for the more knowledgeable folks on here. When the breeding season starts in a particular area, how long does it usually last? I've tried several calls/series of calls on a particular Tom and he just don't want to play. I'm hoping that as the breeding season winds down he'll be more likely to come to the call. I'm in middle Tennessee btw.
During turkey season , the birds transition through several stages. The more experienced you become , the more you will begin to recognize the different phases they are in. It will take me too long to start going through each one and the birds behavior in each of them. To answer your question , gobblers normally become more receptive to calling as the season progresses. What happens is a hen , once bred , builds her nest and begins laying. She will normally lay one egg a day until her clutch is complete. Once that happens she starts sitting all day. The gobbler gobbles to attract hens. The hens will show up daily and at first the hens stay with a gobbler all day. When she starts laying , she sneaks away earlier and earlier each day. Then one day she doesnt show up even though he has gobbled continuously. At some point during season the gobbler will be alone. At this time he is the most vulnerable. So keep after him and at some point he will be killable. Wether or not you can pull it off comes down to how you hunt him. Good luck.
Thanks, I was pretty sure that's what happens. I just don't know the length of the breeding season whether it be a month, six weeks, or longer. I doubt if there's a definite number of days, just looking for a "generally".
This is a rough estimate and by no means definite. But in your area just expect breeding to begin in February and continue thru much of June and possibly early July. Again there are so many variables from year to year, weather, flock dynamics, population densities, regional variations etc.
Knight and Hale guys put together some pretty good info on the transition periods. It's not an exact science but a good thing to keep in the back of your mind throughout the season. http://www.knightandhale.com/field-notes/gobbler-guide/
Thanks fellas. That's the kind of stuff I'm looking for.
Quote from: evanscountylimbhanger on April 14, 2017, 07:30:58 PM
Knight and Hale guys put together some pretty good info on the transition periods. It's not an exact science but a good thing to keep in the back of your mind throughout the season. http://www.knightandhale.com/field-notes/gobbler-guide/
That's pretty good stuff. Knight & Hale have definitely been around the block long enough to know what works.