Has the Turkey hunting gotten any better?

[viper55]

Just wondering how the weekend went. I plan on going out this weekend over to the East Side.

[boneaddict]

When does Turkey end?  I thought it was usually around the 15th.  I obviosly haven't been out doing it, so don't know.

[jackelope]

end of the month.

[10Key]

Better??? I went out this past weekend for the third time this year and saw one bird, that was a hen. I didn't hear any gobbling in the area I was hunting (Nothing Friday night, nothing Saturday and nothing Sunday morning, which shocked me (no pun intended). Quiet birds make it really difficult to locate them, especially when hunting new areas. I plan on hitting it one last time on the last day of the season, I may get lucky yet.

[Intruder]

It has been an unusually quiet season this year.  I just haven't heard the birds gobbling later in the day like past years.  Seems like they're all pretty much shutting up w/in an hour of fly down.  One thing that I have observed though is more hen talk than usuall.  I've run into very vocal hens in 3 or 4 different areas.  Don't know if that is influencing anything or not.  All in all very strange.

[tlbradford]

I have noticed the same thing Intruder.  I am wondering if the cold weather kept the gobblers from starting to breed the hens until later and there are a lot of them waiting their turn.     I am going to do a little turkey biology research and see if that is a valid Wild Ass Guess or not.

[Intruder]

From what I've heard the breeding and laying of eggs is only marginally effected by the weather.  Supposedly the day light (similiarly to the rut) influences breeding/laying/setting more than anything.  I do think the weather influences behavior for sure.... just not sure it changes the timing of these things dramatically.  That being said I have no biological data to back that up. 

[Outfitter]

Somethings definitely off. Our turkey kills are down by 50% this year. I thought once we got some hot weather that would fire em up but instead it shut them up. The biologist told us we lost up to 75% in some areas due to winter kill but the other 25% you think would be working a little better. Unless mostly toms died and theres too many hens that they don't need to look to hard . I give up trying to figure it out, I just can't wait till its OVER !!

[DeKuma]

I'm with you Outfitter.  Nothing is what it should be over there.  Birds gobble for about half hour in the morning, then nothing.  Hunted hard around Addy and Hunters last weekend.  Decided to hang it up and wait for fall for a bird.  Bring on the BEAR!

[chukar-ridge-quest]

I went online and read about 30 diff. articles about weather and the effects of harvest. Nothing conclusive. What I took from the reading was, in above ave. snowfall years, the brood gets pushed back a little. Not due to the current weather, but because the birds aren't in their normal areas. Just my take.

CRQ

[Wacenturion]

If that 75% reduction number in some areas is true.....then what appropriate timing for the additional two hens in the Sept/Oct. season, huh.  That of course is in addition to the one either sex later. 

Liberalizing the already existing fall season is not a good thing for those birds....especially now.  Those hens that are the proven sucessful nesters are the most valuable birds in those flocks.  If a bunch of these particular hens died from winter conditions and we then kill more of them in the fall....well you figure it out.   

                                                          

[jimkirk]

went out fri/sat and the birds were fired up. the snow was melting and much more land is now accessible. gobblers were all travelin solo and saw a few lone hens. couldn't get the toms to close that last 10-20 yards though.

[10Key]

went out fri/sat and the birds were fired up. the snow was melting and much more land is now accessible. gobblers were all travelin solo and saw a few lone hens. couldn't get the toms to close that last 10-20 yards though.

What elevation were you hunting?

[jimkirk]

hunting around 3500-4500 ft, east and south faces had lost most of the snow.

[Rhinoron247]

Here some pics of birds we saw while Bear hunting in the Lick Creek this last weekend.  Wasn't hunting them and I think they new it.  These birds were feeding around the 4600' level and were WAY off the beaten path.