SOLitude Lake Management celebrates 2012 outreach and volunteer efforts

Source: SubmittedSOLitude Lake Management staff gathers with a check representing the $16,500 donation in cash and goods donated through The SOLution program in 2012.  From top to bottom (l-r) are Brad Harris, Trina Duncan, Matthew Phillips, David Beasley, Ellen Stace, Shannon Junior, David Riedl, Gavin Ferris, Lisa Richards, Greg Blackham, Kim Niesel, Brent Weber, Kevin Tucker, Kyle Finerfrock, Cyd Kroskey, Jessica Mueller, Dave Ellison, Tracy King, Dustin Kennedy and John Phelps.

Spring Gobbler Strategies
Early Morning Early Morning Calling Midmorning Afternoon
Roosting Birds Decoy Setup
Turkey Hunting Weather Conditions

Calm Days Windy Days Rainy Days Snowy Days Hot Days

Early Morning Setups    

Listen for gobbler thunder from a ridge top, knoll or similar high spot at dawn. The higher you hunt the easier it is to hear and course faraway gobbles. If a bird roars on a nearby oak flat or just off the point of a ridge, great! Sneak quietly down into calling position.

The first time a turkey gobbles, don’t tear down the woods running to him. Keep cool; slip 25 to 50 yards in the direction of the gobble; and check up. A tom will usually gobble 2 or 3 more times, and hopefully more than that. Listen to those calls and draw a solid line to the bird’s roost tree.

Using ridges, hollows and foliage for cover, you should have no trouble sneaking within 200 yards of a roosted turkey. Whenever possible, try to cut the distance to 125 or even 100 yards. The less terra firma between you and a bird, the better the odds that he’ll pitch down and drift to your calls at daybreak.

For some strange reason, most toms are reluctant to pitch from their limbs and strut downhill to calling. Try to position above a roosted bird, or at least on the same gradient plane with him.

As you approach a gobbling turkey, scan the woods for a fence, creek, gully or strip of thick brush, and maneuver to take any hazard large or small out of play. Strive to set up where the terrain is gently rolling and fairly open, which makes it easy for a tom to strut toward your calls.

The best strategy of all is to anticipate where a gobbler will go to gather hens, then set up to block his way. Is there a field, food plot, clear-cut, burn or open creek bottom within a half-mile or so of a tom’s roost tree? If so, beat feet over in that direction and settle in. When the turkey flies down and heads for his strut zone, you’ll be in good position to cut him off and coax him with calling.

Early Morning Calling      

Let’s say you do it right and slip within 100 yards of a roosted turkey that is gobbling hot and heavy. The more the bird roars, the more you feel an uncontrollable urge to cluck and yelp. But be careful! Too much calling at first light can hang a tom on his limb as he waits for the hot “hen” to sail or walk beneath his roost tree. And the longer he sits up there and fails to see a girl, the more he smells a rat. When the bird finally flies down 30 minutes later, there’s a good chance he’ll run the other way.

So fight the urge to call too early. Wait until pink illuminates the sky. Then give a bird some pillow talk to let him now you’re there. A couple of sultry tree clucks and yelps are about right.

If the turkey bellows shut the heck up! He has honored you as a hen, he likes what he heard, and he knows where you are. Let him fly down and come looking for you. But if the tom fails to gobble, cluck and yelp a little louder to focus his attention in your direction.

If he still doesn’t talk, it’s no big deal. Listen for the bird to fly down, then hit him with a spirited hen cackle. Try flapping a Primos turkey wing against your leg to sound like a hen pitching to the ground. If the tom gobbles and steps your way, you might not need to call again. But if he hangs up after 5 minutes or so, cluck, yelp and purr a little louder. As long as the turkey hangs around and gobbles keep playing the game. Most hunters move too quickly on toms that might eventually strut to their calls 30 minutes or so after fly-down time.

Midmorning Tactics Back Up

Turkeys might gobble like crazy on the roost. But for an hour or two after daybreak the woods may fall as quiet as a mausoleum. That’s because the hens and toms are courting and breeding. Toms strut and drum but gobble little if at all as they have their fun. The so-called “gobbling lull” is the toughest time of day to hunt.

But along about 9 o’clock some hens begin to leave some of the gobblers. Some girls simply lose interest in the boys, while others slip off to lay eggs. Lovesick toms are driven to be around hens all the time in the spring, so they immediately begin searching for more company. Some rowdy 2-year-old males may start gobbling hard in hopes of attracting new hens. Older long beards strut and drum intensely, and they are stoked to shock gobble.    

“Gobblers strut around all morning, and suddenly they look up and their hens are gone,” says my friend Harold Knight of Knight and Hale Game Calls. “They almost fly into a panic. If you slip around the woods and call, those lonesome turkeys will hear you and gobble. If they gobble a couple of times at your calls, they’re generally pretty easy to call in.”

There’s another big reason the midmorning hours are hot. You’ve got plenty of elbow room to do your thing. “Most hunters have gone home or to work,” notes Knight. “A lot of the gobblers that were called to and maybe spooked first thing in the morning have settled back down. The woods have calmed down and the turkeys are back on their normal routine. If you’ve got the day off, hang in there. You’ll have the woods to yourself as you call to those lonely gobblers.”

