Spring Turkey – Page 2

Take The Wisconsin Slam Challenge

December 28, 2015 by Charlie Leave a Comment

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?

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

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.

Wisconsin’s 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.

Wisconsin Spring 2015 Wild Turkey Harvest Statistics

June 26, 2015 by Charlie Leave a Comment

2015 Mail Issued Spring Turkey Permits

Zone	Permits Available	Applicants	Period 1	Period 2	Period 3	Period 4	Period 5	Period 6	Total
01	74,646	0	12,442	12,439	8,136	1,836	677	278	35,808
02	45,036	0	7,507	7,512	7,512	7,510	3,026	696	33,763
03	63,018	0	10,505	10,503	6,125	1,433	439	211	29,216
04	34,968	0	5,831	5,829	5,699	1,632	604	274	19,869
05	12,000	0	2,000	2,001	2,002	1,743	326	195	8,267
06	4,500	0	751	750	751	751	749	461	4,213
07	3,600	0	600	600	600	600	570	172	3,142
FM	460	337	75	97	65	33	5	15	290
Total	238,228	337	39,711	39,731	30,890	15,538	6,396	2,302	134,568

2015 Mail Issued Spring Turkey Permits

Zone	Permits Available	Applicants	Period 1	Period 2	Period 3	Period 4	Period 5	Period 6	Total
01	74,646	0	12,442	12,439	8,136	1,836	677	278	35,808
02	45,036	0	7,507	7,512	7,512	7,510	3,026	696	33,763
03	63,018	0	10,505	10,503	6,125	1,433	439	211	29,216
04	34,968	0	5,831	5,829	5,699	1,632	604	274	19,869
05	12,000	0	2,000	2,001	2,002	1,743	326	195	8,267
06	4,500	0	751	750	751	751	749	461	4,213
07	3,600	0	600	600	600	600	570	172	3,142
FM	460	337	75	97	65	33	5	15	290
Total	238,228	337	39,711	39,731	30,890	15,538	6,396	2,302	134,568

2015 Spring Turkey “Over-the-Counter” Permits

Zone Period 1 Period 2 Period 3 Period 4 Period 5 Period 6							Total
01			4,305	10,606	7,714	2,597	25,222
02					4,484	6,808	11,292
03			4,374	9,069	5,458	1,946	20,847
04			130	4,190	5,225	2,313	11,858
05				256	1,673	1,805	3,734
06						288	288
07					13	428	441
FM							0
Total	0	0	8,809	24,121	24,567	16,185	73,682

			2015 Spring Turkey Total Permits
Zone	Permits Available	Applicants	Period 1	Period 2	Period 3	Period 4	Period 5	Period 6	Total
01	74,646	0	12,442	12,439	12,441	12,442	8,391	2,875	61,030
02	45,036	0	7,507	7,512	7,512	7,510	7,510	7,504	45,055
03	63,018	0	10,505	10,503	10,499	10,502	5,897	2,157	50,063
04	34,968	0	5,831	5,829	5,829	5,822	5,829	2,587	31,727
05	12,000	0	2,000	2,001	2,002	1,999	1,999	2,000	12,001
06	4,500	0	751	750	751	751	749	749	4,501
07	3,600	0	600	600	600	600	583	600	3,583
FM	460	337	75	97	65	33	5	15	290
Total	238,228	337	39,711	39,731	39,699	39,659	30,963	18,487	208,250

			2015 Spring Turkey Harvest
Zone	A	B	C D	E	F	LTH	Youth	Total
01	3,064	2,233	2,064 1,729	1,169	553	43	703	11,558
02	2,083	1,861	1,586 1,406	1,445	1,103	108	752	10,344
03	2,695	2,097	1,806 1,370	846	415	53	678	9,960
04	1,389	1,074	867 945	701	376	20	409	5,781
05	488	402	309 246	277	164	19	118	2,023
06	178	163	106 71	64	73	3	59	717
07	127	117	97 67	37	42	2	29	518
FM	23	20	11 9	1	7	0	2	73
Unks						3		30
Total	10,047	7,967	6,846 5,843 4,540 2,733			251	2,750	40,977


