5th season Wisc bird
05-16-2008, 10:55 AM
#1
Super Moderator
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 7,437
5th season Wisc bird
Well some of you know I have been helping with the HNI turkey contest. I dropped out of the contest as I desparately needed shoulder surgery to which took me out of hunting 4 other states early and then I thought maybe my home state of Wisc and then I do go to Mich.
Well Mich so far has been a bust for me as I don't have much time because of therapy. I can not and am not allowed to use my left arm. So I set the gun up on a monopod to see if I could use the gun and I can with no problem. Is atroublesome but is useable.......
I got by reading all of your stories, helping others where I could, and of course keeping track of the contest. BUT I AM A TURKEY ADDICT! This was killing me..........so....and don't tell the doc
I had a day and half to hunt. I traveled in the wee hours Thursday morning and helped get my son in law set-up. I left him as I did try to help a 78 yr old guy get a bird and he was to meet me. Good thing he slept in as I did hear gobbles like theweek before but they are still henned up good. And this is mid May in Wisc so breeding is way behind. Almost a month IMO!.
Well I tired till about 9 am and not seeing or hearing nothing after 6:30 am gobbles from way behind and up hihg from me,I left to go check on my son in law. He also had great gobbling - did have a hen come into his decoys and do the talking for him. The toms never showed up but did show great promise for later. So I left him and drove back to my starting point. Rather than sit that guys home made blind I moved up high on the bluff on the edge of an alfalfa field. I popped up my double bull one handed and then set my decoys out 10 yards from the blind. I was dead tired and wanted a nap - ya I am old - like my naps - been more than one time I wake up and find I have more decoys out there than I placed!
Trouble was the mosquitoes where nasty - though I got some sut -eye for about 40 minutes I was still tired. AND I really wanted my son in law to whack a bird as this was his 6th year without one! Just a comedy of errors the last 5!
It was 11:50 am - I decided I was going to leave and check on him. I had called every 10 to 20 minutes or so with some longer lulls as I snoozed. As I put my calls away I use them one more time - Well the last call - a box from Mr Gobller 43 - I thought I heard a weak gobble. The wind was blowing a bit and my strutting Tom decoy (Bruce who looks ove a laying hen Henrietta - a full bodied hard -heavy decoy)along with my bobble head hen (Vera)where dancing quite nice. I also use a hard bodied hen which is placed flat on the ground in front of my Tom. So I tried one more time as I was going to put the box back in my vest. I yelped just 4 times as that what all the hens I heard where doing in this area. Nothing, so as I put the call away I heard a definite gobble. Quite a ways away - but heck a gobble and it was Noon. So took the call out and chalked it up a bit better - waited about 10 and did a series of 3 yelps - 2 or 3 second pause and then 4 yelps - same pause finished with 3 yelps. We heard hens doing this. At the end of this series a gobble and a bit closer. So I waited till the tom gobbled again on his own and then went back to the same series. He gobbled when I finished. Thiniking to myself I got this guy - he is coming! So I do try to free hand video all birds before I shoot at them. Got the cam ready - gun was on a monopod - okay let's do this. Waited about 10 more and heard the gobble again - yep a bit closer but still out there - taking his sweet time - no problem - so I answered same series and at the end he gobbled again. Waited like before - heard him gobble closer but still out there so this time in the middle of my series he cut me off so I cutt back at him to crank him up a bit. He double gobbled but was out however there still closer and then I got one big gobble from right behind me. The rest is a freaking blur.
I look out the side slit of my blind and there is a nice tom and a big beard - Hmmmm - I grab my camera as he sees the decoys but is in range and cautious - these birds in this area have been hunted hard I know - well before I camera on him he stops - sees that strutting tom and takes off at a dead flat out run at the Tom decoy and body slams it hard - he then runs and circles my bobble hen Vera - goes back to Tom (aka Bruce) and body slams him again and then runs back to Vera who is 5 yards away. All this is happening so quick while I try to fumble with the gun one handed. I was trying to poke the barrel slightly out of the blind - once I was ready he was still nervous - purrng loudly - to which I mouth putted and he stopped quickly stuck his head up to whichI smacked him hard a 10 paces! He dropped like a rock. I sat back to check if I had done any damage to my left shoulder - am a righty and nope, am okay - I knew I could do this!