Beginning around 9:00 a.m. walk old logging roads, field edges, foot trails on ridges…you get the idea. Pause often and listen for gobbles. Try to strike toms with calls. ”

I like to blow a hawk or crow call,” says Knight. “Lonely turkeys have so much pent-up energy that they’ll often shock gobble at those sounds. The minute a turkey gobbles, I move in, set up in a good spot and switch over to soft hen calls.”

If locator calls fail to produce, turn to turkey calling. “My favorite calls are loud yelps and especially cutts,” says Knight. “If a gobbler’s hens have left and he’s strutting around by himself, he’ll nail a sharp cutt most of the time.”

Knight offers one exception to the rule of calling aggressively to strike toms. “When I hunt a public area late in the season, I figure most of the gobblers are call shy,” he says. “So I tone down my calling. I still cover lots of ground and call down into hollows and around fields, but I yelp and cutt softer and not as much.”

Afternoon Strategies      

Combined, more than 25 Southeastern, Midwestern and Western states permit all-day turkey hunting in the spring. If you live in or travel to one of these states you can experience some great action beginning after lunch and continuing until roosting time. Most of the early-morning hunters are out of the woods. But the gobblers are still there, most of ’em deserted by hens and stoked to gobble at your locator calls or hen cutts.

But keep this in mind. You can’t expect a turkey to gobble 50 or more times in the afternoon like he might first thing in the morning. Most birds won’t even gobble as much as they might around 9 or 10 a.m. You need to crow call or hen cutt and listen closely for a faint gobble or two. Then move in and listen for softer sounds, like a turkey strutting or walking in the leaves. A lot of turkeys, especially old Easterns, will gobble only once or twice in the afternoon, but they’ll come to your calls fast and silently.

Afternoon hunting generally peaks from around 2 to 4:30 p.m., but you might as well hunt right up until dark some days. Gobblers love to roost within 50 to 200 yards of hens. If a turkey hears you yelping and cutting late in the day, he might come in to roost in the area. Better yet, he might run over to check out the hen before he flies up.

Roosting Toms Back Up

One of the oldest tricks in the book in to “put a gobbler to bed.” On spring evenings hit the woods and listen for a turkey to gobble when he flies up to roost at dusk. If a bird doesn’t roar on his own, owl hoot, crow call or hen cutt. Hopefully one or more birds will gobble and give away their roost trees. Even if no toms talk you should listen for heavy wings thumping up into the treetops.

If you hear a turkey gobble or fly up, you know where to hunt the next morning. Slip into the area well before first light, set up 100 to 150 yards away from a turkey’s roost and wait for tom to roar. Then give him your best calling.

“A roosted turkey sure ain’t a roasted turkey!” goes an old Southern saying. That’s right. You might come back the next morning and a turkey you roosted won’t gobble. Or he might gobble his fool head off, fly down and run straight away from your calling. You just never know. Still, you should try to roost a few birds each spring. It sure never hurts to plan a morning hunt in an area where you put a gobbler to bed the night before.

Decoy Setups

We’ve developed a love-hate relationship with decoys over the years. Granted, some lovesick toms run to fakes. But we’ve watched far too many birds stop 50 yards out, explode into strut and wait for the “hen” to walk the rest of the way to them. Here’s a good way to cut down on some of those hang-ups.

Stake a fake hen 20 yards past a calling setup. This puts you smack between the decoy and the gobbling turkey you’re yelping to. If the bird works in and stops 50 yards from the imposter, great! He’s 30 yards or so off the end of your shotgun barrel.

A few final notes: Pack two foam hens and a foam jake (from Feather Flex or Carry Lite) in your vest. Set the trio on their stakes; they’ll spin enticingly in the breeze to catch the eye of a gobbler. Setting a jake (or strutting Tom) with a hen or two is important, as a mature gobbler will sometimes see him and come in to kick his butt (the old guy thinks the jake is courting a hen). Decoys work best in fields, logging roads and other open areas where gobblers can spot them a long way off.

If the turkeys wont come to your calling, try letting the decoys do the talking for you. Just setup two or more decoys in an open area and wait.

Turkey Hunting Conditions Back Up

Calm Days     

As a rule turkeys gobble best on clear, calm, high-pressure mornings in the spring. Stand on a ridge or bluff at dawn and you’re apt to hear birds gobbling a mile or more away in all directions.

Not only can you hear well on a nice day, your calls also ring true and carry far. Any mouth or friction call works well. Since yelps and cutts carry nicely, you don’t have to hammer away on calls. Soft to moderately loud calling is most realistic.

In the fall flocks are vocal on calm days. Pause on a hardwood ridge and you might hear birds clucking, yelping and purring 200 to 400 yards away. Listen for birds flying down from a roost, or scratching in the leaves for feed.

About the only down side to a calm day is that turkeys might hear you coming and spook, especially when the fallen leaves are dry and deep in October or November. In this case try to walk along field edges, logging roads and the like. Pause often to call and listen for turkeys calling back or scratching.

