WI Last Season Bird
05-31-2003, 10:50 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Ridgeland Wisconsin
Posts: 276
WI Last Season Bird
Hello folks,
Wisconsins Last season ended last Sunday. Some of the hardest hunting I have done in a few years. I was starting to think I couldn' t get a bird without my buddy Mike. My buddy Pete came along with me on Wednesday for my first day in the woods. We had a gobbler roosted and we were set up less than a hundred yards from him that morning. What do you know, in pulled another truck. This guy drove right around my Truck which was parked on a feild road and parked about 300 yards from our set up. The guy got out and walked down the pasture valley below us and walked right under our bird in the morning darkness. I pointed my mini mag flash light at the Guy to ward him off but he paid no mind to me and Pete. Well the guy Set up way down the valley from us. The birds flew down and slipped away. That deal was a bust, but thats how my season started out. we worked alot of birds that day all of which had cement feet. Not one bird would budge. We heard more gobbling Wednesday than I have ever heard in one day though. For the next two days it was the same thing, I would find a Gobbler that was on fire but would not budge one way or the other. They were henned up bad. A tried working the hens with every thing from Kee Kee Runs to all out Trash talk to little avail. Sure I made my share of blunders too. I bumped Gobblers that were slipping in silent a couple of times. I worked one gobbler for three mornings in a row trying different set ups. Of course no matter what set up I tried he would go off the other way with them hens. I put on the miles walking.
Saturday came and my friend Jim wanted to go with me So I picked him up dark and early Saturday morning. We messed with a hot gobbler on the roost who had hens and went the other way that morning. Then went to another spot the has always ben productive. We chased Gobblers back and forth at this place for a few hours and decided to try some place else. It was about 10:00am I decided to try a place I haden' t been into yet this year. I had to knock on the door agian and talk with the land owner. I stopped at the place a few days prior but the landowner was gone. Well Saturday we found the land owner home and got the Ok. I also found out that no one had yet been on the land so things were looking up. Mike and I put allot of time into scouting this place out last year and Art missed a nice gobbler in there last year. This place is not that big. About 80 acers and most of it is pasture. I parked the truck along the road and Jim and I walked across the pasture on top and down a little draw through the woods to the edge of a pature in a valley bellow. At this point I thought it best to check the place, and I let out a series of yelps. My calls were cut off by a Gobble. All we could do now was hit the deck where we were. From this first setup we got a little back talk from a couple of hens and tried to sweet talk them our way but they started to slip further away. Jim and I decided to make a little move to gain some ground and improve our vantage point. We crossed the draw and set up about 50 yards from our original set up. From this new location we got one more gobble from the old Gobbler and that was it. He hadn' t moved to far. I knew if we could get across that pasture it was a nice easy walk to the ridge above that Gobbler. But could we cover over 400 yards in the wide open without getting busted? I knew If Mike was there He would already be on the other side of that pasture waiting for me. Mike never thought twice about making such daring moves. I remeber one case Mike and I were in almost the same situation Mike asked me what I wanted to do with the bird and I srugged my shoulders. Mikes exact words were " Well are we turkey hunters? or are we choads? We can either go after that bird and kill him, or go home empty handed." We Got that bird that day. So off Jim and I went, we made the trek across that pature and up the hill on the other side. The whole place was pastured, woods and all. As we slipped up the hill at the other end of that pasture valley the walking was easy and quite. I remembered how every time Mike and I went back there we would pick up the sticks and branches on the ground and throw them aside. Just in case we would ever find our selfs in the situation that Jim and I was in now. Funny how after a whole year the path was still clear. And thats how Mikes efforts last spring helped get me a bird this Spring. When Jim and I neared the top we stopped to catch our breath. I could hear spittdrumming. I signaled back to Jim that I could hear it. Jim was behind me about 40 yards, and couldn' t hear it himself. I could hear spttdrumming clear as a bell But I couldn' t figure the direction out for sure. I decided to try to a few yelps, and was cut off by a Gobble less than a hundred yards away. Jim and I both hit the deck and waited. As I scanned the woods in the direction of the gobble I cought a glimps of movement. But I couldn' t tell the type of bird I was seeing. A few minutes went by and I could see a turkey but I still couldn' t tell what sex. Then I signaled to Jim To do some calling. After that the bird started to head in our direction ever so slowly. At about 50 yards I could see it was a strutter but I still couldn' t tell if it was a Gobbler or a Jake. Jim called again with some soft yelps and the bird grew closer ever so slowly. By now I was shaking like a leaf. At about 40 yards I saw a dandy beard and a full fan. All that was needed now was a clear opening to make the shot. At every opening I picked out the Gobbler would pass without stopping. Finally at around 30 yards the Gobbler stopped long enough for my Load of 6' s to find him. Wow what a feeling!
20 lbs 1 oz 10 inch Beard and 7/8 spures on both legs.
Saturday May 24th, 11:00AM
.
Here is a Topo of the place where I got that rascle. I might post some topos like this of some other hunts from last week and talk about what went wrong, and what I might have tried differently.
.
