By Jacob Edson - F+W Outdoors Editor

I just returned from my first turkey hunt of the season. I'm proud to
report that Mississippi treated me pretty well, serving up my very first
double-bearded tom.

This particular bird seemed to be one of those tough Mississippi
toms we all hear about. On the first morning of the hunt, he was one of
the few birds that gobbled well. However, the swollen Noxubee River had
backed up into several ditches, preventing any approach.

The next morning, my guide and I heard him again. Recognizing that this was
the same bird, we decided to execute an extreme end around. We drove
several miles around the property to come at the bird from the "right" side
of the ditch. Problem was, when we got there, the bird had already shut up
and refused to honor any of our hen talk. We did find him though – on the
wrong side of another creek!

We could hear him drumming just 60 yards across the backed-up flow. By the
time we made it to a crossing with our HuntVe 4x4, the tom was long gone.
However, his tracks revealed this was one of his favorite hang outs.



We decided to wait him out. And at 6:05 p.m. the old Mississippi longbeard
returned. I had been watching a hen peck in the swamp behind me, but I was
able to slowly swing my Knight KP1 into position. When the tom reached 35
yards, a 3-inch load of No. 4s sent him tumbling into what must have been the
biggest mud puddle in Noxubee County.

Not only was it my first double-bearded tom, but my first afternoon gobbler
to boot!

The Turkey Call Webinar is tonight. For those last-minute attendees, click here to register. You've got 45 minutes!

This is the last of a three-part series. Click here to read the first part. Click here to read the second part.

by Brian Lovett, editor

As Day 3 of our Texas trip dawned, I found myself on familiar ground with
familiar company.

I'd joined Ken Beesley of Bad Boy Buggies at the spot where I'd shot my
second Rio the previous day. If the turkeys would oblige and do the same
thing — fly down and immediately head for a small field near a pond — we'd
be waiting for them.



Roost gobbling was sporadic, but one gobbler seemed to fire up a bit after
he hit the ground. After two or three sequences of soft yelping and cutting,
a bird hammered back directly in front of us. He was coming.

Within seconds, I saw several dark shapes and two huge fans slip out of the
live oaks and trot directly toward Beesley. Two hens popped into the opening
and stopped, seemingly aware that something wasn't right. Three or four
white heads periscoped behind them, and Beesley's gun barked.

Minutes later, we were standing over Beesley's second Rio Grande. This bird
wasn't quite as impressive as his first gobbler — the one with 2-inch spurs
— but it still sported 13/8-inch hooks.



That afternoon, two more hunters filled their final tags before we snapped
photos and relived stories from the week. The next morning, we'd pack our
gear and head for home, with memories of the Lone Star state fresh in our
minds.

This is the second part of a three-part series on Brian Lovett's recent Texas hunt. Click here to read the first part.

by Brian Lovett, editor

As I eased out of the truck during my second morning in Texas, the reaction
was immediate.

"Warmer," I thought. "Much warmer."

Guide Mike Stroff of SOE Hunts pointed toward a road that bisected two
ponds, and off I went. Turkeys began gobbling almost immediately to the
south, so I slipped in as far as possible and then sat against a small live
oak. Ideal? No, but it was the best I could do.

Soon, the birds flew down and clammed up. A series of yelps netted no
responses, but when I cutt hard, two birds hammered back from the east.
Within seconds, a hen and two strutters cleared the trees and began milling
about in a field 80 yards away. I was stuck.

When I called again, however, a bird responded 75 steps away to the south. I
quickly shifted around and yelped again. After two minutes and some frenzied
gobbling, Rio Grande No. 2 was flopping 20-some steps away.

That afternoon, temperatures hit the mid-80s, and I joined writer Matt
Coffey in a tent blind near a live-oak grove. Astoundingly, we called in and
spooked a gobbler almost immediately. I'm still not sure what happened, but
the bird didn't stick around to find out.



As evening set in, the turkeys got active. A strutter and two hens set up
shop 80 yards behind us, and then two more gobblers circled around us to
join them. Minutes later, a trio of 2-year-olds followed the same path. We
had six longbeards within 80 yards.