Windy Days Back Up

Wind is the bane of turkey hunters. For one thing birds don’t gobble very much after they’re been whipped around in trees all night. Same thing in the fall; birds don’t feel like roost clucking or yelping much after windy nights. Even if birds gobble or yelp a few times you probably can’t hear those calls because of a stout breeze.

Here are a few ways to fight the wind. ·

Hunt early in the morning. The wind often dies at dawn and stays down for an hour or so before it starts to whistle again.
Check for single birds or flocks roosted on the lee sides of ridges, hills or points.
In midmorning and afternoon, check for strutters or flocks loafing in hollows, draws, creek bottoms and other low, wind-broken habitats.
Use friction calls. High-pitched box and pot-peg calls seem to pierce to wind better than diaphragms.
If a turkey gobbles back at your calls, set up quickly and be ready. Since the wind limits your hearing a tom is likely closer than he sounds.

Rainy Days Back Up      

Turkey hunting is poor in heavy rain. The birds are neither vocal nor active, so there’s really no reason to get out there and get drenched. But say one morning a low front passes through. The sky brightens and the sun pops out after a night of downpours or storms. Hit the woods! In the spring many toms start gobbling for hens. And in the fall flocks begin to move around and feed.

If it’s misty, foggy or raining lightly put on a rain jacket and go hunting. Some toms gobble great on gray days.

On rainy mornings in the spring turkeys tend to stay in their roost trees longer than normal. I’ve called to gobblers that didn’t fly down until 7:30 or even 8:00 a.m. Same thing in the fall, flocks linger in trees well after first light. Keep this in mind as you walk around and call.

Fields, food plots, power line rights-of-way and similar open areas are great places to check for single turkeys or flocks on rainy days. Many turkeys don’t like to hang around in dripping woods, largely because their hearing is impaired. They move out into openings where they can hear better. Also the birds try to avoid water-soaked brush and saplings.

Forget about using wooden box calls or natural slates with wooden pegs-they won’t ring true on rainy or misty days. Use a diaphragm or an aluminum or glass pot with a carbon striker. Of course diaphragm or tube calls work okay.

Snowy Days Back Up

Snow is not uncommon if a state’s fall turkey season runs into December. And every once in a while you might run into some white stuff on a spring hunt in the Midwest, North or West. A couple of years ago I hunted in New Mexico in May. One night it snowed a foot, and the next morning the toms gobbled like crazy!

Expect turkeys to roost in warm, sheltering evergreen trees on cold, snowy nights. Pockets of pines or cedars on the lee sides of hills or ridges are great places to check for birds. The next morning the turkeys will stay in the trees longer than normal. When they fly down, toms often linger beneath the conifers to strut or feed where the ground is bare.

Try tracking turkeys in snow. Look for fresh tracks and upturned leaves where birds raked for food. Keep a sharp eye ahead. Turkeys are easy to see against a canvas of snow. But then so are you! To keep roosted or feeding birds from spotting you, move slowly and use ridges, draws and other terrain breaks for cover.

If it’s still snowing lightly when you hunt, use a diaphragm, tube, aluminum or glass call. Keep wooden calls and strikers in your vest because they’ll be affected the moisture.

Hot Days

In the spring the sun is intense and the days heat up rapidly, especially in the South. Whenever I hunt in Texas, Mississippi, Florida, etc., I key on shady cover beginning around 10 a.m. or so. When the temperature soars into the 70s or 80s and the sun shimmers on the black backs of toms, they often move into cool, shadowy creek bottoms, oak hammocks, live oak mottes and the like. Sneak close to these strutting/loafing areas and crow call or cutt-you’re likely to make a turkey shock gobble.