Wisconsins Last season ended last Sunday. Some of the hardest hunting I have done in a few years. I was starting to think I couldn' t get a bird without my buddy Mike. My buddy Pete came along with me on Wednesday for my first day in the woods. We had a gobbler roosted and we were set up less than a hundred yards from him that morning. What do you know, in pulled another truck. This guy drove right around my Truck which was parked on a feild road and parked about 300 yards from our set up. The guy got out and walked down the pasture valley below us and walked right under our bird in the morning darkness. I pointed my mini mag flash light at the Guy to ward him off but he paid no mind to me and Pete. Well the guy Set up way down the valley from us. The birds flew down and slipped away. That deal was a bust, but thats how my season started out. we worked alot of birds that day all of which had cement feet. Not one bird would budge. We heard more gobbling Wednesday than I have ever heard in one day though. For the next two days it was the same thing, I would find a Gobbler that was on fire but would not budge one way or the other. They were henned up bad. A tried working the hens with every thing from Kee Kee Runs to all out Trash talk to little avail. Sure I made my share of blunders too. I bumped Gobblers that were slipping in silent a couple of times. I worked one gobbler for three mornings in a row trying different set ups. Of course no matter what set up I tried he would go off the other way with them hens. I put on the miles walking.
Saturday came and my friend Jim wanted to go with me So I picked him up dark and early Saturday morning. We messed with a hot gobbler on the roost who had hens and went the other way that morning. Then went to another spot the has always ben productive. We chased Gobblers back and forth at this place for a few hours and decided to try some place else. It was about 10:00am I decided to try a place I haden' t been into yet this year. I had to knock on the door agian and talk with the land owner. I stopped at the place a few days prior but the landowner was gone. Well Saturday we found the land owner home and got the Ok. I also found out that no one had yet been on the land so things were looking up. Mike and I put allot of time into scouting this place out last year and Art missed a nice gobbler in there last year. This place is not that big. About 80 acers and most of it is pasture. I parked the truck along the road and Jim and I walked across the pasture on top and down a little draw through the woods to the edge of a pature in a valley bellow. At this point I thought it best to check the place, and I let out a series of yelps. My calls were cut off by a Gobble. All we could do now was hit the deck where we were. From this first setup we got a little back talk from a couple of hens and tried to sweet talk them our way but they started to slip further away. Jim and I decided to make a little move to gain some ground and improve our vantage point. We crossed the draw and set up about 50 yards from our original set up. From this new location we got one more gobble from the old Gobbler and that was it. He hadn' t moved to far. I knew if we could get across that pasture it was a nice easy walk to the ridge above that Gobbler. But could we cover over 400 yards in the wide open without getting busted? I knew If Mike was there He would already be on the other side of that pasture waiting for me. Mike never thought twice about making such daring moves. I remeber one case Mike and I were in almost the same situation Mike asked me what I wanted to do with the bird and I srugged my shoulders. Mikes exact words were " Well are we turkey hunters? or are we choads? We can either go after that bird and kill him, or go home empty handed." We Got that bird that day. So off Jim and I went, we made the trek across that pature and up the hill on the other side. The whole place was pastured, woods and all. As we slipped up the hill at the other end of that pasture valley the walking was easy and quite. I remembered how every time Mike and I went back there we would pick up the sticks and branches on the ground and throw them aside. Just in case we would ever find our selfs in the situation that Jim and I was in now. Funny how after a whole year the path was still clear. And thats how Mikes efforts last spring helped get me a bird this Spring. When Jim and I neared the top we stopped to catch our breath. I could hear spittdrumming. I signaled back to Jim that I could hear it. Jim was behind me about 40 yards, and couldn' t hear it himself. I could hear spttdrumming clear as a bell But I couldn' t figure the direction out for sure. I decided to try to a few yelps, and was cut off by a Gobble less than a hundred yards away. Jim and I both hit the deck and waited. As I scanned the woods in the direction of the gobble I cought a glimps of movement. But I couldn' t tell the type of bird I was seeing. A few minutes went by and I could see a turkey but I still couldn' t tell what sex. Then I signaled to Jim To do some calling. After that the bird started to head in our direction ever so slowly. At about 50 yards I could see it was a strutter but I still couldn' t tell if it was a Gobbler or a Jake. Jim called again with some soft yelps and the bird grew closer ever so slowly. By now I was shaking like a leaf. At about 40 yards I saw a dandy beard and a full fan. All that was needed now was a clear opening to make the shot. At every opening I picked out the Gobbler would pass without stopping. Finally at around 30 yards the Gobbler stopped long enough for my Load of 6' s to find him. Wow what a feeling!
20 lbs 1 oz 10 inch Beard and 7/8 spures on both legs.
Saturday May 24th, 11:00AM
.
Here is a Topo of the place where I got that rascle. I might post some topos like this of some other hunts from last week and talk about what went wrong, and what I might have tried differently.
.
05-31-2003, 05:35 PM
#5
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: park falls wi
Posts: 615
RE: WI Last Season Bird
Way to go Jerry,you sure earned that one.The gobblers have been henned up the whole season.There must be enough hens that are not on the nest to keep tommy company.I think our gobbler to hen ratio here is way out of whack.
