Last week, Gregg Sikora asked me if I
could take his son, Jake out turkey hunting on Monday morning
because Gregg had to work. Hmmm. . . another opportunity get up
really, really early, go out into the rain and cold, and plump down
on tick infested ground in the dark, who wouldn't say yes? The sky
was dripping a bit and it was windy when I picked Jake up. We went
to the farm where I got my bird a few days before, and waited by the
truck to hear any gobbling; it didn't take long and there was plenty.
We walked out on a ridge top field to listen again and try to pick a
bird to hunt. We both heard a tom letting us know he was in mood for
love, and not far from us. We slipped and trundled (okay, I slipped
and trundled, not 13-year old Jake) down through a grass strip along
the corn to a spot I thought might work to call the gobbler. As soon
as we crested the hill, we both saw a turkey run and then fly right
in front of the spot I had chosen. Nuts! Still there were toms
gobbling in the hollow below, so we quietly discussed the situation
and then set up there anyway.
Jake nestled in along a downed log and
I found a tree to lean against back in the woods a bit. The rain let
up, sprinkled again, and then fog came rolling in. A tom gobbled
nearby and Jake had his .20 gauge at the ready. We waited but nobody
came to our invite. We moved and tried a spot on the other side of
the hill. There were three toms rattling off their wattles down in
the hollow. I called and we waited. I think I may have napped a
tad. Those birds gobbled and obviously moved about, but they
wouldn't come in. I fear they were on the other side of the hollow
and didn't want to cross the ditch to get to us. We tried a third
set way down in the hollow, but the all three toms sounded like they
were moving away from us. We finally called it quits, but they were
still gobbling. We headed into La Crosse for breakfast and to stop
at Ace to buy another turkey tag for season 5. It wasn't our
morning, even the fast food place got our order wrong - twice!
On Tuesday last week Ellen and drove
down to Burton to help her brother Bill clean up brush around some
fields. Ellen and her sisters Kathy and Barb and I picked up sticks
and chopped out roots and such along the fields that Bill had dropped
trees along some time before. He was using his new Kubota tracked
loaded to dig stumps and pile brush. I want one, but alas they cost
somewhere in the neighborhood of what we paid for our farm. Anyway,
we all had lunch at the Burton Tavern. Owner Kevin Connelly fixed us
burgers and fries and entertained us - and Bill bought!
On Friday last we met our good buddy,
Gordie Hierlmeier at Evert's Resort near Red Wing to try our hand at
hunting again, walleyes this time. Ellen has never been up there
fishing, so this was all new for us. Kari at Evert's showed us a
couple rental cabins while we waited for Gordie. This a fish camp,
not the Dells, but the facilities are nice with a full service bait
and tackle shop, lots of beds in the cabins, satellite TV, all the
amenities, and rental includes the boat launch and parking fees plus
all the expertise the folks at Evert's can share for $125 a night for
the first four people. The river was rushing by the landing. We
watched two guys try to stay tied up on the south end of a dock,
battling the current and a stiff northerly breeze. The water was
very dirty. Anyway, we finally got Gordie's boat in the water and
headed upriver. Gordie set Ellen up with a Dubuque rig while I
dropped in a hair jig and a minnow and he put down a Lindy rig with
just a hook and a minnow. The conversation was busy, catching up
with news of our kids and lives and such, the fishing was pretty
slow. Gordie managed two small saugers. I eventually hooked a
couple white bass and a nice eating-sized sauger. Ellen didn't have
much luck of the catching kind. After he dropped us off at the
landing so we could go up to River Falls and visit El's brother
Brian, Gordie texted me that he hooked “an eye and a bass.”
We took the relatively short drive up
to River Falls and visited Brian, his daughter Casey, and his
granddaughter Ellery for an hour. Nephew Cory (I have written about
fishing with a number of times) and his wife Juliet pulled after
going out to eat to celebrate their seventh anniversary. El and I
finally headed south, to take care of our canine alarm clock. We
drove in rain and wind but mostly it was a beautiful night along the
Mississippi. Scout nearly wiggled out of her skin when we let her
out for a late night game of ball and fetch and then supper.
Until next time, get out - Jake went to
Space Camp in Alabama this past weekend. Turkey hunting one weekend
and outer space the next - these kids sure get around. Inland fishing
season opens this weekend; can the morels be far behind? Enjoy.