Z	A	B	C D	E	F	LTH	Youth	Total
01	3,064	2,233	2,064 1,729	1,169	553	43	703	11,558
02	2,083	1,861	1,586 1,406	1,445	1,103	108	752	10,344
03	2,695	2,097	1,806 1,370	846	415	53	678	9,960
04	1,389	1,074	867 945	701		20	409	5,781
05	488	402	309 246	277	164	19	118	2,023
06	178	163	106 71	64	73	3	59	717
07	127	117	97 67	37	42	2	29	518
FM	23	20	11 9	1	7	0	2	73
Unks						3		30
Total	10,047	7,967	6,846 5,843 4,540 2,733			251	2,750	40,977

		2015 Spring Turkey Success Rates
Zone	A	B	C	D	E	F	Total
01	25%	18%	17%	14%	14%	19%	18.9%
02	28%	25%	21%	19%	19%	15%	23.0%
03	26%	20%	17%	13%	14%	19%	19.9%
04	24%	18%	15%	16%	12%	15%	18.2%
05	24%	20%	15%	12%	14%	8%	16.9%
06	24%	22%	14%	9%	9%	10%	15.9%
07	21%	20%	16%	11%	6%	7%	14.5%
FM	31%	21%	17%	27%	20%	47%	25.2%
Total	25%	20%	17%	15%	15%	15%	19.7%

2015 LTH and Youth Turkey Harvest					Grand Total43703111752536782040919 118 3 59 2 29 2,999
Zone PeriodLTH1YouthLTH 2YouthLTH 3YouthLTH 4Youth LTH 5 Youth LTH 6 Youth LTH 7 Youth Total:	Female		Male
	Adult1513345— – . . . . 31	Juvenile–2—-2- – . . . . 4	Adult1952769606385461232117 100 3 51 2 24 2,335	Juvenile2317127143111278862 18 . 8 . 5 629

Wisconsin 2015 Spring Turkey Harvest Down 1.29%

May 15, 2015 by Charlie 1 Comment

Wild turkey hunters across Wisconsin continue to enjoy the hunt of 2015. See table below. As of the end of the 4th mini season (D Season), 2015 harvest is down 1.29% from the same period 2014. Unit 4 hunters have experienced a turkey increase of 5.12%, unit 6 & 7 increased 23.6 %, 36%. WDNR cut the permits in these units by 25% in 2014 so with the permit numbers back to normal this year increase was expected.

All other units have decreased harvests. Likely this is due to hunters holding out for a mature gobbler rather than taking a jake. According to hunters, jake numbers are much higher this year, and fewer adult toms are being seen than in 2014.

Preliminary 2015 Spring Turkey Harvest, by Turkey Management Zone, through time period D.
Zone	2015	2014	% change
1	9,732	10,273	-5.56%
2	7,701	7,793	-1.19%
3	8,584	8,916	-3.87%
4	4,645	4,407	5.12%
5	1,565	1,569	-0.26%
6	576	440	23.61%
7	430	275	36.05%
FM	70	59	15.71%

Statewide Summary
	33,303	33,732	-1.29%

Wild turkey hunters across Wisconsin continue to enjoy the hunt of 2015. The weather has been cool and until recently dry. Rains have been moderate setting the stage for excellent nesting conditions. If the weather trend continues to be favorable poult recruitment will be excellent providing for a superb 2015 fall hunt.

Spring 2015 hunters are seeming more jakes than adult gobblers.

Spring 2015 hunters are seeing more jakes than adult gobblers.

Pearled Head Gobbler

April 28, 2015 by Charlie Leave a Comment

Dang it anyway, I had just moved towards a hard gobbling turkey which I thought was the conversational turkey that abruptly left me to chase those four late departing hens. As gobbler and I conversed, I had missed detecting the four hens still on roost above our heads until they flew down at 7:00 yelping their way off in the opposite direction with my tom in tow. And now! I hear gobbling coming from my original setup spot. So much gobbling that surely if I had not gotten seduced into moving a beautiful turkey would be wearing my tag right now.

