One word to describe the 2004 Wisconsin spring turkey season.

Tough! 

Gobblers on the limb in the early morning would let everything in the area know their arrival that the breeding season had come again. But as each spring season comes and goes the birds get smarter, many hunters I talked to had gotten birds year after year until this spring. One hunter said “I would be calling to a tom that I knew was there gobbling, but never would come in, hung up for awhile and just went in the opposite direction”.

Here’s how my season ended up, I had 2 tags to fill in Wisconsin. And a total of 7 hunts to be involved in, which I would scout for sign, find roosting sights, where the birds where traveling and during different times of the day, which fields birds most likely will be on rainy days, calling and videotaping the hunts.

It was the opening week of the Wisconsin Spring turkey season, Day 1 was very slow not much gobbling was heard in the area where the birds are known to be, and after hunting the rest of the morning not one bird was seen. In the afternoon I relocated to an area I knew other groups of birds had been rooting, fresh sign was everywhere. I picked out a location the birds normally travel after flying down from the roost. I set up the Double Bull T5 Blind up in only seconds, made sure I had a good viewing area and headed home.

My dad and I were in the blind well before daylight, when the light started to show gobbling from all directions could be heard, I knew that this would be the day we would get a shot off. Soon I could hear the birds flying down; I did some very soft clucks and purrs with the Bad Buzzard slate turkey call, not 5 minutes later a gobbler was coming in from behind us, but thanks to the Double Bull Blind with numerous shooting windows and Pro-Staff viewing I was able to spot the bird. 

I would let my dad take the shot at 15 yards, but with the bird walking towards some live hens not 40 yards away he took the shot, it was a clean miss with the gobbler running off I knew if we sat in this location we would get another chance. 

Sure enough doing some more yelps, and purrs another gobbler had come from the same direction as the first. At 35 yards he took the shot, dropped the bird in his tracks, the tom was 22 pounds, had 1’’ spurs, and a 9.5’’ beard.

 What made this hunt possible? When the birds are in the roost trees gobbling their heads off, I will wait until they fly down before calling. Why? Because most times if you call while the bird is still on the roost he will stay of the limb longer, waiting for you to come to him. I always used to call while the birds would be gobbling in the roost trees, and yes I have taken many birds that way, but more times than not they will wait for the ‘Real Hen’ to come to them. You have to play hard to get when it comes down to turkey hunting, especially in areas that are heavily pressured.

Calling birds can be tough, I like to call softly to birds that are not to far away, when I have a bird hanging up at 50 yards or more I have had the best outcome using soft purrs and clucks, move leaves around with your hand to sound like hens feeding; this will make any turkey want come to investigate. I was able to capture the hunt on video using the EZEE POD by Klawhorn Industries. 

It was two days later and I was looking to fill my tag, after some close encounters with birds but nothing to present a good clean shot, I relocated to a hardwood area with oak trees that had dropped their acorns the fall before, again sign could be found everywhere.

It was late in the afternoon; I decided to set up for a morning hunt again. Cleared the leaves from where the blind would set, and popped up the Double Bull Blind in a flash.

At 4:20 a.m. the next morning the alarm clock was telling me to wake for another day of turkey hunting, slipping my facemask over my head then put on my gloves by Seal Skinz. I was hoping today would be the day, At 5:15 I heard the first gobbling on a ridge top over looking a cornfield, I was soon to find out these gobblers were not alone. 6 hens worked along the fields’ edge with 15 jakes and 3 gobblers in full strut. 

I tried calling but I knew it was no use, wherever the hens would go the jakes and gobblers followed. I have had times where I can call the hens into range and pull the gobbler in as well, but this was not the day it was going to work. It was now 12:30 p.m. and I was ready to take a gobbler down, walking along a creek bed for 10 minutes looking for a set up I heard gobbling not 125 yards away, I knew I would have to set up fast if I wanted this hunt to end with bird. In seconds the Double Bull was up, I put my Tom Turkey by Montana Decoys out at 5 yards from the blind to get the birds in close. 

Took out the Bad Buzzard and made a few soft clucks and purrs, I soon figured out that there was two gobblers traveling together and for the first no hens. I waited for 15 minutes and tried calling again; to my surprise the birds had not even closed the distance. 

I then used my hand and started to imitate a hen feeding, they must have heard this because gobbling roared out, not 3 minutes later two big red heads could be spotted coming fast through the brush. Now close enough to where they could see the Montana Decoy, but where I could not get a shot off. 

The toms went into full strut and came to within 12 yards of the blind, I had the sight on the birds head and took the shot, and with the bird finally down I jumped up and ran to take a look at my first bird for the 2004 season, I knew this was going to be a very good year as every year when I enter the woods. 

As I approached the gobbler I knew he was big and after getting photos of the bird I took down the blind and picked up the Montana Decoy. I was soon to find out I had just taken my heaviest bird to date, at over 26 lbs, 1.25’’ spurs and a beard length at 10’’.

Calling and scratching in the leaves worked to get this bird to within viewing distance, but with the Tom Turkey by Montana Decoys set up, the bird came in close enough to present a good clean shot.

