It was almost daylight and the tukeys were still in the trees. Every few seconds one would gobble and this would set off the others.

Occasionally, I’d do a soft yelp and get the booming answers from the big toms.

I was so close I could hear them flying down from the tree limbs and they continued the gobbling and yelping.

But the sounds were fading as the whole bunch walked away.

More often than not, that’s how it is in today’s turkey woods. There are so many turkeys that it is a rare occasion when toms go to roost without hens.

And, come dawn, the toms go where the hens go and if you are not on that track, you will not bag a tom.

That’s why preseason scouting is so important.

We used to scout just to determine where the toms were roosting and then depend upon our calling to bring them in.

Now, however, you have to determine where those turkeys will go when they fly down and you must be set up on that track to even have a chance.

It is a fact that many of today’s turkey hunters no longer get up early to be in the woods at dawn.

Instead, many hunters prefer to take their chances later in the day when many of the hens go to the nest and leave the toms. When that happens, the soft yelps of a hen call will bring a tom running.

Another change is aggressive calling. In any group of hens and toms, there is a “boss” hen.

If you can get the boss hen riled up, she’ll come looking for you thinking it is another upstart hen.

She’ll have kicking your butt in mind and she will be in a hurry to do it. The tom or toms will just follow along and walk right in.

Turkey hunting has also become very popular. Each spring the woods are full of hunters.

It doesn’t take surviving toms very long to learn some valuable lessons that just might save their hides later.

One of those lessons is, “Never approach a decoy.”

In fact, I rarely use a decoy when hunting on public lands. I’ve had too many toms either hang up a hundred yards out or scurry off at the sight of a decoy.

High turkey numbers and high hunter numbers are causing some changes in the turkey woods. Knowing that will help you bag that trophy tom.

All measurements are taken in 1/16-inch increments and converted to decimal form. For conversion charts, go to the National Wild turkey Federation web page at: www.nwtf.org/for_hunters/how_to_score.html A current NWTF member or another licensed hunter from the state where the bird was harvested must verify all measurements.

Step 1: Weigh your bird in pounds and ounces and convert ounces to decimal form.

Step 2: Measure each spur. Spurs must be measured along the outside center, from the point at which the spur protrudes from the scaled leg skin to the tip of the spur. Add both spur measurements and multiply the combined length of the spurs by 10. This is the number of points you receive for the turkey’s spurs.

Step 3: Measure the beard length (a beard must be measured from the center point of the protrusion of the skin to the tip) and convert it to decimal form.

Next, multiply the beard length figure by 2; this is the number of points you receive for the beard length. If you have an atypical bird (multiple beards), measure each beard, convert them to a decimal number, then add those figures together and multiply by two. This is the number of points you receive for your turkey’s beards.

Step 4: Add together the weight, the points for spurs and points for beard(s): This is the score you receive for your turkey.

Listed below is the information on this years spring turkey season in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota.

Iowa Spring Turkey

Youth Season: April 9-11

(IA residents only)

Combination Gun/Bow:

Season 1: Apr 12 – 15

Season 2: Apr 16 – 20

Season 3: Apr 21 – 27

Season 4: Apr 28 – May 16

Archery: Apr 12 – May 16

(IA residents only)

Shooting Hours Gun:

1/2 hour before sunrise to sunset

Bow:

1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset

Spring Bag Limit:

Daily bag and season possession limit is one bearded or male wild turkey for each valid license and transportation tag issued to the hunter.

Nebraska Spring Turkey

Shotgun Statewide: April 17-May 31; Licenses Unlimited

Archery Statewide: March 25-May 31; Licenses Unlimited.

Youth Archery: March 25-May 31.

Youth Shotgun: April 10-May 31.

Permits: A hunter may have as many as three spring permits

Shooting Hours: Thirty minutes before sunrise to sunset.

Bag Limit: One male or bearded female turkey per permit. It is illegal to shoot a turkey perched in a tree.

