I may throw in the towel for the year.

[megalomaniac]

.... Sure, if hens aren't bred then nesting is of no concern, but how many farms have all the toms killed in the first 2 weeks?
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Goodtimekiller, I think you do not realize just how frequently this occurs.... you are fortunate to have access to a property that currently has numerous toms, and would be virtually impossible to kill all of them off in the first 2 weeks; BUT, probably over 1/2 of TN's acerage that has turkeys only has small flocks with only 1 or 2 toms that service a turkey's spring range. Sure the vast majority of TN's harvest comes from those locales with higher populations, and those areas are not currently affected by the early season opening since there are so many remaining gobblers to continue mating with the hens that don't initiate nests until the second half of April. But those smaller flocks are absolutely obliterated before they even have a chance to grow when the toms are removed early. I've personally seen it happen on 3 or 4 properties in TN, and I have a friend that has a flock of only 1 tom and 6 hens on his farm with no other flocks close by... ofc, he has chosen to not even hunt that bird this season in case any hens need to renest. Many hunters would not give him that courtesy and he would have been killed a month ago.

 

[Goodtimekiller]

.... Sure, if hens aren't bred then nesting is of no concern, but how many farms have all the toms killed in the first 2 weeks?
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Goodtimekiller, I think you do not realize just how frequently this occurs.... you are fortunate to have access to a property that currently has numerous toms, and would be virtually impossible to kill all of them off in the first 2 weeks; BUT, probably over 1/2 of TN's acerage that has turkeys only has small flocks with only 1 or 2 toms that service a turkey's spring range. Sure the vast majority of TN's harvest comes from those locales with higher populations, and those areas are not currently affected by the early season opening since there are so many remaining gobblers to continue mating with the hens that don't initiate nests until the second half of April. But those smaller flocks are absolutely obliterated before they even have a chance to grow when the toms are removed early. I've personally seen it happen on 3 or 4 properties in TN, and I have a friend that has a flock of only 1 tom and 6 hens on his farm with no other flocks close by... ofc, he has chosen to not even hunt that bird this season in case any hens need to renest. Many hunters would not give him that courtesy and he would have been killed a month ago.

My personal farm is the same way. Saw 2 birds strutting a week ago. They left, an hour later i heard a shot at the back of the property. Next day 1 strutter and found out my neighbor shot one of the birds. Been watching him every day and won't let anyone near him. I have seen him with 9 hens. However, even you said 1000 acres was not enough to contain a flock, so if a small farm has 2-3 toms killed won't these unbred hens find a tom somewhere else, even if they have to travel?


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[megalomaniac]

The gobblers will try to find unbred hens and the hens will try to find gobblers to breed them. It's all good if there's a gobbler within a mile or two. But turkeys don't wander the distances that deer are capable of. Exactly why they had to be cannon netted and relocated throughout the state to restore populations. I'd love to hear how far the birds they radio collared ranged, but I would suspect it would be rare for a bird to travel more than 2.5 miles in the spring and more than 5 miles in the fall.

And if your last gobbler is still with 9 hens, that REALLY means we need to consider pushing season opening back a couple weeks. Still lots of active breeding going on where there are toms left.

 

[FARMTOFIELD]

The gobblers will try to find unbred hens and the hens will try to find gobblers to breed them. It's all good if there's a gobbler within a mile or two. But turkeys don't wander the distances that deer are capable of. Exactly why they had to be cannon netted and relocated throughout the state to restore populations. I'd love to hear how far the birds they radio collared ranged, but I would suspect it would be rare for a bird to travel more than 2.5 miles in the spring and more than 5 miles in the fall.

And if your last gobbler is still with 9 hens, that REALLY means we need to consider pushing season opening back a couple weeks. Still lots of active breeding going on where there are toms left.

I think you may be surprised, last I heard, the fall birds were mainly homebodies but on a couple of occasions picked up and left traveling 10+ miles, but here is the odd thing. Where they traveled to both times, they stayed 1 day and came back.

 

[knightrider]

The gobblers will try to find unbred hens and the hens will try to find gobblers to breed them. It's all good if there's a gobbler within a mile or two. But turkeys don't wander the distances that deer are capable of. Exactly why they had to be cannon netted and relocated throughout the state to restore populations. I'd love to hear how far the birds they radio collared ranged, but I would suspect it would be rare for a bird to travel more than 2.5 miles in the spring and more than 5 miles in the fall.

