Turkey hunting forum for turkey hunting tips

Hey guys. I haven't been on here much but season is pretty much wrapped up and I wanted to tell you about my spring. It was by far the worst season of my hunting career as far as gobbling and bird sightings. To be fair I also listened and hunted less than ever because of a very late spring and therefore a very late start on farming. Once the weather finally broke it was pretty much all out field work for a few weeks. But even before season the sightings were dismal and gobbling practically nonexistent. Now for the good. I managed to get out 5 times and my 11 year old son and I both managed to kill longbeards. But every time someone asks how we made out and they say "good season", I just shake my head no. I'm beginning to think that the turkey population isn't going to recover around here without some major changes. And I'm not sure what is causing the problem. My question is how many on here would consider it a good year just because you tagged out. Or would you factor in the lack of gobbling and turkey population and call it a poor year like me? 

This season was my worst in NY since I started about 30-years ago. I hunted more; seen and worked less birds than ever. Most of my gobbler sightings during the season were near people's yards. I hope it's better next year.

Where do you hunt?

Like you I got out less than I wanted. Maybe 12 times. 4 birds died and 3 more should have. Two opportunities were my boys and I picked the wrong bird to position on when I knew I was already in the right spot for the one. I only heard two toms gobble in Wv for the season. That's due to poaching getting worse as well as a bad hatch. They get pretty closed mouth fast in the first two weeks of season. Lack of foliage made it difficult to get on tight to birds and well it was just weird weather wise. I think we did ok for what we had to work with. Definitely not as many two year olds this spring. But that varies from year to year. So no it wasn't the best year but it wasn't the worst. Things could definitely be changed to make it better but I doubt it will happen.

AL public land was tough.  I heard three birds gobble I think and I killed one of them on the last day.

Locally, I heard more birds than any other season ever here, and despite being in birds every hunt, it took me 9 or 10 mornings to get one on my home turf.  I managed to make every mistake in the book and boogered several birds before I found one that was hot enough to throw all caution to the wind.

I had longbeards in front of my two grandsons (one at 3 yards) and they got caught moving and didn't get the kill.  And their hunting opportunities were limited due to school obligations.

2018 goes down locally as a great season with lots of gobbling and lots of gobblers. :icon_thumright:

I tagged out this year, but this was definitely the worst turkey season I've ever seen around here.(KY)Weather was terrible all season, cold, turkeys are a month or more behind normal breeding cycle, and so is the entire spring season. All the blooms were/are a month or more behind. Saw less turkeys before season than I ever have and heard no gobbling. I heard two gobbles on opening day, once on the roost and once that afternoon which was a bird I killed. No gobbling at all after that until the 3rd weekend and I got one stirred up and coming off the roost. I didn't get him, but killed a jake that came in from a different direction and messed it all up. Even if I hadn't killed the jake, I wouldn't have been able to hunt after that, but I live close to my hunt area and haven't heard any gobbling at all since. I've been seeing gobblers strutting with hens out in the fields while going to work. Way late for our normal season. The real late cold weather definitely slowed them down a lot, but hopefully they will still make a good hatch after everything finally warmed up.

Watched a few sunrises in the woods.
Would have been a great season if that was it.  I feel lucky to have the opportunity to getup and hunt.
Talked with a few birds.
Carried a couple of birds of my own and helped a couple others tag one.

Quote from: spaightlabs on May 29, 2018, 09:57:09 PM
Watched a few sunrises in the woods.
Would have been a great season if that was it.  I feel lucky to have the opportunity to getup and hunt.
Talked with a few birds.
Carried a couple of birds of my own and helped a couple others tag one.

I do love the sunrise!  But if a pretty sunrise is all that matters, then Turkey's are a non factor. And if that's the case, then there are 11 other months to enjoy sunrises while hunting all sorts of critters. (Or just getting out of bed before sunrise). What i am saying is that even though my son and myself tagged birds, the population is down and the overall turkey hunting experience has been getting worse by the year.

I heard birds, saw birds, but finding cooperating birds was a different story.  I ambushed two of my three Oklahoma birds. 

My Delaware season was great, lots of birds, did a lot of homework, and tagged out opening day.  Pennsylvania was a different story.  Not many birds at all.  I feel fortunate to have gotten one.  But it still beats working.  Out in the woods and fields watching His creation reinforced just how amazing He is.

South Alabama was rough.

Population is way down and pressure is up.

Did great in Texas.  Killed four for myself and called in two more for others.  Had to work harder in New Mexico hunting public land, but managed to get two there as well.  Nebraska was rough, but not from a lack of birds.  The weather was terrible and I still haven't learned how to hunt those birds when they move out of the drainages they roost in and move into wide open pastures and ag fields.

