Public Land Turkeys in Southwest Wisconsin

[Little Canyon Creek]

My favorite time of the year used to be the middle of May chasing bear season in Montana, but now that I am in Madison for graduate school I can't really do that anymore. I am thinking about maybe trying for turkeys to fill the void.

How is the pressure on public land in SW Wisconsin during turkey season? There is so little public land and so many people in Wisconsin, I am guessing it isn't light. The success rate also seems to be in the teens, which I found shocking. I mean, for pete's sake, its a bird. It isn't a bear or elk. Is the low success rate due to lack of access, just a few people buying a bunch of tags and not filling all of them, or people not really taking it seriously? Or am I severely underestimating these birds?

 

[troydave]

I just moved to Montana from Spring Green, Wisconsin 8 years ago. Most of the turkey hunting in Wisconsin is on private land. That being said if you knock on doors many farmers will let you hunt turkeys. They don't take time to hunt that time of year because of planting season and there is an abundance of turkeys in southern Wisconsin. If you find a place to hunt I found that a block of cheese will put you in good terms for years to come. I think you will be surprised when you try to harvest an eastern bird. The turkeys here in Montana are not even close to the same bird as the eastern. Montana birds have the smarts of a chicken compared to those birds. I always thought it was more of a challenge to call in and shoot a turkey than to kill a whitetail. If they even see you blink your eye at 100 yards they are gone. I do miss those turkeys. Good Luck and enjoy.

 

[hardwoods]

Definitely knock on a few doors. Much easier to gain access to hunt turkeys than deer. Usually the only reason you are denied is because someone else is already hunting the same season you are asking for. Good luck.

 

[pointingdogsrule]

Little Canyon: I'm 2 1/2 hours away in northeast Iowa (easy drive). Lots of birds over here and as a DVM, my clients let me hunt the farms. If you want to put in for a spring turkey tag in Iowa, (I believe you apply in January as a non-resident), I'll be more then happy to put you on some land with birds or take you out for a weekend hunt.

good luck to all
the dog

 

[johnp]

Little Canyon, southwest wis. is my backyard. Public land hunting for turkeys is quite doable, there is 6 one week long time periods from mid april to the end of may. In zone 1 ( s.w. wi.) ample tags are available. The key to public land success is pre season scouting and drawing early time periods.
Later in the seasons , there is plenty of leftover tags available, public land gets more crowded,but many landowners are willing to let folks on,once family and friends are done hunting.
Two things to definitely be on the lookout for while turkey hunting,"morel mushrooms" and disease carrying" deer ticks".

 

[Epfd217]

I am thinking about maybe trying for turkeys to fill the void.

I mean, for pete's sake, its a bird. It isn't a bear or elk.

Or am I severely underestimating these birds?

Hehehehe!

Welcome to turkey hunting! You will find that most states with limited seasons and 1-bird limits tend to run in 30-40% success rates for gun hunters and single digits for bow hunters.

Turkeys have amazing eyesight and amazing hearing. Couple that with the fact that they can run or fly and they can be as silent as anything....they are every bit as challenging as hunting an elk except the target area is roughly the size of a softball. I like to say "If these birds could smell, they would be impossible to hunt."

Unfortunately I don't know anything about the land situation in WI, but I have heard from my friends that hunt there that finding spots on private is fairly easy a little later in the season and that there are lots of open tags starting the week of walleye fishing opener.

They are as difficult to hunt as any other big game and can be surprisingly easy at times. Prepare to enjoy a new spring pastime. If you were closer to MN I would offer to come call for you.