CHECKLIST OF ENDANGERED AND THREATENED ANIMALS AND PLANTS OF ILLINOISIllinois Endangered Species Protection BoardEffective February 22, 2011The Board revises the list of protected species at least once every five years and completed its most recent revisions in 2009. The following list reflects those2009 and subsequent 2010 revisions:   This booklet contains a list of all species which have been designated as endangered or threatened by the Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board.  Species are listed alphabetically by scientific name.  Species listed at the Federal level are indicated by asterisks -** = Federally Endangered* = Federally ThreatenedCRITERIA FOR STATE LISTINGA species shall be included on the official list of endangered and threatened species when one or more of the following criteria exists: 1) Species included in the Federal list of Endangered or Threatened Species, 2) Species proposed for Federal Endangered or Threatened Species which occur in Illinois, 3) Species which formerly were widespread in Illinois but have been nearly extirpated from the State due to habitat destruction, collecting, or other pressures resulting from the development of Illinois, 4) Species which exhibit very restricted geographic ranges of which Illinois is a part, 5) Species which exhibit restricted habitats or low populations in Illinois, or 6) Species which are significant disjuncts in Illinois i.e., the Illinois population is far removed from the rest of the species’ range.DEFINITIONS:FEDERALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES – Any species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.FEDERALLY THREATENED SPECIES  – Any species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.STATE ENDANGERED SPECIES – Any species which is in danger of extinction as a breeding species in Illinois.STATE THREATENED SPECIES – Any breeding species which is likely to become a state endangered species within the foreseeable future in Illinois.TAKE – In reference to animals and animal products, to harm, hunt, shoot, pursue, lure, wound, kill, destroy, harass, gig, spear, ensnare, trap, capture, collect, or to attempt to engage in such conduct.  In reference to plants and plant products, to collect, pick, cut, dig up, kill, destroy, bury, crush, or harm in any manner.The Illinois Endangered Species Protection Act prohibits the possession, taking, transportation, sale, offer for sale, or disposal of any listed animal or products of listed animals without a permit issued by the Department of Conservation.  Also prohibited are the taking of listed plants without the expressed written permission of the landowner and the sale or offer to sell plants or plant products of endangered species.Citation: Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board.  2011.  Checklist of Endangered and Threatened Animals and Plants of Illinois.  Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board, Springfield, Illinois.  18 pp.FISHES19 Endangered, 12 ThreatenedEndangeredAcipenser fulvescens Lake SturgeonAmmocrypta clarum Western Sand DarterEtheostoma camurum Bluebreast DarterEtheostoma histrio Harlequin DarterHybognathus hayi Cypress MinnowHybopsis amblops Bigeye ChubHybopsis amnis Pallid ShinerIchthyomyzon fossor Northern Brook LampreyLepomis miniatus Redspotted SunfishMacrhybopsis gelida Sturgeon ChubMoxostoma valenciennesi Greater RedhorseNocomis micropogon River ChubNotropis anogenus Pugnose ShinerNotropis boops Bigeye ShinerNotropis heterolepis Blacknose ShinerNotropis maculatus Taillight ShinerNotropis texanus Weed ShinerNoturus stigmosus Northern MadtomScaphirhynchus albus** Pallid SturgeonThreatenedAmmocrypta pellucidum Eastern Sand DarterCatostomus catostomus Longnose SuckerCoregonus artedi CiscoErimystax x-punctatus Gravel ChubEtheostoma exile Iowa DarterFundulus diaphanus Banded KillifishFundulus dispar Starhead TopminnowLampetra aepyptera Least Brook LampreyLepomis symmetricus Bantam SunfishMoxostoma carinatum River RedhorseNotropis chalybaeus Ironcolor ShinerNotropis heterodon Blackchin ShinerAMPHIBIANS3 Endangered, 6 ThreatenedEndangeredSalamandersAmbystoma platineum Silvery SalamanderCryptobranchus alleganiensis Eastern HellbenderDesmognathus conanti Spotted Dusky SalamanderThreatenedSalamandersAmbystoma jeffersonianum Jefferson SalamanderHemidactylium scutatum Four-toed SalamanderNecturus maculosus MupuppyFrogs and ToadsGastrophryne carolinensis Eastern Narrowmouth ToadHyla avivoca Bird-voiced TreefrogPseudacris illinoensis Illinois Chorus Frog1 2REPTILES10 Endangered, 8 ThreatenedEndangeredTurtles Apalone mutica  Smooth SoftshellClemmys guttata Spotted TurtleEmydoidea blandingii Blanding’s TurtleKinosternon flavescens Yellow Mud TurtleMacrochelys temminckii Alligator Snapping TurtlePseudemys concinna River CooterSnakesMasticophis flagellum CoachwhipNerodia fasciata Broad-banded WatersnakePantherophis emoryi Great Plains Rat SnakeSistrurus catenatus Eastern MassasaugaThreatenedTurtles Terrepene ornata  Ornate Box TurtleSnakesClonophis kirtlandi Kirtland’s SnakeCrotalus horridus Timber RattlesnakeHeterodon nasicus Plains Hog-Nosed SnakeNerodia cyclopion Mississippi Green WatersnakeTantilla gracilis Flathead SnakeThamnophis sauritus Eastern RibbonsnakeTropidoclonion