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Had some success and stayed on plenty of birds opening week in SC, but season's been open a week here at the house in the NC mountains and I ain't heard a gobble. I know of some birds being killed, but I've covered seven to ten miles per day and haven't heard one on the roost or struck one mid morning to early afternoon. Been in the woods every day. Worst part is I know I'm doing nothing wrong. I'm in prime locations well before first light, places I know gobblers frequent and where I can hear literally miles of country. I'm setting up and sitting on heavy sign. Most times I'd assume the sign could be old but we've had plenty of rain and I'm seeing new tracks made daily. It's fresh and the birds are there. I'm still-hunting the miles slow enough that I'm getting on hens so I know I'm not moving too fast. I've had hens coming into my set ups so I know I'm not calling too much or too aggressively. Just no gobbling and no gobblers.

Come home yesterday afternoon and one's strutting above the house. I don't hunt these birds for various reasons, but the ridgeline above my house I can typically here three to five birds every morning. In the process of building a listening tower up there just for sh*ts and giggles. Anyhow, I assumed they were still gobbling every morning here at the house. Sat up there this morning since we can't hunt Sundays and to my surprise I didn't hear a peep here either. Perfect morning. Shredded clouds and bluebird skies. Zero wind. Cold and crisp. Crows raising a ruckus. Not a gobble. Just turkeys being turkeys and I'm not going to change a thing in that I know I'm on birds and I know I'm hunting them right, but it sure has been a tough row to hoe thus far.


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Tight lipped and difficult here in W Tn as well

Lots of jakes, seen about 20 different jakes at different properties so far. Look like we had a good hatch.


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Quote from: 762hunter on April 18, 2021, 08:15:45 AM
Tight lipped and difficult here in W Tn as well

Lots of jakes, seen about 20 different jakes at different properties so far. Look like we had a good hatch.


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That's great news anyhow! We've had bad hatches here the past few years, largely on account of heavy cold relentless rains throughout nesting. This year hasn't been like that so far as far as weather so I'm hopeful they'll do well. That's one reason I refuse to hunt these birds at the house. I know for a fact that not a single hen has successfully reared a poult in two years. Not one.


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Stick with it my friend, it will break for you.........

Everyone will say patience's , but sometimes they wears a little thin. All of what you said can wear on you as a turkey hunter, if we killed one ever time we left the truck, we for sure wouldn't have any gobblers left. I agree with you it has happen to us all, we get to thinking am i doing something wrong, NO your not it's just turkeys being turkeys... it's like turkey's communicating to each other, we better shut up and stop gobbling, it happens pretty much in my area, just as soon as the tree's leaf out .. it's like they just stop gobbling.. but i know gobblers are still in my area, because i'm seeing hen's mostly ever trip out into the turkey woods. Could this be because most hen's have already been breed, Could is a big word in hunting these birds. IMO...

Quote from: Tom007 on April 18, 2021, 09:22:09 AM
Stick with it my friend, it will break for you.........

I appreciate it, and, yeah, I'll be there whether they hammer or whether they go tight lipped as mobsters Sooner or later one will slip up.

Quote from: Greg Massey on April 18, 2021, 09:47:33 AM
Everyone will say patience's , but sometimes they wears a little thin. All of what you said can wear on you as a turkey hunter, if we killed one ever time we left the truck, we for sure wouldn't have any gobblers left. I agree with you it has happen to us all, we get to thinking am i doing something wrong, NO your not it's just turkeys being turkeys... it's like turkey's communicating to each other, we better shut up and stop gobbling, it happens pretty much in my area, just as soon as the tree's leaf out .. it's like they just stop gobbling.. but i know gobblers are still in my area, because i'm seeing hen's mostly ever trip out into the turkey woods. Could this be because most hen's have already been breed, Could is a big word in hunting these birds. IMO...

Anybody who's been at it awhile knows you can kill them when they're silent. Just ain't the fun way of doing it. And the unsuccessful silent days tend to wear you down more than the unsuccessful gobbling days. Patience definitely wears thin, my friend.


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Early season often means henned up gobblers that don't want or need to talk to you. Stick with it. Things will change.

Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.

I feel your pain.  Seven days in FL and never heard a gobble this year.  Yikes!

Quote from: RutnNStrutn on April 18, 2021, 11:01:04 AM
Early season often means henned up gobblers that don't want or need to talk to you. Stick with it. Things will change.

Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.

My scouting has revealed henned up gobblers. The good news in one of my spots, there's 2 Tom's courting one hen. Maybe I can get hm jealous. One week rom tomorrow Is our opener. Good luck to all...

