Last Call Wisconsin Gobblers! Season “F”

They say all good things must come to an end! That’s exactly what happened on Friday morning at 9:30am in Wisconsin. It was my final turkey hunt of the season and I couldn’t have asked for a better morning in the turkey woods! The temps were cool and the winds were light with clear skies. I was hunting a farm just North of Cumberland, WI in the so called “big woods” area. This was a new piece of property for me so I was going in blind but felt confident I could make things happen if there were birds on the property. This was my first year hunting this far North for turkeys. I have a cabin on a small lake just East of Cumberland, WI and have been taunted by turkeys gobbling the past two Memorial Day weekends while out in the boat fishing. I finally decided to draw a tag this year and boy was I happy I did!

As darkness began to slowly fade away I was rewarded with my first gobble of the morning. Then shortly there after two more birds gobbled in a different direction from the first. It was decision time…which bird do I go after? I had planned to “run & gun” the first morning so I could learn the layout of the property for the next couple mornings if need be. I quickly decided to go after the two birds that were roosted together since I figured my chances would be better with two birds than one. The woods were thick and I was able to close the distance in a hurry. I quickly realized the birds were working away from me so I decided to try and get in front of them. While in the process of moving on them I finally ran into the property fence line. Game Over!

My thoughts quickly turned to the other bird I heard gobbling earlier in the morning. I set off in the direction I thought that bird had gone and quickly got setup in a new location. I knew the bird was in the general area but just didn’t know exactly where. Finally a gobble after 15 long minutes and I was again in business! The bird had made is way to the bottom of a large ravine. I quickly got adjusted and made my move. I worked this bird for what seemed like forever only to have him skirt around me just on the other side of some thick cover. There was no shot opportunity so I let the bird pass. I feel much better about letting a bird walk for another day then possibly wounding them only to have them die later. Another missed opportunity and I was off in search of another bird.

After a couple long and quiet hours I had found myself on the opposite end of the property. I was working along a field edge with a steep ridge on one side when I finally heard a gobble. He was close…not more than 100 yards away! I quickly got setup and made a few soft calls. He fired back immediately and I knew I was in business! It only took a few minutes and before I knew it he popped out rite where I needed him to be. The 15 yard shot found it’s mark and I had another BBD!! It capped off a great season and I couldn’t be happier. Making a clean sweep this year in the 4 states I hunted (AL,SD,MN,WI) made this a truly memorable season. Even more exciting was the time I spent helping others bag their first birds and watching them pull the trigger!

Congrats to all the guys and gals out there who were fortunate enough to have a successful season in 2009! Sorry about the first picture of the bird. I was by myself and it was the best I could do with a timer.