South Dakota Spring  Turkey

Season dates: April 10 – May 23 statewide. Note, there are other units with different seasons. See the South Dakota turkey hunting regulations for those exceptions.

Shooting Hours: One half hour before sunrise to sunset.

Bag: One wild turkey per tag, as designated on the tag.

When Duane Filsinger, Butte Nebraska and his son headed out on their spring turkey hunt last spring, the farthest thing from their mind was taking the highest scoring Merriam ever taken with a firearm that was recorded by the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF).

Well that’s just what they did, putting Duane’s name at the top of the NWTF list for Merriam turkeys.

Like most of the state, Northeast Nebraska has as excellent turkey population, with the majority of the birds found in the area being Merriam.

Merriam turkeys are similar in many ways to the other species of turkeys such as the Eastern, Rio Grande and Osceola, which, all can be found in the United States.

Adult Merriam males are easily distinguished from these species, but closely resemble the Gould turkey of Mexico except that they have a blacker appearance with the lower back and tail margins on the Merriam are nearly white.

The Merriam’s original territory was Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado, but through stocking programs the birds were stocked out of their original Rocky Mountain terrain.

Because of this successful stocking program, Merriam turkeys are now found in 15 western states.

Merriams are now found from North Dakota south to Texas, (excluding Kansas) and west to Washington, Oregon, California as well as in four Canadian provinces.

If anyone is looking for Merriam turkeys, Nebraska and South Dakota are a good bet as the top eight birds registered with the NWTF come from these two states.

This is not the first record Merriams ever taken in Holt County as Michael Kluver took the number three bird, which scored 130.2500, in May of 2005.

In the spring of 2009, the Filsingers were hunting in late May in Holt County and had located a Tom and his hens that looked like might be callable.

As they glassed the bird through their binoculars, it didn’t seem to appear much different than other birds they’d seen except that the bird seemed taller than usual.

They set up and tried calling the Tom; unfortunately, he was satisfied with the hens he had, refusing to wander too far from them.

At one point, the hens moved off and Duane and his son were able to get in between the bird and his harem.

They happened to be set up in the right place and were able to take the Tom as he made its way back towards the hens.

The Filsinger Merriam became the Best Overall bird ever taken with a total score of 144.2050 points, which broke the old 2002 record of 136.0000 set by a North Carolina hunter in Meade, South Dakota.

The bird wasn’t all that big, weighing in at 22.08 pounds, but other factors entered into the equation put the bird well ahead of other birds.

It’s six beards totaling 45” and it’s spurs that measured 1.5625” and 1.5000 inches gave the bird more than enough points to put it on the top.

For more information on the Nation al Wild Turkey Federation you can go to www.nwtf.org

It was a quiet, late November afternoon when Ron Peterson, publisher of the Journal walked into my office in the newsroom.

He sat in the chair across from my desk where, as editor of the newspaper, I was scanning our news budget before heading up the meeting with the floor editors to decide what the next day’s paper would look like.

“What would you think of producing an outdoor tabloid which we distribute free throughout our area?” he asked.

As the paper’s outdoor writer since 1973, it didn’t take long for me to answer.

“I think it would be a great idea,” I said.

And so it started, a free tabloid devoted to teaching Siouxlanders more about hunting and fishing in our area and throughout the upper Midwest.

The first issue, one of six to be published each year, hit the streets in late January of 2004.

The cover photo was of Dave Genz, known as the father of modern day ice fishing. He was on the ice holding a walleye. I had taken that photo a year earlier on Devil’s Lake in North Dakota.

The whole issue was devoted to ice fishing .

So that’s how it started.

The publication, in the intervening years has changed somewhat.

In that first issue, a 20 pager, every story was written by me.

There’s a problem with that, and it’s called lack of variety.

I soon began adding other writers. Today we have some of the most recognizable outdoorsmen in the upper Midwest writing for us.