Last week, Gregg Sikora asked me if I
could take his son, Jake out turkey hunting on Monday morning
because Gregg had to work. Hmmm. . . another opportunity get up
really, really early, go out into the rain and cold, and plump down
on tick infested ground in the dark, who wouldn't say yes? The sky
was dripping a bit and it was windy when I picked Jake up. We went
to the farm where I got my bird a few days before, and waited by the
truck to hear any gobbling; it didn't take long and there was plenty.
We walked out on a ridge top field to listen again and try to pick a
bird to hunt. We both heard a tom letting us know he was in mood for
love, and not far from us. We slipped and trundled (okay, I slipped
and trundled, not 13-year old Jake) down through a grass strip along
the corn to a spot I thought might work to call the gobbler. As soon
as we crested the hill, we both saw a turkey run and then fly right
in front of the spot I had chosen. Nuts! Still there were toms
gobbling in the hollow below, so we quietly discussed the situation
and then set up there anyway.
Jake nestled in along a downed log and
I found a tree to lean against back in the woods a bit. The rain let
up, sprinkled again, and then fog came rolling in. A tom gobbled
nearby and Jake had his .20 gauge at the ready. We waited but nobody
came to our invite. We moved and tried a spot on the other side of
the hill. There were three toms rattling off their wattles down in
the hollow. I called and we waited. I think I may have napped a
tad. Those birds gobbled and obviously moved about, but they
wouldn't come in. I fear they were on the other side of the hollow
and didn't want to cross the ditch to get to us. We tried a third
set way down in the hollow, but the all three toms sounded like they
were moving away from us. We finally called it quits, but they were
still gobbling. We headed into La Crosse for breakfast and to stop
at Ace to buy another turkey tag for season 5. It wasn't our
morning, even the fast food place got our order wrong - twice!
On Tuesday last week Ellen and drove
down to Burton to help her brother Bill clean up brush around some
fields. Ellen and her sisters Kathy and Barb and I picked up sticks
and chopped out roots and such along the fields that Bill had dropped
trees along some time before. He was using his new Kubota tracked
loaded to dig stumps and pile brush. I want one, but alas they cost
somewhere in the neighborhood of what we paid for our farm. Anyway,
we all had lunch at the Burton Tavern. Owner Kevin Connelly fixed us
burgers and fries and entertained us - and Bill bought!
On Friday last we met our good buddy,
Gordie Hierlmeier at Evert's Resort near Red Wing to try our hand at
hunting again, walleyes this time. Ellen has never been up there
fishing, so this was all new for us. Kari at Evert's showed us a
couple rental cabins while we waited for Gordie. This a fish camp,
not the Dells, but the facilities are nice with a full service bait
and tackle shop, lots of beds in the cabins, satellite TV, all the
amenities, and rental includes the boat launch and parking fees plus
all the expertise the folks at Evert's can share for $125 a night for
the first four people. The river was rushing by the landing. We
watched two guys try to stay tied up on the south end of a dock,
battling the current and a stiff northerly breeze. The water was
very dirty. Anyway, we finally got Gordie's boat in the water and
headed upriver. Gordie set Ellen up with a Dubuque rig while I
dropped in a hair jig and a minnow and he put down a Lindy rig with
just a hook and a minnow. The conversation was busy, catching up
with news of our kids and lives and such, the fishing was pretty
slow. Gordie managed two small saugers. I eventually hooked a
couple white bass and a nice eating-sized sauger. Ellen didn't have
much luck of the catching kind. After he dropped us off at the
landing so we could go up to River Falls and visit El's brother
Brian, Gordie texted me that he hooked “an eye and a bass.”
We took the relatively short drive up
to River Falls and visited Brian, his daughter Casey, and his
granddaughter Ellery for an hour. Nephew Cory (I have written about
fishing with a number of times) and his wife Juliet pulled after
going out to eat to celebrate their seventh anniversary. El and I
finally headed south, to take care of our canine alarm clock. We
drove in rain and wind but mostly it was a beautiful night along the
Mississippi. Scout nearly wiggled out of her skin when we let her
out for a late night game of ball and fetch and then supper.
Until next time, get out - Jake went to
Space Camp in Alabama this past weekend. Turkey hunting one weekend
and outer space the next - these kids sure get around. Inland fishing
season opens this weekend; can the morels be far behind? Enjoy.
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