The Fish are Hitting in South Dakota

The weather at Webster, SD had been under scrutiny for several weeks. I listened to the recording about fishing conditions twice a week.  Sportsman's Cove has a recording that they periodically change during the week and it pays to listen.  They provide a good synopsis of what has taken place during the week for lake conditions and fishing results. (605-345-2468).

A weekend was picked, but past friends were not able to go with me.  So, that left one person, Pam my wife.  I could not think of a better Mother's Day present than to drive up to South Dakota in the evening.  The restaurants would all be crowded, and our son and his wife had driven home by noon.  She consented.

Now a motel was selected.  There are three different ones that we stay at.  She prefers The Galley because they offer a continental breakfast in the morning. http://www.thegalleyinwebster.com/  The phone number is (877) 869-0047.  The other motel I stay at in Webster is The Holiday.  Their phone is (605) 345-3323.  Sometimes I stay at the Circle Pines in Waubay just east of Webster.  http://www.circlepines-motel.com/ Their phone is (877) 324-5161.  The Galley and Circle Pines have excellent fish cleaning facilities and a freezer in which to store frozen fish.  The Holiday provides an area in the back of the motel with boards and a table.  If you don't mind being outside it works fine.  There is plenty of fresh water for clean up.  You can store fish in the freezer in the main office.

Light winds out of the south to southwest were forecasted for the next three days and my confidence was high.  If you fish this country, a forecast is not much good after 24 hours.  Eastern South Dakota can get a "bit breezy".  That is what the natives say.  Being from southwest Iowa, their "breezy" can be considered down right windy to us. 

Passing through the town of Waubay we were met with a major disappointment.  The Purple Cow was still closed for the season. 

On the north side of Highway 12, this is the best ice cream in the midwest.  If you are traveling north on I-29 and don't stop here for some ice cream, you have just made one of life's major mistakes.  It is only a few miles off the interstate.  We only live once.

You can't miss the sign.  You might miss the town. 

The next morning we hit it really early and arrived at Sportsman Cove to buy bait and collect the free advice.  My original plan was to fish Swan the first day, then fish Lake Waubay on the second.  The advice given was the opposite.  The forecast had changed and there was a wind change for the second day out of the north.  We headed to Waubay. 

If you have never fished this lake, there are some excellent parking and dock facilities supplied courtsey of South Dakota.  There is also a modern no flush restroom if needed.  We put in at Kanago access on the west side of the lake.  You drop down into a nice bay that is generally sheltered regardless of wind conditions.  I want to warn you that straight out from the dock about 150 to 200 yards is the first of  hidden obstacles.  There is a very large submerged rock.  I do not even go close to the area.  Another 150 to 200 yards beyond that obstacle is a reef that runs north and south.  It is also partially submerged.  Both spots can take out your lower unit in short order.  They also come up very quickly. 

I went ten feet out from the dock, then motored out in a southeasterly direction.  I had access north and south, so I changed direction and headed to where the plan led me.  In this case we went straight south to a point that sticks out from the south shore. 

The report was that the week before, there had been a hatch of an insect in the lake and the walleye had moved into 20 feet of water as the larvae floated out of the bottom.  Starting at 25 feet, we graphed no fish, but began to move in tighter to the point.

There is the point straight south of Kanago Access.



Here we slowly moved from 25 feet to 20 feet working both sides of the point.  We graphed no fish.  Moving into 15 to 10 feet we started to show some activity.  Here we picked up two small walleye in the 15 inch range.  Meat is meat, and we kept them. 

Moving deeper into the bay to the southwest we picked up a couple of smallmouth bass and a couple more walleye in about the same size.  Wind was from the southwest and it had started to pick up.  It was decided to head in for lunch as we had spent about five hours on the water.  

When you can see the trailors at the southwest end of the bay you are in the right spot.  Now look to your left or south and you will see a partially submerged island about 50 yards long.  There is a lot of structure here with depths of 5 to 10 feet, dropping off to15 then to 20 feet.  In the 10 foot range you get smallmouth bass.  In the deeper water you catch walleye.

After lunch, we headed up to the north and on the northwest side of the first big island.  Moving almost straight north, you will find a sunken road.  Move off the road to the northwest to 15 feet, and there you will find walleye.  Again we had some success but they were spread out and remained in the 15 to 16 inch range.

It was a bit chilly, but Pam never complained once.  Well maybe once the following day.

