For the first time in recent memory or at least 6 years, I requested and received a tag for the first season of Wisconsin Turkey opener. Alex drew week 3.
I was thrilled for the first time in 6 years I would be able to hunt with Alex on the First Day of the First season as he has completed college and is home. Alex would call, video and do all the heavy lifting.
Tuesday evening prior to the season opening on Wednesday. Alex and I went to roost the birds and reset the ground blinds that were taken down a week earlier to avoid the 10 inches of wet heavy spring snow. One of our favorite locations near the Mississippi was our first stop.
The plan was to check for birds with an owl call and quickly re-erect the blind. The Owl call drew no response. We had birds on camera earlier in the day. Good size birds. We were a little disappointed in the lack of response but quickly moved on the other blind 16 miles away to do the same. Hopefully with better results. We have filled many tags in both spots in the past, so there was disappointment but not panic.
We arrived at the turn off of our second location. A very steep dead-end road opening up to acres of farm fields, side hills and rock points jutting out to steep life ending falls. We avoid those. Half way up the hill we stop and turn the truck off. Alex belt out an owl call in the direction of one of the death cliffs. One call, one answer. Perfect. Now we need to get to the blind set it up for easy access in the morning and we are in business. We smiled and discussed where he was probably roosting. We thought it would be perfect. The tom was more than likely roosted at the tip of the rock point overlooking the death cliff. If history proves correct our current blind location would be spot on. We felt a little electricity and excitement that only someone who had scouted and found good sign before relate to.
We started briskly walking to the blind we had taken down to avoid the snow. I noticed that even empty handed I followed in Alex’s wake. His strides were longer and he was in better shape. He would stop and look back to make sure I was still with. I remember doing the same when he was 10 and in my wake.
It was near where we hoped they would be roosting and to an open field where we see them strutting. This has been a very productive location. We turned the corner to walk the last 600 yards and froze. We saw multiple black blobs in the leafless trees not more than 10 yards from the collapsed blind. Roosted turkeys.
Now what? We cannot go in and set it up now. We cannot risk pushing them off the roost and certainly we would not be able to do it in the morning. So much for the perfect spot.
We decided to retreat and head back home, dig through our stuff and find another blind. The strategy would be to set up early in the morning in the field far enough away from the birds we spotted as to not to spook them. We would look like a skyscraper in the middle of the field with no extra brush to break up our outline. But it was our best option specifically with rain forecasted to start around 7:30 in the morning. We would position it at the flat point of the field 75 yards from the birds we saw roosted and 45 yards from the edge of the wooded valley that ran parallel to the field.
Wednesday morning! Season 1 Day 1. No hunting since the close of bow season the first week in January. It was exhilarating. We did our homework, had our plan, we were off.
I chuckled a little because Alex could only hunt until 7:15 he had a WORK meeting he had to attend. Gone are the days when a note from Dad to the school office bought you another hour or two of prime hunting. Alex had his business clothes under his green camo. He had his dress shoes in the back seat of his truck with his business back pack. Something I used to call a brief case. We drove separate so he could leave on time and I could stay if I desired.
Things were looking up. We opened the door to go to the shed where our trucks were loaded and ready to go. 61 degrees almost balmy for the first day considering less than 48 hours 10 inches of snow graced our ground. The snow left as abruptly as it interrupted our spring. It left behind newly sprouted greens less than an inch poking up through last year’s growth newly matted down from the weight of the snow.
The drive was a quick one just 5 minutes across a state highway, up the hill and we were there. All of this was advantageous as we did our best to balance hunting life with work life. We were so close to home we could see lights from our neighbor’s homes from the hilltop blind.
The ground was soggy and semi firm as we walked loaded with guns decoys, chairs and blind. Notice I didn’t say stakes. This will be a critical later in the morning. The blind popped up flawlessly, the decoys set in place. A hen and average size tom complete with a beat up non-intimidating fan from previous hunting success.
The nice weather was still holding it was cloudy, with a gentle breeze and no rain!
We were set. We had seen a group of nine Jakes working the area in our scouting missions and a few really big Toms. They were still grouped up. No toms were escaping with their group of hens. The blessings of season opener. We were comfortable in our chairs staring down the field toward the trees we spotted the roosting birds. The morning light was welcoming us to its opener. We strained to see the roosting birds, our angle different than the evening and it took us sometime to find them. We thought we found them but were not sure.
It was now 5:50. Alex whispered to me should I sound my call to see if we can get a response. Before he could put his striker to the slate. A single Tom gobbled from the area of the roosted birds almost exactly where we pictured it off the rock point. Good news for two reasons it was a single Tom not a chorus of 9 Jakes. Nothing against jakes but if toms are in the area we prefer to let the jakes mature and chase the toms around.
A hen answers the Tom with a light yelp. This was NOT where we expected it. The yelp came from just behind my left shoulder. Just outside our blind window on the edge of the woods. We quickly located her and a few others now that it was getting light. We were extremely fortunate not to spook them when setting up. They were 45 yards from out blind on the very edge of the field.
Alex answered the yelp with a soft yelp duplicating her tone and volume. Two more Toms Gobble. Then a blast of 6 or 7 all together. We believed it was the group of we have seen previously. Jakes make hunts interesting and challenging. They call in easy and hang around but the extra eyes in decoys can sometimes give you away. We have witnessed a group of jakes run off our targeted tom. We watched and waited hoping the hen would fly toward us and not down the valley. If she flew down into the valley we would be hard pressed to lure the group toward us and not her. We would then be left with the challenge of calling the entire group up the very steep valley. This would not fall with the limited time frame we had to complete this hunt. We have fell victim to that situation many times.
