Last time it was this green in the woods for the start of turkey season i shot one the first day and never heard another bird the next 2 weeks out but saw hens with poults the 2nd and 3rd week of season.
Turkeys spring 23'
- Thread starter giles
- Start date
One gobble heard way over a hill, made a move that direction and did some calling.... here's hoping
I've seen hens with poults near the end of the season the last two years.
As Brock says all the fun, none of the mess. I'll post more later in my season thread but i missed at 50ish with 1 minute to go in shooting time.
Someone once told me if you could kill a gobbler on Wayne National then you can kill one just about anywhere in the country, and I believe it. Ohio is a very heavily human populated state with a tremendous amount of pressure and very little public land. Turkeys are not overly complicated to hunt and kill, there just is becoming less and less of them. The exception to the above rule is a Tom that won't gobble. Those ones still aren't hard to kill, just requires alot more scouting time and not nearly as fun and frankly id rather crappie fish in my limited free time in the spring then hunt a silent dam bird.
I believe this happens with bucks too.I've always considered it more on the micro, than the macro. I'm not a geneticist, so I have no idea how long you'd need to selectively remove a particular trait or behavior to see it represented in the whole, but it's interesting to consider. It could also reflect hatch/nesting issues, habitat, weather, etc., so there's a lot to unbox here, but file it under "things that make you go"
- 25,151
- 261
Killing a “boss” Tom while hens are still breading is a horrible thing for the reproduction of turkeys. Yet it has been the obvious goal of every turkey hunter that has ever hunted in modern times. I strongly encourage anyone with an interest in the betterment of the turkey population to watch any YouTube video you can find the has Dr. Michael Chamberlain in it. This guy is apparently the only biologist in the country that has paid attention.
From my own observations this week I’ve gained a whole new perspective on “silent” birds. My farm has a solid population of turkeys. There are three jakes that have battered every gobbler into submission. They are like a gang of misbehaving teenagers whooping every old man they find at the Dollar General. Saturday, I watched these stupid birds for three hours. They flogged my strutter decoy. Once they tired of that they just hung around and refused to leave. Around 9, presumably after breeding his hens, a long beard responded to my calls and closed the distance. They left me to meet the bird 100 yards or so from me, whooped him and sent him packing. They returned to me, strutting and drumming nonstop. At 1030, from the opposite direction as the other big bird, comes another adult. He gobbles all the way in on a death March. Instead of rolling into the decoy and catching an arrow, he’s created by the stupid jakes again and sent packing. I’ve never been witness to this stuff in this way. Obviously the older birds have earned their harems, but trying to get a side bit is pretty tough considering the roving jakes. In a gang, they ain’t planning to share. They took over
Ownership yesterday too. I planned to just shoot one of them today but of course they didn’t show. We think birds become call shy so to hunting pressure, etc., and come sneaking in. From what I’ve witnessed the last few days, I’d say it’s more likely they don’t gobble as much once the hierarchy is established for fear of having to take beating from a bunch of punk jakes.
That's definitely an interesting observation. I will watch those videos you speak of as well. I love the one gobbler limit. As usual DOW reacts about 10 years later then most of us who pay attention would have hoped for. Im completely against fall hen killing as well. We could debate all this stuff all night. I will say there is a better turkey manager (woodland game bird ) in place now then there is deer manager, and I do believe he actually listens and cares.
- 25,151
- 261
I hope you are correct. I believe most state agencies across the country spent the last couple decades patting themselves on the back regarding turkey reintroduction (which was done before any current administrators had their job), and failed to closely monitor population trends. All we hear is habitat loss, blah. Vinton county’s habitat has not changed all that much in my lifetime, yet the population of turkeys from my childhood to now is incomparable. We did something wrong…. You will see that Dr.
Chamberlain clearly states we should have headed the advice given by the biologists who were actually responsible for being the wild Turkey back to the landscape.
Chamberlain clearly states we should have headed the advice given by the biologists who were actually responsible for being the wild Turkey back to the landscape.
They are absolutely hammering up here. I had to take boys to school today, so I heard them again and decided to set the decoy in the yard for them to watch. Unfortunately this all took place after I got back. 4 jakes came in fast from woods, long beard came across the road and set off the driveway alarm. Another jake is back in the field trying to locate the fun. Long beard is still out there thinking he'll get lucky.
Found a carcass 'shroom hunting yesterday. Such a shame. Spurs were close to an inch.
Big_Holla
Senior Member
- 25,151
- 261
They absolutely hammered today until 8 or so. Dang jakes came back. I would have shot one if they would have given me a good opportunity. Two other birds slipped in but I couldn’t tell what they were. They apparently didn’t like my e-bike. They putted at it a bit and walked off. I heard at least 8 birds gobbling on the limb aside from the jakes. Fun morning.
