John Jacob
One hunter’s unforgettable spring turkey season — a close encounter with a black bear and a trophy gobbler to cap it all off
A Special Outdoor Report
The Wisconsin woods were still dark when I slipped into my blind before dawn. At 78 years young, I’ve traded the endless miles of “run and gun” turkey hunting for a smarter, quieter game — but don’t let that fool you. This spring’s hunt turned out to be one of the most heart-pounding mornings I’ve had in a lifetime spent chasing whitetails and long beards across this great state.
Setting the Stage
Weeks before opening day, I’d put in the scouting work. Trail cameras don’t lie, and mine told me exactly where the birds were moving. I set up my camouflaged portable blind right in the middle of their travel corridor — a sun-drenched field edge where the high pines give way to low wetlands. That’s the beauty of Wisconsin: this woodland environment, with its towering pines and marshy lowlands, is pure wildlife habitat. It holds its critters close, and it never gets old to sit in.
Out front, I arranged three decoys: a Jake mounted in a breeding posture over a laying-down hen, and a lone hen off to the side. It’s a setup designed to trigger a gobbler’s jealousy. No mature tom can walk past that scene without wanting to sort things out. I settled in, called softly — a few quiet yelps and clucks every twenty minutes or so — just enough to let any nearby bird know there was company in the area. Call too much, and you’ll educate a bird that’s already on his way in. Patience is everything.
An Unexpected Visitor
I had noticed some large tracks while scouting — unmistakably bear — but pushed the thought aside. Wisconsin’s black bear population has grown significantly in recent years, and while I’d crossed paths with them before, nothing could have prepared me for what happened next.
A big black bear — I’ll call him “Blackie” — came shuffling out of the tree line, nose to the ground, following my scent trail right to the blind. He circled. He sniffed. He kept coming. Before I knew it, that bear was standing just fifteen feet away from me, staring at my blind with those dark curious eyes. Time slowed down. My heart was hammering.
I managed to get my camera rolling, and I captured some absolutely spectacular footage. Eventually, Blackie caught a clear whiff of me, decided I wasn’t worth the trouble, and ambled back into the pines. I sat there for a moment, half laughing, half catching my breath. That right there — a 15-foot standoff with a Wisconsin black bear from inside a turkey blind — is the kind of moment you simply can’t manufacture. It just happens, out there in the big woods, if you put in the time.
The Main Event
With the morning’s drama seemingly behind me, I refocused and gave a series of soft yelps. The field went quiet. Then — movement at the far tree line. A gobbler stepped out, head up, sizing up the decoys. He was a beautiful bird, full-bodied and dark, and he spotted that Jake decoy immediately.
He came in with purpose. No hesitation, no hanging up at the field edge like so many educated birds do. He locked onto those decoys and marched straight in. When he finally committed and closed the distance, I made my shot count. Down went a gorgeous trophy gobbler — a magnificent bird sporting a 10 and one-quarter inch beard. By any measure, a Wisconsin wall-hanger.
Why Wisconsin
I’ve hunted a lot of places over the years, but I keep coming back to Wisconsin because there’s simply nowhere better. State forests and timber company lands give hunters extraordinary access that you don’t find in most states. You don’t need to knock on doors or know the right people — the land is there, the wildlife is thriving, and the hunting and fishing are as good as anywhere in the country. I truly believe Wisconsin is one of the top states in the nation for public land sportsmen.
At 78, I’ve slowed down from my run-and-gun days. I don’t need to cover ten miles of rough terrain before breakfast to feel the thrill anymore. A well-scouted blind, a smart decoy spread, a handful of soft calls — and the Wisconsin woods will do the rest. On this particular morning, the woods delivered a black bear encounter at spitting distance and a trophy gobbler with a beard nearly as long as my arm.
Not bad for a morning’s work. Not bad at all.
— Outdoors Correspondent
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