 On May 7th as my uncle Norbert and I sat under the comfort of the Double Bull blind, the rain that fell the night before had finally ended. I set out the Montana Decoy Tom Turkey, with a few soft yelps, and purrs from the Bad Buzzard turkey call, a gobble was heard not 100 yards away from our position. Soon after I was able to spot 2 hens working in our direction followed by two long beards. 

Taking their time ever so slowly watching every move the hens made, as they closed the distance to within 75 yards the hens cut down a logging road. The gobblers observed the Tom Turkey Decoy and could no longer take the presence of this intruder, at 57 yards I had the digital mini DV camcorder in full view, I told my uncle he could take the shot, in an instant the bird hit the ground like a brick. At 24 ¼ Lbs, 1 ¼’’ spurs and an 11’’ beard, my Uncle’s hunt was over.

With rainy weather from the previous night finally moving out of the area, the birds headed to a field that is completely surrounded by woods. I found this to be a key area from previous years of scouting the area. With the Tom Turkey pulling in the two gobblers I was able to get the hunt on video using the EZEE POD.

The very next day May 8th I joined John, my brother, in the comfort of the Double Bull Blind. Rain had again moved into the area (for the next 4 days). We decided on the general area that my uncle and I hunted the day before. The rain was really coming down; we heard no gobbling the whole morning, at 5:45 a.m. we spotted 5 hens and a gobbler working into the field scratching for bugs. The birds never did get into Bow range, as we were using the Gobbler Guillotine by Arrow Dynamic Solutions.

If you are planning on taking a bird down in his tracks I recommend you give them a try, the results are amazing. After the rain had let up we headed back out to our blind for an afternoon hunt, I set out the Tom Turkey and got back into the blind. We spotted 4 toms in full strut with 2 hens over a ridge top working in our direction, we waited patiently for the birds to work our way it was now mid afternoon and one of the gobblers was now in shooting distance, John took the shot and the bird was recovered in inches not feet. At 22 pounds, 1 ¼’’ spurs and nice beard length of 10 ½’’ the hard hunt was finally over.

The things that really helped in this hunt were keeping hidden from the keen eyesight of the wild turkey in the comfort of the Double Bull. We were able to pull the bird into range by using the Tom Turkey by Montana Decoys for a close up shot.

It was that time of year again, for many months we waited for the opening of the spring turkey season. And now it’s the very last week May 19th, and I have another tag to fill for myself. As my dad and I walked to where we had roosted birds the evening before, I put out my Tom Turkey decoy and settled into the blind, using GCI Portable Folding Chairs.

I reached for my Renegade TR-4 bow to nock an Arrow Dynamic Solutions arrow, attached at the end was my 4’’ Gobbler Guillotine head. Making sure everything was in perfect order we heard three different toms let us know their presence, but again as I witnessed to many times this season, hens had been roosting in a patch of white pines not 45 yards away.

After the birds flew down from their roost trees, I made a few short yelps. As we turned around to scan the newly planted soybean field, a gobbler had seen my Tom Turkey decoy, and was in full strut. For two hours the bird stayed strutting and gobbling in a 50 yard radius. 

At 8:35 he was closing the distance to within 100 yards, when 2 hens approached the field edge. They walked to within 5 yards of the blind and face to face observing the Tom Turkey decoy, the gobbler that was 100 yards out was now 80 yards and closing the distance. 

With the hens getting suspicious they walked towards the gobbler, and led him into the hardwoods, I was fortunate enough to get some awesome footage on video. 3 days later found me back near our creek bottom, the day before I had seen two toms in the area I was now set up in. With it raining again I decided to hunt the whole day if I had to, but at 7:45 a.m. I heard hens yelping in the creek bottom, looking out the opposite side of the blind I spotted the gobbler not 15 yards from the blind and face to face with the Tom Turkey, I tried turning the video camcorder to film the hunt since I was by myself, but there was no time to. 

The bird started to turn, fearing he was going to leave, my Renegade TR-4 came to full draw still at 15 yards out I placed my finger on the release and took the shot, and the Arrow Dynamic Solutions arrow left the presence of my Vital Bow Gear fall away rest with a perfect shot, my bird too was recovered in only inches not feet. The bird was 22 ½ Lbs, had 1’’ spurs and a 10 ½’’ beard. I wish I had the hunt on video, but the bird was down and I was able to get some great photos. Pictured below with me is Jim my Dad. I was just as excited that the hunt ended with my tags filled for the 2004 spring season.

 Finding where the birds were and like to travel was a key part in my hunt. With the bird face to face with the Tom Turkey by Montana Decoys I was able to get the shot off.

The 2004 Wisconsin spring turkey season has now come to an end, but I will be after the birds again come this fall. I would like to thank the following for making these hunts possible.

Montana Decoys - montanadecoy.com
Double Bull Blinds - doublebullarchery.com
Renegade Archery - renegadebows.com
Arrow Dynamic Solutions "Gobbler Guillotine" -  arrow-dynamic-solutions.com
Seal Skinz Waterproof - danalco.com
Sveltz Camo Gloves - Sveltx.com
Klawhorn Industries- www.klawhorn.com
GCI Chairs- gcioutdoor.com