How many private land acres?

[Boll Weevil]

My fear is everyone else will do this and lock down on the same areas.

Foot traffic will increase as the season approaches and we know that turkeys aren't very tolerant of human intrusion. What you might find is the places you've scouted that held 0 turkeys suddenly have a few birds after they've been run out of other areas.

Of course if there are really no turkeys, this is a moot premise.

 

[TheLBLman]

My fear is everyone else will do this and lock down on the same areas.

Foot traffic will increase as the season approaches and we know that turkeys aren't very tolerant of human intrusion. What you might find is the places you've scouted that held 0 turkeys suddenly have a few birds after they've been run out of other areas.

Most turkeys are still in huge winter flocks, some of which are several miles from where many these birds spent last spring, summer, and early fall.
And their winter range can be VERY small compared to other times of year.

They will naturally begin dispersing in early spring, and this may get sped up a bit by "scouters" like AT Hiker.

I've often seen large areas void of turkey during December/January, yet have plenty of birds move in by mid-April.

Also, someone scouting can easily miss a large winter flock, simply because they may be staying just beyond that ridge you didn't top, mostly holding in the next valley.

Personally, I almost hope I have no turkeys this time of year in some key hunting areas of the past.
Lots of turkeys now can mean no turkeys in mid-April and later.
I'm talking about large acreage areas (multiple square miles) of contiguous habitat,
not small farms (with more fields than woods) surrounded and interspersed with highways and subdivisions.

Most of TN's turkey hunters may be hunting more an "urban" bird than a "wilderness" bird,
like we have at LBL, Catoosa WMA, and the Cherokee National Forest.

 

[tellico4x4]

3,300 in one block. Lots of hens right now & gobblers will start moving back in a few weeks.

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[AT Hiker]

I will say LBL was busy last weekend. Squirrel hunters galore, ample day hikers, family's picking butter cups (illegal?) and shed hunters. If I were king of LBL I would have a gate so as to ask specific questions to people.

Talked to one my hunting buddies last night. He left LBL and took the trace North to KY. He seen 2 long beards together off the side of the road. So, we know two exist.


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[SwampChicken]

I'm a public land owner of 655,000+ acres of NF land and several thousand acres of TVA land within an hour drive of me......much more rewarding to kill em on public these days for me.

Birds are still in big flocks but the flocks that I saw on Saturday while walking the woods were either all male or all female.....wont be long!

 

[tndave59]

Lease 500 acres 3 hour drive from home, saw lots of birds during deer season. Just picked up a place only 40 acres 15 minutes from home that should be promising. I'll take anything I can get!

 

[woodsman04]

I hunt several smaller tracts across four counties that add up to maybe 700-800 acres.

Other than that I hunt public in several areas, but most of my good hunts are on private because not as many googans, although the googan population is very prevalent on and around my private places.


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[woodsman04]

75 private acres

Spent 2 days and 15+ miles hiking around LBL this weekend. Seen zero turkey sign, literally nothing.
The hog sign has increased since last year.


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Although not a good sign, I expect that turkeys may not be anywhere around the area right now. Some of my places I bet they may be 10-20 miles away in winter and then early spring start breaking up and roaming.


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