got a call from the landowner yesterday where I hunt majority of the time (been hunting out there since 2000) telling me he is sitting there watching at least 150 birds down in his bottom fields. Was already headed out there today to go bushhog all the fields in the back of the property and talked to his wife when I got there. She was like "there were so many of them this morning at daylight you literally couldnt hear yourself think, they were just going crazy all over the place"
For years this wasnt uncommon but for about a 5-6 year stretch the numbers were way down from that. Seems the past few years has really rebounded them out there. Granted they are in winter flocks and when they start to split half of that group goes to the other side of the river.
The back part of the property use to be the honey hole for me, but all the fields back there havent been cut in the past few years so the turkeys just stopped using that area for the most part. Finally got my buddies tractor out there and cut everything and it almost looks like it once did. Gonna go and lightly disc a bunch of it next week, then put out some clover and natural grasses. Will end up spraying a lot of it later this month to get rid of the non grass species etc. Saw a group of about 40 hens on my way out when I was done just hanging out.
Man im always excited this time of year but getting this spot back in shape and population looking good has me jumping for joy. These next 30 days will be the LONGEST of the year for me.
For years this wasnt uncommon but for about a 5-6 year stretch the numbers were way down from that. Seems the past few years has really rebounded them out there. Granted they are in winter flocks and when they start to split half of that group goes to the other side of the river.
The back part of the property use to be the honey hole for me, but all the fields back there havent been cut in the past few years so the turkeys just stopped using that area for the most part. Finally got my buddies tractor out there and cut everything and it almost looks like it once did. Gonna go and lightly disc a bunch of it next week, then put out some clover and natural grasses. Will end up spraying a lot of it later this month to get rid of the non grass species etc. Saw a group of about 40 hens on my way out when I was done just hanging out.
Man im always excited this time of year but getting this spot back in shape and population looking good has me jumping for joy. These next 30 days will be the LONGEST of the year for me.
