We got Lucky
Rest in peace, George Meyer
Hunting turkeys with dogs in Wisconsin owes everything to George Meyer, for shepherding it thought the maze of rules and regulations. And navigating through State politics (like hundreds of others he did).
On 8/31/09 George called to say thanks for this wingbone call, and tell me about the near catastrophe on the Turkey Dog rule. After 5 years of working on it, when it got to the Assembly Legislation committee, there was some controversy on the new bobcat rule and the open water hunting definition that nearly put Turkey Dogs back to Square One. George diplomatically avoided the Chairman's spat with the head committee woman (it was nothing but total politics).
Now all that has to be done is for the DNR to publish it. Because they're rules, the governor doesn't have to sign it. I said you know I never made a donation like I said I would, for the letters he sent on our behalf and was thinking I should buy him some gun raffle tickets? He said buy the WWF calendars, that’s even better, give them for presents. Typical George, always thinking of others. Wisconsin Loses Conservation Legend George E. Meyer
Wild Turkey Feathers
Taxidermists tell me they can't replicate the curved wing and tail feathers to look like a bird in flight, without breaking the feathers. I know a woodcarver who can do it. You wouldn't know if it was taxidermied or not. Matter of fact, a WI-DNR Warden came to his house one time, asking why he taxidermied a hawk, a protected species? So real, it fooled everybody. He had carved it.
Wing feathers
Snow Buntings
Trade Black Vultures for Wild Turkeys
Story here.
Happy Birthday Levi!
Today is Levi’s 6th birthday. We would’ve much rather hunted turkeys today, but pheasants are fun too!
How economic forces and industrial decline led to a Great Lakes tragedy
When Tom Nelson came to my house about 40 years ago, he was running for some office. I asked him why he'd want that job? Liked him ever since. Highly recommend reading his latest work.
Never forgot sitting in a restaurant, having perch dinner in Menominee, Michigan in November 1975. The whole place went absolutely quiet when word got around - the Edmund Fitzgerald went down in Lake Superior. Turned out, with everybody onboard.
Gordon Lightfoot - "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald"
Pennsylvania Opening Day
Kaily, the dogs, and I made it out to our camp for opening day of Pennsylvania’s fall turkey season. We had a little bit of late start and finally started hunting about mid-morning. The first stop yielded some fresh sign and a small break. We sat for about an hour and a half and nothing happened.
We began working our way to the main road and I passed a gate that looked promising. We stopped and it didn’t take long for the dogs to break another flock about 400 yards from the vehicle. At this point, it was around 2:30 pm.
Around 4:00 pm, we heard birds trying to regroup. We had a juvenile at about 35 yards, but it didn’t present a shot. Things went silent and we rebroke the flock.
About an hour later, we had another juvenile come from the top of the ridge (where we were originally set up). It was a little under 40 yards when it picked out something it didn’t like and pitched down the ridge. Shortly after that, another bird begins keeing and walked up the ridge and Kaily made an excellent shot. At this point, it’s less than an hour until sunset.
I decided to stay a little longer to see if we could call in one more bird. Not much later, another bird came up from the bottom. It continued to walk back and forth below a small dip and it took awhile for me to get a clean shot opportunity. I was an to get shot at the same exact opening Kaily killed hers! I shot it about 5:55, roughly 15 minutes before sunset.
Both birds were young juveniles, 5 lb. 4 oz. and 4 lb. 10 oz. Kaily’s bird had really neat colored wings!
We’ll be done turkey hunting for a bit. I’m hoping to make it back to Wisconsin at some point.
WV Jake
Where I hunt in WV has two separate seasons. The entire state has a 9-day season. If spring gobbler harvests are at least 0.5 birds per square mile, there is another 7-day season beginning the last Monday in October. The mountain counties have a season that continues through mid-November, regardless of spring harvest figures (I have never personally hunted over there).
West Virginia was action packed for us this season. I was very excited to hunt there since some of the areas I hunt were part of the Brood XIV periodical cicada emergence this past spring/early summer.
During the first week, I hunted Columbus Day and the following day. Both days yielded separate gobbler breaks. Unfortunately, I was not able to connect with one. I did get to heard some awesome gobbler talk and had three close calls with those birds.
I headed back down opening day of the second segment. We went on a good hike in the morning and had no luck (previous post). I decided to check out one of the gobbler breaks areas that afternoon. Both dogs were acting birdy as we made our way into the woods. About 300 yards away from where we had a break two weeks prior, Lily found a group on the top of a small knob. Levi joined in the break and I watched a hen fly to the west. As we were setting up Lily kept ranging out 185 yards to the NW. I made the mistake of not setting up facing that direction.
The break wasn’t a very vocal one, but I did hear a bird make some light clucks and yelps behind us. I turned around and focused my attention down hill and never seen anything, though I could hear it walking around. I eventually didn’t hear anything and turned back around. A few minutes later, I hear something over my left shoulder. I looked over and seen a Jake slowly walking about 15 yards away! He seen me move and began pitching off the knob. I pulled up and was able to make an excellent shot!
Both dogs found more birds at the base of the hill aswe were making our way down to bird.
It was nice 10 lb. 10 oz. Jake, undoubtedly he enjoyed the cicada emergence after he hatched! I hunted that same ridge on the last weekend of spring turkey season. The cicada chorus was deafening after temperatures began to rise in the morning!
Wild and Wonderful West Virginia
We parked on the base of the far ridge in the distance. I hiked just under 6 miles, Lily ran 10 miles, and Levi ran 14 miles on that hike! No fresh sign unfortunately. We did find some really old dropping and feathers. Both dogs flushed some woodcock though.
Out of Ammo
During our weekend trip in Michigan, our radiator began leaking and we had to have it towed to a local shop. We got a one-way car rental and drove home. The following Friday, I received a call and was told it was ready to pickup.
The weather forecast wasn’t great for hunting that weekend. Saturday’s high temperature was supposed to be in the low 80’s and windy, with widespread rain showers developing later in the day lasting into Sunday. I figured we’d just go up and pick our vehicle up and not really hunt. We took the dogs and our gear anyway.
On the way up in NW Ohio, I decided to stop at a small piece of public land to run the dogs. I have never personally hunted this property, but I have seen multiple groups of turkeys on the surrounding private lands when I was in the area for work this past summer.
Well didn’t even bother take our hunting gear with us on our hike. It turns out, we do encounter a decent size of group of birds on the back end of the property.. roughly a half mile from the parking lot.
We hike back up to the vehicle and start getting ready. I realize that I took my vest out of the car when I shot my Ohio bird a few days prior and I took Kaily’s shotgun shells out of her bag when I was in West Virginia earlier that week.. we were out of ammo!
Seeing how Sunday was going to unfavorable weather wise and Ohio’s season was going to close in one week, I decided to take the gamble of leaving the break to find some turkey loads. Thankfully, there is a small hunting supply store about 14 miles away.
By the time we purchased our shells, drove back, and hiked back to the break site, it was about an hour and a half after the initial flush.
We set up under a very large black walnut tree.. which was a mistake since it was raining walnuts the entire time. I made about three series of yelps before I got a response to the south. Shortly after that bird began yelping, we had a juvenile Jake begin gobbling to the west. Both birds were coming in and they were going to get to our setup around the same time. Kaily did see the Jake first and he hung up at about 40 yards and began to head towards the south into a thicket. Shortly after, the hen came sprinting into our setup and Kaily was able to get a shot!
It was an unexpected hunt we won’t forget!
What's Lost is Found
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Red compliments Black
Black compliments Red Some quail dogs the English brought to Virginia became turkey dogs
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