Here I am on day 3 of my hunt during Wisconsin’s second mini-season. The morning dawned quiet and still even though the evening before I did a lot of audio baiting so I knew there would be birds nearby.

From some of the treetops on the opposite ridge, I heard what I thought were feet shifting on their roost branches and the ruffle of feathers. No response to my owl hoots. Gobbling has been sparse so far this spring in spite of the beautiful weather.

I setup down the ridge from the turkey sounds then around 6:00 a turkey gobbled in answer to my soft clucks. Soon the sound of a dull thud as the tom apparently just let go and fell to the ground. A series of walking clucks got him fired up gobbling and strutting as he moved towards me. As I prepared for the anticipated upcoming shot, those hens mentioned earlier sailed off their roost, and my gobbler turned in pursuit gobbling his merry way after them. Moving seemed a reasonable strategy, it always does until 20/20 hindsight takes effect, like gobbling coming from where you just left.

As I called more, gobbling started up all around. A real turkey hunter’s dream morning, still, clear, mild and turkeys coming to life everywhere. Picking the correct side of the tree in anticipation of which gobbler would arrive first was my most pressing issue.

The first group of 3 toms fought, strutted and picked their way along the top of the ridge to my right. The offered shots were marginal and quickly became worse when a fourth unseen turkey busted me causing all them to move out and spooking the rest of the incoming turkeys.

All that action and now I’ve one more chance if I can get the left behind turkey to come in. He was hung up gobbling his head off. I moved around the to the other side of the large oak placing my back to him hoping my calls would sound like a hen giving up and walking away with the other turkeys.

Turkey noise stopped, and the only thing I heard was rustling in the leaves to my right. Ever so slowly I turned my head just enough to see the tom in my peripheral vision, he was mere feet behind at 4 o’clock. No breathing or blinking for me as he suddenly cut loose a thunderous gobble and walked past in the wide-open woods.

Nothing but air between us, I dared not move as he slowly continued to amble past me. His feathers audibly rustled with each step that finally took him behind a large tree trunk out of sight.

Being right handed I had to turn for the shot, gun up at the ready for the tom’s reappearance. It took forever; I started to think he’d heard me and walked straight away keeping the tree screening us. Oh No!

Oh yes! His pearly white head emerges 12 yards off the end of my barrel, his eye straining to pick form out of the gnarled tree bark. My gunshot sounds as slides his neck out, beard dangling in the opening.

Preconceived Notions Hamper Turkey Hunt

March 29, 2015 by Charlie 1 Comment

Are these turkeys laughing or snickering?

A frequently asked question; What is the one most important thing that makes a great turkey hunter?

I can’t speak to the great part, not sure what that exactly means. Great is probably defined differently by each person. Let’s assume great is not a video star; instead, they’re a successful turkey hunter who enjoys the hunt and bags some birds.

For most turkey hunters Preconceived Notions are the number one impediment to killing wild turkeys.

Pick up most any hunting magazine or read online articles this time of year and you’ll find a plethora of expert advice:

About where the turkeys will fly down to,
you must be there early, in the dark.
How they’ll travel certain routes,
respond to individual calls,
Only call once every 20 minutes or whatever period of time the author made up. All of these examples assume turkeys are creatures of habit that show up, fly down and act according to preset rules or as I’ve learned to understand this advice as Preconceived Notions.

When I started turkey hunting, I heard all the advice above and assumed it was correct. After five turkey hunts during which I was out somewhere in the dark woods setup by a preselected tree in an area that should hold roosted turkeys. Only to discover as the sun rose the gobbling turkeys were everywhere I was not. There I would sit making a call every 20 minutes, after all, I surely did not want to make the turkeys call shy. This setup had everything a turkey could want an open slightly elevated strutting area, with drag marks and scratchings all over, and this is a classic example of a preconceived notion. This type of planning and setup works for deer, not usually turkeys.

