WI Hunts

[NEWHunter]

The birds ended up being roosted up on the neighboring property, somewhere between 250 and 350 yards away. Given the wind direction and the interstate noise, hearing them gobble probably would have been a pretty tall order.

I’ve got a late season leftover tag that I’m not sure I’ll get a chance to hunt. Either way it’s been a great, albeit very short season. I’m thinking I need to dedicate a couple more days to turkeys next season.

A few more pictures from my daughter’s hunt. It was a picturesque morning.

 

[NEWHunter]

Here they come


It’s the 6th and final season here in WI and today is my first time out hunting for myself.

 

[NEWHunter]

Went in blind this morning and got set up plenty early. I was in the same spot I killed one late in the season last year. Shooting light was 4:45 am. At about 4:35 I thought I heard a gobble a long ways off. I decided to stay quiet and at 4:41 a crow started and was cut off rather quickly by half of a raspy gobble. He was about 150 yards out.

 

[NEWHunter]

Shooting light came and went and he gobbled sparingly. I called in his direction and it took some coaxing to get a response but he eventually gobbled back. At 4:57 he finally hit the ground and ten minutes later he and a buddy appeared 125 yards away. A minute later they were on their way over to take a look.

I thought a yearling buck was going screw things up as he had moved to 15 yards and he knew something wasn’t right. He was letting everyone know it, too. Turns out he might have saved the day as it forced me to stay statue still. A minute or two later a hen started talking up a storm not fifteen yards away. Her talking sped up the toms’ pace. And a minute later they were in the decoys.

 

[NEWHunter]

As you know from this thread we already have two birds in the freezer. I had given a lot of thought as to whether or not I’d pull the trigger if I got a chance. I decided I was going to be selective and unless I figured I was looking at spurs that were solidly over 1.5 inches, he was getting a pass. Well, I videoed these toms for almost 15 minutes and best I could tell I was looking at a two year old and a three year old. Alas, they got a pass.

I watched them screw around in the decoys for the next 45 minutes. I took several videos and tons of photos. Eventually they tried to breed both the DSD decoys. I have one video where I yelled at the Tom to get off my decoy. He listened and politely went back to strutting. All of this happened at about twelve yards.

 

[Treeshark]

Wow, that is a lucky bird- not too many guys would pass on that one! Nice writeup, sounds like a blast

 

[kansasdad]

Way more restraint than I would shown.

Turkey piccata, schnitzel, stir fry and carnitas are too good.

 

[NEWHunter]

Wow, that is a lucky bird- not too many guys would pass on that one! Nice writeup, sounds like a blast

Thanks. It was a good way to end the season. Makes me think I’m getting old to have passed. If there was such a thing as catch and release hunting, this was it.

 

[NEWHunter]

Time to start putting some of these birds away.

Half a smoked turkey, peas, carrots, and a little raw onion.


Four pounds of potatoes and the sauce with sautéed onions, garlic, and celery ready to mix in.

Pies are going in the oven . . .

Pies are done!

 

[kansasdad]

^^^^

A fairly new to me way to serve wild turkey. Never have leftovers.

 

[NEWHunter]

^^^^

A fairly new to me way to serve wild turkey. Never have leftovers.

It’s about the only way we eat it. Getting all the meat off the legs and wings is a bit tedious. One tom will make six pies.

 

[Bowmannate2000]

It’s about the only way we eat it. Getting all the meat off the legs and wings is a bit tedious. One tom will make six pies.

I might have to start turkey hunting... That looks incredible!

 

[NEWHunter]

I might have to start turkey hunting... That looks incredible!

Thanks. Everybody loves it - even the I don’t eat wild game folks.

 

[Gellar]

I just love a good pot pie! That looks delicious! Would you care to share your recipe?

 

[NEWHunter]

I just love a good pot pie! That looks delicious! Would you care to share your recipe?

Classic Chicken Pot Pie

Rich, hearty and flavorful, homemade chicken pot pie is the perfect comfort meal. This chicken pot pie is one of our top-rated recipes—ever. Give it a try!

www.pillsbury.com

Not at all. Although I don’t have a recipe per se. I started with the pillsbury recipe as a base and now I just sort of make it.

I make sure the pies are full, so I usually add a bit more turkey and veggies than the recipe calls for. Then I roughly increase the butter/flour/milk/stock measurements by 50% so I end up with more gravy/sauce. A pot pie isn’t a pot pie without some potatoes. I dice red potatoes and then par boil them until they are almost done and add them in to the filling. Usually a solid pound or more of potatoes per pie. A 50% increase in the sauce accounts for all the “extra” ingredients and keeps the ratios right. You can adjust to your liking obviously.

When I make the sauce I throw in a couple of cloves of pressed garlic with the onions. In addition, I’ll usually try and put just a bit of color on the roux before I add the milk and stock. We usually use whole milk or half and half. Butter and not margarine.

I’ve been adding in a bit of thyme to the sauce lately. It pairs well with the poultry. Also, I get the whole carcass (skin off) smoked at our local butcher. I think the smoked turkey is one of the reasons everyone loves it, the texture and flavor of the smoked turkey (white and dark meat) is fantastic in a pie.

The butcher shop halves the finished bird on the band saw and vac seals it. Half a tom makes three pot pies. And I use all of it - breast, leg, thigh, wing all diced up. So, I kinda use a recipe. I couldn’t tell you how many cups of turkey, but I know it’s 1/6th of a tom per pie. I’m guessing around 3 cups.

Sometimes I’ll add some celery if we have it. I will also substitute a third of the potatoes for sautéed pieces of button mushrooms. I’d have mushrooms in the pie every time, but my brother has an issue with mushrooms so we all pay the price. The mushrooms really compliment the smoked turkey.

And because I make a substantial pie, they usually take a bit longer to get that bottom crust cooked. Because of the added cook time, I’ll keep it covered in foil for the last half is the cook. Finally, if you understand how to make a gravy/sauce, its pretty easy to adjust the amount and viscosity of the sauce to your liking. Wetter or drier, thicker or thinner, whatever you prefer.