Anybody else having an issue getting birds to cooperate? I have been within 80 yards from a lone gobbler on a roost twice, and he wants nothing to do with my calls. I tried calling softly, cutting, silent treatment...heck even gobble tube as he was walking away...that when he gobbled back...i have also worked several other birds before 7..but after that they just shut up...is this due to the early spring we have had????
To be honest I have had similar results. All my action has been early morning then it ends. The one bird I did kill was killed at 5:50am. Other guys I have talked to say the same thing. Not sure if it's the early spring or what, but it is an odd season for sure.
I also believe there are not as many birds as there was 5 years ago, at least not in my area. The ones I have found seem to travel more and are here one day, gone the next.
I agree on the number of birds issue too, I recall when I first start hunting birds in NY (after moving from MN) that there were quite a few birds on the properties I had access too. I think we had some bad hatches the last couple years and that has put a big damper on the number of toms. This year looks to be a good year and the grass cover should be amazing for poults. I am taking 7 acres out of hay production on my property to provide some extra habitat
Quote from: NYGobblergetter on May 21, 2012, 02:14:28 PM
I agree on the number of birds issue too, I recall when I first start hunting birds in NY (after moving from MN) that there were quite a few birds on the properties I had access too. I think we had some bad hatches the last couple years and that has put a big damper on the number of toms. This year looks to be a good year and the grass cover should be amazing for poults. I am taking 7 acres out of hay production on my property to provide some extra habitat
Definitely substantially lower numbers up there from what I'm seeing.
The hatches were poor the past couple years but New York hunters also hit their turkeys very hard in the fall which reduces the number of hens in the woods.
When you have multiple bad hatches and annually reduce hen numbers through hunting, a significant drop is inevitable.
I'm heading back up tonite to give it one last try.
Best of luck to you guys still hunting!
My dad saw 42 birds on our property in the winter, with 6 being toms and 3 jakes...so I know they are around, but we had the only standing beans and corn around so they flocked up big time. I had 3 gobblers frequenting the property this spring...but i screwed up my only opportunity by shooting when they were too far out...i still did kill one this year, but on a buddy's land
It's been a strange spring in my area too. There were definately more gobblers killed around here than there were last year though. I just found the birds to be far less visible than they typically are. Some areas are loaded with birds while neighboring properties that usually hold turkeys seem to have no activity? I'm still hearing/seeing toms strutting with hens...it's not over yet. I'll be back out over the long weekend trying to help my dad and a couple of buddies fill their tags. We'll see how it goes.
Good luck guys!!!
I have noticed the same thing. The number of birds around where me and my dad hunt are definitely lower than the last few years. We have killed one, and that has been the only bird we have had even interested in anything we do. They aren't talking, on the roost or on the ground. If one gives us 2 gobbles, that's a lot. As far as gobbling goes, it's the worst I can remember. Birds are definitely traveling as well. We had seen a bird with the center of his fan missing on numerous occasions on a piece of property we can't hunt about 2 miles down the road from where we can. We have been calling him the Split V. We stopped seeing him there, and suddenly he shows up on our lease one evening with another tom. We hunted them the next morning, got 2 gobbles out of him and could never get them and the hens to come in. That evening they weren't around that we could see and we haven't seen the Split V since.
Yesterday, we put about 80 miles on, going from spot to spot, trying to strike a bird in certain areas, trying to catch some out in a field in others, and in that 80 miles spanning from 3:45am until 12:30, we saw 2 hens and didn't hear a turkey sound that wasn't coming from our calls.
I remember around 2007-2008 I couldn't step in the spring woods without hearing a gobble. Things have gone south since then. Not that we don't have birds, just that they are fewer and farther between. I think most birds have a high and low cycle. I have seen the same thing with waterfowl and grouse.
I feel your pain. Except for the first day, I cant get a gobbler to gobble or any thing. I know that they are there because I have seen them but they just wont cooperate. It does get frustrating but I refuse to give up. Good luck to ya.
