Mid - Late Season Behavior?

[Gray Ghost]

OH, and Captain Know It All, here's your required reading for your PhD in KMA.

http://www.tndeer.com/tndeertalk/ubbthr ... ost1897802

Last time I'll ever respond to one of your posts. If there was an ounce of truth to anything you've said about yourself, you could take a serious lesson from BSK. You could have had potential to educate others instead of crowing about how bright you think you are and putting people down.

Your negativity voids any credibility to anything you say.

Good day sir. Word.

 

[Setterman]

Hens are far from nesting anywhere in this state. I am sure a handful are, but the majority of hens are still staying with the gobblers all day long. It will change quickly, here in a week or so. When you start hearing bird gobble hard on the roost, then continue to gobble on the ground for a period of time, then you know they are losing a few hens each day which are going to sit. When gobblers gobble all morning, and respond with enthusiasm where woods have been silent, then you know the hens are done with them and sitting full time.

When birds gobble hard on the limb then shut up, the hens are roosting with them, and they all fly down together. Which means they are not nesting, not yet.

Sorry I disagree. Hens roost just like gobblers, gobblers attract the hens, and even if they are laying, they continue to lay as the season goes on. Even if the they have eggs in them they will continue to produce unfertilized eggs and add to the clutch.

That's why they hang around for a while 'till they get the urge, then go add some to the nest.
All eggs a hen is going to lay don't get fertilized at once.

No kidding hens roost just like gobblers. When we were doing nest surveys in Miss, we found that at times many hens would sit all night on their nests, never flying up to roost. There are several opinions on roosting when hens begin sitting full time, and both have evidence to back up their side.

Hens usually lay around 12 eggs, one a day after they have been bred, all twelve are usually fertile, some make it, some don't. They do it in that order so that the poults all hatch on the same day.

While we are at our turkey biology lesson, hens only have to be fertilized once in order to lay a clutch of eggs, they don't have to be fertilized every day just to lay an egg. Sure they do get bred multiple times, but there is a variety of reasons this may occur.

They hang around until all 12 or so eggs are laid, then they leave the toms permanently to sit on their nest. It usually starts around now, and will finish up 26-28 days from the time they finish nesting.

You forget or do not know that I wrote my master's thesis on wild turkeys. I have no problem with you disagreeing with me, but factually you are a little off, other then the obvious that hens do roost.

I neither forgot, nor do I give a cat's behind about what you wrote your master's in, nor am I impressed. In my experience, those who are educated do not need to tell others about it. I really could not care less.

You obviously do have a problem with anyone disagreeing with you due to your "big me little you" responses in almost every post I've bothered to read from you. I've enough knowledge about these birds to know that there is no constant in their behavior. As for your statement "Hens are far from nesting anywhere in this state", pure caca. I've seen em on the nest myself this year, and had a bearded hen stop just short of gun range to plop her big hiney on her nest. Say what you want but it was with my own two eyes.

I respect anyone's opinion when that respect is reciprocated when a/my dissenting opinion is presented. I am sure you will reply with a stingingly typical smart alec reply, but that's ok, some people need to stroke their own ego I guess.

Oh, by the way, in case you get the "big me little you" thing going again, I'm an ejicated feller myself so don't assume you are talking down to someone who is beneath you, as you normally do.

I bet you really hated those pesky professors that picked your thesis apart.

Boy you got a piss poor attitude. I have no issue with someone disagreeing with me, especially if they have factual and educated disagreements. Which you in your original post fail to achieve, grossly I might add.

There are so many biologically inaccurate statements in your post it was hard to decipher through to really try and provide an altering perspective.

I would agree with you that there are always some early nesters, no argument from me there. But to say the majority of hens are sitting now is just false. Sorry, but that is the truth. Sure some have laid good clucthes but have not begun full time sitting, not quite yet. AS I said some have, no doubt, but the bulk of that is still a few weeks away.

Hens only have to be bred one time, despite your original statement about them having to be bred numerous times each season. They have a unique ability to store sperm. That is pretty common knowledge.

