Turkey Time Is Almost Here!!!

Turkey Hunting Tips

We are getting closer and closer to Spring Turkey Season and if you are like me in any way you are already digging out your guns, gear, and various calls in anticipation of calling in Big Tom. This is an informative video from GrowingDeer.tv that can increase your odds of bagging that big bird this Spring. We have openings at Williams Wilderness Lodge for your Spring turkey hunt. Give me a call and we will get you reserved for your best turkey hunt ever!

Spring Is Here And So Are The Turkeys!!!

Turkey Population was fantastic two years ago, and has grown significantly each year since with two incredibly successful hatches in 2014 and 2015.

     Williams Wilderness Lodge is proud to offer reservations for the upcoming Spring turkey season which is quickly approaching. The "Youth Only" weekend is just a few weeks away on April 9th and 10th, with the full season running from April 18th through May 8th. We offer a true "private" hunt as your party will be the only hunters on the land.

     I am so confident in the turkey population on our 102 acres at Williams Wilderness Lodge that I want to offer a 10% discount to encourage getting your youth hooked on the excitement of turkey hunting during the "Youth Only" weekend. 

     As dawn is announced each Spring morning by the barred owls who have taken up residence here, they are quickly answered in all directions by the gobble of the many turkeys still in their roost. Enjoy this experience and bag your limit this Spring, all while relaxing in our 3 bedroom lodge which has all the necessities other than food, located just a few miles from the property.

     Please give me a call and I will be happy to answer any questions you might have and get you all set for a quality hunt.

Winter Has Arrived At Williams Wilderness Lodge. Time To Book A Spring Turkey Hunt!

Winter at Williams Wilderness Lodge

     A fresh blanket of snow coats the acreage here at Williams Wilderness Lodge as another whitetail deer season has come to a close. The season is over but it seems the preparations never end. Managing this property to consistently produce quality hunting opportunities requires year-round effort.

     We currently have two feeders placed on the property for supplemental feeding. These provide a quality food source for deer and turkey (and raccoons, unfortunately) and will draw additional deer to the property during a time when good food sources can be scarce. A nice snow such as the 4-5" we just received also allows us to research and monitor movement patterns of deer more easily. Having had 42 acres of timber stand improvement completed last summer I am interested to see how much typical movement patterns are altered, if at all, by the many felled trees we now have in the woods. These trees will create many quality bedding areas and improve the population of whitetail deer in our forest. Additionally, in the Spring a much more open forest canopy will allow sunlight in and create quality undergrowth and food sources for deer and turkey.

     Speaking of turkey...I am aware that everyone is still in the process of cleaning all their gear and getting settled into the off-season, but Spring Turkey Season is less than 80 days away!! The youth only weekend is April 9-10, and the regular season is April 18-May 08.

Williams Wilderness Lodge turkey hunting is second to none.

     I am not normally one to brag, but I will put the turkey population and quality of a hunt at Williams Wilderness Lodge up against anyone. As soon as the barred owls start in at dawn on any Spring morning here one will hear consistent gobbles in all directions. If you are a beginner to the art of calling a turkey in this is the place for you, as there are plenty to practice on until you get it right. For seasoned turkey hunters, there will be no more boredom for you as the action is consistent. Please give me a call at 928-366-4020 or email me at williamswildernesslodge@gmail.com with any questions or to book your hunt before they are filled.

We Are Now Taking 2016 Reservations

 It has been an amazing couple of years here at Williams Wilderness Lodge and we are already putting our plans in motion for an equally exciting 2016 season. My son Collin and I are already plotting feeder locations for the winter, food plots and mineral sites for the Spring, and possible stand movements for our next trophy whitetail season. With planning in motion for next season, we have opened up reservations for our 2016 hunts. Our new 3 bedroom lodge is operational so your party can enjoy the convenience of having your lodging and private hunt organized into one package. I am not an outfitter inserting you and 5,000 others on over-hunted land, nor am I a hunting nanny that will put up your stand, walk you out to the stand, and dress your deer when you are done, but if you want to hunt on quality private land in Northern Missouri whitetail country and be provided with courtesy and customer service that will be second to none give us a call or email to set up your hunt. Rates for 2016 are listed below and include private hunt and lodging for up to 4 hunters. Call and get your dates set. They will go quickly! (928) 366-4020 or williamswildernesslodge@gmail.com