The bird I killed this year had a 11" beard and 1-1/4" spurs, I am pretty proud of him, but it doesn't really help. I want my second of the year badly. I too won't give up. The more I fail, the harder I hunt!
I've had a more difficult time this year than ever before. I got my first bird but not a second yet. I've been out all but about eight days (four of which were questionable due to the rains) and had three no-gobble days. Actually I should be done but missed one last week for the first time in many years....totally disgusted with myself. But, as my wife said, I now get to enjoy the rest of the season!
hens,hens and more hens.not necessarily in that order.keep after them.
It's getting tough that's for sure, it was an Interesting year. I watched 9 NY birds (Greene County) and 1 PA bird hit the dirt so I can't say it was a bad year by any stretch of the imagination but it was different than in years past. Pre-season scouting I would have said we we're going to have a gang buster of a year, but I heard substantially less gobbling than previously years and birds were far less visible. I didn't see anywhere near as much strutting in fields; and that was I believe due to the early spring the mid-morning heat and extra tall grass kept them more prone to the woods and ridges than typical fields. I couldn't buy roost gobbles this year either; had mornings where I didn't hear a single one in spots I've heard hundreds of morning gobbles from before and the birds were there because I would find them later but some mornings I didn't hear a gobble til 7 or 8 am which I found weird.
On the contrasting side late mornings were amazing, regularly had birds that would fire up late and work fast, saw 4 birds get taken between 11:30 and the Noon gun. I'd never seen one taken past 10am before that but maybe it was because I was still in the woods more days because the early hunts weren't going well. This past weekend the only birds that would gobble were the ones that were roosted without any hens at all, found one bird gobbling both Saturday and Sunday by himself right after fly down time. Moved within 100yds set up and both birds only took a few minutes to fire up and come in.
Overall it was still great, I tagged out and so did my dad with his Best bird ever. I watched 3 youth hunters and two Wounded Warriors all take birds plus my buddy's one, also had 3 hunters miss birds but at least they all seemed like clean misses and didn't result in wounded birds. He started making pot calls this spring and man is he on to something, his slates are by far the best I've used or heard and they got birds to gobble when nothing else would.
I'm in lacona right now watching one bug and casually strut for 5 seconds at a time. The hen is 200 yards away wanting nothing to do with him.
I didn't hear a single gobble this am up around Winona forest. Frustrating to say the least.
Quote from: TauntoHawk on May 22, 2012, 08:38:58 AM
On the contrasting side late mornings were amazing, regularly had birds that would fire up late and work fast, saw 4 birds get taken between 11:30 and the Noon gun. I'd never seen one taken past 10am before that but maybe it was because I was still in the woods more days because the early hunts weren't going well. This past weekend the only birds that would gobble were the ones that were roosted without any hens at all, found one bird gobbling both Saturday and Sunday by himself right after fly down time. Moved within 100yds set up and both birds only took a few minutes to fire up and come in.
Sounds like you had a heck of a season!!!
I experienced just the opposite for late morning versus right-off-the roost action. I hunted 18 days straight until I tagged out last friday. Out of those 18 days, the only three that I didn't hear a gobble was when my early morning hunt got rained out and I tried my luck after 10:00. I heard a TON of roost gobbling this season. I hunted a new property that was loaded with mouthy birds. On May 3, I had 8 gobblers sounding off within 60-100 yds of me. I never even touched the call until I counted 100 gobbles which was @ 5:45. I never did kill one that morning thanks to the hens, but I heard well over 300 gobbles by 6:30!!! Strangely, this group of toms stayed together for the first couple weeks of season and always roosted along a gulley where it "bottomed out" into the woods. Unfortunately, they would do the same thing after flying down every morning and head over to the neighboring property where I couldn't get to them. Finally, I was able to bust the head of a nice longbeard there on the 18th. Probably my most memorable hunt of the spring (one of my favorite hunts ever) was on 5/13. I took a couple of buddys out on their father-in-laws farm that is covered up with gobblers. I saw a flock of 22 toms/jakes out in one of the cornfields a few days before. At daylight, the birds started ripping it up...it sounded like a TV hunt with all of the gobbling, yelping and cutting that was going on!!! I have no idea how many turkeys were on that hillside but they were everywhere. After spooking the first two sets of gobblers that made it up to the field, one of my friends closed the deal on a beautiful 2 year old a little after 6:00. It was his first ever turkey and to say he was pumped would be a huge understatement. I'm taking them back out there on sunday for round two, we'll see how it goes...