Big_Holla
Senior Member
bigten05
*Supporting Member*
What part of Tennessee are you inSo this is how the last two days ended up. Drove up to Tn yesterday arriving about 3 pm. Looked on hunt stand for a wma and had one not far from the interstate and was on both sides. After trying to navigate and drive I arrived and parked at a creek. Sat outside to listen and pee. Nothing going on so I tried to find some other entry points. Some were driveways so I crossed the interstate to hit the other section. Found one spot to park and as I got out the truck, the urge to drop a duece hit so a quick run in the woods and was all good. The roads didn’t follow around the wma and I tried to pick another spot but no go. Looked again on website and had one further west. 100 miles west. Hit the other wa after taking several wrong turns and arrive just before fly up. Stepped outside and it was cold, I was in shorts and crocs. Put some clothes n and it hit me….. better check the regs. Fugg me, just special 3 days here and there and this one was closed. Hauled ass out and tried to find another closer. I was disappointed and mad that I made a foolish mistake driving so far. It’s dark now so I drive back almost where I started. My plan was to get a motel or primitive camp at the wma parking lot. Regs says no. Drive towards a big city and found a motel on the outskirts. Cops are there doing a detail…..good and bad. I asked if they were there for a detail or a call. Detail they say and I introduce myself and tell them I’m a Ff and ask if I should stay here. All my crap is in my truck, they said yes. Go in and hybebb ask for my DL and asked me to park across on the other side. No problem, move my truck and get out and cops call me over saying don’t stay here. Told them thanks and ask where a better location was. Arrive at this one and hand over 158$ for basically 4 hour stay. Got up at 4:30 and went to another wma. Fugg, sun rise is at 6, I thought it was 6:30 like at my house. Daylight broke as I pulled up to a ride w a locked gate. I guess no driving on the public, ok cool. Walk in on a limestone road listening and get to a cabled of trail on a ridge. Stood there for a minute to listen and I hear a vehicle coming….could only be green jeans right? Nope a woman driving her son in camo.
Walked up the trail calling every 2-300 yards till I got to the end. Sat and called sparingly with no turkeys heard. Walked out and hit the main road and arrived at a two year old cut. Walked the logging road in and found some tracks. Called as I walked back until it got thick. Figured I’d sit and do some light calling and wait for a bird to hit the road on a rise. Hour later I hear a hen, I soft call to her and she answers. Play the game but she ain’t moving. I head back towards the gravel to close some distance. Set up again and I soft call, she answers, I repeat what she said. After some time I hear her again so I cut some distance. Then I see a hunter and he sees me. He apologized and I said all good, how would he know I’m there as my truck ain’t on the road. We chatted, he’s a locale and he asked me if I wanted a ride to my truck. I said that would be nice as it cuts a two mile walk out. Get to the truck and we exchange numbers as we said if we get on something we’d let each other know. We texted all day. The gate is open on the north side so I drive around and back in. Seen a hen here and there in some food plots and a few trucks. I marked some areas and walked another trail and at the end was a pipeline. Sat at the 4 way calling softly and sparingly w nothing of interest. Headed down and found a double pipeline and thought that’s where I’m gonna find a bird. All the trails were on rides and this place, like all of them been hit hard. The pipeline runs east and west so you better be a die hard walking it. 200’ down and up fairly steep. Not this flat landers style but you go to do, what I got to do. Walked in after seeing a bird run off a field in the direction of the pipeline. Great I’ll get in there and vary softly call and scratch some leaves. I see a dark Turkey coming up and walks 30 from me. It’s a hen, I wait for a Tom but she’s alone. She walks 12 yards from me and starts dusting on a rotten stump. After10 minutes she about to walk on top of me until she notices a fat blob on a tree, about 5 yards away. She putts once and heads back down the pipeline how she came. That was it except for the local gave me a motel 15 minutes away and $60 bucks cheaper. I will report tomorrow. Sorry so long.
Game warden just paid a visit, was great to see and chat with her. JB, thanks for calling me in
That said, even when you do things by the book, it is still not fun getting thru the "why you're here" lol. Will be a great example to reinforce following the law with the boys when they get home this afternoon.
That said, even when you do things by the book, it is still not fun getting thru the "why you're here" lol. Will be a great example to reinforce following the law with the boys when they get home this afternoon.
triple_duece
Ragin Cajun.
- 9,576
- 159
No longer in Tennessee….guess who’s back, shadys back!
hunted public this morning. Was on a Tom but not knowing the Terrain was my downfall. Played singalong w a hen till they all left me. It’s Turkey hunting but I’m gaining knowledge.
A couple years ago in Jefferson County I had the same scenario play out almost every morning I hunted, except there were 4 jakes. Bastards came in every time I set up. Mature birds were quiet because of them, plus they had their hens and didn't need to gobble, or didn't for fear of getting ganged up on by the teenagers. I even flushed them out one morning after calling them and went several hundred yards away over another ridge and set up on another bird that had gobbled one time on the limb that morning. Started calling and 30 minutes later, guess what, 3 of the 4 were in front of me again! I did get revenge the following year on two of them though.
What da heck? Hurricane wash you north or did you just get lost?
. Good luck to you in Ohio. I may have heard about one turkey you witnessed already. Part Amish, part Mexican, part coyote hole dweller, but a good bit of a turkey too. 
. (I'm sure he made you feel at home and was very hospitable.)