So here is a short synopses of my 2012 season.
Hunted a total of 41 days and traveled just over 6700 miles.
Killed 11 gobblers total and helped 2 guys kill a bird also.
My kill was;
3 Merriam toms and 1 jake…2 in Neb and 2 in MT
5 eastern toms and 1 jake…1 in Neb and 5 in Wis
1 rio tom in Ks
Started off with the Neb early archery season and hunted with my new crossbow. Got this one in SE Neb in the evening and had 6 or 8 hens within 10 yards of me (some at 5 yards) and killed the tom at 15 yards as he strutted next to 2 other toms. He had 5 beards.
Then I went to NW Neb a few days before the shotgun opener and tried with my crossbow. Got close several times but couldn’t seal the deal. After shotgun season opened and on my last morning there I killed a tom that snuck in by me with 2 hens. The hens were at 10 yards before I even saw them. The tom was just over the hill and I managed to get my gun on him as he came over the hill. Killed him at 18 yards. No pic on that guy.
That same afternoon I had headed back to camp after the hunt and was having a snack in my tenet when I thought I heard a gobble (I wasn’t sure as I had my hearing aids out then). I put my aids back in and made a call outside the tent. He was CLOSE! Got my gun and vest on real quick and went down the trail 40 yards and set up. Made a call and got the gun up. Shot him at 22 yards as he came up over the lip of the hill. I was still in my camp slippers when I got him.
Then I went straight to NE Colo to help my friend James get a rio. He drew a tag for the area and I didn’t. We had a fantastic hunt! Set up on a roost and had a great show but didn’t connect. Went to a spot I thought would be good and I called 2 gobblers across the river. The first one I could have shot at 20 yards but James couldn’t get a shot. The next one came in perfect about an hour later and James nailed him. He had about 1 3/8 spurs and was BANDED!!!
Then it was off to MT to hook up with montana mcs. I got a tom the first day about 11:00 after not hearing a thing and hunting up one side of a valley a couple miles and down the other. Called him across the valley and up a very steep slope.
A couple days later I got on some roosted birds and sort of spooked them after they were on the ground a while. There was several gobblers and I saw a tom and a jake together at about 45 yards. They were going back & forth a lot and I lost track of which one was the tom. Finally I had a shot at one and took it. It was the jake. No pic.
Then on our last day I went with Mike (montana mcs) and called for him. We had a really neat hunt in the dust and the tom and the deer. But I will let him tell you that story.
Then I headed to Wis but on my way there I decided to hit Ks. I left super early and heard some birds at dawn but couldn’t get on them. I just guessed where they might be in the evening and called in a nice tom at about 6:30. He had 1 7/16 spurs and the most curved spurs I have ever got. Forgot the camera at the truck so by the time I got back it was almost dark.
Wis was berry berry good to me…eh? I got there during 4th season. It was a tough hunt at first and I managed to kill a gobbler on the last day of 4th season with just 20 minutes to spare before I had to leave to go on a hunt in central Wis.
Then I met some guys from the T&TH forum for a hunt in Central Wis during 5th season. It was great to yap some turkey with those guys and we also got to have lunch with T&TH editor Brian Lovett at the T&TH offices in Wis. The hunting was tough but I did manage to shoot a jake on the last evening and then miss a tom on the last morning…but that’s enough about that. No pic.
Then it was back up to my cabin for 6th season and the birds where working great. I felt that if I found a gobbler on the roost I could call him in. I got on a bird on my land one evening and thought I might call him in right then. He was hot and gobbled about 20 times (rare for a bird to gobble in the evening there) but would not come in. He roosted on my place though and I was there early the next morning. I got in tight…real tight. When he finally gobbled I was only 40 yards away and I could see him in the tree. He flew down towards where he heard all that calling the evening before but the cover was thick and I could not see him even though he was only 20 to 30 yards away. A couple calls on a mouth call and I could hear him drumming. Finally saw that “light bulb” white head and got him at 15 yards. This was the first turkey I ever killed on my land. I took a pic of the drummer on a grouse drumming log.
A couple days later I got on another gobbler and got within 30 yards or so but couldn’t get a shot. He had hens with him and they went on their way. Next morning I was more zeroed in on him and called him right in off the roost. Got him at 25 yards. No pic.
My last morning to hunt I managed to find another gobbler before flydown and was within about 100 yards of him when he hit the ground. He came right in and I had my last bird of the season. I took some time for a cup of coffee and to reflect a bit before packing up and heading home.
And to think, you were about to give up on WI 
, don't even think about it- 
Unless you want to kill half as many turkeys. 
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