Eventually, we coaxed the three 2-year-olds out of the timber to the field
edge, and Coffey killed one at 30 steps, ending a perfect day. Even as we
left the blind to meet our guide, a bird was gobbling like mad in the
distance.

We still had one more day to hunt, but everyone doubted it could match the
first two.

Source: The Jersey Journal

A wild turkey created quite a stir in Downtown Jersey City today when it appeared at Eighth and Monmouth streets. The turkey led Emergency Service Unit police officers -- and local residents -- on quite a chase, at one point perching itself on power lines high above the street.

Continue reading here

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Secretary Matt Frank said recently that the sale of excess 2009 turkey permits, which began March 23, was successful.

After technical complications played havoc on the 2008 sale, the DNR
immediately began working with vendors to overhaul the permit-sale system.

“DNR staff worked hard to create a system that would provide efficient and
effective service to the public,” Frank said. “The improvements made to the
sale were successful and very popular.”

Excess turkey permits went on sale by zone beginning March 23
through the internet, via telephone and over the counter. More than 47,200 excess permits have been issued since the start of the sale, 32 percent of which occurred on the internet. Another 61 percent of the sales were conducted through DNR’s retail partners across the state.

“I would like to thank the Wisconsin Conservation Congress, the National Wild Turkey Federation, hunters and others for their input on improving the system for excess turkey permit sales and avoiding the problems from 2008,” Frank said. “Our highest priority is providing top-quality public service, allowing people to spend less time in line and more time enjoying the outdoors.”

Remaining permits can be purchased until they are sold out or the season
ends. Visit the DNR web site at www.dnr.wi.gov to view up-to-date spring turkey permit availability.

OCONTO COUNTY, Wis — Charges were filed March 16 in the poisoning deaths of more than 100 turkeys found Jan. 29 in a northeastern Wisconsin field.

Mark A. Kostreva, 50, of 9448 Swenty Road, Pound, Wis., faces three charges of mistreatment of animals. He is slated to have an initial appearance at 1 p.m. April 7 in Oconto County Circuit Court. If convicted, Kostreva could face fines of up to $10,000, or three years and six months in prison — or both — on each count. 

According to the criminal complaint, Kostreva had experienced troubles with turkeys eating hay, straw, corn silage and other items during winter at his feed lot the past several years. Up to 500 turkeys per day would appear at the lot, which Kostreva claimed cost him several thousand dollars.

He attempted to solve the problem by contacting personnel at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and other agencies without success. He later obtained information from another source indicating that pouring antifreeze over corn would eliminate the problem, the complaint said.

He then purchased three gallons of antifreeze in January and poured some over corn in a pail, according to the complaint. He then traveled to a nearby pine grove of a neighbor, where turkeys had been gathering during winter, and spread the poisoned corn around trails in that area.

At about 5:30 p.m., Jan. 29, conservation warden Joseph Paul received a telephone call from poaching hotline staff about a confidential call reporting more than 40 dead turkeys. Paul visited the informant, who said a family member had found some of the dead turkeys while snowmobiling. Some other turkeys were still alive but couldn't fly. Many of the dead turkeys had been consumed, as only feathers and bones remained. Most of the birds were in a 2-acre area, the complaint said. Paul and other wardens visited the site and found about 100 dead turkeys. 

According to the complaint, DNR veterinarian Julia Langenberg told wardens to transport five turkeys to the animal-health lab for testing. Results were released Feb. 10 that the cause of death was poisoning from ethylene glycol, commonly called antifreeze.

The investigation led to Kostreva. During a Feb. 4 interview, the complaint said, he admitted mixing several pails of cracked corn with antifreeze and spreading it in near the pine grove. He told wardens he did not know that 100 turkeys were found at or near the pine grove. After putting out the corn, he reported seeing only a few dead turkeys around that area.

Also, the complaint said, Kostreva said he did not know the mixture would have such an effect and that he had not wanted to hurt other animals or people. Further, he said it was out of character for him to do such a thing and offered to help wardens pick up the dead turkeys.