Well to my surprise - as it was a tough winter and there was winter kill in this area - I found bones under many known roost trees in the winter roost pines - this bird weighed in at 25 lbs 4 ounces. My second best. He had 11 1/4 very thick coke bottle type beard - again compared to my beard rack display was very nice and probably the best out of the 43 birds I have taken. But his spurs baffled me. At 1st I thought he was a typical 2 yr old. His spurs are short - 1/2 inch and 13/16s. Waht is confusing is they are sharp - needle point sharp - not what one can expect from a 2 yr old bird. Do I think it was because of the icy winter - Not really - but this bird was all alone and is probably a 3 yr old or better.
Ah well that is my story - still have 6th season to which I can again sneak in a 1.5 day hunt - and have a Mich tag tilll 5/31 - hope to sneak in a day or so there. That way I make therapy as not being able to swing a shot gun ever again is not an option in my life! So I wll do what it takes.
JW
my hand for reference - had to ruler
Spurs
me
Your score is 25.25 + 8.125 + 5 + 22.5 = 60.875
JW
Well Mich so far has been a bust for me as I don't have much time because of therapy. I can not and am not allowed to use my left arm. So I set the gun up on a monopod to see if I could use the gun and I can with no problem. Is atroublesome but is useable.......
I got by reading all of your stories, helping others where I could, and of course keeping track of the contest. BUT I AM A TURKEY ADDICT! This was killing me..........so....and don't tell the doc
I had a day and half to hunt. I traveled in the wee hours Thursday morning and helped get my son in law set-up. I left him as I did try to help a 78 yr old guy get a bird and he was to meet me. Good thing he slept in as I did hear gobbles like theweek before but they are still henned up good. And this is mid May in Wisc so breeding is way behind. Almost a month IMO!.
Well I tired till about 9 am and not seeing or hearing nothing after 6:30 am gobbles from way behind and up hihg from me,I left to go check on my son in law. He also had great gobbling - did have a hen come into his decoys and do the talking for him. The toms never showed up but did show great promise for later. So I left him and drove back to my starting point. Rather than sit that guys home made blind I moved up high on the bluff on the edge of an alfalfa field. I popped up my double bull one handed and then set my decoys out 10 yards from the blind. I was dead tired and wanted a nap - ya I am old - like my naps - been more than one time I wake up and find I have more decoys out there than I placed!
Trouble was the mosquitoes where nasty - though I got some sut -eye for about 40 minutes I was still tired. AND I really wanted my son in law to whack a bird as this was his 6th year without one! Just a comedy of errors the last 5!
It was 11:50 am - I decided I was going to leave and check on him. I had called every 10 to 20 minutes or so with some longer lulls as I snoozed. As I put my calls away I use them one more time - Well the last call - a box from Mr Gobller 43 - I thought I heard a weak gobble. The wind was blowing a bit and my strutting Tom decoy (Bruce who looks ove a laying hen Henrietta - a full bodied hard -heavy decoy)along with my bobble head hen (Vera)where dancing quite nice. I also use a hard bodied hen which is placed flat on the ground in front of my Tom. So I tried one more time as I was going to put the box back in my vest. I yelped just 4 times as that what all the hens I heard where doing in this area. Nothing, so as I put the call away I heard a definite gobble. Quite a ways away - but heck a gobble and it was Noon. So took the call out and chalked it up a bit better - waited about 10 and did a series of 3 yelps - 2 or 3 second pause and then 4 yelps - same pause finished with 3 yelps. We heard hens doing this. At the end of this series a gobble and a bit closer. So I waited till the tom gobbled again on his own and then went back to the same series. He gobbled when I finished. Thiniking to myself I got this guy - he is coming! So I do try to free hand video all birds before I shoot at them. Got the cam ready - gun was on a monopod - okay let's do this. Waited about 10 more and heard the gobble again - yep a bit closer but still out there - taking his sweet time - no problem - so I answered same series and at the end he gobbled again. Waited like before - heard him gobble closer but still out there so this time in the middle of my series he cut me off so I cutt back at him to crank him up a bit. He double gobbled but was out however there still closer and then I got one big gobble from right behind me. The rest is a freaking blur.