lineatum Lined SnakeBIRDS25 Endangered, 5 ThreatenedEndangeredAsio flammeus Short-eared OwlBartramia longicauda Upland SandpiperBotaurus lentiginosus American BitternButeo swainsoni Swainson’s HawkCharadrius melodus** Piping PloverChlidonias niger Black TernCircus cyaneus Northern HarrierEgretta caerulea Little Blue HeronEgretta thula Snowy EgretGallinula chloropus Common MoorhenLanius ludovicianus Loggerhead ShrikeLaterallus jamaicensis Black RailLimnothlypis swainsonii Swainson’s WarblerNyctanassa violacea Yellow-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax Black-crowned Night-HeronPandion haliaetus OspreyPhalaropus tricolor Wilson’s PhalaropeRallus elegans King RailSterna forsteri Forster’s TernSterna hirundo Common TernSternula antillarum** Least TernThryomanes bewickii Bewick’s WrenTympanuchus cupido Greater Prairie-ChickenTyto alba Barn OwlXanthocephalus xanthocephalus Yellow-headed BlackbirdThreatenedCoccyzus erythropthalmus Black-billed CuckooDendroica cerulea Cerulean WarblerFalco peregrinus Peregrine FalconIctinia mississippiensis Mississippi KiteIxobrychus exilis Least Bittern3 4MAMMALS5 Endangered, 4 ThreatenedEndangeredCorynorhinus  rafinesquii Rafinesque’s Big-eared BatMyotis austroriparius Southeastern MyotisMyotis grisescens** Gray BatMyotis sodalis** Indiana BatNeotoma floridana Eastern Wood RatThreatenedCanis lupus** Gray/Timber WolfOchrotomys nuttalli Golden MouseOryzomys palustris Rice RatSpermophilus franklinii Franklin’s Ground SquirrelINVERTEBRATES43 Endangered, 12 ThreatenedEndangeredSnailsDiscus macclintocki** Iowa Pleistocene SnailFontigens antroecetes Hydrobiid Cave SnailLithasia obovata Shawnee RocksnailMusselsCumberlandia monodonta SpectaclecaseCyprogenia stegaria** FanshellEpioblasma rangiana** Northern RiffleshellEpioblasma triquetra SnuffboxLampsilis abrupta** Pink MucketLampsilis fasciola Wavy-rayed LampmusselLampsilis higginsii** Higgins EyePlethobasus cooperianus** Orangefoot PimplebackPlethobasus cyphyus SheepnosePleurobema clava** ClubshellPleurobema cordatum Ohio PigtoePotamilus capax** Fat PocketbookPtychobranchus fasciolaris KidneyshellQuadrula cylindrica RabbitsfootSimpsonaias ambigua Salamander MusselToxolasma lividus Purple LilliputVillosa iris RainbowCrustaceansCaecidotea lesliei IsopodCaecidotea spatulata IsopodCrangonyx anomalus Anomalous Spring AmphipodCrangonyx packardi Packard’s Cave AmphipodGammarus acherondytes** Illinois Cave AmphipodOrconectes indianensis Indiana CrayfishOrconectes kentuckiensis Kentucky CrayfishOrconectes lancifer Shrimp CrayfishOrconectes placidus Bigclaw CrayfishStygobromus iowae Iowa AmphipodScorpionsCentruroides vittatus Common Striped Scorpion5 6INVERTEBRATESEndangered (continued)DragonfliesSomatochlora hineana** Hine’s Emerald DragonflySpringtailsPygmarrhopalites madonnensis Madonna Cave SpringtailStonefliesDiploperla robusta  Robust SpringflyProstoia completa Central ForestflyLeafhoppersAthysanella incongrua LeafhopperParaphlepsius lupalus LeafhopperButterflies and MothsAtrytone arogos Arogos SkipperCalephelis mutica Swamp MetalmarkHesperia ottoe Ottoe SkipperIncisalia polios Hoary ElfinLycaeides melissa samuelis** Karner Blue ButterflyPapaipema eryngii Eryngium Stem BorerThreatenedMusselsAlasmidonta viridis SlippershellCyclonaias tuberculata Purple WartybackEllipsaria lineolata ButterflyElliptio crassidens Elephant-earElliptio dilatata SpikeFusconaia ebena EbonyshellLigumia recta Black SandshellVillosa lienosa Little SpectaclecaseDragonfliesNannothemis bella Elfin SkimmerLeafhoppersAflexia rubranura Redveined Prairie LeafhopperINVERTEBRATESThreatened (continued)ButterfliesHesperia metea Cobweb SkipperSpeyeria idalia Regal Fritillary7 8PLANTS251 Endangered, 81 ThreatenedEndangeredAdoxa moschatellina MoschatelAlnus incana subsp. rugosa Speckled AlderAmelanchier sanguinea ShadbushAmmophila breviligulata Marram GrassAmorpha nitens Smooth False IndigoArctostaphylos uva-ursi BearberryArtemisia dracunculus Dragon WormwoodAsclepias lanuginosa Wooly MilkweedAsclepias meadii*  Mead’s MilkweedAsclepias ovalifolia Oval MilkweedAsclepias stenophylla Narrow-leaved Green MilkweedAsplenium bradleyi Bradley’s SpleenwortAsplenium resiliens Black SpleenwortAstragalus crassicarpus var. trichocalyx Large Ground PlumAstragalus distortus Bent Milk VetchAstragalus tennesseensis Tennessee Milk VetchBaptisia tinctoria Yellow Wild IndigoBartonia paniculata ScrewstemBeckmannia syzigachne      American Slough GrassBerberis canadensis            Allegheny BarberryBetula alleghaniensis Yellow BirchBotrychium campestre Prairie MoonwortBotrychium matricariifolium Daisyleaf Grape FernBotrychium multifidum Northern Grape FernBotrychium simplex Dwarf Grape FernBouteloua gracilis Blue GramaBumelia lanuginosa Wooly BuckthornCalamagrostis insperata Bluejoint GrassCalla palustris Water ArumCalopogon oklahomensis Oklahoma Grass Pink OrchidCalopogon tuberosus Grass Pink OrchidCamassia angusta Wild HyacinthCardamine pratensis var. palustris Cuckoo FlowerCarex alata Winged SedgeCarex arkansana Arkansas SedgeCarex brunnescens Brownish SedgeCarex canescens var. disjuncta Silvery SedgeCarex chordorrhiza Cordroot SedgeCarex crawfordii Crawford’s SedgeCarex cryptolepis Yellow SedgePLANTSEndangered (continued)Carex cumulata SedgeCarex