So, overall it was a pretty good season for me. It started off kinda slow/frustrating with numerous close calls, but things picked up after the 12th...
5/1:
(http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b284/WNYBowhunter/IMG_1305unn.jpg)
5/12:
(http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b284/WNYBowhunter/Turkey%20Hunting/IMG_1325jj-1.jpg)
(http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b284/WNYBowhunter/Turkey%20Hunting/aaIMG_1330.jpg)
(http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b284/WNYBowhunter/Turkey%20Hunting/IMG_1333ff.jpg)
5/13:
(http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b284/WNYBowhunter/IMG_1376.jpg)
(http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b284/WNYBowhunter/IMG_1377.jpg)
(http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b284/WNYBowhunter/IMG_1378.jpg)
(http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b284/WNYBowhunter/IMG_1382.jpg)
5/15:
(http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b284/WNYBowhunter/IMG_1384.jpg)
5/18:
(http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b284/WNYBowhunter/Turkey%20Hunting/IMG_14472dd.jpg)
(http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b284/WNYBowhunter/Turkey%20Hunting/IMG_1397vv.jpg)
5/19:
(http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b284/WNYBowhunter/Turkey%20Hunting/IMG_1457.jpg)
I killed my second bird on the 19th in WNY. Didn't know a bird was even coming until he came into the field I had my decoy setup in and started gobbling and strutting.. No gobbles on the roost or while in the woods. Keep on it, they are still there, just quiet. It can be done.. it's just not as fun as hearing them gobble up a storm.
WNY those are some great birds, love the banded ones thats unique!
thats what we normally see each year is large flocks that roost in the same spot and burn the roof off gobbling in the trees but get quiet on the ground do to the hens and flock size... this year they were scattered all over roosting all over in small groups or singly, gobbling at random.. but when we found them they were callable and wanted to work a lot better then when they are flocked
WNY Bowhunter, you've had a heck of a season!!! Consecutively banded birds is awesome!
I put in 8 full days straight 4:30- noon and did not get anything. However I will say it was not due to lack of birds. I will say it was the best year in many years. I was into birds everyday in the morning. They would answer on the rooste and do the norm wich is head the other way. I had birds every morning some days I could see 2 or 3 longbeards on the limb. They would land and check out of my time zone. My dad did get one of them because this bird answered my calling for about an hour and never budged. Dad snuck in from below and sealed the deal. All in all I'm not complaining cause I'm happy to see that amount of birds. The real prob was hens.
Quote from: DeWayne Knight on May 22, 2012, 12:05:31 PM
WNY Bowhunter, you've had a heck of a season!!! Consecutively banded birds is awesome!
Here's a tidbit of info reguarding the banding study:
In 2009, DEC completed a 4-year wild turkey banding project designed to estimate harvest and survival rates of male wild turkeys ("gobblers") in New York. This study is being done in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, researchers from Pennsylvania State University, and the National Wild Turkey Federation. The objectives of this work are to: (1) Estimate harvest rates of male wild turkeys during the spring season; (2) Estimate annual survival rates of male wild turkeys; (3) Estimate non-hunting mortality rates of male wild turkeys; (4) Estimate hunter reporting rates of harvested wild turkeys; (5) Use the estimated harvest rates and independent harvest estimates to calculate a population estimate for male wild turkeys in each state; and (6) Investigate landscape factors (e.g., percent forest cover, patchiness of forested areas, human population density, etc.) related to harvest rates. We designed this study as a band-recovery study so that data could be collected from all management units in all 3 states during the 2006-2009 spring hunting seasons. Also, we evaluated the retention of butt-end leg bands.Nearly 4,000 toms/jakes were banded over the four years in these three states. According to the lady from Penn State, my gobbler had 30 mm (1 3/16") spurs and a little over a 10" beard when captured on a local farm back in February of 2007. Based on this, she said that he was likely 3 years old at the time, making him 8 years old this spring. He is now the oldest reported bird in the entire banding study!!! I killed the other one in 2008 on the same farm. They had traveled a mile and a half from where they were banded. Both birds were captured at the same time and both hit the ground less than 100 yds from one another. To shoot them 4 years apart blows my mind...