DEER (RIFLE)
1^st 4 DAYS= BOOKED
LAST 4 DAYS= $1600
ENTIRE SEASON (9 DAYS) $3000

DEER (YOUTH WEEKEND)
EARLY WEEKEND= $600
LATE WEEKEND= $500

DEER (ARCHERY AND ALTERNATIVE) OCT-DEC
DAILY= $300
3 DAYS= $850
5 DAYS= $1300
WEEK= $1700

DEER (ARCHERY) SEP/JAN
DAILY= $250
3 DAYS= $700
5 DAYS= $1100
WEEK= $1400

SPRING TURKEY
DAILY= $250
3 DAY=  $700

Williams Wilderness Lodge Is Always Making Improvements

Whitetail bucks tearing up our soybean food plot here at Williams Wilderness Lodge

     It is that time of year again. The whitetail buck bachelor groups are moving. The resident does are making final preparations to send their offspring on their adult way, mineral sites and food plots have helped to nourish the herd again this year and with impressive results. The population and volume of photos are higher this year than last, but we are never content to rest upon small improvements. It's "go big or go home" here at Williams Wilderness Lodge as we continue our quest to create our little outdoor Utopia here in Northern Missouri.

     We have been putting together a Forest Management Plan with a licensed forester for over a year. The plan was finalized and ratified by Congress ( I may be overplaying the story a bit) this Spring and we just finished a little over 40 acres of timber stand improvement on the north and east sections of the property.

Timber stand improvement was completed in zones 1 and 2.

     Timber Stand Improvement (TSI) helps to thin out the forest of undesirable trees and open up the forest canopy for the healthy trees to gain more sunlight, and grow even better. Trees in dense forests tend to use all their energy to grow vertically in competition for sunlight, by thinning and opening the canopy it will allow the remaining healthy trees to grow a broader crown, resulting in more abundant hard and soft mast fruits for wildlife. In addition, opening the forest floor up to more sunlight will help grow a more abundant understory growth, which will create natural food plots for whitetail deer, turkey, and other Williams Wilderness Lodge non-tax paying residents. This undergrowth also creates a more comfortable and appealing atmosphere for whitetail deer, who feel safer in thick underbrush and find more abundant bedding areas in the growth as well as the fallen trees from the TSI.

     All in all, this will result in a vast improvement in whitetail deer population over the next 3-4 years as well as our already unrivaled turkey population. More improvements will be made in the upcoming years to ensure your hunting trip to Williams Wilderness Lodge is an enjoyable one.

     Please don't hesitate to call with any questions you might have about land management, whitetail deer hunting, or to book reservations for a private hunt up here in trophy whitetail land.

Huge Work and Preparation Week.

This has been one long week of work trying to get everything ready for the 2014 deer season. I did my cutting and spraying a couple weeks ago, but this week I have been plowing and dragging two new plots for fall planting. It is Thursday evening and this is how they look. It is supposed to rain this weekend so seeds are going in the ground tomorrow evening.

This plot will be planted tomorrow with a brassica blend of turnips, sugar beets, and rape.

This plot will be planted tomorrow with crimson, red, and white clover, as well as forage oats.

Additionally, I have been setting up stands this week.

In total, there are four 15' ladder stands to go along with two Millenium M100 hanging stands.

Another Baby

First Fawn Sighting

It's not a very good picture, but we have our first official fawn sighting here at the Lodge.

Food Plots Are Growing Quite Well

Thanks to consistent rain in our region, this Spring food plot is coming along quite nicely. If you are looking for private ground for your bow hunt or muzzle loader hunt this year check us out at Williams Wilderness Lodge

Spring!!

This is why I love Spring.

Map Of Current And Proposed Deer Management Techniques

I stayed home from the land today to get a short break from the 4am turkey hunting grind of the last three days. Being new to the sport of turkey hunting the gobblers have been teaching me many lessons and running me ragged. Even though I wasn't physically present there today my mind was still there, as I sat down and plotted current projects as well as future ones on an overhead map. The yellow ovals are food plot sites. The red rectangles are current deer stands and/or box blinds. The triangles are proposed future stands. The blue blobs are current mineral sites.

The Harvest is Plentiful, But The Laborers Few.

Spring Turkey Hunters need to book here. We are in full strut!!

The Turkeys Are Invading!!

TURKEYS!!!!

We are building for a great Spring Turkey Season, as I am now getting more trail camera pictures of the gobblers than I am the deer.

Gone To The Birds

These guys are getting ready for Spring Turkey Season (April 21-May 11). Are you??