decomposita Cypress-knee SedgeCarex diandra SedgeCarex disperma Shortleaf SedgeCarex echinata SedgeCarex formosa  SedgeCarex garberi Elk SedgeCarex gigantea Large SedgeCarex inops subsp. heliophila Plains SedgeCarex nigromarginata Black-edged SedgeCarex oligosperma Few-seeded SedgeCarex physorhyncha Bellow’s Beak SedgeCarex plantaginea Plaintain-leaved SedgeCarex reniformis Reniform SedgeCarex trisperma Three-seeded SedgeCarex tuckermanii Tuckerman’s SedgeCarya pallida Pale HickoryCastilleja sessiliflora Downy Yellow Painted CupCeanothus herbaceus RedrootChamaelirium luteum Fairy WandChamaesyce polygonifolia  Seaside SpurgeChimaphila maculata Spotted WintergreenChimaphila umbellata PipsissewaCimicifuga americana American BugbaneCimicifuga racemosa False BugbaneCircaea alpina Small Enchanter’s NightshadeCladrastis lutea YellowwoodClematis crispa Blue JasmineClematis occidentalis Mountain ClematisClematis viorna LeatherflowerCollinsia violacea Violet CollinsiaComptonia peregrina SweetfernConioselinum chinense Hemlock ParsleyCornus canadensis BunchberryCorydalis aurea Golden CorydalisCorydalis halei Hale’s CorydalisCorydalis sempervirens Pink CorydalisCorylus cornuta Beaked HazelnutCynosciadium digitatum CynosciadiumCypripedium acaule Moccasin FlowerCypripedium parviflorum var. makasin Small Yellow Lady’s Slipper9 10PLANTSEndangered (continued)Cypripedium reginae Showy Lady’s SlipperCystopteris laurentiana Laurentian Fragile FernDalea foliosa**  Leafy Prairie CloverDennstaedtia punctilobula Hay-scented FernDeschampsia flexuosa HairgrassDichanthelium boreale Northern Panic GrassDichanthelium joori Panic GrassDichanthelium portoricense Hemlock Panic GrassDichanthelium ravenelii Ravenel’s Panic GrassDichanthelium yadkinense Panic GrassDraba cuneifolia Whitlow GrassDrosera rotundifolia Round-leaved SundewDryopteris celsa Log FernEchinodorus tenellus Small BurheadEleocharis olivacea Capitate SpikerushEleocharis pauciflora Few-flowered SpikerushEquisetum scirpoides Dwarf Scouring RushEquisetum sylvaticum Woodland HorsetailEriophorum virginicum Rusty Cotton GrassEryngium prostratum EryngoEuonymus americanus American Strawberry BushEupatorium hyssopifolium Hyssop-leaved ThoroughwortEuphorbia spathulata SpurgeFilipendula rubra Queen-of-the-PrairieFimbristylis vahlii Vahl’s FimbristylisGalactia mohlenbrockii Boykin’s DiocleaGalium lanceolatum Wild LicoriceGalium virgatum Dwarf BedstrawGeranium bicknellii Northern CranesbillGlyceria arkansana Arkansas MannagrassGratiola quartermaniae Hedge HyssopGymnocarpium dryopteris Oak FernGymnocarpium robertianum Scented Oak FernHackelia deflexa var. americana StickseedHalesia carolina Silverbell TreeHelianthus giganteus Tall SunflowerHeliotropium tenellum Slender HeliotropeHeteranthera reniformis Mud PlantainHexalectris spicata Crested Coralroot OrchidHudsonia tomentosa False HeatherHydrolea uniflora One-flowered HydroleaPLANTSEndangered (continued)Hypericum adpressum Shore St. John’s WortHypericum kalmianum Kalm’s St. John’s WortIliamna remota Kankakee MallowIresine rhizomatosa BloodleafIsoetes butleri Butler’s QuillwortIsotria verticillata Whorled PogoniaJuncus vaseyi Vasey’s RushJuniperus horizontalis Trailing JuniperJusticia ovata Water WillowLespedeza leptostachya* Prairie Bush CloverLesquerella ludoviciana Silvery BladderpodLonicera dioica var. glaucescens Red HoneysuckleLonicera flava Yellow HoneysuckleLuzula acuminata Hairy WoodrushLycopodiella inundata Bog ClubmossLycopodium clavatum Running PineLycopodium dendroideum Ground PineLysimachia radicans Creeping LoosestrifeMalus angustifolia Narrow-leaved CrabappleMalvastrum hispidum False MallowMatelea decipiens Climbing MilkweedMedeola virginiana Indian Cucumber RootMegalodonta beckii Water MarigoldMelanthera nivea White MelantheraMelica mutica Two-Flowered Melic GrassMimulus glabratus Yellow Monkey FlowerMirabilis hirsuta Hairy Umbrella-wortNemophila triloba Baby Blue-eyesNothocalais cuspidata Prairie DandelionOpuntia fragilis Fragile Prickly PearOrobanche fasciculata Clustered BroomrapeOxalis illinoensis Illinois Wood SorrelPaspalum dissectum Bead GrassPenstemon brevisepalus Short-sepaled Beard TonguePenstemon grandiflorus Large-flowered Beard TonguePenstemon tubaeflorus Tube Beard TonguePhacelia gilioides Ozark PhaceliaPhegopteris connectilis Long Beech FernPhlox pilosa subsp. sangamonensis Sangamon PhloxPinus banksiana Jack PinePinus echinata Shortleaf Pine11 12PLANTSEndangered (continuedPinus resinosa Red PinePlantago cordata Heart-leaved PlantainPlatanthera ciliaris Orange Fringed OrchidPlatanthera clavellata Wood OrchidPlatanthera flava var. flava Tubercled OrchidPlatanthera leucophaea*  Eastern Prairie Fringed OrchidPlatanthera psycodes Purple Fringed OrchidPoa alsodes Grove BluegrassPoa languida Weak BluegrassPoa wolfii Wolf’s BluegrassPogonia ophioglossoides Snake-mouthPolanisia jamesii James’ ClammyweedPolygala incarnata Pink MilkwortPolygonatum pubescens Downy Solomon’s SealPolygonum arifolium Halberd-leaved TearthumbPolygonum careyi Carey’s HeartseasePopulus balsamifera Balsam PoplarPotamogeton praelongus White-stemmed PondweedPotamogeton pulcher Spotted PondweedPotamogeton robbinsii Fern PondweedPotamogeton strictifolius Stiff PondweedPrimula mistassinica Bird’s-eye PrimrosePtilimnium nuttallii