are available for purchase at any time prior to hunting.
  • Season dates for waterfowl vary annually and will not be available until the Natural Resources Board acts in August.

Bobcat, fisher and otter

Quotas for bobcat, fisher and otter will be available on the DNR web page in late July

  • No major changes are expected from last year. An additional Southern bobcat zone (all of Wis. south of Hwy 64) has been approved for 2014.
  • Those interested in hunting and/or trapping bobcats will need to apply to a specific zone (north or south) and time period (period 1 or 2) for the upcoming season. Bobcat applicant preference points will continue as in the past.

Final permit numbers will be final in August

  •  Drawings for all three species will take place in late August or early September.

Application deadline is August 1, 2014

Season dates

  • bobcat hunting and trapping: Period 1: Oct. 18 to Dec. 25; Period 2: Dec. 26 to Jan. 31, 2015;
  • fisher (trapping only): Oct. 18 through Dec. 31; and
  • otter (trapping only): North Zone Nov. 2, 2013 through April 30, 2014; Central & South zones Nov. 2, 2013 through March 31, 2014.

Wolf

The total wolf quota has been set at 156

  •  quota available to state-licensed hunters and trappers may be adjusted depending on state response to tribal declarations.
  • WDNR will maintain a 10-to-1 license-to-quota ratio.
  • One-half of available permits will be issued randomly among all permit applicants
  • Second half will be issued through a cumulative preference point drawing.
  • Successful applicants will be notified by letter or check their drawing status through the DNR website or via  licensing agents.
  • It is the applicants responsibility to know their drawing status. Applicants who are not successful in the drawing will be awarded a preference point toward future drawings.

Season Dates

  • Starts  in all zones on Oct. 15 and is open until the zone is closed by DNR or the last day of February, whichever occurs first.
  • WDNR has the authority to close hunting zones when quotas are met or if deemed biologically necessary.

Turkey Dogs Don’t Ruin Deer Hunting Areas

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The short answer is no.

Turkey-doggers and their dogs don’t usually interfere with bowhunters or ruin their deer hunting.  Turkey dogging is a late morning mid-day activity, and the vast majority of bowhunters have already left the field by the time we start;  although deer hunters should stay on their stands if they see or hear turkey doggers in the area.  Deer have a tendency to bed down during full daylight hours, and as long as the deer don’t move, a stand hunter has little chance of seeing them.  When mobile hunters such as turkey doggers, other small game or upland hunters enter an area, the deer will get up and move around.  Deer are territorial; they do not leave their home range unless there is a lot of disturbance.  If the deer leave, it is a short time before they will return, just like rabbits who circle the beagles and return to where they started.   I see more trophy bucks within easy bow range when Vic is with me than I do sitting on my butt during “prime time.”  Turkey dogs and other hunting dogs are trained not to chase deer.  The dog may occasionally bluff a deer to get it away from the bird hunting area, but they rarely chase the deer for long distances.  vic willow call turkey (640x505)

Some bowhunters get upset about anyone else doing anything else in the woods perhaps it’s they start to feel ownership of a spot after placing their stand.  Or more likely it’s because–
The scent control salespeople and inexperienced outdoor writers have convinced many deer hunters that leaving any scent in the woods will destroy the quality of the hunting area and all the deer will “blowout”.  So they think if anyone walks around without a has-mat suit on the area is contaminated making it impossible for them to kill a deer let alone a trophy.
Oh well, what can I say about these guys? Except you need to get off your stand and out more.  Come on think about it- If deer boogied out of all the areas with human, canine or a scent they don’t recognize, there would be no area holding any deer.  Some scent is everywhere.

Turkey hunters are arguably the most considerate,  sharing and easy to get along with hunters of them all. That goes double for turkey doggers.  If you are sitting on your stand, a turkey dogger comes by, wave, so they know you’re there, and they’ll move out.  Then stay alert, it’s likely a deer, possibly a trophy will be by soon.

Good hunting.

25 Below Zero Turkey Hunting

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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.

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

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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

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

Wisconsin 2103 Fall Turkey Drawing and Over the Counter Tags

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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.

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.

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.

Wisconsin winter turkey offers an additional challenge.

Happy hunting.

 

Turkeys and Poults Find Them During the Summer

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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

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.

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.

Turkeys prefer eating insects and other high protein critters.