They reveal a bunch of tips, techniques, where-to-go, how-to-do information in each issue.

And often, many of these breakthroughs are reported here before anywhere else.

Take, for instance, an article in the current issue by Ted Takasaki, one of the nation’s top competitive walleye fishermen. He talks about using aggressive jigging tactics on early ice walleyes. One of the lures he uses is the new Lindy Darter. A lure he thoroughly tested last winter. He reveals everything he learned in this article. The information is published here for the first time, but remember, you’ll be seeing a lot elsewhere about the Lindy Darter, only later.

If you ice fish, you know Dave Genz. He’s at the forefront of ice fishing technology and has taught all of us how to be more successful on the ice.

He’s also designed many of the lures, rods and other ice fishing paraphernalia which we take for granted today.

His story deals with getting on the ice before the sun breaks the horizon. It’s a tough thing to do and takes planning, but as Genz points out, it is often the most productive time of the day.

Other writers who appear in each issue include Babe Winkelman, a nationally-known outdoorsman who has spent the past 30 years teaching people how to hunt and fish. This time he writes about winterizing your boat and putting away your tackle for next year. In another story he talks about scent control you can’t buy at a store. Deer hunters, take note.

Jim McDonnell, Royal, Iowa, the guy we call “The Fishing Professor,” also writes for each issue. McDonnell, the original fishing guide on the Okoboji’s since the 1960s, often keys his stories to fishing success on the Iowa Great Lakes. The lure of yellow perch and goose hunting in northwest Iowa are two topics he addresses in the latest issue.

Bob Jenson, a long-time fishing educator and outdoor television host, writes about winter river walleyes and end of the season fishing tasks in the current issue.

Gary Howey, Hartington, Neb., outdoor television host and outdoor writer, writes about how to fish early ice safely and in another story, how the sport of ice fishing has changed.

Jerry Carlson, an outdoor writer from the Minneapolis area, writes about hole hopping to catch more winter fish.

I fill in with a blueprint for fishing Iowa’s Great Lakes with a species by species rundown and the best lures and baits for each. In another story I detail the changes in ice fishing gear and what you should have for success.

This little tabloid has evolved into a teaching machine on lots of different outdoor pursuits.

Look for it at various outlets around Sioux City, the Iowa Great Lakes and elsewhere.

We have one goal. That is to give you the best how-to information out there on hunting and fishing in the upper Midwest.

I’m sure you’ve had it happen to you, it’s deer season and you haven’t looked at your deer hunting gear since last season, now when you need it, you’re going to have to waste time trying to find your hunter’s orange vest, cap, range finder, binoculars, back pack etc.

It never fails, when you really need you gear it’s hard to find because it’s usually buried or piled on top of.

Well the folks at Sydell Outdoors have come up with the perfect solution, there Outdoor. Storage Units.

These units are ideal for storing hunting/fishing gear or any other type of sporting equipment.

Made of high impact polyethylene with a durable ABS door. The units stand 18” deep x 24” wide x 61” tall and come with three standard shelves.

They have molded shelf supports allowing placement of shelves on the inside of the unit as well as a place to support exterior shelves and to connect several units together.

Accessories include: shelf with coat hanger, gun shelves, fishing pole shelves and a combination lock.

By connecting several units together, you’ll have one unit for turkey hunt, one for waterfowl hunting and another for turkey hunting.

When it’s time to head for the field, all of your gear is in one place, allowing you to spend less time looking for gear and more time preparing for and hunting.

Sydell Outdoors storage units, helping to organize your next outdoor experience.

For more information on Sydell Outdoor products Watch for Sydell Outdoors website that will be coming soon.

Game Camera Photo by Scott Ulrich

Game cameras are a great and invaluable tool for the hunter today. A hunter using a camera has several extra advantages giving the hunter clues that he wouldn’t have even if you are an avid woodsman.