We finished the day around 5 PM.  The wind had really started to increase and the lake began to rock and roll.  We headed to the dock with a daily limit of walley for each of us (4 fish), and a couple of small mouth bass. 

The concern was what the winds were going to be the next day.



Click on one of the links for great prices on gear.  Deals go on every week with these fine outdoor suppliers. You cannot own enough equipment

Good hunting, good fishing, and good luck.  Hank

http://www.outdoorswithhank.com/

 

For arthritis pain go to http://www.nyloxin.com/. My wife and I use this product with great results.
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This is it; A New Location



If at first it doesn't work, try a new plan.  The old ones definitely were not producing anything except for Iowa.  There were just too many big old toms on this farm to walk away.  I have farms I have not even hunted this spring, but the plan was to conquer this one.  John was just as determined as I was to get the job done. 

A little research and study gave some interesting stats.  Most of the really big turkeys are shot between 8 AM and 1 PM.  That will help out our attitudes as we won't have to get up so early and drive north to Tekamah, Nebraska from Omaha and Council Bluffs.



The tent looking west.  The decoys are right below to the left of the picture.  John headed west.



It was decided to hunt the top of the hill to the north of the farm.  Pasture sloped to the south and timber to the north.  The tent would be put up against a fence post.  I would man the tent, while John would go west and find a place along the fence line where there was evidence of turkey.  He would take a few of the decoys, and the remainder would stay in my location.  We wanted to give this spot a good hunting as the evidence was there the birds had been breeding and fighting.

Birds traversed this area heading down to the small lake between the cedar trees.  Right at the top of the ridge was where we found all the evidence of breeding and fighting birds.  Feathers were everywhere.



The tent is right against the fence line.  The birds would traverse the area from the timber behind the tent down the hill to the pond below.  They would go right between the cedar trees, and then back up the hill.



Now we were set.  It did not take long.  Three shots were fired to the west of me.  John had found some birds in range.  My cell phone was handy and a quick call yielded nothing but voice mail.  He never called me back.  To the southwest more shooting, but those shots were not on the property we were hunting.

Looking east along the fence line.  Turkey signs were all over the top of the ridge.



Off to my left and back in the woods a gobbler cut loose.  Patiently waiting, another gobble was made as he moved parallel to the fence line.  His exact location in the woods was hard to pinpoint, but he was definitely below me to the North. 

It was time for some calls and a couple of short yelps from me.  Instantly he responded.  I waited and gave a couple of yelps and then some clucking.  He responded again, and now had gotten considerably closer.  With some clucks and purrs from me to let him know a young beauty was waiting for him, he kept getting closer.  Now, he was coming up right behind the tent.  The tent was closed up at the back and was dark inside.  The gun lay across my lap. Then I moved to my right shoulder with the point of the barrell on a decoy sack.  More clucks and purrs were given.  He sounded like he was right at the fence.  The gun was moved up to a shooting position.  It was readied to cut loose out of one of the open windows.  Then all became quiet.  After ten minutes, I could no longer hold the gun in this position and lowered it.  I waited, and nothing happened.  He did not like the look of something.

The first thought was the tent in the open, but a friend of mine puts his right out in an open field.  Next thought was the calling.  But he came to the opening.  He just did not finish.  Next thought was the decoys, but the location, type, and spread had all been examined by two different turkey hunters.  They found nothing wrong.  Who knows. However, something was not quite right. 

This same process had happened several times with toms coming in behind me and not finishing.  The assumption was made that the tent may be the problem. I decided not to take it the next time, even though it has been used on several successful turkey hunts in the past.  It has sure been thrilling in spite of the problems.

Mosquito season is now upon us.  Under electronics, click on extras and see some of the new items available for outdoor people to keep the pests away.  Living near the Missouri River and dense timber, my wife and I are always concerned about Lime Disease.  I recommend Thermacell Mosquito Repellant in the carry form or the Lantern. 

Just as a sideline, the older you get the more you have aches and pains.  Because of arthritis, I am always looking for relief to complement the acetaminophen taken, and it has been found.  Nyloxin a roll on pain reliever and a homeopathic med.  I highly recommend this product for arthritis pain.  It has made a big difference in my life and I am a very active person.  Check it out at their website. http://www.nyloxin.com/

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Good hunting good fishing and good luck.  Hank

http://www.outdoorswithhank.com/

30 Minute Turkey Shoot

The ground had been scouted and there was little else to do except to be on location when the time came.  What a beautiful evening.  Loading up at 6 PM with a ten minute drive to the wooded pasture put me right on the site.

