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Have the birds gone underground?

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4onaside

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Not seeing any around our place in Decatur county. Last weekend drove from Jackson to South Williamson county thru some of the best turkey areas in the state and saw zilch in the fields. Drove from Jackson to the place today, nary a sighting. No droppings or shed feathers in our substantial pastures. My barber who lives adjacent to Natchez Trace Park and is always seeing them, told me today that he has not seen any birds in a while. The only redeeming factor was that I set up a blind in the woods on our place and the woods were tore up! Scratching today! Maybe there is some hope after all. What is everybody seeing?
 
Struggling to say the least. Usually covered in birds and now nothing. Hope something changes before next weekend.
 
Turkeys, like deer, STILL have TONS of acorns to eat. Woods, especially near White oaks, are TORN UP!

102
 
My place was vacant last year and it is absolutely packed this year with them. I was out an hour today and called in a tom that hung at 60 yards acorss a branch and had one double gobbling at me on the way out.
 
They're still in large flocks and haven't busted up yet. I'm keepin' my fingers crossed they bust up soon. When they do, sightings will get back to normal.
 
BigGameGuy said:
They're still in large flocks and haven't busted up yet. I'm keepin' my fingers crossed they bust up soon. When they do, sightings will get back to normal.
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MAYBE so, but where are all those "big flocks"????????? If a 100 acre farm is all youve got to hunt, then YES I can see how some people would think they are gone when in actuality they are simply a mile or so away on another farm. BUT when you look over 3 or 4 COUNTIES and cant find birds ANYWHERE that they always were before, how do you explain that??? I still say we have had a massive die off in some areas of the state and as of yet, nobody official is willing to admit it.
 
Huntaholic said:
BigGameGuy said:
They're still in large flocks and haven't busted up yet. I'm keepin' my fingers crossed they bust up soon. When they do, sightings will get back to normal.
Click to expand...
MAYBE so, but where are all those "big flocks"????????? If a 100 acre farm is all youve got to hunt, then YES I can see how some people would think they are gone when in actuality they are simply a mile or so away on another farm. BUT when you look over 3 or 4 COUNTIES and cant find birds ANYWHERE that they always were before, how do you explain that??? I still say we have had a massive die off in some areas of the state and as of yet, nobody official is willing to admit it.
Click to expand...
I agree with your logic, because I did not/have not seen the large flocks recently either. And what you say about some sort of crash in many areas may be true, perish the thought. lol However, I doubt if its a question about "nobody official is willing to admit it". IMO its a question of that situation has not been determined to be a fact as yet. As the season progresses, we will probably know for sure, one way or another.
 
fished center hill yesterday and normally you can hear them popping off everywhere. Fished almost 12 hours and heard a big fat none not one bird sounded off. It was very cold. I it is still early around here.
 
Huntaholic said:
BigGameGuy said:
They're still in large flocks and haven't busted up yet. I'm keepin' my fingers crossed they bust up soon. When they do, sightings will get back to normal.
Click to expand...
MAYBE so, but where are all those "big flocks"????????? If a 100 acre farm is all youve got to hunt, then YES I can see how some people would think they are gone when in actuality they are simply a mile or so away on another farm. BUT when you look over 3 or 4 COUNTIES and cant find birds ANYWHERE that they always were before, how do you explain that??? I still say we have had a massive die off in some areas of the state and as of yet, nobody official is willing to admit it.
Click to expand...

I'm with huntaholic on this one. I've only been turkey hunting now for about 8 years. BUT,.. i see less and less and hear less and less each year. Places that usually had winter flocks of 100+ birds in them now only have 20 to 30. Winter tom groups that was made up of 10 to 20 back a few years ago are only 4 to 8 birds. Much smaller winter flocks IMO is a sign that something is going on. If the flocks are smaller,.. they are less likely to spread out as far from their winter range.
 
Fellas,
Turkey populations, like many other, tend to run in cycles. But I have found that over the past MANY years of being in the woods, that places, EVEN COUNTIES, that held BIG numbers of birds this year, may not hold them NEXT year.

Do not panic. Change tactics and get INTO the woods.

102
 
I have been seeing them in Davidson, Williamson Counties. Same spots I have seen em for years. They are split up and with hens ,too and gobbling like crazy.
 
102, I LIVE IN THE WOODS! Its what I do for a living ANd what I do for fun when Im not working, so telling ME to get in the woods is kind of an insult. As far as the "turkey rut" goes, what there are left of em are chasing like crazy here RIGHT NOW. (figured I would use deer terminology on a deer board) The numbers arent here PERIOD. Not in Jackson, Putnam, Overton or Clay counties anyway. LOL I can sit on my back porch and hear in 3 of those 4 counties too! :)
 
You can add Dekalb along with Jackson,Putnam,and Overton counties in that list of turkey numbers down dramatically Huntaholic...
Does not look like its going to be getting any better either...
The 2 bird statewide and 2 on a WMA like it was a few years back might be what it takes to get it back together...
 
Did not mean to insultanyone. It was not my intention to insult. If I meant to, the person to whom I was insulting would not have to speculate.

I live in the woods as well. My backyard is THOUSANDS od acres of woods. The turkey population, as the deer, relies soley on mast. Last year, I hunted probably 80% of the season and worked ONE bird. You'd think they had all dies. I hunted Franklin, Hamilton, Sequatchie, Polk, Coffee, WMA's, and visited several other places to listen and help hunt. NOTHING. Seemed they all dies. Yet I spoke with several field hunters who were VERY successful.

THis year, already, in those same places, WIDE OPEN turley rut already!!!

I've seen this repeated many years now.

We will see! SHould be interesting!

102
 
Tons of tracks on our farm in southern Decatur County. Right on time. They usually appear in mid-March.

Not sure what's going on elsewhere.
 

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