Cameras give us that extra edge when were trying to figure out the deer herd or scouting for that trophy buck. Cameras give you the actual time an animal arrives at a certain spot as well as the date and temperature reading, giving the hunter the ability to hunt twenty-four hours a day seven days a week without having to be in the field.

Another thing the game camera can help you with is to show you the direction animal is traveling. This is especially true if you have know where the game trails are and what direction they are going.

In a short period of time, a game camera lets the hunter know if there’s a game in the area he plans on hunting.
They’ll tell us if there are trophy bucks in the area and give us an idea as to the number of deer that are using the area.

Lastly the camera can help person with a trained eye to determine the approximate age of the deer. Game Cameras are one of the greatest tools or innovations to come, helping deer hunters to become more successful.

The woods still give us clues that are very important to our hunt. I believe a hunter that takes his trophy solely through woodsmanship is the man or woman withthe greatest sense of accomplishment.

Today there are many cameras on the market that run from seventy-five dollars on up to several hundred dollars.

Some cameras have the capability to take only a few pictures, while others shoot hundreds. There are cameras on the market that take videos. There are other cameras that can send you pictures through the internet right to your computer.
This technology allows a hunter to eliminate going into the woods and leaving their scent in the woods.

I recommend that all hunters consider using one of these cameras which will give you that extra edge in the field. They’ll help you plan your outing and create a great portfolio for years to come to share with you buddies.

Jeff Wade is an Award winning craftsman the creator of the custom made Roost’em turkey box calls. He’s an avid hunter and a member of Team Outdoorsmen Adventures. For more in formation on his products got www.roostem.com

This article will be about another of our spring turkey hunts. On this hunt, I was hoping that all of the bad luck was behind us, as this would be a brand new day and things just had to run smoother.

Day two of our “spring” turkey hunt at Antler Ridge Lodge www.antlerridgelodge.com couldn’t have started out any worse. When I woke up, I glanced out the window to see what appeared to be 6 to 8 inches of fresh wet snow.

This couldn’t be happening, I had to be half asleep, it had to be a bad dream, it was May when the May flowers were suppose to start appearing, not covered with snow.

“Rats” there goes Plan A again. Well we really didn’t have a choice; with only one day left to hunt, we had to go out no matter what the conditions.

Since I had tagged my two birds the day before, I’d be calling the birds for Tom Mitchell, KELO FM, Sioux Falls and with some luck our cameraman would be able to film the whole process.

WE set up our “brown” camo blind in the heavy wet snow adjacent to a shelterbelt were the birds were known to travel. The three of us climbed inside to begin what we hoped would be a successful day of turkey hunting.

To be honest, I felt a little silly perched in a brown blind in the middle of a totally white snow covered pasture.

But who would have thought that we’d need clothes and gear that was snow camo in May. I guess I should have known better, it happened to me before.

Oh well, I thought, here goes nothing and started out with a few soft yelps and purrs, hoping that some love sick Tom would hear it and come stumbling in.

The first and only bird we saw while in the blind was a large hen that poked her head around the edge of the shelterbelt. Thinking I might have a chance to bring her over and a Tom that might be following her, I did my best to draw her over.

I’d call and she’d move a few feet stop and look at our decoy and little by little worked our way, unfortunately there was no birds with her. I was able to bring her right up to the front of the blind, toyed with her a little and then let her walk away.

After an extended period of time, we decided that perhaps this wasn’t the turkey honey hole we’d hope it would be and decided to go with Plan B that would be the old run and gun method!

Our plan was to move out along the shelterbelt stopping and calling from time to time hoping to get a gobble, if none where heard, we’d continue moving until we either heard a bird or spotted a one that we could put the sneak on.

Well, this is where the “Bad” rears its ugly head. My hunting partner Tom was in the lead with my cameraman and me following close behind.

As we made our way around the shelterbelt, we spotted several birds working their way along a wooded draw. Unfortunately, when we poked our heads around the edge of the trees, we drew the attention of a group of calves that charged over to see what these strange looking camo people walking around in the snow where all about.

