Well, another Wisconsin turkey season has come and gone.  I’m left with a perfect record – no Wisconsin turkey….and tons of GREAT memories from afield. 

Wisconsin’s spring turkey season is really a series of six, five-day seasons which run Wednesday through Sunday in one of seven zones.  Permits are awarded from a draw, even for residents.  I drew first season which was a first for me and then I bought a left over sixth season tag.  Additionally I participated as a guide in my first Adaptive Sportsmen, Inc. turkey hunt. 

First Season

After the mind-melting experience of not even seeing a turkey near where I deer hunt at Camp Pug during the 2008 spring season, despite having a nice tom on the game camera only three days before my arrival, I applied for a zone closer to some friends’ hunting cottage further south this year.  Myself and friends Butch and Gary, all of us local West Allis Bowmen members, would be hunting together.  Gary and I had tags while Butch was our guide and primary caller.  I was excited to be hunting with Gary who recently completed the sixteenth archery Super Slam.  I wanted to see how a hunter of this caliber acted in the field.  What were his mannerisms, how did he use his equipment, what could I learn from him? 

With limited vacation I could only hunt Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  So, Friday morning we were out early.  Gary and I were in my friend Seth’s Double Bull Dark Horse while Butch sat up behind us to call.  He can do a mean excited cackle on his diaphragm call and we had lots of gobbling in multiple directions.  Eventually, though, another hunter walked into and scared off our most promising courter.  We set up again in another location for awhile without luck. 

That afternoon and evening were fairly uneventful.  We tried calling some birds to us on public land that liked lounging about at a bird feeder in someone’s yard.  They’d answer up as they traveled away, but we couldn’t bring them in.  Misjudging another gobbler’s location on a ridge we bumped him setting up. 

Saturday morning was our most exciting.  We set up where we thought the gobbler that the other hunter bumped on us the previous morning was strutting.  Two hens came in separately.  One of them is pictured below.  I got sick of listening to the gobbler in the distance so I started cutting him off with a weak excited cackle.  Eventually he got tired of being interrupted and came to investigate.  However, he stayed out about 45 yards in some brush and then disappeared into a cat tail marsh.  Butch and I think the B-mobile decoy may have been a little aggressive.

A hen came to see us.

After a while I saw movement in the cat tails and bumped Gary alert whispering, “Turkey in the marsh.”  Gary looked and said, “Turkeys don’t have bushy tails.”  It was a coyote.  From previous conversations I knew that both of us really wanted an archery killed coyote.  We tried lip-squeaking (which I am terrible at).  That had no effect.  I tried my best dying rabbit imitation with a turkey diaphragm.  Probably too low and raspy.  The coyote took a few tentative steps in the right direction, but then spun and left.  Mid-day included a nine mile run for me in preparation for an upcoming half-marathon (read Half Marathon Down, here), some excellent grilled brats and some time in the hot tub.  Saturday night was uneventful.

Our Sunday morning location was busted by some inconsiderate hunters driving past us on county property where vehicles are not allowed.  We moved elsewhere, but flushed a tom and four hens from the roost. 

Although I didn’t successfully kill a bird I had a great time and made GREAT memories with good companions.  Compared to 2008 I am a mentally enriched and happy dustyvarmint. 

Adaptive Sportsman, Inc Hunt

ASI provides outdoor opportunities to physically challenged outdoors men and women.  Among other events they have a fall deer hunt and spring turkey hunt at Badger Army Ammunition Plant.  As guides we help scout, set up blinds, escort hunters afield and call if necessary.  My Camp Pug hunting partners, Hunt Master and Gravel, are old hands at this who come prepared with grub hoes, plywood platforms and shims to make the wheelchairs stable on the often uneven ground. 

We’d had rain all night long and the day was chilly and blustery.  However, after a little blind calling turkeys started filing into the field.  Some would answer, but none would commit.  Eventually, though, one set his head and neck forward, wings out and back and started to charge in.  Closer, closer he came.  I followed his movements with my little tripod mounted video camera and finally set it up to catch all the action near the decoys while I continued some coaxing calls.  However, just as the tom entered the corner of the camera’s picture my hunter, Jeff, opened fire. 

Bam once!  The turkey flies up and tries to come back in.  Bam twice!  The turkey flies up and tries to come back in a second time.  Bam thrice!  The turkey flies up and is gone.  I later ranged the turkey’s location at thirty-seven yards at the time of the shot.  Jeff told me the night before he liked to shoot them at 100 yards.  I thought he was kidding!  Seriously, though, he said he got “turkey fever”.  It happens…

We had more gobbling including one bird that startled us with an answer only twelve yards behind the blind.  However, no more shot opportunities came that day.  We broke for lunch and headed back out later in the afternoon, but cut the evening hunt short to attend to some medical concerns.  The next morning we encountered a few hens and had a coyote visit us, but we saw no toms.  Another good adventure with GREAT memories.     

