Seeing more turkeys than ever before, around my house, which is in Zone 2,,,, they are all over the place, hitting the corn and wheat fields,,,, having an easy winter,,,,,, every year, that I see a ton of deer in the late season, it always shows a strong turkey population........
My partner is not seeing that in Vernon County, though, which leads me to believe that the SW might not be, what it use to be, in regards to turkeys,,,,, I wonder why? That is Zone 1,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I should have not switched spots, will have to get a extra tag for 2
Good news if they are doing well . I enjoy hunting them . To me they are fun to call and hunt . Being on the ground and getting close to them is just plain fun .
If it's too easy ditch the gun and the pop up blinds or natural blinds no decoys no roost hunting No hunting near the house or cabin and consider sleeping outside on the ground for 4 0r 5 nights .
Well they are not dumb around my house, but there is a lot of pressure on them,,,,,,only way to hunt them for me, is with my bow and decoy, man that is fun,,,, I have been using the Primos decoy to shoot behind from, but that is getting sold at the rummage sale in March....
I am getting a Ultimate Predator Turkey Decoy for this year,,,, just too much fun,,, my wife is a great cook, I like em,,,, I put them in the slow cooker, and she also puts a chicken skin around the breast meat, and bakes them,,,,, I can eat turkey,, since I do not eat beef......
I am hoping to kill one with my new recurve,,,, have taken a few with the compound but have struck out with the stick bow,,,,, my friend got one last spring with his self bow at 15 yards, and my decoy
For those who think turkeys are not edible....stop by and I will change your mind.
Turkey leg soup is my favorite. Bacon wrapped turkey chunks on the grill = NO leftovers. Turkey burgers (mixed with 20% pork/sweet peppers/onions) is hard to beat.
Turkey is great eating as long as you don't treat it like a store bought Turkey. Cubed and sauteed breast made into Turkey tetrazinni is my personal favorite.
I didn't like them til I treated them like a partridge breast. I steak'd the breast out, then dust them in flour, season, and fry up. It's pretty good. I would also marinade and grill the steaks.
For those that think they are not good to eat, you aren't cooking them right. For those that think they are easy to hunt, you haven't hunted them much.
Like anything else, the challenge in turkey hunting depends on how you go about it. You can make it anywhere from a slam dunk to very difficult. And just like any other animal, the older birds are a completely different creature than the younger ones. Saying that they are all "dumb" and not worthy just shows ones ignorance.
I don't hunt them so I can't say if I would enjoy eating them or not, I do know the population is extremely high near me and annoying, I was sitting on the ground bow hunting last fall and one ocassion I had a turkey peck my boot and another time run into my broadhead knocking my bow off my leg, funny but annoying
I haven't seen one or cut a track since mid-December, but they vacate my property completely every winter to return like clockwork third week in March whether there's snow or not... Unbelievable birds that have developed great sense for survival here in the upper states.
Dumb vs. smart?: Can be either at given times! Enjoyable to hunt with the bow (both times) though!
I've been hunting turkeys in Vernon county for over 35 years. It has been in a steady decline over the past 15 years. I think it has come back a little in the last 2 years. I shot a trifecta a few years in the past. Last two, zero. Some areas you can cluck a few times and they will come running. Other areas you can call all day and never hear a gobble.
Chief, I have hunted them in the same county that you you live in since we were able to. That's 25 or 26 years. There used to be flocks of 500 or more in the fields everywhere in the county. Plus they were a lot easier to hunt back then as they were truly almost no pressure. I used to have permission to hunt way more land than I could use. However the popularity of turkey hunting took off like wildfire. Now it's tough to get on a few farms for more than one season if that. If you are interested in trying hunting them I would take you out. That way you could dip your toe without buying all the gear. I will warn you though, it's addictive. Not the shooting, but the calling.
Turkey hunting is one of the best things that has happened to Wisconsin in many years!
Those of you that don't take advantage of this, you're really missing out.
I hunt nearly every period and take out as many folks and kids that I can.
This time of the year, to be hunting is just fantastic and to watch spring creep into the woods on a almost daily basis, warms the soul!
The last 3 periods you virtually have the entire State to yourself as many folks are done or they become so busy with spring projects and such, turkeys are the last thing on their minds!
I soaked a Red Wing size 12 boot in Campbell cream of mushroom soup along with a breast of turkey. Boot was much more tender. As far as the drumsticks go, I equate it to swallowing a porcupine hide. They must be dumb birds if LTL Jimbow can kill one!
Why should I pee into the wind ? What do I require from a turkey to enjoy the experence ? I could require his body parts to be large and his meat to taste good . I could require him to be always elusive regardless of how and what I do . I just want to encounter him and the woods where he lives . So humbly I head out for the hunt thankful for all that he is .
I talked to a Vernon County resident over the weekend,,,, he said the birds there use to be everywhere, he thought, that the population, eventually adjusted, to what the land could hold, by mother nature,,,,,,,,
I wouldn't say an excellent winter statewide though. On our land in Pierce county and around home in Chippewa we have quite a bit of snow on the ground. Add to that it's been a pretty cold winter so far. Definitely not a real hard winter on the wildlife so far. But not a cakewalk either.
