Anybody have an update on southern Illinois?

[Louisiana Longbeard]

Making the trek north next week for the 5th season. What are the birds doing? Are they behind due to the colder weather? Hoping they are gobbling there heads off next Thursday.

[soILstrutter]

I wouldn't say they are behind, but the weird weather the last few weeks has thrown them off a few days at a time. Last weekend was very good gobbling on the limb, with it tapering off after about 7:30. I was able to connect on a longbeard that came in with his two buddies after their hens had left them at about 9:00. Hens are definitely laying now, and the forecast looks much better the next few weeks. Lonely gobblers should be plentiful over the next two weeks.

[Louisiana Longbeard]

Good to hear, its my first trip to illinois and i am excited! 

[TRG3]

I'm hunting in White County which is near the Indiana/Kentucky line. I had a gobbler with five hens feeding about 100 yards from my Funky Chicken and three hen decoys set up in a picked soybean field. The real birds paid no attention to my decoys or calling, finally feeding off into the woods. Two single longbeards came within a couple of hundred yards of my decoys and paid no attention to them or my calling. I finally filled my tag by watching where they went into a thicket and ambushed one later in the day. That was all in the 3rd season. By the 5th season, my experience has been that gobblers are looking for hens and are much more workable. Best of luck to you.

[soILstrutter]

Update after this weekend- High winds were difficult but decent gobbling activity on the limb and after flydown until the hens took the boys on a stroll. Two different groups of longbeards dogged hens pretty well all morning as the hens eventually tried their best to slip away. Was lucky enough to take a great tom at around 10:15 on Saturday morning. My advice: be patient and don't be afraid to set up and blind call around or near suspected nesting areas later in the morning. The ol boys will be getting lonely eventually and it just takes patience to wait them out.

[Louisiana Longbeard]

Update on our hunt:
Day one of the 5th season saw a little gobbling on the limb. They went quiet when they hit the ground. I moved around a little and sat and called sparingly in a nesting area. At 11:45, one got fired up and it took me 20 minutes and i was tagged out.

Day two: I went with one of my buddies that went with me. Zero gobbling on limb and we hunted until the 1PM closing time and never heard a bird. Same with other hunter that was there with us

Day three: They were gobbling there head off on the limb. Both of my buddies had birds down by 7.

Back to Louisiana we headed.