And if your last gobbler is still with 9 hens, that REALLY means we need to consider pushing season opening back a couple weeks. Still lots of active breeding going on where there are toms left.

I think you may be surprised, last I heard, the fall birds were mainly homebodies but on a couple of occasions picked up and left traveling 10+ miles, but here is the odd thing. Where they traveled to both times, they stayed 1 day and came back.

wow, id never thought it. that's pretty amazing and for a one day stay

 

[Goodtimekiller]

I heard of a study a few weeks ago where some toms were found over 20 miles away from where they were released. I can't remember who did the study but i will try to find it.


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[cowhunter71]

Glad to see more and more throwing in the towel so early each season just because turkeys ain't gobbling. Hope this trend continues.

 

[ZachMarkus]

Glad to see more and more throwing in the towel so early each season just because turkeys ain't gobbling. Hope this trend continues.

I realize this happens a lot where people just give up early because the turkeys aren't acting right but in a lot of areas there just isn't any turkeys there to gobble, believe me, I've experienced it first hand for the past 10 years on our 1200 acre cattle farm in southern lawrence county. There used to be close to 250+ birds call our place home, now days it's 10-15 including 2 toms, I have only seen 1 jake so next year isn't looking good either.


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[cowhunter71]

Always got to laugh at those who think they know exactly how many turkeys they have on a given piece of ground based on what they "see or hear", or better yet, trail cam pics over a bait site :lol: And for those who think truly wild Gobblers won't travel more than five miles to find willing hens in the Spring, they need to stop studying "so called" wild turkeys in a pen and then trying to apply their behavior to a truly wild flock in a state 4 hours North.

 

[poorhunter]

Glad to see more and more throwing in the towel so early each season just because turkeys ain't gobbling. Hope this trend continues.

I hear ya, but I think it's best for "my" farms to make sure there really aren't any. I've been out every day since mid-March and nothing makes me think there are enough birds there for me to be killing any. I'll still be looking and listening, but until I know there are enough birds, I won't be killing any.

 

[cowhunter71]

Glad to see more and more throwing in the towel so early each season just because turkeys ain't gobbling. Hope this trend continues.

I hear ya, but I think it's best for "my" farms to make sure there really aren't any. I've been out every day since mid-March and nothing makes me think there are enough birds there for me to be killing any. I'll still be looking and listening, but until I know there are enough birds, I won't be killing any.

That's respectable. Trust your gut and hopefully they crank up for you in these next two weeks.

 

[FARMTOFIELD]

Always got to laugh at those who think they know exactly how many turkeys they have on a given piece of ground based on what they "see or hear", or better yet, trail cam pics over a bait site :lol: And for those who think truly wild Gobblers won't travel more than five miles to find willing hens in the Spring, they need to stop studying "so called" wild turkeys in a pen and then trying to apply their behavior to a truly wild flock in a state 4 hours North.

Dude southern Lawrence county is honest to God, void of birds, there are a few pockets here and there, but they are mostly killed out each season. I haven't seen but one hen on my property for 5 yrs now.

 

[ZachMarkus]

Always got to laugh at those who think they know exactly how many turkeys they have on a given piece of ground based on what they "see or hear", or better yet, trail cam pics over a bait site :lol: And for those who think truly wild Gobblers won't travel more than five miles to find willing hens in the Spring, they need to stop studying "so called" wild turkeys in a pen and then trying to apply their behavior to a truly wild flock in a state 4 hours North.

Laugh all you want hoss, I may not know the exact number of birds on my property but it's close to what I said. My grandpa and his brother are all over the farm every day and see the same turkeys over and over. I see and hear them as well. Yes I do have bait sites out with cameras, I feed them during season to try and keep them on my property and off the neighboring properties and we don't hunt them. I understand that gobblers travel this time of year looming for hens but I seriously know every landowner within miles of my place and none of them have a huntable population of birds on their properties.


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[AT Hiker]

Always got to laugh at those who think they know exactly how many turkeys they have on a given piece of ground based on what they "see or hear", or better yet, trail cam pics over a bait site :lol: And for those who think truly wild Gobblers won't travel more than five miles to find willing hens in the Spring, they need to stop studying "so called" wild turkeys in a pen and then trying to apply their behavior to a truly wild flock in a state 4 hours North.