Similar condition here where I hunt in eastern NC. Birds are here but being tough

And tomorrow it could change.

Quote from: Gooserbat on April 18, 2021, 03:14:00 PM
And tomorrow it could change.

Absolutely! And I'll be there with bells on.


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Not covering enough ground.

It has been tough in the Low Country as well, at least for me. I had a bird gobbling today until noon, but I could not pull him out... He finally busted me trying to make a move.

Quote from: silvestris on April 18, 2021, 04:31:31 PM
Not covering enough ground.

(https://media1.giphy.com/media/s7BJykU2oIcgg/giphy.gif)


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Where I hunt in eastern NC I hear gobbling every morning to some degree.  A week ago it was absolutely nuts one morning and I couldn't tell how many were gobbling.  It lasted until after 8:00 AM.  I went back the next day and it was less.  It's different on different days, but ever present.


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Still ain't gobbling. Just kept sitting good sign. Not a fun way to hunt them, but as expected eventually you'll catch up with one. (https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210424/c9d567348736e729d53cb87487ba21d8.jpg)


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Quote from: ChesterCopperpot on April 18, 2021, 07:19:01 AM
Had some success and stayed on plenty of birds opening week in SC, but season's been open a week here at the house in the NC mountains and I ain't heard a gobble.

Interesting, I hunt in the lowcountry of South Carolina. Opening week I never heard a bird gobble from the roost in two areas that I know had gobblers. In fact, for me turkeys didn't get very vocal until last week. Birds blowing it out on the roost, and gobbling hard to the call and working in after fly down. All this in the same two areas I was listening from opening week. I don't know what changed for them, but the difference has been unreal.
As a side note, When I did start locating birds this year gobbling on the roost. It was much later than I expected. Half an hour after what traditionally has been fly down time in my area. This made it more difficult to set up before everything greened up. This past week the birds are gobbling at day break and everything seems normal again with a week left in my season.
Turkeys being turkeys... go figure.

Quote from: Gobbler-one on April 24, 2021, 05:24:10 PM

Quote from: ChesterCopperpot on April 18, 2021, 07:19:01 AM
Had some success and stayed on plenty of birds opening week in SC, but season's been open a week here at the house in the NC mountains and I ain't heard a gobble.

Interesting, I hunt in the lowcountry of South Carolina. Opening week I never heard a bird gobble from the roost in two areas that I know had gobblers. In fact, for me turkeys didn't get very vocal until last week. Birds blowing it out on the roost, and gobbling hard to the call and working in after fly down. All this in the same two areas I was listening from opening week. I don't know what changed for them, but the difference has been unreal.
As a side note, When I did start locating birds this year gobbling on the roost. It was much later than I expected. Half an hour after what traditionally has been fly down time in my area. This made it more difficult to set up before everything greened up. This past week the birds are gobbling at day break and everything seems normal again with a week left in my season.
Turkeys being turkeys... go figure.

I'm likely to head back to SC this next week to try and fill at least one of them two tags. $100 for two out of state tags on top of everything else I pay to hunt down there, feel like I better get after it. Ain't been down there but a few days opening week.


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Quote from: ChesterCopperpot on April 18, 2021, 05:02:10 PM

Quote from: silvestris on April 18, 2021, 04:31:31 PM
Not covering enough ground.

(https://media1.giphy.com/media/s7BJykU2oIcgg/giphy.gif)


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:TooFunny: :TooFunny: :TooFunny:

It's been tough where I hunt too.

Stranges season I remember, opening morning 13 Jake's and 2 year olds gobbling and running in until other hunters came in too.
Since then gobbling on roost then shut up after fly down.
Filled two tags but both came in quiet. Haven't heard or seen any hens this year. Not a normal season in East TN.

We have 2 days left.   I havent heard a gobble in over a week. And I've hunted every morning this last week.  Changing areas, found fresh tracks, still no gobbles. Thursday I was pulling out early to hit another place, I hit the paved road and there is a hen and a strutted in the road.   Made a loop and parked down from them.  Never could pull them to me.  Friday I went right to that spot, was hoping to answer the question why the turkey crossed the road.  Another morning of 0 gobbles and never seen eithier turkey.  We have been getting hammered with rain the last 2 weekends. Tomorrow I'm going to hit private land to see if its any different.  We only hunted it 2x this season.  Other guy heard a gobbler up there. 3 weeks ago. Just been a different kinda season.  Tons 9f hunting pressure.  I think a bunch of people started hunting last season during covid, they have stuck with it this season. Most will stop hunting next season 8f they haven't found success yet.   I worried with all our rain its gonna be a bad nesting season.

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