I pulled 2 late season tags this year, May 16th-22nd, in Door County WI. Was concerned the birds would be henned up by then. However, a crazy Spring snow storm dumped 30"s of snow in late April, days before the 1st season. I think this helped me as the birds were extremely active when my turn to hunt came. And I was fortune enough to tag out with a nice double minutes into my 1st day. Also, I stayed on the property to do some work for the rest of the week and heard gobbling every morning and early evening. Guessing that early Spring storm pushed things back some...much to my benefit  :z-guntootsmiley:  Now to start thinking about the fall turkey season and deer hunts!

Be well folks/

Turkey populations are going to vary regionally to a significant degree....  It is most notably easier to kill turkeys when there are turkeys to kill, and this season we had a definite increase in the population from the past 5-6 years.    I was able to kill toms with each of my young daughters, and killed a nice one on my own...  So I had a good season.

As far as what causes population shits?  Generally weather and habitat short term, and farming and habitat loss long-term.

In California, clear-cutting ditch-banks for better water movement and control (destroying nesting areas) as well as improved farming practice (farming every square inch farmed without a weed to be seen) has most certainly hurt our long-term game populations in this state...

On one of the ranches I hunt this season, there are new houses coming in, and new developments in nearby areas...  This is all long-term loss of habitat in productive areas.

Without programs such as CRP, or hunters taking steps (through private funding) not only to maintain, but to improve habitat where possible, I believe we will see short-term fluctuations in populations due to weather, with an overall drop in populations over the coming years.

My season went well but not without a couple hitches. I started in MO the 2nd day of their season. It took me 7 hunting days to kill my 1st bird, then got the 2nd bird on the 9th day. I would have never guessed it would take that long. I was going to hunt KS but, due to the time in MO, cancelled and came back to NY. My first two days in NY I had birds gobbling well but they went with hens. I got out the next week and got 2 birds in 2 days...no hens involved. I took my grandson out three times and we were into birds but he didn't shoot because he thought the tom was too far away. Only 35 yards...after that I had a rangefinder on him!

Due to our van dying I have only been able to get out about 5 or 6 times, maybe 7 There were two times I could have gone but was in to much pain and had to give the body a rest. Of all the days I have been out yesterday was the only one where I did not definitely hear a gobble. (May have but I am not quite sure, it was distant)

I did not hunt last year due to shoulder surgery, but it was on par to two years ago or maybe a little less. At least I did not bump any off the roost this year. Everybody is complaining about this season on the forums on hand out on for the region of NY and it seems to be through the states as well. Long winter this year may have been part of the problem.

Habitat loss caused by the way some of the farming is done around here was certainly no help. Also more homes being built and hydrofracking going on as also wiped out habitat. Of course the norms like predators do not help, have only heard of one case of poaching and that was deer.

"My question is how many on here would consider it a good year just because you tagged out. Or would you factor in the lack of gobbling and turkey population and call it a poor year like me? "

I will tell you I was unable to really hunt for 17 years due to a car accident and I am grateful for any time I get out there now. Most of my hunting career I hunting some pretty poor property and I have not gotten much, but it has always been about being out there with friends and loved ones, seeing the world God created coming to life, hearing the birds, frogs, squirrels and so on start talking as the gray of early morning light turns to the light of day. If I get something then it is an added bonus.

Quote from: Sir-diealot on May 30, 2018, 08:49:39 PM
but it has always been about being out there with friends and loved ones, seeing the world God created coming to live, hearing the birds, frogs, squirrels and so on start talking as the gray of early morning light turned to the light of day. If I get something then it is an added bonus.

I say Amen to this. Its always a good season or a good hunt and I'm very thankful to the Lord to get to enjoy it even if all the turkeys are gone when I get there.

First year since 2013 here in PA I couldn't get it done. Saw plenty of jakes and hens but there wasn't much gobbling, and usually those that did ended up being jakes. I cannot say this happened to everyone around me as a close friend ended up being tagged out on day 2. But without a day this year was the lowest mature Tom population I've seen in years.

Had a good year in Maryland. Gained access to a couple of new properties and was able to kill two long beards. Saw a good number of jakes running around so I'm hopeful next year will be even better.

