I must be jinxed

[Shellwaster]

I've hunted turkeys here in Georgia for the past 14 seasons, I still consider myself a novice, and I've never had a season as tough as this one. I have one tract of land that is 100 acres that I share with two others and we only take one bird off this property per year, not one each but one bird total. I then have my primary lease which is about 900 acres of which I am one of two turkey hunters. Now many of you may think that his great and any other year I would agree but the 2014 season is different for both places. I've hunted both tracts going on 6 years and thought I knew where the birds were or wanted to be. I've had seasons in the past where I've been skunked however those are usually filled with gobbling birds and me messing up only to learn another life lesson. This year though it appears the birds are gone, and I'm hard pressed to hear a bird gobble.

Two weeks before season I went and listened on the hundred acres and heard 5 different birds giving it the what-not. The next week I was on the primary lease and in one area where pines drop into a hard wood bottom I heard 4 different birds and my buddy heard 3 birds on another area of the property on the same morning. Out of about a dozen hunts I've only had one where a bird was hot gobbling after every call I made and I was sure he would be riding home in a ford. Didn't happen. A hen got between us and toted him off. The other hunts consist of either no gobbling or just a couple gobbles followed by silence. While that in itself is discouraging I would usually go setup to where I know, to at least knew, the birds were going but they have appeared to change where they want to eat lunch. The usual places; hardwood bottoms, pine flats and food plots, that in years past would find a bird mid morning or afternoon isn't showing any sign nor producing a bird.

Our season ends on May 15th and due to work getting busy my weekday morning hunts are no more and my weekend obligations will make it difficult to squeeze in a day at the lease. Every hunt I get in between now and the 15th you can bet I'll hunt as hard as I have been. I'm thinking I'm either jinxed, a terrible turkey hunter or the birds have left the area. Thanks for letting me vent.

[DirtNap647]

hang in there and good luck

[tomstopper]

hang in there and good luck

[Dr.Love]

I feel your pain. Sounds like we have been hunting the same land. Even on days the birds dont gobble we are still able to enjoy beautiful spring mornings in the woods. Just keep after them. Good Luck.

[RutnNStrutn]

I've heard a lot of people say that this season. I know it was true up on the 2 properties I hunt in SC. Gobbling was way off this year as compared to previous years. Hunt as much as you can between now and the 15th. Good luck!!

[Shellwaster]

Thanks for the well wishes. I am going to sneak off to the hundred acres this afternoon to see if I can get one fired up. Turkey hunting is obsessive, when I'm not in the woods I constantly think of being in them gobbling or not.

[HogBiologist]

has anything habitat wise changed on the surrounding properties? That can affect birds patterns.

[Shellwaster]

The property next to the hundred acres was select cut two years ago leaving between 60-80 trees per acre and has grown up since with very little work by the lease holders. There is 200 acres about a quarter mile away and across a paved road that was cut last year and burned just before season. I know that place holds birds but wouldn't imaging it pulling our birds.
The property around my primary lease hasn't changed a bit. Mostly pines between 10 and 40 years old and mature hardwoods.
I'm starting to believe that the last two years hatches weren't very good and while the birds were grouped up before season they have now scattered with hens on the nest thus making it harder to pinpoint them.

[headbanger]

Sounds exactly like my season. The land I hunt always has had a few birds. Last year the owner burned it off and it was covered up with birds. This year the surrounding properties were burned 3 weeks before season came in and I am devoid of birds except for an occasional pass thru. Hopefully next year will be back to normal.

[learn2hide]

Bad hatches plus continued harvest of mature gobblers will definitely put a local flock down. We have a small place in MO where my dad and I could almost count on 3 birds per year and we would see turkey's by the dozen. 2008-2010 cold wet springs and wet summers all but wiped out the hatches those years. Combined with us being successful taking some mature toms during that time and a huge raccoon population, bobcats, and coyotes we literally couldn't find a turkey track on our 90 acres in 2011 and saw nearly no birds in the fall.  Took 2-3 years of drier weather for them to recover.  Hope you birds are just being finicky but if you have to declare war on predators and pray for whatever is considered "normal" spring and summer weather.