A Miserable Start to 2020

The 2020 Turkey season in Wisconsin could not come soon enough. With the entire world worrying about getting sick and how they were going to make the next payment on their house or car, scouting for turkeys and sitting behind a turkey decoy was a welcome break.

Or at least I thought it would be. Alex and I drew the opening week of the season together. We were pleased at our luck and looked forward to hunting together with each of us having a tag to fill at the same time. It had been a while since we were able to do that. Fast Forward.

It is Thursday already the second day into week two of this year’s turkey season. Alex and I are not holding a tag. That means we are at work. Alex works from home now do to the “Stay at Home” orders and I am off to the office getting things done that normally would not be possible when the plant is open and full speed.

It was quiet, peaceful then my cell phone rings. Its Alex “Dad, do you think it would be ok to take someone hunting over my lunch break? He is a 7th grader and has not had any luck yet, ever. I was thinking about taking him to the farm off of Hwy 35. Do you think that is ok?” I said yes it will be fine, we have permission to hunt that farm again this year. “Have fun, good luck and be safe.” I said as the phone cell phone went dark. One hour later my phone rings again and I happened to be in my truck enjoying the 60-degree sunny weather, something that was not available season one. I saw it was Alex, I wondered did he run into trouble with the farmer when getting on the property? I knew we were ok so that couldn’t be it. One hour is not long enough to call a bird up those deep valleys plus setting up a new hunter usually takes some time. Did he get stuck. Rather than guess I decided to answer the phone and eliminate all my wild imaginations.

Like most parents can, I knew in by the tone of his voice after his first word if I should be concerned, happy or looking to call 911. “Dad, He got it! His first bird ever, it was so cool, he came running into the decoy, we just got set up. It was so fun. I like it more than when I shoot a bird,” He ripped off in rapid session in one big breath. You can tell when someone is smiling when they talk to you and he was definitely smiling. I said fantastic, congratulations, get some pictures. I will, his dad came along too, they both are really excited.

Driving down I94 heading back to Hudson WI I looked in the rear-view mirror to check traffic and there I was smiling back at myself and I knew why. Alex got to experience what I feel every time he shoots a bird with me and he liked it. He liked it a lot.

Well enough of the warm and fuzzy stuff, let’s get to the cold and miserable. Yes, the first week had been promising two weeks prior some good warm weather had stripped the fields and woods of the winter snow. I promptly put the winter white camo away and set out the early spring lighter version. Mistake number one of our first season. Easter Sunday brought 4 inches of cold wet heavy snow that was pushed around by high winds leaving some deep drifts in places. So deep it was unlikely it could leave in just two days even though the forecast indicated mid 40’s.

The late snow changed the patterns of the birds we were scouting for our opening day. 4pm on Tuesday. Scout time for the Wednesday opener. We had 5 places to check in 2 and a half hours if we wanted to see them on their feet. We hit all our old reliable spots, NOTHING, no visual no, no verbal response to the crow call or owl call. One last chance at an area just off our number one location. We never hunt it but it was less than a quarter mile away and we had permission. We drove up the hill stopping half way up and called. Boom 4 gobbles in rapid succession. A car drove past us and they gobbled again. Close very close. Then we saw them in a tree not more than 15 yards from the road. Silhouetted against the setting sky. One bird gave us a nice profile and we could see it was a long beard.

We rolled up the windows finished our drive up the hill looking off the edge of the road for a suitable set up for the morning. The snow on the ground showed us the open spots that would make a good strutting area. We had to guess and we had to be careful. The birds were close to the road and spooky.

Wednesday morning came and the thermometer read 9 degrees. Yes 9, but we were still excited we had located birds which we felt was a gift because we went from zero to 4 as the sun set.

When you walk into a new area the dark, without a blind, without a seat, not really knowing where the likely fly down area will be and you are too close to the birds to roam freely you look, you set up, you pick a tree and sit. We would know soon enough if we were right or wrong and we have been wrong before and looking in the mirror, I would not starve to death. Little did I know I might freeze to death.

5 minutes in and the birds are talking to us. Alex is set up back against a tree. I am just off the tree, not by choice but by necessity. Lucky me. I chose the side of the tree in the dark with a large broken off branch that let me know it was there when I went to lean on it. No problem. I have been in that position before. This would be a quick hunt. I slid off the tree and sat unsupported just off the tree but close enough to have it break up my outline. We were on a slight decline facing up. The flat spot was on a hog back ridge, and we saw turkey tracks in the snow coming in. I could do this. My abs need the work. The incline was slight but not to my disproportion distribution of my body. Light legs uphill, Heavy torso downhill. You do not have to be a mechanical engineer to know that this was not going to be easy. This was the closest thing to a sit up have done in many years. Some might call it an ab crunch or some other creative name trainers give it to make you feel good about pain.

