Our season runs May 1 thru 31st, and the gobbling was only good the first week of the season. Usually the gobbling is very good the last week of the season and the dominant birds end up being a lot more callable. I will be hunting the last five consecutive days of the season, and this past week I have noticed the male birds are acquiring more hens rather than losing them. For instance my target bird had 5 hens with him Sunday and Monday morning, Tuesday he had 7, yesterday he had 10, and this am he had 10. There has been a Jake with him every morning too. This is not an isolated incident as I have seen it with other groups of birds, and other hunters have reported similar problems.
Any idea what may be happening? Did the hens lose their nests and are now having to be bred again to reestablish one? They should be spending their time on the nest at this point.
This is the strangest spring season I have ever experienced, and have heard the least amount of gobbling ever. I have not heard a gobble on the roost in the evening since mid April. Where I hunt the hunting pressure is minimal to almost nonexistent (other than me), and we are not over run with predators. Just because I haven't heard them, doesn't mean they aren't there, but I have not heard a single coyote all season.
The hens may have lost their nest, although it is not necessary for them to breed again in order to re-nest. That being said, I am sure many of the hens will return to gobblers and breed again if their nest is lost. With the high bird numbers in many states it is not uncommon for some gobblers to be still with hens all season long. Some hens will breed and nest early, others late, not all at the same time. Also, juvenile hens will naturally breed later and may or may not nest. Often gobblers will tag along with the jennies during late season like this. Maybe you had a good hatch last year and have a lot of juveniles. It is not unusual for breeding to last from February well into June or early July.
Don't give up! Got a 23 lb bird today! About an hour ago in western NY.
Quote from: Sevenyearsandcounting on May 26, 2016, 08:12:16 AM
Don't give up! Got a 23 lb bird today! About an hour ago in western NY.
Hey man congrats! time for a new screen name I guess, way to end the dry spell
Quote from: Sevenyearsandcounting on May 26, 2016, 08:12:16 AM
Don't give up! Got a 23 lb bird today! About an hour ago in western NY.
Oh I definitely wont. I will quit when the clock strikes noon on Tuesday the 31st. I get more excited for the end of the season than the beginning. Two years a go I killed, missed, and killed again all in the last 3 days of the season.
Congrats on the your gobbler! Heavyweight.
You also may need to wait the gobbler out. Go to the place he likes to go during the day and be patient and wait on him. If you can get ahead of him that's what you need to do..
Quote from: Ihuntoldschool on May 26, 2016, 08:11:01 AM
Maybe you had a good hatch last year and have a lot of juveniles.
In my area we definitely did...
My best (un-educated) guess, is a fail 1st time around due to the very wet/cold weather here in PA. Hens are probably going for a 2nd round, making it dang near impossible to hear a gobble. Lots of sign where I hunt, but they are VERY silent this year. Except for the last 2 weeks of April when they were gobbling like no tomorrow.
Just nature taking it's due course I'd guess.
Quote from: HFultzjr on May 26, 2016, 03:32:22 PM
My best (un-educated) guess, is a fail 1st time around due to the very wet/cold weather here in PA. Hens are probably going for a 2nd round, making it dang near impossible to hear a gobble. Lots of sign where I hunt, but they are VERY silent this year. Except for the last 2 weeks of April when they were gobbling like no tomorrow.
Just nature taking it's due course I'd guess.
That's the case here in central PA. I know a lot of guys who kill birds every year who are really struggling this year (myself included)!
Heard some behind work gobble today.
Later leaving work 3 toms strutting around some hens.
Haven't seen that in 2 weeks.
We were hammered with rain for 90% of turkey season this year. Definitely screwed things up big time and a lot of hens lost nests. They are still breading here although gobbling has tapered off considerably. I have a hen nesting behind my house and so far things are looking good with her clutch at least as far as I can tell from a distance. Just hoping for a good hatch but worried the rain has already ruined that.
thanks guys I thought I was the only guy in northern pa. having this problem.
In Orange County, NY-- I was out this morning and saw 3 hens near a gobbler that I was trying to call. Same thing here! Alot of hens running around this late in May--strange.
I ran into this hen with fresh hatchlings in NY Sullivan county on 5-21-2016 around 9am. The chicks were no larger than 3" in length. (http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160528/5a2107907d021f89114d8d24788d6f81.jpg)
Same trouble here in PA also. Not a bird to be heard.