I heard plenty of gobblers, trouble is that most were a ways off the small properties I primarily hunted.  I also heard more shots than usual on neighboring farms.  I had gobblers coming to me that got hijacked by hens a few times. That's turkey hunting though.  One morning, I had a gobbler answer my calls, head my way, then hang up in a strut zone less than 125 yards away for more than an hour. He left and I found where he was strutting, hoping to get a crack at him the next morning.  Of course it was a ghost town the following day. I had one play the game right and come to my calls, but I let him get too close, then rushed the shot and missed. First turkey I ever missed with the red dot. A couple days later I got within 125 yards of one roosted on a creek bottom.  I know he never saw nor heard me and he continued to gobble plenty from the limb.  When he flew down, he just shut up and vanished. That's turkey hunting. The last day I hunted, I saw a gang of 8 jakes in a field beside the farm I hunt, which gave me some hope for the future.  I hunted hard and had a fun season, even if it was aggravating. The results were definitely not was I was hoping for.  Tag soup always sucks no matter how you make it.

I plan to expand my hunting territories so I won't be as limited next year.  Maybe I'll finally get drawn for some of the public land I've put in for over the past 6 years.

Jim

I can't complain, tagged out in the two states I hunted. Just wish I would have been able to get to hunt in my old stomping grounds in NY.

Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk

Quote from: JonD. on May 30, 2018, 10:16:16 PM

Quote from: Sir-diealot on May 30, 2018, 08:49:39 PM
but it has always been about being out there with friends and loved ones, seeing the world God created coming to live, hearing the birds, frogs, squirrels and so on start talking as the gray of early morning light turned to the light of day. If I get something then it is an added bonus.

I say Amen to this. Its always a good season or a good hunt and I'm very thankful to the Lord to get to enjoy it even if all the turkeys are gone when I get there.

Thanks. After reading it in quotes I realized I misspelled some things so I went back and fixed them. I fixed one instance of Grammatical error as well. I hate it when I make mistakes like this.

7 birds down (called one in for friend's daughter)/tagged out in two states. I don't know whether a season like that can be beat by me. Pretty stoked.

My season sucked until about 3 weeks in, then it started to get good. I know some parts of TN are definitely in a decline, but not where I was hunting, the bird just wouldn't talk much except on the roost, and would not work a call much. It all turned around the 2nd half of season and I ended up missing 4, killing 4, and watching 3 others die.

It certainly was on the property where I hunt. Blessed to have a good friend and old teammate and hunting and fishing buddy from high school who owns and leases close to 400 acres here in Georgia. He`s a retired forester who runs and manages his property for game, primarily deer, turkey and doves. Turkeys ALL OVER his property, and I`m convinced it`s due in large measure to the habitat he`s created. Three of us took a bird this year, he limits the number taken on his property to one/hunter, and there were only 4 of us hunting it all season. The woods were beautiful!

I had a great season. I managed to kill 8 gobblers in 5 states I hunted. I hunted around 24 days to do it. All but 2 came from public land. But I will say it was a tough year.  Not much gobbling. Scewed up weather.  I hunted very hard and gave it my all. I know where there are gobblers still henned up. It was a very late spring. The areas I hunt didn't seem to have the 2 year old population this year. Called in lots of hens. I pray we have an excellent hatch this spring

Quote from: Sir-diealot on May 30, 2018, 08:49:39 PM
"My question is how many on here would consider it a good year just because you tagged out. Or would you factor in the lack of gobbling and turkey population and call it a poor year like me? "

Turkey hunting is perhaps my most selfish guilty pleasure...  I prefer to hunt alone...  I thoroughly enjoy my time alone in the woods, in the marsh, on the river, or on the lake...

Admittedly, I have enjoyed taking my children out (2 girls ages 5 & 7), and it was exciting (for all of us) when I was able to harvest a bird with them.  They get to spend some time with "Daddy," and learn some of life's lessons that cannot be taught in a classroom...  And, I hope I am passing on some of my own passion for the outdoors that they will one day enjoy as adults...

I do plenty of outdoor activities, and am an avid waterfowler...  I take some degree of pleasure in a successful hunt, and filling the game back is a large part of the enjoyment for me.  I get plenty of opportunity to see sunrises, and perhaps I should appreciate them more, but when I am hunting, part of the enjoyment of the sunrise is the anticipation of a (hopefully) successful hunt.

As it stands, I have put my efforts on turkey hunting during the spring, with limited time off...  Even in the drought years, there were birds to hunt, and killing one or two birds on a tough year is just as, if not more gratifying that tagging out on a good year with lots of birds.

Were the bird population to be so low, or the property so small that I did not feel I had a reasonable opportunity to harvest a bird, I would hang up the gun and pull out the fly rod...  Granted, I might fish in some areas where I might find some turkeys, but I would not continue to hunt if I did not feel I had a "sporting chance."