The turkey hunting light bulb burst on in my head one day when my hunting partner was too sick to leave camp early in the morning. Upon my return to camp, he told me about a hunter who drove into the parking area then just sat there until a turkey gobbled. He slipped out in the turkey’s direction. In short order, there was a shot, and this mystery hunter returned to his truck with a fine gobbler. All of this happened while I was much further away in the dark at a preplanned location. At that point, I was a lifelong deer hunter, and now the epiphany hit. Turkeys are random in action.

The next morning found me on the ridge not far from camp listening with no intention of moving until the gobbling started. When it did, I walked towards that area in the light after the turkeys had flown down. My calls answered almost every sound the turkeys made. Shortly a magnificent strutting turkey appeared. My heart raced, and I forgot to shoot until he was down the ridge out of sight. Those iridescent feathers catching the multi colors of the sunrise mesmerized me, in all my years of hunting I’d never seen a more hypnotically beautiful display. Without more thought, I propped the gun on my knee and called. Nothing, call again, nothing called a lot, not loud just persistent and that Tom reappeared to become my first turkey.

There was no looking back since that time some 33 years ago I have filled a tag during every season. Nowadays some hunting units allow more than one tag, in those cases, I have not always filled all the tags in my pocket but filling just one is perfect ably acceptable.

Some preconceived notions to avoid:

You must be somewhere in the woods before first light. Entering an unknown hunting area in the dark when you have not put a turkey to bed risks bumping the birds off their roosts before a hunter can set up.
Restraining your calling for fear of making turkeys call shy; Experience teaches you when to call how much and at what volume — not an arbitrary rule established in advance of the real-life hunting situation.
Assuming a turkey will only travel through an area one way or that he must pass by a particular spot. Remember turkeys have wings they can and do fly across the water, valleys and from tree to tree. During late season hunts, gobblers have come into my calls using leafed out trees to find the hen/ me on the ground.
Believing turkeys have left the area due to hunting pressure, weather, etc. The turkeys are always there even when they can’t be seen or heard. Turkey dogging has taught me turkeys will lay on the ground unmoving and unseen as a hunter passes by. However, a turkey dog finds those birds, and in the fall I’m shocked at how hard it is to see one laying on the leaf-strewn ground a few feet away.

Double Tongue Gobbler

February 16, 2015 by Charlie Leave a Comment

The height of the red oaks provided the turkeys a long glide path.

The wild turkeys flew down before shooting light this morning in Wisconsin’s unit 3 area. First the hens pitched off their roosts at 5:15 hitting the ground running like they had somewhere to be. They must have nests they needed to tend to. The gobblers sounded off and pitched off roost shortly after and that’s where things got interesting. Their fly downs were more like long range glides carrying them well out my sight and hearing range. In the “big” woods of areas of Clark County this makes for a challenging hunt because the toms just keep ranging further out all day long while giving the hunter little indication of where and which way they are heading. These toms had a lot of altitude off their red oak roosts so I figured they would have glided out a ways, I took a compass bearing and headed in the direction they went.

A lone gobble slices through the morning silence, distant, as in, across 2 creeks and in the middle of the swamp. There are dry islands in the swamp but the water is too high for causal wading out to them. The trolling box call is put away and replaced with a Tongue Teaser. After a couple of yelps and bionk clucks a gobbler joins me on the trail staring intently in my direction about 40 yards away. Oops, busted and game barely started. Big wings clawed for air as he took flight to parts unknown. Where there’s one turkey usually/sometimes there are more and now it’s past time to get setup.

I select two different Willlowridge tongue teasers calls one built from purple heart and the other made of chestnut are placed in the go position ready for some very robust aggressive calling. On mornings in the big turkey woods I have learned aggressive calling works best to bring in turkeys. Once they get interested a hunter needs to keep them hooked with no slack in the audio line, for if slack is allowed toms will usually get distracted and throw the hook. At this point in the game I’m thinking that distant gobbler or the one who flew away are the best chance.