Laugh all you want hoss, I may not know the exact number of birds on my property but it's close to what I said. My grandpa and his brother are all over the farm every day and see the same turkeys over and over. I see and hear them as well. Yes I do have bait sites out with cameras, I feed them during season to try and keep them on my property and off the neighboring properties and we don't hunt them. I understand that gobblers travel this time of year looming for hens but I seriously know every landowner within miles of my place and none of them have a huntable population of birds on their properties.


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You would think someone with the words "cow" and "hunter" in their screen name would realize that a cattle farmer is very aware of what's on their property.
My grandfather, a cattle farmer as well, tells me every week what he sees out and about. Sitting on his backporch sipping coffee every morning before sun up also makes him aware of when and where turkeys are vocal.




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[cowhunter71]

Grew up on a 4 section ranch in Highland and Glades county Florida. I and most of my kin are turkey hunting fanatics and were fully aware that we had turkeys, but never at any given time could tell you how many Gobblers and Hens we had exactly. We always had a saying. More than likely there were twice as many as you heard and three times as many as you seen

 

[MickThompson]

Apparently all the turkey biologists in the eastern US are incompetent because birds are declining throughout their historic strongholds. Or something else beyond their control is going on.

https://www.google.com/amp/www.audubon. ... ocks%3famp

I have 1 more farm to check, then I'm going fishing too.


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[woodsman04]

The gobblers will try to find unbred hens and the hens will try to find gobblers to breed them. It's all good if there's a gobbler within a mile or two. But turkeys don't wander the distances that deer are capable of. Exactly why they had to be cannon netted and relocated throughout the state to restore populations. I'd love to hear how far the birds they radio collared ranged, but I would suspect it would be rare for a bird to travel more than 2.5 miles in the spring and more than 5 miles in the fall.

And if your last gobbler is still with 9 hens, that REALLY means we need to consider pushing season opening back a couple weeks. Still lots of active breeding going on where there are toms left.

They'll range a lot further than that. You have a lot of credibility but they range miles and miles in my area.

I hunt in north Alabama a lot too, and there have been birds that travel more than 20 miles from Giles county Tennessee to Alabama for spring nesting.


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[woodsman04]

The gobblers will try to find unbred hens and the hens will try to find gobblers to breed them. It's all good if there's a gobbler within a mile or two. But turkeys don't wander the distances that deer are capable of. Exactly why they had to be cannon netted and relocated throughout the state to restore populations. I'd love to hear how far the birds they radio collared ranged, but I would suspect it would be rare for a bird to travel more than 2.5 miles in the spring and more than 5 miles in the fall.

And if your last gobbler is still with 9 hens, that REALLY means we need to consider pushing season opening back a couple weeks. Still lots of active breeding going on where there are toms left.

I think you may be surprised, last I heard, the fall birds were mainly homebodies but on a couple of occasions picked up and left traveling 10+ miles, but here is the odd thing. Where they traveled to both times, they stayed 1 day and came back.

Really odd there. My hunting grounds spread out a lot over north al and south mid tn. Lots of the birds Alabama has in the spring spend their winter in Tennessee. Don't know why. But don't care as long as I can hunt them on my spots, and they nest successfully


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[Bgoodman30]

I saw a big wad of at least 7-8 toms most of them strutting, in someone's front yard this morning.


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I really think they need to study these birds. They seem to be be only populations around that are flourishing. Or maybe it just seems that way because they have more Toms due to lack of hunting? There are 2 groups around here that has 6 Toms and the other 10 plus...

I know the suburbs still have predators but maybe there are less? Maybe hunting is the X factor?

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[woodsman04]

Always got to laugh at those who think they know exactly how many turkeys they have on a given piece of ground based on what they "see or hear", or better yet, trail cam pics over a bait site :lol: And for those who think truly wild Gobblers won't travel more than five miles to find willing hens in the Spring, they need to stop studying "so called" wild turkeys in a pen and then trying to apply their behavior to a truly wild flock in a state 4 hours North.

I agree with ole Cowhunter here, but hey, I'm probably as old school as you. They ain't no turkeys over here.


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