UP Turkey Info

[erikh45]

I will be heading across the UP to hunt turkeys in the Escanaba area. I will only have a few days to hunt so there will be some speed scouting on my part. Can anyone give me an update of how the turkeys are acting, or offer advice for a decent setup? This will be my first Michigan hunt, so I am not sure exactly what to expect. I am sure that the tactics will be quite different from hunting the Black Hills. Any advice would be great.

Thanks,

Erik

[Nate McVey]

Erik,

Escanaba is a great place to hunt for birds. I have hunted in the area for the last couple years and have done pretty well. There is quite a bit of public land around the area (Mead property, USFS, and others) that hold some birds. There is also a large plot of land operated by MI State (Spartans) that is available for hunting, all you have to do is sign in and you can hunt. This land is mostly timber with a few meadows mixed in. I know some people that have had some success here. I'm not sure how hunting in the Black Hills goes so I'm not sure of the differences in the styles. I hunted opening weekend and the birds were very active and from those people that I talked to, they seemed to be seeing a lot of birds. Two years ago I hunted the weekend after the Walleye Opener (May 15) and most of the birds we encountered were henned up and uncooperative.

Shoot me an email and I can try and get you directions to the MI State land and the Mead Property (if I can remember the road names).

Nate

[Nate McVey]

How'd you do Erik?

[erikh45]

My internet was down since I got home. We saw alot of birds. None that I had a good shot at with a bow. On the last day I broke down and brought my shotgun. It rained most of the day and I did not see any birds close. The birds seemed pretty shy. I might go earlier next year. It seems like I just start to figure out the birds and then it is time to come home. It was alot of fun. Next year I might just scrap my trip to the Black Hills and hunt the UP a couple more times. Now it is time to break out the boat and hit the lakes.

Erik

[Nate McVey]

Thanks for the update erik. I know what you mean about just getting them figured out and then having to leave. Might have to spend a week over there next year.

Good luck fishing!