Alternating between the calls I cast out course yelps, aggressive purrs and clucks for about 15 minutes elicited a gobble which I answered immediately and continued cutting his gobbles off midway at each gobble. The gobbles were getting closer and I must admit I was playing around more than really expecting the turkey to travel all that way across the two creeks to me. Before I knew it, not only did the gobbler arrive but he brought a gobbling buddy. Both turkeys went in and out of strut as they closed the distance, I continue to cluck whenever they could not see me. Only one turkey gobbled the other just strutted along silently.

As the toms cleared brush entering the open red oak woodland they did their final strut and pirouetted. When the fans blocked their heads the tongue teaser gently slid onto my lap as my Remington rose to target… Unfortunately for his buddy, the silent buddy offered the first clear headshot and I took it.

Purple heart and chestnut tongue teasers closed the deal.

Wisconsin 2015 Spring Turkey Permit Drawing Completed

January 19, 2015 by Charlie 2 Comments

2016 Drawing Update

January 16, 2015 – Wisconsin has completed and posted the results of spring turkey 2015 permit drawing. Notification cards are being mailed to successful hunters. Turkey hunters can login Wisconsin Online License Center to check the status of their spring turkey application.

103,516 Leftover Spring 2015 Turkey Tags

Remaining permits will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Each zone has a designated sales date starting at 10:00 a.m. and running through midnight each day. These sales will be held for five consecutive days with hunters able to purchase one permit per day. Remaining permits for all zones will go on sale on the sixth day (one permit per day). Saturday, March 28, 2015 at 10 a.m.

The scheduled sales dates are:

•Zone 1 – Monday, March 23

•Zone 2 – Tuesday, March 24

•Zone 3 – Wednesday, March 25

•Zone 4 – Thursday, March 26

•Zone 5 – Friday, March 27

Table of leftover Wisconsin Spring 2015 Permits

Time Periods A April 15-21 B April 22-28 C April 29-May 5 D May 6-12 E May 13-19 F May 20-26

Zone

1 0 0 4304 10,605 11,763 12,163

2 0 0 0 0 4485 6,810

3 0 0 4376 9069 10,063 10,292

4 0 0 128 4196 5225 5,554

5 0 0 0 257 1674 1805

6 0 0 0 0 0 289

7 0 0 0 0 30 428

Wisconsin 2014 Final Spring Harvest/Kill Stats

June 8, 2014 by Charlie 6 Comments

We’ve all been waiting for these. Well all of us serious turkey hunters. Scroll down for the final, complete 2014 Wisconsin Spring Hunt Wild Turkey Stats.

2014 Wisconsin Wild Turkey Spring Harvest/Kill

2014 Spring Turkey Harvest
Zone	A	B	C	D	E	F	LTH	Youth	Total
01	3,300	2,446	2,090	1,737	1,260	607	155	545	12,140
02	2,016	1,865	1,700	1,356	1,421	1,149	285	571	10,363
03	2,669	2,181	1,955	1,452	1,032	569	192	467	10,517
04	1,187	1,050	926	907	725	626	99	238	5,758
05	386	416	361	266	261	183	56	84	2,013
06	122	122	101	75	73	31	5	15	544
07	61	77	74	54	51	28	2	7	354
01A	2	4	4	1	1	12
01B	6	4	6	1	17
01C	3	1	0	4
01D	3	1	0	4
01E	0	1	0	1
01F	3	5	0	8
02A	0
03A	1	0	1	2
04A	0
04B	3	1	1	5
04C	0
01G	1	1
01H	0
01J	1	1
01K	0
01L	0
02B	0
FM	29	22	1	7	2	10	0	0	71
Unks		0
	0
Total	9,790	8,198	7,218	5,856	4,827	3,203	794	1,929	41,815

2014 Wisconsin Spring Wild Turkey Kill by Age and Sex Ratio

2014 Turkey Kill by Age and Sex.
Zone	Toms	Jakes	Hens	Total	% of Adult Toms
01	10,978	1,058	104	12,140	90.4%
02	9,258	1,008	97	10,363	89.3%
03	9,581	867	69	10,517	91.1%
04	5,340	396	22	5,758	92.7%
05	1,828	174	11	2,013	90.8%
06	489	54	1	544	89.9%
07	306	45	3	354	86.4%
FM	64	5	2	71	90.1%
Total	37,844	3,607	309	41,760	90,6%

