Snow Turkeys

[charlie elk]

At least a foot snow down, still snowing, some high winds in the forecast and more snow forecast later this week. Looks like snow birds will be the order of the day for the rest of the season. There has not been this much snow since 2010.

Here is an example of one of my typical snow turkey setup that worked.

Demo snowshoe setup with turkey 12292010.JPG (85.65 KiB) Viewed 636 times

sumac setup with turkey 12292010.JPG (101.8 KiB) Viewed 636 times

Is the entire state covered in snow now?

In any case good hunting to one and all.

[WillowRidgeCalls]

Always wanted to hunt turkeys in the snow, but we can't get the snow. So far we have less than an inch on the ground with green grass showing through, plowed fields are bare, snow melts as fast as it hits. I know your area of the state got quite a bit from this last storm, we just got a dusting. We need the moisture bad around here. Today would be a great day to be in the woods, temps is 34, no wind and sunny.

[Gopherlongbeards]

If you're really missing it Scott, you can come up here and shovel out the other half of my driveway

It took me an hour this morning to do one half and the sidewalks. Wednesday looks like the weather will be decent and I have the day off so I think I'm going to chase some snow turkeys

[WillowRidgeCalls]

If you're really missing it Scott, you can come up here and shovel out the other half of my driveway

It took me an hour this morning to do one half and the sidewalks. Wednesday looks like the weather will be decent and I have the day off so I think I'm going to chase some snow turkeys

Not sure I miss it that much .

The rest of the week looks nice, sunny and temps around 40 all week, should be a good week to get out.

[charlie elk]

Today would be a great day to be in the woods,

It was, even here with all the snow, it snowed lightly all day and we missed the high winds in the forecast, thankfully.

This is Vic's first "snow" season and with very little fur he needs to wear his fleece vests-

Vic Snow Camo.jpg (117.67 KiB) Viewed 571 times

Then he seems pretty comfortable and with his long legs the snow does not slow him down.
We traveled back a mile on an unplowed field road yesterday afternoon. 7 gobblers were scratching in a disced cornfield about 150 yards from the road and just watched us drive by. I drove around and stopped behind a small bunch of 12 foot Austrian Pines which completely hid the truck. Waited about 15 minutes and got out to setup on the edge of those pines, the toms were within 100 yards. Vic did not understand setting up without him flushing the turkeys first so we a little snow wrestling doing on for a bit, he also did not think much of laying in the snow but he did it.
We did not have to wait long a few clucks and yelps followed by an aggressive purr on Willowrigde's gobbler glass--
The toms took to wing and flew 15 yards above us landing on limbs in the red pine stand behind us. They would occasionally yelp back and one gave a courtesy gobble but they were apparently quite comfortable where they had roosted. Yes, they were roosted for the night at 3:45 in the afternoon.
I released Vic he charged into the pines barking at the base of the roost trees with the toms just sitting there looking down on him.
Now I remember snow turkeys-
They use their wings a lot more rather than walking or running
Fly into trees to survey the ground and will flutter from tree to tree watching you
Stay roosted late into the morning, frequently until 10 or sometimes later depending on conditions
Roost well before sunset for the night
Yep they can be maddening to hunt.

Dressed in snow camo I snowshoed around the 800 acre field to check it all out, walked up within easy bow range of 7 deer including a very nice 10 pointer (4 were bedded and 3 feeding). All this while Vic was loping around searching for turkey scent.
Happily the truck did not get stuck even though it plowed snow with the bumper. All in all a fine day out indeed.

[putt]

Great story, as always Charlie, about today's hunt in the snow. That Vic is a lucky dog.

I'd have guessed wrong, as I often do, about turkeys' feeding habits in the winter snow days. I would have thought that with the shortened daylight, the difficult snow feeding conditions, & their apparent need to keep their furnaces more stoked in the cold, that they'd typically use every bit of daylight to feed.

Very interesting to hear that they typically leave the roost late & fly up early.

Maybe they're like squirrels & they've got those roost tree hollows packed with acorns.

[dewey]

Sounds like a fun day in the woods Charlie. When does the season in WI end?

Dewey

[WillowRidgeCalls]

Sounds like a fun day in the woods Charlie. When does the season in WI end?

Dewey

Dec. 31 in units 1 through 5.

[charlie elk]

dewey wrote:Sounds like a fun day in the woods Charlie. When does the season in WI end?

Dewey
Dec. 31 in units 1 through 5.

What he said | :lol:

[WillowRidgeCalls]

I went to town this morning and a flock of gobblers was just leaving the trees and flying out into the cornfield, this was about 10:30. They were still there when I came back home about 1:30, still feeding.