Stalking a Trophy Turkey in Wisconsin

Gun Watch ^ | 3 October, 2014 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

There were no wild turkeys in Wisconsin when I was growing up.   They had been wiped out by the 1920s.   The common wisdom was that they could not handle the winters in Northern Wisconsin, but they might be re-introduced into the Southern half of the State.

The "common wisdom" was wrong.   I took the above picture this morning, on the way to my parents former property, which now belongs to my Brother.   He had stalked a trophy tom turkey there just 3 days before.   Even though turkeys have become plentiful in Wisconsin, you are still required to apply for a permit to hunt one.   If you are drawn, as nearly all applicants are in the Southern half of the state, you can shoot one bird per day, and pay another $10 for each permit that you desire, shooting one per day as long as the season lasts.   My Brother had obtained a permit, and was hunting grouse when he spotted the trophy tom, about a hundred yards away, in the opening centered in the picture.

He immediately went into stalking mode, and exchanged his grouse loads for 3 inch magnums, 1 7/8 ounces of #6 shot.   He had an improved cylinder tube in his Benelli, an M1 Super 90 12 gauge, considered getting his extra full turkey tube from the truck, but rejected the idea.



The big tom was feeding under this crabapple tree, which is native to the area.    

Here is a close up of some of the fruit.   Food sources such as this create natural hunting hot spots.   They are essentially "natural bait".

Other hunters have learned that the crabapple is a game concentrator.   The turkey that this coyote was chasing is out of the frame, but you can see three more in a line in the right middle of the frame. 

To approach the tom, this lane had to be crossed.   It is about 40 yards from where he saw the big bird.   You can see the crabapple tree centered in the open area, just above the center of the lane.   My Brother waited until the tom lowered its head to feed, then quickly and quietly low crawled across the lane.

On the other side of the lane is a small pine forest.  The pine needle ground cover made the low crawl approach quiet and painless.

Above is the desired end of the low crawl.   It is in the treeline shown below, about 35 yards from the crabapple tree.

This photo was taken only a few feet from the crabapple tree, giving you the birds-eye view of the hunters approach.

My Brother took the shot from a prone position, but the above photograph shows him kneeling in the same spot.

Here is how the shot looks from the treeline.   The crabapple is difficult to make out from this position, but it is a little more than 100 feet away.    35 yards is considered within range for an improved cylinder choke, but my Brother was wondering if he should have gone back for the extra-full tube.   It is one of the reasons that I like poly-chokes.   You can change chokes in seconds, and the full range of chokes are always with you.  As a trade-off, the very full chokes may not produce as tight a pattern as a good extra-full tube.

He sighted on the toms head, and fired.   He saw the bird go down, emerged from the tree line, and ran to the crabapple, ready to fire again if needed.  As he arrived the big bird briefly struggled to rise, then expired.   He said that it was a dramatic difference from using the extra-full tube.   When he has used the extra full turkey choke, the birds go down as if they were hit with a hammer.

A single feather remained at the crab apple to show where the tom was taken.

Here is the big bird.  

The beard measured 9 inches.   It is a good bird, but my brother has harvested enough turkeys, that trophies do not interest him.   We ate fried turkey breast for lunch.   It was delicious.

For dinner, my sister-in-law, Theresa, used a pressure cooker.  

The turkey breast is from the tom, the tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, green beans, broccoli, and onions are from their garden.

Desert was raspberries from the garden on top of yogurt.   I dusted them with refined sugar.

Theresa is an excellent cook.   I am always in danger of gaining weight when I visit.

©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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[marktwain]

I saw a flock of 15 wild turkeys in a field just yesterday. I have not been out of the house today.

[gorush]

They’re lousy around here. (central WI)

[jjotto]

Yep. Experts used to claim one wild turkey needed 20 acres of hardwood forest. Must be global warming, as it was settled science.

Now they’re plentiful in farm country where there almost no stands of hardwoods at all. And they’re doing very well in northern Minnesota.

[stars & stripes forever]

Those look like the ones that hang out in our yard. We used to have a neighborhood peacock that hung out with the turkeys, but someone ran him over.

[Darksheare]

“It was then that the Tom slapped me with a restraining order!”
Evil birds.

[cripplecreek]

There were no wild turkeys in Wisconsin when I was growing up.

Same here in Michigan. We had pheasants but no turkeys, now pheasants are relatively rare and there are turkeys everywhere. I took this pic last thanksgiving on my way to granny's house.

[trisham]

Great pics!

[dancusa]

Turkeys can fly. I almost hit one in a flock of eight driving up a hill in Tolland CT.

They barely made it over my truck.

[VeniVidiVici]

There were none in Orlando back in the early 90s when I moved there.

Now they are like rats.

[umgud]

Geez, this feller bags a turkey without being all camo’d up. There are at least a few on the gun forums who like to think this is not possible.

[jy8z]

One of those turkeys should be dinner at granny’s house next year!

[Hatteras]

As God as my witness...

[bobby.223]

Nice pics! Those things are ALL over up here at certain times of the year. They interact and coexist with all of the deer in some interesting ways also.

[mouse1]

I’m in Adams County and they are all over the place...like cockroaches. No turkey shortage here. And they dart out in front of you, worse than the deer.

[Excellence]

Turkeys can fly.

You had to say it...

[T-Bird45]

Turkeys can fly.

Yup -- the first turkey I ever got was during a fall hunt in NW Oklahoma where I walked the turkey up while returning to my vehicle to go home for my son's birthday party. It was quite surprising to both the turkey and me.

[rellimpank]

—likewise SW corner—(Platteville area)—I’ve startled up as many as 20 at a time on the family farm— -near as I could estimate—

[Tainan]

Darn good story Dean.
I grew up out in the country in SW Ohio in the 50s and 60s. By that time both deer and wild turkey, both legendary in tales of "old times", were gone from the fields. I heard lots of stories about "the old days" and turkey shoots.
Fast forward to the late 70s (after I was long gone) they began a come back and are now, deer-wise, thick as thieves and a traffic hazard. All brought back by Conservation actions from the hunters.
The turkeys are back but they are smart enough to stay in the thick woods...and under those crab-apple trees.