Adaptive Sportsmen Hunters and Guides gather for a picture.

Last Season

Late, or last, season can be somewhat unpopular.  Success rates, provided by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, plummet during this time when the mosquitoes and ticks make a vengeful emergence, the vegetation starts to become heavy and the temperatures rise.  I could only dedicate Saturday to hunting as Sunday night was a much anticipated bowfishing outing with friend Seth.  However, Mrs. dustyvarmint noted that if I got going soon enough I could probably hunt Friday night.  Who wouldn’t cherish a wife like that?  I was also excited to try out my new Horn Hunter Blind Hog for carrying the blind, chair, decoys and equipment.

The Horn Hunter Blind Hog loaded for business, turkey business.

Friday night I set up within 75 yards of a known roost on a logging road used by the turkeys.  It was uneventful without so much as a gobble, but sooooo relaxing.  I know some hunters can’t stand being stationary and would rather “run and gun”, but I enjoy sitting solitary in the comfort of the blind, listening to and staring out at nature.  I can nearly feel the burdens of life slipping off my shoulders.

Butch and I once again teamed up on Saturday to hunt near where we encountered the hens, jake and coyote during first season.  We heard some gobbling, but it was too far away to be of any use to us.  In hind-sight we should have at least moved closer, but if we had we wouldn’t have encountered the doe that come to see us.

This doe came to see us. 

Another shot of our visiting doe. 

She would come in nervously, settle down to feed, run out to a comfortable entry point, settle down to feed again and come in, run out nervously and then do it all over again.  I began calling like a turkey and scratching in the grass to give the decoys some natural back up and to calm her.  It was a great encounter.  Had this been deer season, though, we’d be eating jerky by now…

After that we didn’t have much luck.  I went to check game cameras and do some mid-day work at Camp Pug which is only a half hour away.  The mosquitoes and ticks were out with a vengeance in the evening.  It was gratifying to watch the mosquitoes fall to the ground in the blind once we had the Thermocell warmed up.  We heard no gobbling.  A tree fell in the woods and it made a crash.  We were there to hear it…

Again, no turkey, but great memories.  It is off to Kansas or Texas for next spring’s turkey season, but for now season is over and thoughts change to bowfishing and chasing pronghorn in Montana this fall.

happy hunting, dv

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• Boar Attack – Anatomy of a Hog Shot Gone Wrong
• Preparing a European Skull Mount

The interesting thing about West Allis Bowmen is that it isn’t in West Allis, WI.  The club’s ancestors moved the club to its present location in Franksville, WI long ago.  We have active club members who have belonged since at least 1962.  A wealth of knowledge, no doubt.  WAB encompasses 60 acres including a twenty yard indoor range, ten to sixty yard practice butts, broadhead practice pit, broadhead course, two 3D ranges and a field archery course.  It takes a lot of work to keep the range fit.  

When deer season closes it is time to get out on the range and do maintenance, even if it is still winter.  If you belong to a club here there are typically two types of membership; working and non-working.  Working memberships are required to provide a number of hours per year in support of club events.  Non-working memberships pay much higher annual dues for the privilege of working.  Since that cost is near the price of a hog hunt I choose to keep my money and put in the hours.  It is a great time to build camaraderie with your fellow members anyway.    During my time in the Navy I belonged to four archery clubs in three states.  Each club was significantly different in its primary source of funds, membership, topography and assets.  One thing that wasn’t different is that a  minority of members perform the majority of the work. 

Yesterday was a designated work day. We were slated to perform the annual brush pile burning which we try to schedule when snow is on the ground and trim out a lot more brush.    Much of the club’s land is enrolled in the Managed Forest Law Open program which provides some tax relief to this all volunteer recreational organization.  Additionally WAB is enrolled in a state program that reimburses the club for work hours and some costs associated with brush clearing that improves the growing forest.  Invasive species such as Buck Thorn are specifically targeted for removal.  

Led by our range chairman we formed two groups and attended to tasks.   Several of us attended the burning of the brush pile while others cut and stacked more brush to be hauled and burned later.  Not only does the brush cutting improve the the forest, but it also provides less habitat and cover for the mosquitoes that frustrate us while we are trying to shoot.

With lots of jibes and lots of team work a lot of good was done for our range.

Safety note:  It’s a good idea to wear your safety glasses when doing this type of work.  A hot ember flew off the fire and hit me right in the shooting eye!  It’s all better now, but could have easily been worse and just as easily prevented. 

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Coming up on Mostly Archery

• Outfitter Reports – Why we should be doing them.
• Overhauling My Bow
• Outfitter Report – Javelina and Hogs in Texas.