Hey boys - I am home for the night but leave late tomorrow to start. 1st hunt I am going in blind. No scouting cuz just no time to do it. But I have hunted this place 4 yrs running now so have a good idea where to let blind luck take me.
I spent all last week scouting northern WI and Upper Mich. Snow - snow, and more snow. The birds are flocked heavily but some are strutting. A few toms are breaking off now and the lesbian flocks are getting fewer in numbers as they are also breaking up. But it is cold!
One fun thing. I was working all day Friday as I had planned an early morning listen but waking up to snow-rain-sleet-high winds I said screw it and went back to bed. I am beat. So worked all day on the house - putzy things - but at 4 Pm I laid down for a nap - at 4:30 PM I was rudely woken up by someone tapping at my back glass patio door. I had just washed the dang thing too. Mumbling to myself as I stumbled half awake to the door and as I come around the corner and hit the first step and what do I see????? One big ole flipping Tom all in strutt just pecking away at the glass and at his dang reflections!!!! He has at least a 11 inch full bodied beard - he has at least 1 inch spurs and his body size filled the whole width of the glass patio door......WOW!!! One of my dogs sees the tom and starts to bark! I immediately hushed her and hand motioned for her to lay down with a hand signal......I rushed to get my camera as no one would beleive this! And the second dog beat me to the door! I forgot about that dog....dang it....and bark-bark as she slams the glass and putt-putt as the Tom runs for dear life! The glass is a mess again.....glad it ain't broke!
So I think to myself - poach the SOB! And I amost did.....but then if I did that I'd be leaving my ethics in the truck.
I do put out one strutting tom Decoy with a real Jake fan in.....and within an hr I watched this decoy get destroyed! I did have the crosshairs on him - at 10 yards too! But could not pull the tirgger. I can't hunt this area till May 8th - maybe he will be around.
Tried to get sme footage of that brute today. Set up a blind to where he was meeting his hens and his hens came but he never showed......I did get some footage of hens and a red fox though. The way I look at it he flew down and went in strut following some skirt again to which she lead him in a new direction. That is what they are doing in the upper Midwest. Strutting and not vocal at all as breeding has not begun as of yet!
So good luck boys.....see ya in a month or so.....Oh I will travel with a lap top but mainly to do scores - if I have time and if I can stay awake.....it will be done tho....
Dave...JW