Northwoods Labs
Well-known member
Well my "I suck at turkey hunting" streak is finally over.
In Wisconsin, we have multiple one week seasons: A,B,C,D, etc. I usually always put in for the first week, season A. I always liked to get the first season because, besides turkey hunting, there just ain't a whole lot going on around here for hunting/fishing seasons in April. This year I got season B, which in the end, I think ended up helping me out. I spent the whole first season scouting new spots. We have a bunch of public land where I live and the turkeys can be found in pockets throughout, but definitely not evenly distributed. I ended up hearing a bunch of gobbles in a new spot I've never hunted, and hiking through the area in the afternoon found a bunch of sign. I figured this is where I would start opening morning.
I basically have the whole season to hunt, since I am working from home and can make my own hours, more or less. My hunting spot is also about a 10 minute drive from my house. I joked with my dad that, since I have unlimited time, I will probably get one right off the bat.
The morning started off quiet, heard one shock gobble far off due to a loon. I moved further in the woods and heard one gobble, made some calls, but he seemed to just be holding position. I decided to close the distance, made a few more calls, and he gobbled and was close. A hen came running by and a minute or so later the tom comes down a snowmobile trail. I make 3 soft yelps and he stops, gobbling, strutting, drumming, etc about 50 yards off, which is too far for me. He moves closer, but also into scrub oak and young aspen and I have no shot. He is at about 40 yards now and I just need him to take a few steps out of the brush to give me a chance. Once in a while he would move so a tree was between us and I would make a soft call with my box call (I suck at diaphragms), and he would respond, but only move laterally and not move out of the brush. This continued for about 40 minutes and I am surprised he didn't think the gig is up (honestly thought about ambushing him at one point haha but stayed patient). Eventually, he stepped out of the brush and onto the snowmobile trail and that was that -turkey in the freezer. It was pretty exciting getting to observe his behavior for that amount of time. I definitely think he was confused as to why he couldn't see a hen. A decoy might've helped me out, but I've also had times where I think the decoys scared the turkeys, so I opted not to take it this time. It was a fun hunt, but now I've got a ton of free time, might check and see if the suckers are running.
In Wisconsin, we have multiple one week seasons: A,B,C,D, etc. I usually always put in for the first week, season A. I always liked to get the first season because, besides turkey hunting, there just ain't a whole lot going on around here for hunting/fishing seasons in April. This year I got season B, which in the end, I think ended up helping me out. I spent the whole first season scouting new spots. We have a bunch of public land where I live and the turkeys can be found in pockets throughout, but definitely not evenly distributed. I ended up hearing a bunch of gobbles in a new spot I've never hunted, and hiking through the area in the afternoon found a bunch of sign. I figured this is where I would start opening morning.
I basically have the whole season to hunt, since I am working from home and can make my own hours, more or less. My hunting spot is also about a 10 minute drive from my house. I joked with my dad that, since I have unlimited time, I will probably get one right off the bat.
The morning started off quiet, heard one shock gobble far off due to a loon. I moved further in the woods and heard one gobble, made some calls, but he seemed to just be holding position. I decided to close the distance, made a few more calls, and he gobbled and was close. A hen came running by and a minute or so later the tom comes down a snowmobile trail. I make 3 soft yelps and he stops, gobbling, strutting, drumming, etc about 50 yards off, which is too far for me. He moves closer, but also into scrub oak and young aspen and I have no shot. He is at about 40 yards now and I just need him to take a few steps out of the brush to give me a chance. Once in a while he would move so a tree was between us and I would make a soft call with my box call (I suck at diaphragms), and he would respond, but only move laterally and not move out of the brush. This continued for about 40 minutes and I am surprised he didn't think the gig is up (honestly thought about ambushing him at one point haha but stayed patient). Eventually, he stepped out of the brush and onto the snowmobile trail and that was that -turkey in the freezer. It was pretty exciting getting to observe his behavior for that amount of time. I definitely think he was confused as to why he couldn't see a hen. A decoy might've helped me out, but I've also had times where I think the decoys scared the turkeys, so I opted not to take it this time. It was a fun hunt, but now I've got a ton of free time, might check and see if the suckers are running.