Also, laying of unfertilized eggs is a waste of resources for a hen, and generally in the wild little if any needed nutrients are wasted. That is just not how nature works.

If you want to have a level headed discussion then I am all for it, so please take a deep breath and lets have a discussion.

 

[Gray Ghost]

lol you sucked me in for one more post. I'm done dude. Work on your own attitude.

 

[Setterman]

lol you sucked me in for one more post. I'm done dude. Work on your own attitude.

Yes I am a bad guy....
http://www.tndeer.com/tndeertalk/ubbthr ... =0&fpart=1

Seriously, I would be happy to talk biology or anything else related to turkeys. Sure we might disagree, but that is part of discussion. So, offer an opinion. Dude....

 

[RAFI]

lol you sucked me in for one more post. I'm done dude. Work on your own attitude.

Yes I am a bad guy....
http://www.tndeer.com/tndeertalk/ubbthr ... =0&fpart=1

Seriously, I would be happy to talk biology or anything else related to turkeys. Sure we might disagree, but that is part of discussion. So, offer an opinion. Dude....

Why?I've got to agree with gray ghost.You really do talk down to others and seem to know it all.You are just rude and hateful the way you talk to others.

you do know a lot but some others on here do too but you don't seem to understand that.Like he said you can offer some good advice at times but it gets lost with your attitude you carry around.

 

[Setterman]

OH good lord.....

 

[luvtohunt]

Where I hunt they gobble less each week as season goes along.after the forth weekend they stop gobbling.i hear people say they gobble better late in the season but thats not what I see where I hunt.

Setterman the gobbling on the roost and gobbling well up in the morning was two weeks ago here. I have seen a gobblers the last few days fly down by theirselves and they are not looking for hens. They start pecking around and going about their business just being turkeys. Some places in the state may get better as the year goes on but doesnt happen here.

Same here too and I agree with you guys 100%. That is why I was so upset about the season opening late, but luckily we had cool weather that held them back a bit. Did get one Sunday, but didn't hear a gobble on the roost. Saw this bird in a field and called him in.

 

[muddyboots]

Where I hunt they gobble less each week as season goes along.after the forth weekend they stop gobbling.i hear people say they gobble better late in the season but thats not what I see where I hunt.

Setterman the gobbling on the roost and gobbling well up in the morning was two weeks ago here. I have seen a gobblers the last few days fly down by theirselves and they are not looking for hens. They start pecking around and going about their business just being turkeys. Some places in the state may get better as the year goes on but doesnt happen here.

Same here too and I agree with you guys 100%. That is why I was so upset about the season opening late, but luckily we had cool weather that held them back a bit. Did get one Sunday, but didn't hear a gobble on the roost. Saw this bird in a field and called him in.

I wish it opened Mid March here.

 

[luvtohunt]

I wish it opened Mid March here.

lol, I hear ya. That is normally right around the time they get fired up around here...maybe just a day or 2 later. Like I said, the cool weather helped us or I was in for a crappy season. I have quit seeing strutters on my way to work now too.

 

[Setterman]

There is a huge reason why the seasons are set when they are, sure the first phase of heavy gobbling has usually passed, but they are set later to allow most all the breeding to take place before we wade into them. For flock stability and the future, it has been shown time and time again, setting the opening of the season post-peak breeding doesn't hurt the flock too bad, and still allows most folks ample opportunities to kill all the birds needed to fill tags.

I am headed west later this week to try and help some friends fill their tags. Maybe I can see how this silence period is for myself and see if it is in fact reality.

I then come home, to head to S. GA for a week, according to what is said here, I better watch where I step so I don't mash any poults as I walk through the woods

 

[Bullfrog]

I love this part of the season. Lots of greenery makes it easy to get in tight and the hens don't have a dog in the race, for the most part... when you get one going. The majority of birds around aren't talkin much, but find one that is and its game on. Lots of birds have died the last few days. Sometimes it takes covering alot of ground, but it happens quick when you find the right one.