2022 Wisconsin turkey season was on us. Alex and I thought it would be a challenging year. Pre-scouting was less than ideal. The normal spots holding roosting and feeding toms were vacant to sparse.
This was going to be a “hunt” for sure, not shopping or shooting but downright dirty hands and knee groveling crawling up side hills full of melting snow and ice to south slopes full of clay and mud that sent us to our backsides more than once type of year. That in just hopes of maybe a chance to hear a gobble or glimpse a fan. Still nothing and that was scouting.
The first day we could get out together we had to go blind. Far off in the distant gobbles even made us smile as we tried to close the gap to with no success. Day two together and we finally found ourselves within hunting distance of a Tom. This was not a pre-scouted bird but an educated guess bird. A coyote was hunting him too with a howl, a yip followed by a gobble. The natural hunter was doing all the work. We saw the predator before we saw the bird. Too far to eliminate the hunting competitor with a shot gun but close enough to mess up our hunt we later found.
The Tom clammed up and we made a strategic error. Trying to close the gap of last best guess from the gobble. The hunting strategy for us has changed since he a has a full time job with semi flexible hours, but not freedom. He is extremely successful at his job with a great company that values the outdoors and personal growth.
We find that with any hunting when outside sources start to influence and dictate strategy you generally are tipping the scales that already favor the prey to un-beatable odds against success. But why quit when it gets tough. It is about memories and education ,fun and filling a tag minutes before you have to change clothes and answer phones is a pretty cool adrenalin rush as well.
We snuck down the north edge of the wood line where drifts were still melting but the field was open. It rained prior so the mud on the chisel plowed field stuck to your boots making each step a 20lb exercise as your boots resembled a muddy impression of snow shoes without the opposite mobility snows shoes render.
The day started with an abrupt turnback that would have saved the snow shoe experience when the farmer gave us permission to drive on the fields and farm roads via the top entrance.
That was dashed as we experience a quick rainfall that one of those spot showers that poor down getting everything just wet enough to get greasy and make a mess of the road and make the field impractical to cross. Permission or not were not going to do that to his field road or field. We backed out and circled around for a mile and a half walk back that finally put us on a bird and me out of breath.
Although this year we have been surprised multiple times as we pre scout and scout hunt.
Back to the coyote bird. We had it pegged what we hoped was on the ground in an opening leading from the field on top of the hill to a clearing leading to a pond nestled in between two hills with a field at the foot of the damn. A field when birds were abundant would strut often. About a mile and half to two miles from a county road you had to know they might be there of the optical window would close before you could see them.
The coyote had left the area after winding us and fear overcame hunger. The good looking coyote sprinted across the field and disappeared around the foot of the far hill. We sat waited, called and cursed. Nothing.
We sat on the cold side of the hill calculating walk back time, and start of work time. The hunting gap was closing fast. We decided to close the distance and get to a better view of the open path hoping to pull the bird down from the top field if that is where he was, because he was not in the field at the foot of the dam.
We had just crossed the footprints of where the coyote had exited the woods and the path was just about to become visible and we saw him. We were green camo blobs on a small white glacier it made us very visible and what we feared very noisy for snow. Crunchy refrozen snow the noisiest kind of snow. I do not care how athletic you think you are walking backward with mud blobs on our feet, angling into the woods, we might as well had been back up beeper on a bulldozer.
The Tom was on high alert, he was either thinking Mr. Coyote brought back a group of friends or something else was not right. He had not been hunted previously this year so he was not a graduate of hunter education 2022 but he was a big bird and he was probably a JR or a SR at the school. The bird had been treed by the coyote and clammed up. We were looking on the ground and expected him there as we heard him moving from one point to another.
We setup just out of sight and waited for a fly down. A soft call and nothing, a loud call and nothing. The clock was ticking and nothing. Then it happened ….the fly down. We heard the wings beating the air and thought. EXCELLENT. From where he was treed a flight to the field on the hill was unlikely. If he hit the field below we had a chance.
We saw him mid-flight four or five quick wing beats and then the elegant coast to his landing zone. He coasted and glided and just kept on going. Overshooting our preferred landing zone. He was obviously ignoring our control tower instructions overshooting our preferred runway. Landing safely and quietly about a half mile off but still on hauntable land. We still had a “Hail Mary”. A quick walk up hill and try to get him to come up the ridge. Some gobbles but no luck. Time for the exercise and the walk bird less walk of shame. The nice part is we walked past a part of the field and were serenaded by some rooster pheasants took a mental note for a fun fall hunt. The sun was coming out and wind was picking up. The fields would dry quickly and the snow will disappear. We agreed to “scout hunt” after work. Taking different paths to work to windshield scout as well.
As we left the field we could see the Tom strutting so we did not scare him enough exit completely.
The afternoon came and we hit our usual hunting areas and it was quiet again but we did get one moving a little and caught glimpse. We decided to do a quick drive by to see if the tom we saw was out in the field nothing. Ugh
The next hunting day was one day away. A late work day allowed for windshield scouting only. We checked the field we saw earlier…….. BIRDS…Tucked in just across the fence line. Three toms and a group of hens due north of our coyote experience on the neighboring property. The group walked into the neighbor’s woods and went to roost. We didn’t see the fly up but it made sense to where we had heard them the evening prior.