WNY Bowhunter, that is amazing! That gives me hope that a monster I hunted two years ago will be alive next season for me to try again...
You never know... :anim_25:!!!
I love hunting NY, I spend more time there every year. each time it becomes a little harder to leave and go home to south eastern PA. I started turkey hunting 6 years ago in PA but have been to NY the last 5 years and loved every minute of it. Been blessed to have filled 9 of my 10 spring tags and the only one I ate was holding out for a particular bird last year that I ended up heart breakingly missed on my last available day to hunt.
That is really cool stuff right there. What county are you hunting. If your out west you probably have a lot of snow. For that bird to make it 8 yrs is great. How long were his spurs now.
That's really cool! It was probably posted before, but what were his beard,spur, and weight measurements?
Quote from: mikejd on May 22, 2012, 05:13:46 PM
That is really cool stuff right there. What county are you hunting. If your out west you probably have a lot of snow. For that bird to make it 8 yrs is great. How long were his spurs now.
These are all Steuben County gobblers. I guess that technically I'm more western Finger Lakes Region than WNY. We don't get nearly the amount of snow that they do in the lake effect areas farther to the west.
Quote
That's really cool! It was probably posted before, but what were his beard,spur, and weight measurements?
His stats were: 22 lb 6 oz, 9" beard (2/3 of it was broken off), one spur was 1 1/4" & other one was broken at 3/4"
Honestly, for his age he appeared to be very healthy and looked as though be could have survived for a few more years. I watched him get into a fight with another gobbler two days prior to killing him. He came out the victor that day, but his reign of dominance would be short lived... :smiley-char092:.
According to your measurements and the original his spurs have barely grown in the past 5 yrs. I wonder if that's the norm. I bet they grow in the first 3 or 4 yrs then stop.
Yep, only 1/16" growth in 5 years time. You would have thought that he would have been packing some 1 1/2 - 1 3/4" hooks at that age. He must have been lacking in spur genetics.
Let's see here...a majority of his beard was broken off, one spur was broken and the $100 reward on his band expired in July of 2009. Man, I got screwed over here!!! I want my tag back...lol. :toothy12:
Quote from: WNY Bowhunter on May 23, 2012, 11:01:17 AM
Yep, only 1/16" growth in 5 years time. You would have thought that he would have been packing some 1 1/2 - 1 3/4" hooks at that age. He must have been lacking in spur genetics.
Let's see here...a majority of his beard was broken off, one spur was broken and the $100 reward on his band expired in July of 2009. Man, I got screwed over here!!! I want my tag back...lol. :toothy12:
:TooFunny:
On a more serious note, I think a bird like that shows character! My first bird this year had the tip broken off one spur and I estimate 3/8"-1/2" broken off the other spur. The tip is broomed a little like a mini Bighon Sheep horn... :toothy12:
Another NY bird hit the ground this morning, got a picture message this morning at 5:50 of my Buddies girlfriends bird, a nice 3yr old
didn't gobble on the ground but was going good in the tree and knew where they were at; once he hit the ground he strutted right in real quiet in the fog. Im happy for her, I was along last year for her first ever bird and she missed one yesterday and got a little down but wasn't giving up.
