There's lots of great info here and I really appreciate all the help the old turkey pros give. I killed my first turkey last spring after about 5 years of trying. I'm now obsessed with turkeys!
I have a couple of questions:
There's a flock of roughly two dozen turkeys on our new lease this year. I started seeing them come through out of the deer stand and on camera in late Oct. I've seen them roost in several spots not even a few hundred yards from the previous. Is there a good chance these turkeys will be around in the spring? It's 120 acres that's about 80% oaks, pecans, and cedar with a live creek.
Second question: What usually causes a fall flock to change roosts? I scouted them roosting at the same spot for almost two weeks, then when I went to intercept them one evening with the bow they never came and started roosting elsewhere. It was at a stand I had seen them several times and I never made my presence known.
Yall are the best turkey forum around, thanks for any response!
Research ( Dr. Mike Chamberlain ) has shown that turkeys will roost in a general area but will move around within that area. They don`t roost in exactly the same tree(s) religiously. Two very good reasons. By moving about, they don`t set up a pattern for predators, particularly great horned owls. A second reason is more applicable to Spring. A tom will move around his area in order to be near a greater number of hens. Both reasons make sense.
There are several factors which might come into play in determining whether your birds will stay put or not come spring. From your description, it sounds like you have some good habitat to hold your turkeys on the property, but if the surrounding properties have similar habitat, that might not be much of a factor.
Turkeys are creatures of habit to a degree, as well, and that can include moving to a different area or habitat for their spring breeding cycle that is completely different from their fall habitat. Depending on where you live, that could come into play.
One of the things that you really have to look out for is what your neighbors are doing in an effort to attract turkeys to their properties. Simply stated, you have to "keep up with the Jones's" in a lot of cases. If your neighbors are improving the habitat on their properties by doing things like creating food plots, or if they are putting out feeders,...and you are not doing the same,...you will wake up one day and find that your turkeys have moved on to those greener pastures.
Hopefully, you are in a situation where your birds have been habituated with some allegiance to what your property provides for them. Regardless, you should pay close attention to the surrounding properties and habitat, and especially what your neighbors are doing, and be prepared to do what it takes to keep your birds loyal to your place. Depending on the circumstances and what is happening around you, it might not make any difference,...but then again, it very well could.
Don't know what might have caused the change in the fall roost site. As stated above, it could be just habitual behavior. It could also be something more sinister like predator aversion or human disturbance that you are not aware of. Best thing to do is to just try to keep tabs on the flock between now and springtime. It will be pretty easy to find them once the gobblers start reliably sounding off prior to the spring season.
Thanks for the responses.
We have mostly pasture on all four sides with cattle. No cattle on our place. A lot of deer bed in there. Its mostly a just a big block of timber in the middle of cattle land. A few clearings here and there, but pretty thick. Also have a small pond. A lot of coyotes. People deer hunt on all sides too, so I would imagine there is a fair amount of turkey hunting pressure in the spring as well. I'm hoping to keep them around.
Wow,...sounds to me like you are in a great position, assuming your flock of turkeys are not wanderers that just ended up on your place for a couple of weeks and then moved on. From what you describe, I would think your property would provide the only roosting habitat available,...and the creek might be the only source of surface water for them, as well. Personally, those two factors would make me feel pretty confident about the future prospects for turkey hunting on your property.
Again, if the turkeys have disappeared, I would be trying to figure out where they went,...and why they might have gone there. Then I would seriously consider doing some things that would make it attractive for them to stay on your property should they return,....which is likely from your description of the existing habitat constraints.
No matter what, the key to successful spring hunting is locating those turkey flocks when the gobblers start gobbling regularly prior to, and during, the spring season.
Could be they found better or a different food source.
If hens nest on your property you're golden in the spring.
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Well they seem to have disappeared. I dont have them on camera since early Feb and two trips out to hunt opening week have been fruitless. Going to be a tough season.
WERE I HUNT THEY ROOST WITH 100 YARDS OF THE SAME PLACE EVER YEAR FOR THE LAST 5 YEARS
"Pretty thick." You may have fall habitat, but not spring habitat. However it could be good nesting habitat and the gobblers would not know it. Nesting hens can travel a good ways to nest. They can be quite secretive when it comes to nesting.
After seeing and hearing zero activity during the spring and summer, the fall flock is back again.
I think I can boil down to two main things now, after a year of observation.
1. Pigs
2. No spring food source.
I am planting a food plot on several open spots now to try to give them something to eat in the spring. Also will burn places in Feb.
Also have to kill as many pigs as possible.