I look out the side slit of my blind and there is a nice tom and a big beard - Hmmmm - I grab my camera as he sees the decoys but is in range and cautious - these birds in this area have been hunted hard I know - well before I camera on him he stops - sees that strutting tom and takes off at a dead flat out run at the Tom decoy and body slams it hard - he then runs and circles my bobble hen Vera - goes back to Tom (aka Bruce) and body slams him again and then runs back to Vera who is 5 yards away. All this is happening so quick while I try to fumble with the gun one handed. I was trying to poke the barrel slightly out of the blind - once I was ready he was still nervous - purrng loudly - to which I mouth putted and he stopped quickly stuck his head up to whichI smacked him hard a 10 paces! He dropped like a rock. I sat back to check if I had done any damage to my left shoulder - am a righty and nope, am okay - I knew I could do this!
Well to my surprise - as it was a tough winter and there was winter kill in this area - I found bones under many known roost trees in the winter roost pines - this bird weighed in at 25 lbs 4 ounces. My second best. He had 11 1/4 very thick coke bottle type beard - again compared to my beard rack display was very nice and probably the best out of the 43 birds I have taken. But his spurs baffled me. At 1st I thought he was a typical 2 yr old. His spurs are short - 1/2 inch and 13/16s. Waht is confusing is they are sharp - needle point sharp - not what one can expect from a 2 yr old bird. Do I think it was because of the icy winter - Not really - but this bird was all alone and is probably a 3 yr old or better.
Ah well that is my story - still have 6th season to which I can again sneak in a 1.5 day hunt - and have a Mich tag tilll 5/31 - hope to sneak in a day or so there. That way I make therapy as not being able to swing a shot gun ever again is not an option in my life! So I wll do what it takes.
JW
my hand for reference - had to ruler
Spurs
me
Your score is 25.25 + 8.125 + 5 + 22.5 = 60.875
JW
05-16-2008, 12:45 PM
#5
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Ohio
Posts: 242
RE: 5th season Wisc bird
Hey Congrats JW on a fine looking gobbler........That Old Mini Boat Paddle you got from me did the trick
MrGobbler
www.northcoastgamecalls.com
MrGobbler
www.northcoastgamecalls.com
05-16-2008, 05:20 PM
#8
Typical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Georgia
Posts: 882
RE: 5th season Wisc bird
JW!, you old dog, I hate you! You know my goal is to harvest a bird 25 lbs or more. Congrats buddy, you did it, what a great story and bird.
As JW! will tell you, spurs and beard don't mean much to me, poundage is my goal. I have never taken one that big, so he has now rubbed salt into my wounds. However, I can't think of anyone more deserving than JW!, even though I hate him.
dog1
As JW! will tell you, spurs and beard don't mean much to me, poundage is my goal. I have never taken one that big, so he has now rubbed salt into my wounds. However, I can't think of anyone more deserving than JW!, even though I hate him.
dog1
05-16-2008, 09:25 PM
#9
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Posts: 1,238
RE: 5th season Wisc bird
Nice bird!
I think the spurs may have been worn down from this winter. Talked to a few guys who killed birds this year and they were all expecting to find bigger spurs when they lifted there birds up.
One guy I know shot a bird this past Wednesday that had a 9" beard and had no spurs at all. Said they were worn down and not broken off.
I dont know. This is just the theroy that a few of us here have come up with. Could be a number of this though.
I think the spurs may have been worn down from this winter. Talked to a few guys who killed birds this year and they were all expecting to find bigger spurs when they lifted there birds up.
One guy I know shot a bird this past Wednesday that had a 9" beard and had no spurs at all. Said they were worn down and not broken off.
I dont know. This is just the theroy that a few of us here have come up with. Could be a number of this though.
05-17-2008, 08:22 AM
#10
Super Moderator
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Indiana
Posts: 7,182
RE: 5th season Wisc bird
Congrats JW my friend and fellow scribe on a fine outstanding bird... Well JW I will pay my bet off. You got the better bird this year. But wait maybe I should come up for the last weekend to try and beat your score... 