Mock Bishop’s WeedQuercus texana Nuttall’s OakRhamnus alnifolia Alder BuckthornRhexia mariana Dull Meadow BeautyRhynchospora glomerata Clustered Beak RushRibes hirtellum Northern GooseberryRosa acicularis Bristly RoseRubus odoratus Purple-flowering RaspberrySabatia campestris Prairie Rose GentianSagittaria australis ArrowheadSalix serissima Autumn WillowSalix syrticola Dune WillowSambucus racemosa subsp. pubens Red-berried ElderSanguisorba canadensis American BurnetSanicula smallii Southern SaniculaSarracenia purpurea Pitcher PlantSaxifraga virginiensis Early SaxifrageSchizachne purpurascens False Melic GrassSchoenoplectus purshianus Weak BulrushPLANTSEndangered (continued)Schoenoplectus smithii Smith’s BulrushScirpus hattorianus BulrushScirpus microcarpus BulrushScleria muhlenbergii Muhlenberg’s Nut RushScleria pauciflora Carolina WhipgrassShepherdia canadensis BuffaloberrySilene ovata Ovate CatchflySilene regia Royal CatchflySisyrinchium montanum Mountain Blue-eyed GrassSorbus americana American Mountain AshSparganium americanum American BurreedSparganium emersum Green-fruited BurreedSpiranthes lucida Yellow-lipped Ladies’ TressesSpiranthes vernalis Spring Ladies’ TressesStellaria pubera Great ChickweedStenanthium gramineum Grass-leaved LilyStylisma pickeringii Patterson’s BindweedStyrax grandifolius Bigleaf Snowbell BushSymphoricarpos albus var. albus SnowberrySynandra hispidula Hairy SynandraTalinum calycinum FameflowerTetraneuris herbacea* Lakeside DaisyThelypteris noveboracensis New York FernTilia heterophylla White BasswoodTorreyochloa pallida Pole Manna-GrassTrichomanes boschianum Filmy fernTrichophorum cespitosum Tufted BulrushTrientalis borealis Star-flowerTrillium cernuum Nodding TrilliumTrillium erectum Ill-scented Trillium Trillium viride Green TrilliumUlmus thomasii Rock ElmUtricularia cornuta Horned BladderwortUtricularia minor Small BladderwortVaccinium corymbosum Highbush BlueberryVaccinium macrocarpon Large CranberryVaccinium oxycoccos Small CranberryVaccinium stamineum DeerberryValeriana uliginosa Marsh ValerianValerianella chenopodifolia Corn SaladValerianella umbilicata Corn Salad13 14PLANTSEndangered (continued)Veronica americana American BrooklimeViola blanda Hairy White VioletViola canadensis Canada VioletViola primulifolia Primrose VioletWoodsia ilvensis Rusty WoodsiaZigadenus elegans White CamassThreatenedAgalinus skinneriana Pale False FoxgloveAmelanchier interior ShadbushAster furcatus Forked AsterBerchemia scandens Supple-JackBesseya bullii Kitten TailsBoltonia decurrens*  Decurrent False AsterBotrychium biternatum Southern Grape FernBuchnera americana BlueheartsCakile edentula Sea RocketCarex atlantica SedgeCarex aurea Golden SedgeCarex bromoides SedgeCarex communis Fibrous-rooted SedgeCarex intumescens Swollen SedgeCarex oxylepis Sharp-scaled SedgeCarex prasina Drooping SedgeCarex viridula Little Green SedgeCarex willdenowii Willdenow’s SedgeCarex woodii Pretty SedgeCarya aquatica Water HickoryChamaedaphne calyculata LeatherleafCimicifuga rubifolia Black CohoshCirsium pitcheri*  Pitcher’s (Dune) ThistleCorallorhiza maculata Spotted Coral-root OrchidCyperus grayioides Umbrella SedgeCyperus lancastriensis GalingaleCypripedium candidum White Lady’s SlipperDelphinium carolinianum Wild Blue LarkspurDodecatheon frenchii French’s ShootingstarDrosera intermedia Narrow-leaved SundewEleocharis rostellata Beaked Spike RushElymus trachycaulus Bearded Wheat GrassPLANTSThreatened (continued)Epilobium strictum Downy Willow HerbEquisetum pratense Meadow HorsetailHelianthus angustifolius Narrow-leaved SunflowerHuperzia porophila Cliff ClubmossHymenopappus scabiosaeus Old PlainsmanJuncus alpinus Richardson’s RushJuniperus communis Ground JuniperLarix laricina TamarackLathyrus ochroleucus Pale VetchlingLechea intermedia PinweedLiatris scariosa var. nieuwlandii Blazing StarMatelea obliqua Climbing MilkweedMelanthium virginicum BunchflowerMelothria pendula Squirting CucumberMenyanthes trifoliata BuckbeanMinuartia patula Slender SandwortOenothera perennis Small SundropsOrobanche ludoviciana BroomrapePhaeophyscia leana Lea’s Bog LichenPlanera aquatica Water ElmPlatanthera flava var. herbiola Tubercled OrchidPotamogeton gramineus Grass-leaved PondweedQuercus montana  Rock Chestnut OakQuercus phellos Willow OakRanunculus rhomboideus Prairie ButtercupRhynchospora alba Beaked RushRubus pubescens Dwarf RaspberryRubus schneideri Bristly BlackberryRudbeckia missouriensis Missouri Orange ConeflowerSalvia azurea subsp. pitcheri Blue SageSchoenoplectus hallii Hall’s BulrushScirpus polyphyllus BulrushSedum telephioides American OrpineSisyrinchium atlanticum Eastern Blue-eyed GrassSolidago sciaphila Cliff GoldenrodStyrax americana StoraxSullivantia sullivantii SullivantiaTalinum parviflorum Small Flower-of-an-hourTofieldia glutinosa False AsphodelTomanthera auriculata Ear-leafed Foxglove15 16PLANTSThreatened (continuedTradescantia bracteata Prairie SpiderwortTrifolium reflexum Buffalo CloverTriglochin maritima Common Bog ArrowgrassTriglochin palustris Slender Bog ArrowgrassUrtica chamaedryoides NettleUtricularia intermedia Flat-leaved BladderwortVeronica scutellata Marsh SpeedwellViburnum molle ArrowwoodViola conspersa Dog Violet   Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board