The hen and her group were getting restless. We watched them wiggle and turn and look around. They were pretty mobile in their roost. The toms were talking to her and she was interested. We eaves dropped on their intimate conversation without joining, hoping they were agreeing on meeting in the field just in front of us.
She took to wing and glided right into our decoy set. That sight does not get old. From their she continued to yelp and peck and talk and we waited and listened. Just then a brisk gust of wind moved our blind and we quickly grabbed it and stopped it from cartwheeling off into the deep valley. The cold front must be coming through that is going to bring the rain this morning.
The unfortunate part of the wind gust was that it pushed the blind into our faces leaving little or no room to raise my gun and pushed the extra shells and Alex’s cell phone on the outside of the blind. The fortunate part of it was it did not spook the hen and she was quickly followed by another hen and we could then hear more birds exiting their roost and dropping to the ground.
We were in a tough spot. Now what? A front row seat in a show you don’t get to participate in? I go to sporting events for that. This is hunting and we want to be a part of it. We slowly and quietly inched the blind forward enough to give room to pull a gun up and reach the items that were exposed. I put my left foot on the corner support of the blind and Alex put a foot on his wall as well. We were secure now but, not overly comfortable.
I checked the time 6:25 plenty of light, and two hens in the decoys doing our calling, now we wait.
We didn’t wait long and 2 more hens and the group of 9 jakes popped their heads over the lip l of the ridge like periscopes and headed straight for our blind to the decoys 15 yards away. “Straight ahead” Alex whispers “Toms coming from the point fanned.” Too far away and at the wrong angle to see beard length but they were adult fans not Jakes.
We were sitting in on an unbelievable show. 3 Full strutting toms with nice beards and 9 jakes along with a big group of hens all cupped around our blind. I raised my gun and began to select a Tom while they were still about 60 yards out. They turned nicely to show off their beards. They were spinning and confronting each other showing off and displaying for all to see.
The three biggest birds began to get into range. I had my gun up and whispered to Alex “I am going to go for the one on the left who was now at 25 yards.” He said “Wait I want to get his on video. “He brought his phone up but it would not focus because of the screen he had to video through. “It won’t focus because of the screen go ahead and take him.” he said. I said ok but just then four jakes stepped between us and TOM BLOCKED me. Really it was like they were secret service protecting the president. 4 jakes fans like picket fences in front of my targeted bird. Alex called to distract them and the field erupted in gobbles. It was amazing every male was heard from. Funny the hens really didn’t act like they cared if the boys were showing off or not. The show went on for another 15 minutes without a clean single shot or with a good background that eliminated the chance of an unwanted casualty. We watched and waited.
The three Toms decide if they were not going to get any attention they were going to go back to where they roosted and start to move out of range.
Finally, a clean shot, but a long shot. I drew a good bead on the far-left bird and squeezed the trigger. Birds ran and flew everywhere. Other just froze and then clucked around. Two birds flew directly to a tree.
One thing I didn’t see was flopping bird. No feathers that accompany the flop. Nothing. I looked sheepishly at Alex. I MISSED!!!!! WHAT A SHOW AND NOTHING TO TAKE HOME.
I shook my head and turned to Alex with an awkward smile on my face and said. “Oh, my I missed.” Alex quickly apologizes and says sorry I should have let you shoot when you had that good close in shot. I just shook my head, not your fault, I could have said NO and boomed him when he was close. My choice my miss. I am used to missing fast flying ducks and surprising startling pheasants. But I am hard pressed remember missing a full strutting Tom.
Some birds were back in the trees a few hens were still 15 yards from the blind oblivious to the commotion. The hens were really in full ignore mode. The big toms were long gone and I fought the urge to runt to the ridge and check to see if I was wrong. Deep down I knew I wasn’t. We have both bagged enough birds to know what a hit looks like and it didn’t look like this.
I was mystified why I missed. I thought to myself what did I do wrong? I cannot believe I blew it. Oh my. I turned to Alex with a smile on my face and a quiet laugh “Wow I can’t believe I blew that shot.” It was kind of funny in a depressing kind of way. Alex adds we might have pushed it a little maybe panicked thinking the big boys were not coming back and that it was our last chance on them. Successful hunting cannot be on a time clock, unfortunately I made decision based on time not on opportunity.
What a show we had witnessed, by far the most fans in front of us at one time. Impressive and fun. It all worked pregame planning, setup, working them in. Everything but the shot. It brought a rush of failures to mind in the many wonderful hunting opportunities I have had. I was summarizing the internal list of misses when a loud gobble startled both of us. Pulling me out of my short-lived misery.
Could this be happening? We scattered birds all over the place and yes some were still in front of us. But really?
Alex turned his head and peaked out the tiny back window of the blind and said with a big grin. A big boy is trying to back door us. Closing fast.
A second chance? There is no way I earned it but opportunity knocks. I was grateful that earlier I fought the urge to run out of the blind in frustration but instead I sat back and reflect on the positives and have some fun at my own expense.
The Tom was closing from the far field and was drawing the reaming hens to him. I was facing the wrong direction but fortunately the previous blind movement thanks to the earlier wind gave me plenty of room to collapse my chair and raise my gun and get stable on my knees as the bird moved his group of hens toward the edge of the woods and into the valley. Alex said “I have the blind secure you should be good.
I had one opening to connect before he was lost and gone with the other three Toms. I squeezed the trigger and I know what a hit looks like and I now know what a miss looks like. This was not a miss. Alex turned to me with a huge smile and said you nailed it. We looked at each other and wondered if what happened was real. It was a fully mature bird with a wide 10 to 11 inch beard heavy 1 inch spurs and weighing around 23lbs. I had him cleaned and in the freezer before Alex made it to his business meeting and minutes before the downpour began.
What a “MISS”-tifying opener. I was very confused and bewildered on the early miss but that it is part of the game.