I had 3 big fat longbeards roosted last night (one of which has an enormously thick paintbrush). I called up the owner of the farms grandson to see if he wanted to go after them this morning but he had to work for a couple hours before school. Dang it, I really wanted to see if we could get lucky and kill one of them. Oh well, I'll be back in the woods tomorrow through monday with my dad and some buddies. Hopefully, someone can put a tag on one last longbeard before season's end.
Quote from: WNY Bowhunter on May 23, 2012, 11:50:56 AM
I had 3 big fat longbeards roosted last night (one of which has an enormously thick paintbrush). I called up the owner of the farms grandson to see if he wanted to go after them this morning but he had to work for a couple hours before school. Dang it, I really wanted to see if we could get lucky and kill one of them. Oh well, I'll be back in the woods tomorrow through monday with my dad and some buddies. Hopefully, someone can put a tag on one last longbeard before season's end.
WNY give me directions and I will meet you there j/k good look with them
I just got my second NY bird this morning. I've never had a more difficult time than this year. Now it's down to PA in the morning. I haven't hunted there yet due to hunting here in NY but I've got until the 31st.
Hunted Pulaski today on good private ground and lacona yesterday on public and didn't hear a peep either day. Saw one strutter on ground we don't have permission to hunt yesterday.
First time I've ever eaten tag soup in NY.
Numbers are definitely way down based on sightings and hearing.
Its been a struggle for me also but some Friends have had good luck .
Just got in from working a bird for an hour and a half. He gobbled 80-100x but the woods he was in was super thick from being logged a couple of years ago. He was hot to trot and totally digging the seductive calling from my crystal but never came closer than 50 yds from dad. We moved on him 3 times and I thought his feathered butt was ours on the last set-up but it wasn't to be. Stupid fricken birds!!! :z-dizzy:
Nice to know they are still gobbling somewhere. I am going to give it a go this weekend and see what happens.
It was a little windy this morning, but I never heard him gobble on roost. We were just walking along a hayfield less than 100 yds from the truck when he first gobbled @ 6:15 taking us by total surprise...
I had an hour and a half to hunt this morning, no gobbles at all. Called in the mouthiest hen I have heard in a few years. She filled my ears with non stop cutts, yelps, purrs, and clucks. The show lasted about 15 minutes and at one time she was only about 4 yards from me.
On one of my trips up there I was talking to a local call maker about late season hunting and he gave me this tip, he said late in the season he leaves the valley and river botom for the mountains. He said he has a couple good spots up high that aren't as stinking thick green as the bottom and the birds up there run a little later.
He said when the gobbling slows down and the fields are choked with tall grass he heads up high and can usually buy himself another week of good gobbling action.
seemed to make some sense
I was just thinking, I haven't been pestered by a single mosquito or black fly this entire season. I've carried a thermocell in my vest since mid-April on my KY trip, but have yet to turn it on.
Same here. I am thinking it was the deep frost after that really warm march week we had.
Quote from: WNY Bowhunter on May 23, 2012, 11:01:17 AM
Yep, only 1/16" growth in 5 years time. You would have thought that he would have been packing some 1 1/2 - 1 3/4" hooks at that age. He must have been lacking in spur genetics.
Let's see here...a majority of his beard was broken off, one spur was broken and the $100 reward on his band expired in July of 2009. Man, I got screwed over here!!! I want my tag back...lol. :toothy12:
This may be worthy of a completely new post but this really could change the way we estimate age, If your birds spurs havn't grown in 5 years how can we ever estimate age. I always figuered that spur length was the best way to judge. Now what.
Quote from: WNY Bowhunter on May 25, 2012, 01:46:55 PM
I was just thinking, I haven't been pestered by a single mosquito or black fly this entire season. I've carried a thermocell in my vest since mid-April on my KY trip, but have yet to turn it on.
I was raped by them in Lacona and Pulaski. The thermocell was working overtime and I still had the headnet from my bug-tamer jacket on.
I can assure y'all, they ain't no extinct species up there!