Wisconsin 2014 Spring Wild Turkey Success Rates by Unit and Season Time Period

2014 Spring Turkey Success Rates
Zone	A	B	C	D	E	F	Total
01	27%	20%	17%	14%	14%	14%	19.3%
02	27%	25%	23%	18%	19%	15%	23.0%
03	25%	21%	19%	14%	16%	17%	20.3%
04	20%	18%	16%	19%	16%	14%	18.4%
05	19%	21%	18%	13%	16%	12%	18.1%
06	16%	16%	13%	10%	10%	5%	12.6%
07	10%	13%	12%	9%	9%	8%	10.6%
01A	17%	33%	31%				32.4%
01B	40%	27%	40%				37.8%
01C	38%	13%	0%				15.4%
01D	25%	8%	0%				11.1%
01E	0%	20%	0%				6.7%
01F	14%	24%	0%				12.7%
02A	0%	0%	0%				0.0%
03A	0%	17%	0%				10.5%
04A	0%	0%	0%				0.0%
04B	38%	13%	0%				20.8%
04C	0%	0%	0%				0.0%
01G	0%	0%	0%				20.0%
01H	0%	0%	0%				0.0%
01J	0%	50%	0%				16.7%
01K	0%	0%	0%				0.0%

02B	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0.0%
FM	35%	22%	3%	18%	8%	25%	21.9%

Wisconsin 2014 Spring Wild Turkey Mail Issued tags

*2014 Mail Issued Spring Turkey Permits*
Permits Available	Applicants	Period 1	Period 2	Period 3	Period 4	Period 5	Period 6	Total
74,400	36,109	12,400	12,400	8,438	1,872	623	245	35,978
45,000	35,981	7,500	7,500	7,500	7,500	2,487	651	33,138
63,000	29,649	10,500	10,500	6,851	1,397	432	163	29,843
34,920	20,785	5,820	5,820	5,821	2,123	560	242	20,386
12,000	9,047	2,000	2,000	2,000	2,000	371	166	8,537
4,500	4,936	750	750	750	750	751	576	4,327
3,600	3,594	600	600	600	600	600	348	3,348
36	128	12	12	13	37
45	78	15	15	15	45
24	46	8	8	10	26
36	66	12	12	12	36
15	23	5	5	5	15
63	89	21	21	18	60
18	26	6	6	6	18
18	54	6	6	7	19
6	23	2	2	2	6
24	68	8	8	8	24
15	24	6	4	5	15
6	4	2	2	1	5
6	4	2	2	2	6
6	21	2	2	2	6
6	22	2	2	3	7
3	1	0	1	0	1
18	80	4	3	3	3	4	2	19
415	324	84	101	36	39	24	40	324
238,180	141,182	39,767	39,782	32,108	16,284	5,852	2,433	136,226

OTC Tags/Permits Wisconsin 2014 Spring Wild Turkey

2014 Spring Turkey “Over-the-Counter” Permits
Zone			Period 1	Period 2	Period 3	Period 4	Period 5	Period 6	Total
01	3,960	10,521	8,445	3,999	26,925
02	5,011	6,851	11,862
03	3,647	9,102	6,008	3,226	21,983
04	2,771	3,946	4,184	10,901
05	1,219	1,376	2,595

