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Toughest year ever for me

TDW05

TDW05

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I don't have a clue what is going on here where I am. I have killed 1 bird so far this year and only one that has gobbled. I don't know if numbers are down or what but it's frustrating and very disheartening. I have seen a bunch of lonely hens but for some reason birds just won't play the game. No shock gobbles from crows or owls or nothing usually that 10-2 period I can get a lonely gobbler to respond but this year they ain't doing nothing and I'll admit that I am not patient enough to hunt quiet birds lol. I went today after rain and sat for 4 hours in one spot covered in sign and seen or heard nothing. I don't think I'm over calling or anything as I call about every 20-30 minutes. Anyone else notice a difference in your areas this year? And if you can shed some light or advice for this type of year it would be greatly appreciated.
 
Overall, this year has been well above average for hunting statewide due to incredibly favorable weather conditions during the first 3 weekends.... therefore, if you are hunting an area with just a few gobblers, they may have very well already been removed from the flock by the 4th weekend. Best advice, cover as much ground as you possibly can, different properties, even consider travelling to public land a couple counties over. Birds are willing if you find them, but if you haven't seen or heard one in the past couple weeks where you are hunting, they probably aren't there (does NOT mean that a bird may shift back onto your property, but that's a big 'maybe').
 
Yea I know it's not covered up but there is usually enough to keep me occupied during the season. Guess I'm gonna have to do some traveling lol.
 
The birds are here but not talking much, certain times I've had em fired up, but a lot of times they still don't want to play the game. Tough for me too. I've stalked a couple and let friends shoot them cause I would rather have filmed than stalked and shot a bird, but that's about to change, since they won't play, I'm going after them whatever it takes


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Toughest year for me also. Opening day was my only chance. Been seeing the same Tom every time. I know it's him because of his limp. Hunted the same area for 10 years. Use to see flocks of 40 or more in the fall. But I will continue to hunt the area until the farm's owner sells or passes away because it is so close and not to mention beautiful
 
They cut a big section of pines where I usually could get one or two. Do y'all think that has anything to do with this problem on the place I hunt? That's the only difference from any other year is them cutting a big section of pines?
 
Toughest year also and I have more ground to hunt, only hunted twice by myself though.. Also been a little aggressive, the mojo scoot and shoot has been retired... I went Thursday and it was by far best day of season but had to leave at 9:30am, left birds gobbling their faces off.. Not a peep in the rain yesterday. Beyond frustrating..


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TDW05":9m7n6gsp said:
I don't have a clue what is going on here where I am. I have killed 1 bird so far this year and only one that has gobbled. I don't know if numbers are down or what but it's frustrating and very disheartening. I have seen a bunch of lonely hens but for some reason birds just won't play the game. No shock gobbles from crows or owls or nothing usually that 10-2 period I can get a lonely gobbler to respond but this year they ain't doing nothing and I'll admit that I am not patient enough to hunt quiet birds lol. I went today after rain and sat for 4 hours in one spot covered in sign and seen or heard nothing. I don't think I'm over calling or anything as I call about every 20-30 minutes. Anyone else notice a difference in your areas this year? And if you can shed some light or advice for this type of year it would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...


It has been frustrating for me too. I've killed one and missed one, but hardly any gobbling and it is like they vanished. On March 26th I counted 38 birds of which I knew there were 9 toms and 2 jakes. Since the opening day it has been like a ghost town. I did have the bird I killed gobble twice, and have heard a couple of gobbles on the ground on two other occasions, but it has been weird for sure.

I have owned my land since Sept 2012 so 2013 was my first turkey season and I know the people that own the land around me and none of them hunt turkeys, which is usually good news for me, because I have no competition and what I kill is the only damage to the flock. Best I can tell they have just really spread out this year and I think they are just in other areas.

Best advise is just keep going and eventually they MAY decide to come back and you maybe able to connect.
 
It's just weird cause this is my first year experiencing this kind of thing. Hunted the piece of ground my entire life and to only have the one I killed be the only bird gobble just has me worried.
 
TDW05":nnaztmek said:
It's just weird cause this is my first year experiencing this kind of thing. Hunted the piece of ground my entire life and to only have the one I killed be the only bird gobble just has me worried.
Click to expand...

I experienced the same thing on our family property. While I had pics of a few hens, I had NO gobbler nor jake pics last spring. Guess what, I had NO pics of poults last summer.

We did have a pic of one gobbler breeding a hen right at he first of this season. He gets a pass.

If you have some fields or openings, I'd suggest putting up a trail camera. I love using the time lapse mode for seeing how many birds are using it. Takes a pic every minute or every five minutes every daylight hour.
 
I experienced the same thing on our family property. While I had pics of a few hens, I had NO gobbler nor jake pics last spring. Guess what, I had NO pics of poults last summer.

We did have a pic of one gobbler breeding a hen right at he first of this season. He gets a pass.

If you have some fields or openings, I'd suggest putting up a trail camera. I love using the time lapse mode for seeing how many birds are using it. Takes a pic every minute or every five minutes every daylight hour.[/quote]


^^^^
I need to try this. Could make me more confident in continuing hunting it this season or it could be very disappointing.
 
On our lease they came in last fall and thinned the pines and it has caused our turkeys to move into the hardwoods. There are very few that we can find in the pines. However they are roosting in the hardwoods on the edge of the pines and will travel through the pines on a limited basis. It's hard to hunt the pines now because the turkeys can see so far and there's no big trees anywhere to set up against. We are calling them in but they wont commit all the way because they can't see the hen in the open area.
 
letsgohunting":3ijca4jy said:
Toughest year for me also. Opening day was my only chance. Been seeing the same Tom every time. I know it's him because of his limp. Hunted the same area for 10 years. Use to see flocks of 40 or more in the fall. But I will continue to hunt the area until the farm's owner sells or passes away because it is so close and not to mention beautiful
Click to expand...

I have 800ac of land that I see so many birds on in the fall and it's beautiful. Huge hardwood ridges with a beautiful creek running right through it. Come spring the birds are gone. I mean I've listened two dozen times and nothing. I didn't realize that you can have some of the prettiest property in the world but unless you don't have cover for the hens to nest they find it elsewhere.
 
The birds should have enough cover though it is in its 4th year since being cut. Only thing different is the pines as I've said before. Just has me scratching my head this year.
 
Well still no gobbling but ended up getting my second of the year. Nice 2 year old. Good reassurance bird. Hunt took all of about 20 minutes. :tu:
 
BD1":220s7wbr said:
On our lease they came in last fall and thinned the pines and it has caused our turkeys to move into the hardwoods. There are very few that we can find in the pines. However they are roosting in the hardwoods on the edge of the pines and will travel through the pines on a limited basis. It's hard to hunt the pines now because the turkeys can see so far and there's no big trees anywhere to set up against. We are calling them in but they wont commit all the way because they can't see the hen in the open area.
Click to expand...


Wow they love our thinned pines. Been 8 killed on my lease and all were in the thinned pipes. Back to the declining flocks we experienced the same things a few years back. They have since rebounded so it will come back but I doubt we ever see the numbers we saw before the decline. Before the decline we used to see flocks of hens in the fall that would have 120 or so(it's hard to count that many exact). In they spring a good morning u would always hear double digit numbers gobbling. Now I've heard on the juvi hunt this year. I think predators are the deal. I can't tell how many times I've called up coyotes in the last few years.
 
Toughest here for me too. Not for lack of birds but lack of cooperation or even gobbling from birds.


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Second weekend of season is when I heard my last gobble. That was the first bird I killed. Other then that not a peep.
 

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