I sat without discomfort for at least 5 minutes and 10 gobbles. I gave in and used both hands under my knees to hold me in place. This was going to have to be Al’s shot. Besides I think I just plugged the end of my gun with snow. A slight breeze dropped the temperature even more. The chill had gripped me even through the heavy white camo jacket I retrieved from the storage bin.

1 hour later the birds were still in the roost. They didn’t want to get out of bed either. I was convinced I was dumber than a turkey. I gave in and leaned back to support my back, smartly placing both hands into the snow bank behind me. They were numb anyway. Then we heard a fly down. Looking to my left I could see a bird. A Jake. He was walking up the paved road toward our parked truck. I envied that bird.

The birds were on the ground and we were nearing 2 hours in the sit. They were hung up on the ridge and they would come close but not in vision. I was visibly shaking and Al said let’s get out of here. I did not argue. We snuck to the ridge and could hear the nervous cluck of startled birds but could not see them. We froze and waited. Nothing. We surrendered to the weather picked up our decoys and left for the truck. As we drove down the hill to heaven, I mean a warm house and hot shower. A big long bearded tom walked across the road not more than 20 yards in front of us. He walked slowly off stopped 30 yards off the road and looked back at us. If his feathers were fingers, he would be sticking his middle one up at us with a big gobbler smile. The Birds were listening to our President and Governor and practicing social distancing. That ended day one for me.

1pm at work and I was still cold. My phone rings. DAD—BIG BIRD DOWN! Al said into his phone. I went to our old reliable spot and sat in the blind not than 30 minutes during my lunch break. Fantastic I said and suddenly I was warm.

We skipped scouting and sat that evening and saw nothing. That gamble hurt us a bit in that we had no bedded birds to set upon in the morning.

Ready or not the second morning of the season came and we set up at the end of a pine tree planting. I dressed even warmer and brought a chair. This was not going to be a short hunt and even if it was I was not going to complicate misery by adding uncomfortable to cold.

All set. Alex hit the calls. Boom 3 good gobbles and close. Again, and again. Then we saw them fly down one by one into the field in perfect position to move to our decoy set. The decoy set was a fanned tom with a hen. 9 birds flew down they were too far away to see what they were hen, Tom or Jake. Three of them gobble again. Well three of them were male. We were ready. The group moved perfectly giving us a strut show. It also let us know it was a group of 9 jakes. We decide many years ago to pass on jakes and just enjoy the show. Like watching middle schoolers push, pull and pile on each other. Some timid and would not come near the Tom decoy, other brash and bold and went right upto the tom. The birds gradually drifted off and were not replaced with any others. The hunting part of day two was in the books. My tag still empty.

The evening of day two took us scouting again. Our cameras found 2 toms one 16 miles away the other a half mile away both late in the afternoon. We scouted spots without cameras and found nothing.

We chose to set up on the closest bird to home. Which is where Alex filled his tag two days prior. The blind was upside down. Really? The wind had cartwheeled it up against the tree we had it anchored too. What a mess, the wind broke one support and one side would not extend. We quietly got it set up and we were ready. The sun climbed up in the east the breeze was light from the west. A clear day. Warmer than the past two but that was not hard to accomplish. We heard a group gobble as the sun came up. We knew from experience they were deep in the valley maybe even a ridge over. Had the big Tom we saw on camera kept on going east that afternoon? It was very possible. The mood of the morning and the theme of my opener would lead me to believe it. A consistent string of gobbles greeted us that morning distant but fun to hear. You could hear that they were getting to the ground now. Their location was moving a bit. Then all said did you hear that? Hear what? I said. I just heard a bird fly down. Then I heard a hen call behind us. Okay, par for the course for this miserable week the one bird close enough to hear a fly down is a female.

Then boom a gobble a close gobble. Alex called and he ripped it again. 2 minutes later we see his head periscope the field and he strutted out checking out the decoys.

Alex was seated to the left of me holding the collapsed side of the blind and I was up against the right side of the tent. The decoys were in the right half of the center window and the big boy was 70 yards out and closing appearing big and boisterous in the window between the decoy and the edge of blind. He closed fast getting closer to the decoy. Now veering off to the right toward the ridge he just entered from. He let another gobble go. How fun is this?! He is in range now. I have my gun ready but not shouldered. Al says “shoot him”. I say I cannot see him he just disappeared behind the corner of the blind I have to wait for him to appear in the side window. Al says “shoot him” now. He is now visible. I have him in my sights ready to squeeze and he takes two quick steps toward the ridge. He doesn’t like something and he is getting ready to exit. RE-AIM quick I thought and squeezed. The 12 gauge barked the smoke from the muzzle filled the window and 30 yards away lay a filled tag. Al said “you got him!” I got it all recorded on my phone!” Season One 2020 is over not so miserable after all. 2 tags filled. Tagged out for season one 2020. We both have tags for SEASON 4!!!!!