It started out by me not drawing a tag in my home zone first time in many years.

Then my cousin called and said he didn't draw.

He wanted to know if I wanted to try and buy a left over tag for the next zone over.

That meant at least a 50 mile drive.

I say ok and we brought 4th week tags.

I made arrangements to stay at my sons who lives 90 miles away in the zone we hand tags for.

We went down the afternoon before and did some scouting.

Up bright and early the next two mornings weds day and Thursday and only heard gobbling a long ways off.

Around by sons house very limited areas to hunt mostly small blocks of public.

My cousin had a doctors appt Friday day so we headed home.

He had plans for the weekend so we did not hunt.

He called Sunday asking if I wanted to give it a try on Monday. I said sure why not what else does a couple of old retired guys have to do.

So up at 3am on the road by 345am arrived at the first spot 445am.

Walked back into a red pine plantation that was about 50 years old.

Sat down and waited hearing the woods wake up with owls, geese, swans and other birds making noise.

But no turkey. I let out some yelps nothing.

We waited about 30 just in case a silent one came in.

We then walked back to the truck and decide to do some scouting and calling to see if we could find a active tom.

The 2nd stop a bird gobbled almost on top of us. Jumped into the woods. I think he was to close and we pushed him away.

We waited again and as we we leaving we spooked him and 3 hens out of the near by corn field.


We left and traveled to large block of public land crossed by a few logging rounds.

I told my cousin lets park and walk some logging roads.

I have always had better luck walking and calling instead of driving and calling.

So we would walk and call about every hundred yards or so.

After about the 5th calling a tom gobbled about a half a mile away.

We moved about another 200 yards towards him and set up.


When things calmed down I gave a series of yelps and clucks.

Right away a tom gobbled with in a 100 yards and a 2nd one about a half a mile.

As I am waiting for the close one to pop up. I hear birds behind me really close spiting and clucking. I mean really close less then 10 yards.

Over my left shoulder I can't turn my head to look.

So I think well maybe they well draw the front one in so I can get a shot.

So I let out a couple real lite yelps. I keep hearing them behind me.

So I slowly turn my head and see a flash I watch 4 jakes come even with my shoulder about 20 feet out.

My shotgun is pointed totally wrong. The lead one steps forward enough. So I would have half a chance if I was fast.

It is a low percentage chance to swing fast and hope they are surprised enough. That I could get a shot off.

But what the heck they are almost in my lap. so I swung. They take off running the closest bird stops for a split second. Bang dead.

12ga. Benelli super 90 extra full turkey choke no.6 Winchester turkey load.

A Jake in the hand is better then tag soup last day to hunt.

I told my cousin lets take mine back to the truck. Then we would hunt around and see if we could be one of the others to come in. We hunted around until about 10am with out luck.

I said lets go try the one by the corn field again. We drove over there parked a ways away and snuck back into the woods.

Fairly thick about 50 feet visibility. I set up to do the calling about 20 feet away from my cousin.

I also told him if they came in from behind I let a low whistle out.

I told him we would sit and call for about 40 minutes.

I looked at my watch it read 1030'
.

After sitting for two minutes I let out a series of calls.

It wasn't long and I heard a cluck sounded like be hind us.

I was trying to pin point it and thinking about doing a light yelp. When I saw my cousin shift his shotgun then the shot rang out.

Benelli super black eagle extended turkey choke 3 inch Winchester No. 5s

A nice 22lb bird 9 inch beard. time on my watch 1037.

Some times it happens that fast.

My daughter in law had a tag starting today drove down spent the night and woke her up at 345am arrived at the hunting spot hair after 5.

From Monday I knew there was at least 5 legal birds in the area.

Started out walking and calling heard some gobbles in the distance. Set up and called or a bit not a thing. Moved and called. Had one gobble some what closer off public land on private.

Worked him for a bit but he wandered off.

So we heading back towards where I shot the Jake on Monday. Calling nothing until we were just passed where I killed the Jake.

Gobbling a half a mile or so. I knew of a small year old clear cut. I decided that would be a good place to set up.

I stopped about a hundred yards short called and got a response within 200 yards.

Moved off the road set the DIL up so she could shoot down the logging road.

Did a light yelp and got a response right now to our left.

Shifted the DIL so she could look and shoot that way.

Within a minute I heard something and saw her shift her gun a few inches.

I looked that way and saw the tom standing there and said kill him. The shot rang out and DRT tom.

30 yards Winchester SX4 12ga 3inch no.5 Winchester turkey loads full factory choke tube.

20lb bird 8 inch beard. DIL's was very happy with first turkey.

For all the calling a used a wing bone call that my cousin had made me years ago.

I call it Mr. turkey killer. It has been the death call for a lot of birds.

We’ll played Pdog. Like you I’m a “retired old guy” who lives in Lake County IL near the WI border. I’m fortunate that I have an old friend who lives in Huron County MI and is a fanatical turkey hunter. I’m a mediocre Turkey hunter at best, but my buddy is the best Turkey hunter I’ve ever encountered. In the last 7 years we’ve gone 7/7 on Gobblers. This year my Turkey hunt lasted all of 3 hours. My friend knew a spot where an old Longbeard roosted with his hens. We set up a tent blind and a single hen decoy. He yelped a few times and the gobbler responded immediately. It took him over 2 hours to close the distance and finally his two hens came in to challenge the strange hen decoy. I shot him at 25 yards. He has 2 beards, one 10” and the other 4”. My first double bearded Longbeard.

Great stories. Thanks for posting.

Bud sounds like a good hunt.

I am trying to think when was the last time I have not killed two turkeys' in a year one spring and one fall.

Limited tags in my part of the state.

Pre 2005 most likely.

I killed them the first 5 minutes of the season to the last hour.

In the southern part of the state they have a lots of left over tags. Buy one a day in some areas.

Up north most years no extra tags are available.

I found it is more about having access to land that has birds.

Then the birds being hard to kill.

Lets hear more turkey hunting stories.

I shot a decent tom on May 5, my nephew took a jake on May 9. The weather was very strange and I think adversely affected hunting down here. The morning of the 4th we both had to scrape ice off our windshields before heading out. Four days later it was 92 degrees and it stayed that hot for the next few days. Not fun!
I had multiple tags between May 10 and May 19, the last day I could hunt this year, but the weather kept me home except for May 18 and 19.

The morning of the 18th was perfect: dead calm, clear, about 50 when I got to my starting point at 4:30. I waited with great anticipation for the morning chorus of gobbles to start. And waited. And waited. At about 6:00 I thought I heard one that would have had to be about a mile off, but that was it. I hunted for 7 hours that day and 5 the next and never heard a single tom. This is a farm I have hunted for 28 years now and I have never had this happen at that point in the season. I fully expected to kill at least three birds this year.

Hubris, I guess.

Weather early season can be a real PITA in northern Wisconsin.

I have had 1st seasons with 14 inches of hard crusty snow on the ground and close to zero in temps.

But one has to deal with it.

Agreed. I don’t even try to draw April tags anymore. But May is usually quite reliable down here, which is why I am so surprised at the total lack of gobbler activity on two perfect days in the middle of the month.