I called in 4 jakes a little while ago, they put on a nice show. Can't seem to locate a tom.
I spoke too soon on the mosquitoes, they are all over me today!
A buddy of mine killed a nice one this morning...:icon_thumright:. I was supposed to go out with dad but couldn't get out of bed. I don't feel too bad about it as he never got up either...::).
Went out with a buddy sunday morning...heard one gobble on the roost 6 times...he was only 75-80 yds away but wanted nothing to do with my calling. I do know of 5 longbeards that got jellyheaded by family/friends over the weekend. I'm calling it a season. Kinda sad to see it end, but I had a lot of fun. Now, it's time to get back into whitetail mode...
Yesterday morning was the most fired up we have had any birds all season. I'm pretty sure there was 2 of them, and basically we knew exactly where they were going just because of them gobbling from 7:30 until 11:00. They usually wouldn't directly answer us, but if we shut up for 5 or so minutes, they were going to gobble. They had hens, of course, that's the story of our season, but it was nice just to finally get some good gobbling. At one point we though for sure they were going to pop out at any moment, but they never came.
It's been a tough year for sure, even though I killed my best bird to date. I'm getting out of work early and hitting the woods for a couple hours tomorrow and Thursday, like I did today, just hoping to get lucky and wrap that last tag around a turkeys leg.
Had a great hunt in Northern Jefferson County on Saturday Morning. Had 4 birds going. The dominant bird gobbled 100+ times and was dead at 5:37. At the diner by 6. Great way to end the season!
Well, today was it for me. Had a good season, killed my biggest to date. Never filled my second tag though, but I feel that was because I got too picky.
Hitting the woods tommorow. Good luck to everyone going hunting.
Here it is, last day of the season bird. My Friend Caitlynn, shot this awesome tom with the help of my buddy James. James finished his season with calling in a dozen birds to the gun barrel this season and he is really on to something with his new slates.
17.6lbs, heavy 10.25in beard, with matching black 1 & 5/16 spurs
Sounded off down in a bottom and gobbled by myself from the roost allowing them to slowly move within 80yds. about 10 minutes of calling and gobbling and he pitched right at them and walked out around a big cedar tree at 28yds.
I couldn't have been more pumped this morning, for Jamie that his new pot design that to me he has the best sounding slates I've ever played and definently out shined every other call in my vest this season.
For Cait, a former vegetarian til she met me and James. Now hunting, fishing, and always trying to wear somthing pink in the woods are her biggest hobbies.
Awesome way to the end the season!!! :icon_thumright:
Great pic on a fine gobbler.
TRKYHTR
Great bird!
Way to top it off!
Well done! Congrats!
great picture. Oh yea the birds nice to. LOL.
congrats to you and your friends on a great season.
Great way to end the season. Congrats.
My dad and I had 2 sounding off this morning, starting at 4:40am. We were hunting state land bordering private property, with a seasonal use road in between. We played with them for over 4 hours before we finally got sight of them since they were on the private land. A hen, 3 jakes and a longbeard were slowly coming in from the private land working towards us. A truck pulled along the main road, saw the birds, pulled into the gravel road passing by our setup, and within 60 yards of the birds. This caused the birds to change their path, but they didn't take off. The guys then proceeded to park the truck about 1/4 mile passed the bids, get out and walk right into the field where the birds were. Needless to say, that ended that hunt. We asked permission to hunt there before the season started, but they had a group of guys that hunted it so we didn't get access. I guess they thought they could walk right up to them and shoot them this morning. It was a very frustrating end to the day and the season with all the patience we showed, especially this morning.
This last week has been the best as far as the birds being vocal all year long. It was a very tough year with henned up, tight lipped birds. I got one and that was the only shot my dad and I had all season, and we hunted and scouted hard. They would be on our lease one morning and gone the next. They were hard to pattern where we could hunt. The private piece that we saw the birds on today had birds on it 9 times out of 10, though. I'm ready for a rest, but give me 2 days and I'll be counting down the days to May 1st, 2013.