His gobble about scared me to death! I sure wasn’t expecting to hear a turkey already very close to the spot I intended to set up — especially after spooking three deer on the way in that headed precisely in his direction just a few minutes earlier.

But he was there.

After relocating, I let things settle down for about 30 minutes before offering some plaintive yelps that immediately elicited a gobble. For another 40-or-so minutes, I’d yelp and he’d gobble — but neither one of us appeared to be moving. Rather than being patient, I tried to move again — to see if I could get a look at him — and he shut up. Frustrated at my own lack of patience, I slipped quietly out of the woods and headed home.

Listening to a calling tape on the way home, the host mentioned that he found turkeys to be creatures of habit. “If you see them at a given spot one morning, they’ll be somewhere close by the next morning about the same time.” That sentence hatched my plan for the next day. Instead of getting up a 3 a.m. to make an hour-long drive and be in the woods before sunrise, I decided to be in that same spot at the same time — about 8:30 a.m.

I slept in, arrived in plenty of time.

The previous morning, he’d answered my call around 9 a.m. It was 8:30 as I walked up to the tree I intended to sit against and heard him gobble before I’d even made a sound.

He was on the ground at 8:45.

Luck undoubtedly played a role, but so did preparation. That’s what this story is all about. You can have the best spring turkey season ever by preparing to have the best spring turkey season ever.

From here, three elements are more important than any others in preparing to have a great gobbler season — scouting, shooting and sitting. That might sound strange, but what follows will help you understand the importance of each.

SCOUTING

No hunter can downplay the importance of scouting. Many hunters consider it a rite of spring to “put gobblers to bed” by spending time in the woods near sunset, looking and listening for turkeys to learn where they’re going to spend the night. Carry a pair of compact binoculars, and try to find some spots that will enable you to glass fairly large chunks of land in search of turkeys.

You don’t need to — and shouldn’t — get close to turkeys when you’re scouting. Good binoculars will help you to locate birds and pattern their movements from a distance. You won’t be disturbing them or the habitat they’re using.

Another form of scouting involves predawn trips to the edges of the turkey woods with locator calls. Crow calls and owl hooters often will elicit shock gobbles from toms that are still on the roost. Once again, the concept with this kind of scouting is not to get on top of the birds, but rather to gain a general idea of the areas they’re using before the season opens.