Wisconsin 2014 Spring Wild Turkey Total Permits

2014	Spring	Turkey	Total	Permits
Zone	Permits Available	Applicants	Period 1	Period 2		Period 3	Period 4	Period 5	Period 6	Total
01	74,400	36,109	12,400	12,400	12,398		12,393	9,068	4,244	62,903
02	45,000	35,981	7,500	7,500	7,500		7,500	7,498	7,502	45,000
03	63,000	29,649	10,500	10,500	10,498		10,499	6,440	3,389	51,826
04	34,920	20,785	5,820	5,820	5,821		4,894	4,506	4,426	31,287
05	12,000	9,047	2,000	2,000	2,000		2,000	1,590	1,542	11,132
06	4,500	4,936	750	750	750		750	751	576	4,327
07	3,600	3,594	600	600	600		600	600	348	3,348
01A	36	128	12	12	13		0	0	0	37
01B	45	78	15	15	15		0	0	0	45
01C	24	46	8	8	10		0	0	0	26
01D	36	66	12	12	12		0	0	0	36
01E	15	23	5	5	5		0	0	0	15
01F	63	89	21	21	21		0	0	0	63
02A	18	26	6	6	6		0	0	0	18
03A	18	54	6	6	7		0	0	0	19
04A	6	23	2	2	2		0	0	0	6
04B	24	68	8	8	8		0	0	0	24
04C	15	24	6	4	5		0	0	0	15
01G	6	4	2	2	1		0	0	0	5
01H	6	4	2	2	2		0	0	0	6
01J	6	21	2	2	2		0	0	0	6
01K	6	22	2	2	3		0	0	0	7
01L	3	1	0	1	0		0	0	0	1
02B	18	80	4	3	3		3	5	2	20
FM	415	324	84	101	36		39	24	40	324


Total	238,180	141,182	39,767	39,782	39,718		38,678	30,482	22,069	210,496

Wisconsin 2014 Spring Wild Turkey Learn To Hunt Harvest/Kill

2014 LTH and Youth Turkey Harvest

Count of Harvest		HARV_SEX	HARV_AGE
		F		M		Grand Total
Zone	Period	A	J	A	J
01	LTH	1		136	18	155
	Youth	5	2	475	63	545
1A	YH	.	.	1	.	1
1B	YH	.	.	1	.	1
2	LTH	5	.	245	35	285
2	YH	3	.	506	62	571
3	LTH	5	.	162	25	192
3	YH	3	.	428	36	467
4	LTH	1	.	87	11	99
4	YH	1	.	221	16	238
5	LTH	.	.	52	4	56
5	YH	1	.	71	12	84
6	LTH	.	.	5	.	5
6	YH	.	.	13	2	15
7	LTH	.	.	2	.	2
7	YH	.	.	7	.	7
Total		25	2	2412	284	2723

A lot of wild turkey stats here. Appears to it was a fantastic spring turkey hunt. Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section.

Lucky Striker Turkey

May 27, 2014 by Charlie Leave a Comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Will Wisconsin Beat Missouri Turkey Harvest?

May 17, 2014 by Charlie 1 Comment

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

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

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

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

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

Sometimes It’s Easy

May 7, 2014 by Charlie Leave a Comment

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

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

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

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

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

How to Hunt Turkeys in Wind & Rain

April 28, 2014 by Charlie 1 Comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Good turkey hunting.

Looking Gift Turkeys in The Beak

April 27, 2014 by Charlie 4 Comments

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

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

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

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

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

Fading away gobbler.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

After Melt Winter Kill Finds

April 7, 2014 by Charlie Leave a Comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

Turkey feathers are well preserved during winter in Wisconsin.

Turkey feathers last a long time.

These feathers were left overwinter from a fall kill.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wisconsin 2014 Spring Turkey Hunt Forecast

March 29, 2014 by Charlie 18 Comments

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wisconsin 2014 Spring Turkey Permits Reduced 25%

March 13, 2014 by Charlie 1 Comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Did anyone else get mental whiplash reading this press release?

Turkey Turkeys Everywhere March 7, 2014

March 7, 2014 by Charlie 1 Comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A clear sign of a good spring hunt to come.

Treble Hooked Triple Beard Turkey: What?!?

June 17, 2013 by Charlie 5 Comments

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

Story as told by Jerry Cusick:

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

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

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

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

2013 Wisconsin Spring Turkey Final Harvest Numbers

June 4, 2013 by Charlie 1 Comment

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

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

Wisconsin Hunters experienced bad weather during early time periods

WDNR Press Release

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Telephone, online registration working well

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

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

2013 fall season

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Snowbound Turkeys & Hunter

May 30, 2013 by Charlie Leave a Comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

« Previous Page