The evening before,  three toms had come out of the Missouri River bottom west of the levee.  They headed pretty much in a straight line toward the timber in the northeast side of the pasture.  All I had to do was be at the right location and be on time.  Well before 7 PM would give me plenty of time to set up the tent and the decoys. 

The north end of the pasture has a small access lane the landowner uses and there is dense timber on both sides.  It is about a quarter of a mile to the pasture.  The lane is abundant with deer crossing from west to east, and is plentiful with turkey.  With a few small jakes and plenty of hens, I knew I was on the right spot. 

As I cleared the lane, well to the south of me were three toms.  I could not tell if these were the ones I had seen yesterday.  I slipped the truck, the decoys and the tent in the trees.  There was little time to carry all that gear and set up.  A fallen tree was located on the front edge of the timber.  I hunkered down to wait and hoped this was the spot where they would move through. 

It did not take long and here they came.  A fourth one was lagging behind, but as they got closer, these were not the big toms seen the day before.  There were no hens with them and they moved briskly heading for the timber.  At one point out about 100 yards, they seemed to change direction.  If they stayed on that line, they would bypass me and a shot would not be possible.

A couple of short yelps and a few clucks caused one of them to stick his head up in the air.  In his mind he was saying, "Where are you my dear?  I am coming for you."  That was all it took and they headed straight for me.  The ones passing on my right side were not the big toms, but meat is meat.  At 15 yards the biggest of the three was selected.  Plunk!  It was all over.  The other birds took off flying and running into the timber. The total time invested was thirty minutes from when I arrived.

Not the biggest bird I have plunked, but the young ones taste better.



Great sales on now at these outdoor suppliers.

Good hunting good fishing and good luck.  Hank

http://www.outdoorswithhank.com/





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45 Minutes in an Iowa Pasture

After my wife and I mow, we gather the grass and take it to the cattle in a timbered pasture.  Here we spread the blue grass around and the cows and calves come running when they see the truck.  Also there are three really big toms that come from the west and cross the pasture to the woods on the east side of the pasture.  They come about the same time.  Generally if a person is there around 7 PM they make their appearance crossing the Missouri River Levee to the west.  We have seen them three times and after the landowner moved the cattle to another pasture, I gave him a call. 

The answer was, yes, go get them.  We are neighbors and I have never been turned down to hunt his ground.

Last night I got there at 7:30 PM and they were well into the pasture.  So, I drove my truck through the pasture over small pieces of hidden timber on the ground to get ahead of them.  I got out of the truck and checked.  They had caught me and it was all over.  They headed back the way they came. Plus the truck was very visible.

These two picture are looking west.  The direction they should have come.  The plan was good but the timing was bad.

On the second evening my wife had the mowing done early.  After dinner I drove off to the pasture at 6:45 PM and arived at 7 PM.  It was too late.  They had not seen the truck, so I dodged the obstacles in the pasture and tried to get ahead of them.  I got out of the truck in the shadows and grabbed my gear.  I spotted a big tree and hid behind it.  There was no sign of them.  I grabbed the crow call and gave a couple of calls.  A little bit of patience was what I needed now.  I did not have it.  I grabbed my slate call and gave a couple of yelps and they answered.  Then I gave some clucks and purrs.

Looking to the southwest from my location.  If they had stayed on track they would have come right by me and one would be in the freezer by now.

I didn't move a muscle as I sighted some turkey. However they were not moving my way but toward the dark timber where they were joined by some hens. That was not good.  Some yelps were given but they did not answer.  Why should they when they had just discovered a harem and I was only one hen? 

Looking toward the dark timber behind me. 

I made a short hike was into the woods behind me. That was a bad idea.  The deer had started to bed down and were flushed.  They took off running with their flags up.  A friend had told me a long time ago.  Be very careful in the woods.  The deer tell the turkey we are there.   Who knows.

My truck.  That was a dumb move.  They could easily see it, but at the time I was in a hurry for an ambush.

It was still daylight but getting darker in the pasture with the sun down behind the trees.  The plan was to be back at 6 PM the next night. 

Tomorrow morning I will pick up my friend John to go north of Tekamah, Nebraska and hunt a friend's farm.  The toms are so big there they almost look prehistoric.  We are on a mission.  It can't get any better than this. 

Pricing is the key to these successful outdoor suppliers.  Good deals all the time and check out the free shipping or minimum charges.

Good hunting, good fishing, and good luck.  Hank

http://www.outdoorswithhank.com/



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