By Bret “T-Bone” Amundson
So I’m completely hooked on bow hunting now.
Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t developed a complete aversion to slinging my 30.06 over my shoulder, but if I had to pick just one, the old stick and string would come out on top.
This being my greatest fall ever, I’ve had/have bow tags in ND and MN, a rifle tag for WI, small game in ND, MN, and WI, Fishing license in ND, MN, WI and Ontario, Swan tag in ND, Sandhill Crane in MN, waterfowl stamps/validations/privileges, goose permit, fall turkey tag in WI and I’m pretty sure I’ve got a samsqwatch permit tucked into my wallet somewhere.
With all those tags you’d wonder how I have time to eat/sleep/bodily function between all the “shooting” I must be doing, right?
Usually this is where I lose people who don’t have the time to hunt as much as I’ve been. They don’t want to hear it. I don’t blame them, as I’ve been there. But as I mentioned earlier, this is my greatest fall ever. Ever.
The point I’m slowly getting to is that no matter how many tags you’ve got, you’ll inevitably need one that you don’t have.
I spent the last month and a half bow hunting in Minnesota. Despite seeing a good amount of deer, opportunities within bow range were few and far between. Turkeys however wouldn’t leave me alone. Roosting in the tree next to me, foraging about 30 yards away and trying to borrow money.
Do I have a turkey tag for Minnesota? Nope.
I journeyed east to visit family and prepare for the Wisconsin gun deer season. I picked up a fall turkey tag along the way because a similar scenario played itself out last season. While deep in the Wisconsin woods, timber ghosts proved to be invisible while gobblers were as prevalent as those ugly green and gold bumper stickers.
After a morning waterfowl hunt, I grabbed my Elite Archery bow and went in search of Thanksgiving dinner. Would I see turkeys? Maybe. Would I see deer within bow range? Fooor sure.
That’s the way it goes and I always enjoy seeing wildlife no matter what. The turkeys eventually made an appearance, roosting in some tall pines a few hundred yards away. That’s ok, now I’ll know where to go tomorrow.
Bret “T-Bone” Amundson
Bret@MNsportingjournal.com