iDoHunting.com: Last Call Wisconsin Gobblers! Season "F"

Last Gobbler of the year in WI

They say all good things must come to an end! That’s exactly what happened on Friday morning at 9:30am in Wisconsin. It was my final turkey hunt of the season and I couldn’t have asked for a better morning in the turkey woods! The temps were cool and the winds were light with clear skies. I was hunting a farm just North of Cumberland, WI in the so called “big woods” area. This was a new piece of property for me so I was going in blind but felt confident I could make things happen if there were birds on the property. This was my first year hunting this far North for turkeys. I have a cabin on a small lake just East of Cumberland, WI and have been taunted by turkeys gobbling the past two Memorial Day weekends while out in the boat fishing. I finally decided to draw a tag this year and boy was I happy I did!

A view from the "kill" spot

As darkness began to slowly fade away I was rewarded with my first gobble of the morning. Then shortly there after two more birds gobbled in a different direction from the first. It was decision time…which bird do I go after? I had planned to “run & gun” the first morning so I could learn the layout of the property for the next couple mornings if need be. I quickly decided to go after the two birds that were roosted together since I figured my chances would be better with two birds than one. The woods were thick and I was able to close the distance in a hurry. I quickly realized the birds were working away from me so I decided to try and get in front of them. While in the process of moving on them I finally ran into the property fence line. Game Over!

A nice 2 year old WI gobbler. Beard 10", Spurs 3/4", Weight 18 lbs

My thoughts quickly turned to the other bird I heard gobbling earlier in the morning. I set off in the direction I thought that bird had gone and quickly got setup in a new location. I knew the bird was in the general area but just didn’t know exactly where. Finally a gobble after 15 long minutes and I was again in business! The bird had made is way to the bottom of a large ravine. I quickly got adjusted and made my move. I worked this bird for what seemed like forever only to have him skirt around me just on the other side of some thick cover. There was no shot opportunity so I let the bird pass. I feel much better about letting a bird walk for another day then possibly wounding them only to have them die later. Another missed opportunity and I was off in search of another bird.

A lush and thick WI North woods setting

After a couple long and quiet hours I had found myself on the opposite end of the property. I was working along a field edge with a steep ridge on one side when I finally heard a gobble. He was close…not more than 100 yards away! I quickly got setup and made a few soft calls. He fired back immediately and I knew I was in business! It only took a few minutes and before I knew it he popped out rite where I needed him to be. The 15 yard shot found it’s mark and I had another BBD!! It capped off a great season and I couldn’t be happier. Making a clean sweep this year in the 4 states I hunted (AL,SD,MN,WI) made this a truly memorable season. Even more exciting was the time I spent helping others bag their first birds and watching them pull the trigger!

Congrats to all the guys and gals out there who were fortunate enough to have a successful season in 2009! Sorry about the first picture of the bird. I was by myself and it was the best I could do with a timer.