This of course put the turkeys on edge and they moved away at a very quick pace, at this point, I was getting the feeling that Plan B was beginning to really stink.

We slid off to the north to try and put distance between the calves and ourselves trying get ahead of the birds.

As we headed west, we spotted several turkeys with their heads protruding over the ridge in front of us. Of course they spooked and ran off down the hill, since both Plan A & B had been a total failure, we simply sat there trying to figure out what our next move would be.

Suddenly a turkey fan appeared along the ridgeline the birds had just vacated and it seemed to be facing away from us.

Our only alternative, “Plan C” was to have our cameraman film while Tom and I low crawled through the snow in order to get close enough to take a shot.

Tom took the lead with me following close behind him with our turkey decoy.

I don’t know about Tom, but it didn’t take me long to realize that my low crawling days were long gone as I hadn’t crawled far when I realized that this was work, a lot more work than I was used to.

As we inched closer to the Tom, that “Bad” thing appeared again as another turkey popped his head over the ridge looking right at us. We froze and only moved forward when the bird went down to feed.

We managed to within 50 yards of the bird when the 2nd Tom finally decided that he was going to keep an eye on these strange brown clumps lying in the snow.

The jig was up and Tom would have to take the shot. Unfortunately there was a slight rise in front of us right in front of the bird that we hadn’t noticed and it took the brunt of the charge from his 12 gauge, scattering birds in every direction.

As we rose, I glanced back at my cameraman to see if he’d been filming and he gave me the thumbs up. Great, we got the miss on film, but not the double kill from the day before.

I suggested to Tom that we should sneak a peek over the hill just in case there were birds bringing up the rear.

Tom moved out ahead with me off to my right with the cameraman bringing up the rear. He’d just topped the hill when I noticed a turkey on the far ridge, we immediately hit the ground hoping t the bird had not seen us.

Tom was lying flat on his back just over the edge of the ridge; with me lying about 5 yards behind him. Since the bird was facing the opposite direction, we assumed he hadn’t spotted us, so I gave a few soft calls, causing it to look our way and then quickly going back to back to feeding.

What now, we were out of Plans, but we needed to do something. That’s when I told Tom that I was going to hold the decoy in front of me as I slid up to the ridge to see if I could get the birds attention.

As I moved forward with the hen decoy, I gave a few soft putts and purrs with my diaphragm call. Once the Tom saw the decoy, he started heading down hill in our general direction.

This was where the “Good” part came in as the bird came down into the bottom along a tree line, he appeared on our side of the gully with another Tom in tow.

The birds slowly worked our way I whispered to Tom “they should be in range” and his 12 gauge barked tipping the back bird over backwards, causing it to tumble end over end all the way to the bottom of the draw.

As we worked our way down the hillside, we talked about how well the decoy had worked bringing the two Toms, allowing us to fill all three turkey tags in less that one day of hunting.

By noon the snow had melted, the weather warmed and after a few quick photos, we were ready to enjoy the “Good” to celebrate while enjoying another great meal at Antler Ridge Lodge and to reminisce about another of our great South Dakota hunting experience.

There is always a tom turkey somewhere willing to respond to a well-tuned call.

If there’s a hen decoy, they’ll usually strut right in and with the release of an arrow or tripping of a trigger, your tag will be filled.

That happened rather quickly for Jim McDonnell, the guy we call the Fishing Professor, from Royal, Iowa.

The tom hung up about 30 yards out, way too far for a sure kill with a bow, but Jim gave out a quick “gobble” call and that sealed the deal.

The tom came right in and offered Jim and easy 15 yard shot through the legs.

“Shoot them through the legs and they are not going to get up and run away,” Jim said.

“I don’t even like to write about using a gobble call,” Jim said. “Chances are, if another hunter hears it, he will sneak right in and hunt you. But, if you are on private land and sure there are no other hunters around, it will often bring in a reluctant tom.