Every turkey season is good. It's what many of us think about every day of the year. I can honestly say I have never had a bad year. Some years are more successful than others but it's will only truly be a bad year when I can't get to the woods at all. The goal is always to be successful but if that is the only goal then a lot of great moments are going to pass by totally unnoticed. The sad fact of the matter is that the kill at all costs mindset is slowly and surely destroying hunting. It's a shame really. My fondest memory from this year was sitting and eating lunch with my boy who is a man/child now. He blew a gimme opportunity and he knew it. Watching him progress from furious with himself to laughing at himself a few hours later was priceless. When I was his age it would have taken me a week to get over something like that. I am proud of him and wouldn't have been any prouder of him if he had killed the bird. To paraphrase a movie line "hunting doesn't build character, it reveals it".

Quote from: JonD. on May 30, 2018, 10:16:16 PM

Quote from: Sir-diealot on May 30, 2018, 08:49:39 PM
but it has always been about being out there with friends and loved ones, seeing the world God created coming to live, hearing the birds, frogs, squirrels and so on start talking as the gray of early morning light turned to the light of day. If I get something then it is an added bonus.

I say Amen to this. Its always a good season or a good hunt and I'm very thankful to the Lord to get to enjoy it even if all the turkeys are gone when I get there.

By any enduring and meaningful measure, that's all that really matters. If I have fun, it was a successful season. When i no longer enjoy it, I've got other—more important—things to do. Been doing it for >40 years and still find it enriching and rewarding. Good Lord willing, I'll enjoy next year...

I/we had an EPIC season !!!

Hunted 3 states with my brother and PA with my daughter.  With the exception of Wyoming, where the gobblers needed some serious convincing, it seemed the gobblers ALL had a suicide wish this year.  We were happy to oblige.

Quote from: Happy on May 31, 2018, 07:44:14 PM
Every turkey season is good. It's what many of us think about every day of the year. I can honestly say I have never had a bad year. Some years are more successful than others but it's will only truly be a bad year when I can't get to the woods at all. The goal is always to be successful but if that is the only goal then a lot of great moments are going to pass by totally unnoticed. The sad fact of the matter is that the kill at all costs mindset is slowly and surely destroying hunting. It's a shame really.

This should be carved in a stone somewhere.   Yep.

Can't complain , tagged out in 3 states and called in an additional 7 in ny for family and friends. See what next year brings.

Had a great year, hunted maryland and Pennsylvania. Hunted more than ever, got out 26 times and enjoyed all of them.turkeys won 25 times, me once.turkeys showed me I have a lot to learn, they are frustrating lessons though.

Hunted with family and had alot of success, more gobbling than ever, awesome hunts with plenty of good memories, GREAT SEASON!   

I had a great season. Not near as good as other years but I helped a young man get his second bird and and got my brother in law hooked on the sport without ever taking his safety off! I took my first bird with a 20 gauge. But I didn't see as many, call as many to other people gun barrel as I normally do but I still had a good time. I'd be thankful that you got to take your son out hunting.

I did well, but was on some good private ground.That being said, just being out there is great fun.I like to scout for new places to hunt, and I've learned over time, what to look for. In the west, if the farm has a new, nice house, they are transplant people.In other words, they are people with money, from out of state.These people hire outfitters, or close off all hunting. I found 2 old farms this year, that I got permission on.One I hunted, and had a great time.I think turkey hunting for me, is all about scouting. Just finding good places is rewarding,

It's great to hear that a lot of you guys had success this spring. Congrats!  But my reason for posting was to ask whether you'd consider it a good season just because you killed a bird even if the population and overall turkey hunting sucked. I tend to worry about next year and years after. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy spending time in the woods. Time in the woods with my son is even better. Given my limited time this spring trust me, I didn't take a minute for granted. But I have witnessed our local turkey population plummet and I fear that the good old days are gone.

Quote from: Farmboy27 on June 01, 2018, 09:17:44 PM
........ I have witnessed our local turkey population plummet and I fear that the good old days are gone.

I witnessed that for a lot of years here, too.  A couple decades, really.  But this year we were fully stocked with gobbling birds and our jake population...........next year's 2 year olds............is next to insane.  If we get a good 2018 hatch and have a fairly mild winter, next year ought to be banner.

We have never been loaded with turkeys where I hunt. I would personally love to see some changes made to help raise the population. I fear those changes will never happen though and we rely heavily on the oncoming crop of two year toms and that defines our season. Another issue I have found on public land is that many private landowners that own land adjecent to it are feeding corn heavily which concentrates most birds on their property. Times are changing and I fear it is for the worse.

Turkey hunting is awesome.  Turkey killin' is awesome.

If you are lucky enough to do both in one day it's even awesomer! :happy0064:

Quote from: Tail Feathers on June 01, 2018, 10:22:27 PM
Turkey hunting is awesome.  Turkey killin' is awesome.

If you are lucky enough to do both in one day it's even awesomer! :happy0064:

Well put!