With this information beaming from our smiling faces we made a “plan.” I was the only one with a tag, Alex’s was for week 4, he did not draw but had one of those treasured “points” awarded to him when he doesn’t get his first three choices. He purchased the next open week. He will get his first choice next year. Oh Boy, like scoring a touchdown in the final seconds of 63-0 to make it 63-7 drubbing and your supposed to feel good about it.
The plan was a solid one we thought. One that robbed me from restful sleep I was so excited to execute.
We would drive the field road across the top of the hill. Exit the truck, and walk downhill both tasks brought a smile to my face and my legs.
The strategy was to try and pull the tom around the nose of the hill down a grassy field road. This would be going toward the field we hoped he would have landed in our first encounter.
The field road wrapped around the nose of the hill and was a break between woods and field a flat spot creating a shelf easily used by equipment and we hoped tom turkeys. The drop-off from the road to the field was steep but walkable the incline from the road to the woods was considerable and was barely walkable but with the low brush with bigger trees. We hoped to find a nice hide. We would set up the decoy hen and tom to be visible at the corner so it would be visible from both directions as the road bent around the hill at almost a right angle. Hoping to increase our chances if we guessed wrong on the roost or an unnoticed bird was roosting around the corner or in the coyote tree.
A beautiful morning greeted us with winds from the north switching to the west as rain was predicted to greet us about 7 to 7:30. Temperatures were warm, low 40’s and rising. Spring was starting to take over.
The field road was dry and we planned to get out of there before the rain so we would not mess up the road. The walk down the dugway road toward the pond with headlamps on, decoy bag, gun and backpack all in tow. Halfway down my toe hit a sharp stick and it bounced out ahead of us. Alex bent down to pick it up. It was a deer shed, not a stick that was cool. The right side of a first-year sixer or a likely 3×3 however you choose to describe a rack. We looked at each other and said if this is all we get we are still well past good.
Knowing your hunting area is a real plus and our pregame plan needed little if any adjustments. We were in early because of the pre-planning.
Alex was sitting just over my shoulder to my right. The setup reminded me of his first bird with the role reversed. He could look over my shoulder right down my gun barrel if the bird appeared on the road to my left which was where we presumed they roosted.
The” sit “was peaceful as the farm lights blinked on the rural homesteads rattling awake, the sounds of animals bellering to their owners for the chores to start and their breakfast to be served well before the work and school day gets close to starting for all the 9 to 5 -40 hour a week earners. The cars sped by on the way to start their day oblivious to the start nature was showing to all that chose to enjoy. The smell of rain was in the air and the wind picked up slightly. I welcomed the smell of fresh rain, it was a sign of spring. Five deer walked across the field as the sun peaked over the hills across the road soon to be warming our faces and painting the sky a brilliant orange and yellow as it moved slowly up and the deer moved slowly across the field crossing at the coyote junction into the woods for their daytime siesta. Both of us wondered if one of them left us the present on the path which we gratefully received and nestled safely in our pack.
The hide was comfortable and stealthy for early season, normally a hard time to get good cover. The hunt could end now and it would be a great day and show. We were whispering to each other and Alex signed back to me a question with his hands and eyes “should I call?” I signalled a thumbs up and Alex softly let a yelp escape from his mouth call. Boom an instant response and close. We looked at each other ,our smiles adjusting our face masks and quiet whispers, a point to the direction we expected and the whisper “he is close but we think but still in a tree”. The wind may be bringing his answer closer than we could tell but it also meant our quiet call met its mark through the wind. Very close, so close if we chose to enter from the lower road we would have spooked it on the way in. Sometimes you get lucky.
The call /answer game went on for a few minutes and then nothing. We looked at each other. He might be down. Be ready Alex whispered. Our heads turned to the north, laser focused, nothing. That bulldozer could have backed us over and we wouldn’t have noticed.
Alex called again and we got a return call lower in the field , he was down. We thought we might have heard a fly down but were not confident.
The answers got closer , Alex was bringing him in on a string but nothing was appearing on the road. Al caught a glimpse of him in the field coming our way toward the road a curve ball but still hittable. I saw his redhead in the distance then he disappeared over the road ditch walking just out of sight down the road edge but closer to the field. I saw him again. Alex said I see him he is just on the other side of the tall grass. Do you? He was on us and I did not answer. Another mouth call another answer he was now directly in front of us but over the road ditch. Another call and another answer this time simultaneously as Alex let his mouth call sing. I saw him answer but had no shot as he was telescoping the road not giving any of his body. His head dropping down when he answered making him disappear behind the tall grass and low road ditch. There was a slight opening in the tall dead grass that should give him a visual of our decoys and me a chance to shoot if the decoys would catch his attention and hopefully he stops to show off or climbs to the road. Al whispered again he is just below us do you see him? My gun was pointed toward his roost and he was past that point and now straight ahead. We had not moved in what seemed like hours but the video will tell us it was only minutes maybe even countable seconds. 77 to be exact.
I felt it was time to move my gun and get in position if he indeed would cross the opening……he did….BOOM, LAUGH, DONE
Tagged out!
The video below you will see the road a line of taller grass which is the far road edge and the beginning of the ditch drop off. The story is as I remember it. the video is how it happened. Look for the bird to appear from the left in the tall grass. It might be easier to view in full screen. I hope the story gave you the same visual picture and brings back fond memories of your hunts with your child. From first licensed to adult it does not get old sharing time with on the hunt. I had no idea Alex was filming it. thanks for reading. Mark