Spring and early summer bring new opportunities, but first closing the gathering gates on turkeys, morels, spring ephemerals, and pollen in the wind.
An Iowa County turkey hunter discovered a great turkey coaxer, but operation requires both hands and eyes.
“It’s worked several times but not every time,” a man explained, grinning ear to ear and rolling a spent 12 gauge shotgun shell between his fingers.
Tom Howard, retired Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources wildlife supervisor, explained, “Select a good book and set up a blind with a comfortable seat. Make a couple calls every 15-20 minutes while reading pages between calls. Make sure to gaze out the blind time to time.”
While the first 14 hours during Period E were all reading, the next day, during one of the stop-reading-breaks, a pair of toms appeared around his decoy. Having two permits for the period, Howard waited until their heads were lined up and got gobblers with one pull of the trigger. (First make sure to have two valid authorizations.)
With each hunt Howard gets a bit smarter, not necessarily about turkeys but from books he reads.
“Some hunters have done well, others continue to find gobblers silent,” Don Martin, at Martin’s in Monroe, Wisconsin said. “It’s the same with morels; nothing and then three full bags. One turkey hunter peeked out to see a bobcat crawling toward his decoy, probably confused by a talking hen.”
Jeff Fredrick, the Gobbler Geek, from Mindoro, Wisconsin, said the toms are all bunched up for the final turkey hunting period and then added, “Be aware of what’s being planted and where, because the birds use farm fields. If you can stick it out (stay put) you’ll likely get a chance at a gobbler.”
Morel mushrooms were another disappointing season, but not without some surprises and joys.
Don Dodge, an asparagus gatherer from Argyle, Wisconsin, said the same about wild asparagus.
“The grass is tall and it takes a good and experienced eye to find spears roadside. It’s there. I’ve followed pickers who found very little and came away with 50 spears.”
Road construction on a large stretch of County Highway T in Iowa County has contractors on the watch for critters who may be using the roadside habitat, including timber rattlesnakes, Blanchard’s cricket frogs, nesting bald eagles, upland sandpipers, rusty patched bumblebees, and plains garter snakes.
“That doesn’t mean they are going to be there, but the habitat is right within the general regions,” said Travis Anderson, WDNR wildlife biologist for Lafayette and Iowa counties. “Some precautions are to close-mow or till the immediate area so Blanchard’s cricket frogs making it less likely they use the area.”
Fishing has been good and many of the lakes are at better levels than earlier this spring.
“Tube jigs below a bobber are working for crappies. Nice bluegills are being taken on Lake Mendota and trout anglers are doing well, too,” said Wally Banfi, a fishing guide and clerk at Wilderness Fish and Game in Sauk City.
Banfi added that turkey hunters using TSS shot in 20 gauge and .410 shotguns are pleased with the results, light weight of the guns, and reduced recoil.
Prairies are beginning to show blooms with purple and white-shaded shooting stars putting on great displays. Columbine’s red flowers are attracting ruby-throated hummingbirds in deciduous forests. Orioles, rose- breasted grosbeaks and indigo buntings are adding orange, red and bright blues to birders’ outings. Bald eagle eaglets have dark feathers and can be counted in occupied nests. Yellow lady’s-slipper orchids are brightening dim deciduous forests. May apples, black raspberries and trilliums are blooming and wild strawberries are forming accessory fruits.
Spongy moth caterpillars are beginning to do a job on oak, chestnut, and beech trees, to name a few.
It appears safe to plant garden beans and set out tomato plants, based on morning low temperatures.
Pines are having a banner year with cones producing pollen that shows on many surfaces and water puddles. Aspens are dropping their cotton-like seeded parachutes.
Fawns are beginning to appear, along with newly-hatched birds.
— Jerry Davis is an Argyle native and a freelance writer who lives in Barneveld. He can be reached at
sivadjam@mhtc.net or at
608-924-1112.