“It sealed the deal this time,” he smiled.

We were hunting on 370 acres of prime whitetail and turkey habitat owned by Paul and Sheila Thomsen, operators of the Inn Spiration Bed and Breakfast.

There are 220 acres of timber, 75 acres of CRP/WRP and 75 acres of corn, soybeans and food plots on the land. Paul also leases other nearby land for fall hunters.

We were guests at the B & B for three days and hunted turkeys hard. Jim, holding an archery tag, is allowed to take two toms anytime during the four seasons. I was holding a third season shotgun tag.

Morning of the opening of the third season, I set up at the edge of the timber looking out over a narrow strip of CRP with last year’s corn ground in the background. To my left was a well-used trail which came across the dam of a small pond, which held a pair of nesting Canada geese. The trail ducked under a single strand of barbed wire and led right to where I was sitting.

Paul said he has seen turkeys crossing here often.

But, not this day. I heard one gobble right at dawn far away to the southwest and not on our property.

I sat tight and two hens walked across the corn and entered the timber to my right.

Jim was in his blind about a quarter mile away. At 10 a.m., when we joined up, he reported not seeing any turkeys either.

But, he did have some excitement.

“I had just gotten in the blind and poured myself a cup of coffee,” he said. “I made the fly down sound with a paper bag and made a few soft hen yelps.

“As I raised the coffee cup to my lips I noticed a grey blur come charging out of the trees and it hit my turkey fan,” he continued. “It was a nice coyote and as soon as he realized his mistake he took off.

“It happened so quickly I didn’t even have a chance to pick up my bow,” he smiled.

Jim was using a hen decoy and a real turkey feather fan which has a stake attached. The coyote hit the fan and bit off three of the big feathers just as cleanly as if you had cut them with a knife.

We hunted that day and the next and the morning of the third but never got close to another turkey. It had turned hot and windy and the birds weren’t talking, even at dawn.

But the other wildlife we saw was remarkable. One afternoon, sitting in the timber, I watched at least 50 warblers of three or four different kinds flitting among the tree branches. I saw four different kinds of woodpeckers, bluejays, robins, Canada geese, a great egret, woodducks, teal, birds I couldn’t identify, raccoons and, of course, whitetail deer.

Yet, the bird of my desires did not manifest itself. That, however, is turkey hunting.

Anyone who’s spent much time in the woods, setting and waiting for that big Tom or buck to appear knows the key to filling your permit is your ability to set still for long period of times.

Setting in one spot can be awfully hard on your posterior as well as being cold and damp.

On a recent turkey hunting trip, I had the opportunity to use the Air Saddle, a compact inflatable hunter’s seat that packs in and out easily. Since it doesn’t need to be inflated

until you reach your hunting spot, you aren’t lugging any extra weight.

Shaped like a saddle, this camouflaged seat, allows you to set for extended period of times comfortably, insulating your bottom from the cold wet ground.

If you don’t need to deflate the Air Saddle, it has an elastic strap allowing you to transport it while inflated.

If you’re looking for a comfortable easy to transport hunting seat that will make your next trip to the field or deer stand, then the Air Saddle is the answer.

It also has an unheard of  guarantee as it’s  guaranteed for life due to manufacturer’s defects or natural causes (rocks, briars, twigs etc.) you can return it to Air Saddle for replacement.

For more information on the Air Saddle, check out their web site at www.myairsaddle.com

Turkeys will usually roost in the same trees over and over until they are disturbed.
When scouting for turkeys look for feathers, dung, and scratchings.

A tom’s droppings will look like a “J” and the hens will look more round and circular.
Scratchings and loose feathers will tell you which way the birds are heading to their feeding and dusting areas. Leaves will be kicked back in the opposite direction than they are heading.

An owl call will usually get a turkey to reveal his position to you before daylight.

If you aren’t lucky enough to locate a gobbler on the roost try to evoke a shock gobble by using a crow call or Pileated woodpecker call.