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Very disappointing where I hunt

T

THE DUKE

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TNDeer Supporter
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Oct 9, 2009
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3,315
Location
Lebanon,Tennessee
I thought last season was the worst I'd ever seen , I was wrong this season has me ashamed that TN has a turkey season. Twra needs to restructer the bag limit so hopefully we can restock the population. I've seen farms that there's no hunting allowed go from 100-150 in a field to 5-10 now. Turkeys this year have been the most tight lipped I've ever seen. I've been in the same field and watching a hen or some Jakes and not a peep when called to.
 
Gobbling has been non existent here on the plateau the last 7 days for my self and network of few good buddies. Hopefully it's just the peak breeding lull (lockdown) so to speak. I ve saw gobbler tracks in the dirt roads and all gobblers I ve seen out and about at work have been full strut with a hen or three. I have high hopes for this weekend and will gladly welcome the predicated temperature and sunshine. Maybe the gobbling lull will save some turkeys lives there is more out of state tags in my neck of the woods then there is local trucks. No offense to out of staters I just care more about the wild turkey than I do a Facebook brag
 
Where are you located? I have seen and heard quite a few birds this year, but they have been kind of tight lipped after fly down. I've hunted some new areas and some old familiar spots and numbers have been good, seen plenty of jakes too. Only my backyard flock has disappeared over the past few years, it's very localized and has me scratching my head.
 
Been a strange year for me as well in TN. Tons less gobbling after flydown this year, birds were 7 to 10 days behind normal schedule with toms strutting for unreceptive hens all day long. Daytime gobbling activity picked up last weekend where you would at least get a courtesy gobble mid day from henned up toms. Just starting to see a few lone hens breaking away from the flocks to lay this past weekend.

I hunted 12 of the first 18 days of the season, heard 12 shots opening morning, but heard only 1 since.

Birds have become very spotty in TN. Pockets with plenty of birds, then miles before another pocket. You are all good if you are in the middle of a pocket, but won't see even a hen of you are in between pockets.

This is the first year I've seen almost as many male birds as female. There are very few hens left on my farms. You would think that would lead to increased gobbling activity, but nope... each dominant tom has his 2 or 3 hens, and groups of 2 yos seem to have no desire to breed, only fight.

Have seen a reasonable number of jakes, so lat years hatch must not have been abysmal, but I'm more aggressive than most trapping coons, skunks, and possums.
 
Not much gobbling on farm Im hunting .Less gobbling this year than any previous year I can remember!I did hear 2 gobblers first day of season but none since!Still going hoping the hens will start setting soon!On my farm I was seeing a single hen in my hayfield every day but not seeing her lately,so maybe all the hens will be on nest soon!Still,very few gobblers around to hunt!
 
Newt said:
Gobbling has been non existent here on the plateau the last 7 days for my self and network of few good buddies. Hopefully it's just the peak breeding lull (lockdown) so to speak. I ve saw gobbler tracks in the dirt roads and all gobblers I ve seen out and about at work have been full strut with a hen or three. I have high hopes for this weekend and will gladly welcome the predicated temperature and sunshine. Maybe the gobbling lull will save some turkeys lives there is more out of state tags in my neck of the woods then there is local trucks. No offense to out of staters I just care more about the wild turkey than I do a Facebook brag
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Your neck of the woods is just like mine. Have split my time 50/50 on public and private and have only seen two TN tags on my public land trips.

It has been tough hunting, but it has also been a strange spring. With the weather that we have had, I believe the best hunting is still to come. Just as excited for the second half of the season as the first.
 
Its been bad and especially bad the last 5 days... I can't even remember the last time I struck a mid day gobbler and played the chess game.. The gobblers I have seen lately haven't been strutting. Heck I even drove the Natchez trace yesterday and didnt see a bird..
 
I hunted the last 2 afternoons for about 2 hours on a neighbors place. Birds hang out on a cattle farm and roost on neighbors side. Called 2 jakes and 1 not sure what to call him away from the hens yesterday and had them in my lap at 15 yards. The 1 has a beard that looks to be maybe 6" but a full gobble and fan looks full too the couple times he's strutted. Tried like the devil to see spurs but can't in the grass. He almost died yesterday as my motto is act like a gobbler and die like one but I held off and watched him eventually go to roost. Been to lease 2 mornings and gobbling was good both times.
 
Toughest yr to my knowledge I've ever witnessed in TN. I only hunt public land and have never seen more hunters in and out of state (even more than those covid times). Out of 10 trips, I've only heard 1 bird after flydown and that was opening weekend in the evening. This won't stop me, as I'm hoping they are all just preoccupied and will eventually turn on but man it sure is depressing driving home without hearing or seeing anything other than idiots walking and calling all over the place 🤦‍♂️
 
catman529 said:
Where are you located? I have seen and heard quite a few birds this year, but they have been kind of tight lipped after fly down. I've hunted some new areas and some old familiar spots and numbers have been good, seen plenty of jakes too. Only my backyard flock has disappeared over the past few years, it's very localized and has me scratching my head.
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wilson co I hunt private farms and cedars of lebanon sometimes.
 
Tried a WMA or two in a certain area of the state and have never seen so many out of state tags in my 40 years of turkey hunting. We heard 0 and left after 1 morning it was so crowded. I have heard birds locally but they are still henned up but I expect that to change as we are starting to see several lone hens of the afternoon. I also found a nest Friday but something had already gotten the eggs. On a good note I spoke with one of the workers on some public I was at and he said last year was the best year for poults he could ever remember. Said they seen them all over the place. That's always encouraging to hear!
 

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I just checked the updated harvest report; to date we're down a little over 3000 dead birds from last year. If the season trend continues, we won't even break the 30k mark. What you guys are reporting (from all over the state I might add) seems more than coincidental.

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Anyone that tries to convince you that everything is fine has oceanfront property in Arizona for sale haha I killed one on opening day and I won't hunt another day because of lack of birds. Back in the day it was nothing to hear 8-10 birds gobbling on roost on a 110 acre property. Now im lucky to hear 2. Birds are around because I heard 6 shots before 8 am haha thats the biggest culprit these days. Everyone hunts turkeys. I hear more shots during turkey season than I do during deer season. We can all blame nest raiders, coyotes, corn/baiting, bag limit, all that doesn't hold a candle to the number of people turkey hunting now. More educated hunters now too.
 
THE DUKE said:
wilson co I hunt private farms and cedars of lebanon sometimes.
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I am in Wilson Co as well. I hunt all private not too far from Cedars of Lebanon. Your original post is spot on. Did talk to a young man at 3 Forks Market Saturday that killed a nice triple bearded tom. Said he gobbled good and worked in perfect after fly down. I roosted a bird Friday evening (gobbled about 6 times) and set up (100 yds) on him very early Saturday. He never made a peep on or off the roost early Saturday morning. He finally gobbled once about 9am. I killed one on the 9th in spitting snow. That was the only good morning I've experienced this year.
 

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