question from turkey hunting newbie

[Swenny]

Went out spring turkey hunting for the first time this year. . . absolutely LOVED IT!!!!!  Most fun hunt I've ever participated in (enjoyed it more than deer hunting).  Nailed my first gobbler about nine in the morning of the second day I was out.  Went out solo after some advice from a guy I know.

My question is this.  That was two weeks ago, I have one more tag.  I went out yesterday (the public place I hunted is a two hour drive each way for me here in South Dakota).  Not even a single gobble was heard yesterday.  Nada.  This place was alive with turkeys two weeks ago.  I know that it was hunted last weekend.  Have they quit strutting and gobbling for the season (it was a ridiculously early spring here in So Dak)?  Have they moved to different territory due to the hunting pressure?  Like I said, it's a two hour drive for me, and I could stress my marriage a little more and get out there for another day, but I don't want to go there if it'll be relatively futile.  If the more experienced turkey hunting advice is that they won't be out, I'll start building up my spousal hunting piggybank for scouting later this summer and wing shooting in the fall.  If the advice is that they'll move back in and be strutting by tomorrow (two days later), I'll head out in the a.m.

Thanks

Swenny

[captin_hook]

They're a hard bird to figure out . I don't know about in south Dakota, but here in Pennsylvania, they can be hot one day and cold for 3 days. I haven't heard a gobble at my hunting spot in 4 days. I know they're there , I've already killed one and seen others. Maybe try your hunting spot at a different time . They might be quiet when with hens, but in the afternoon when the hens get on the nest , they might fire up. Who knows, your guess is as good as mine.

[Michigander]

As stated, they can be goofy. We had an early spring here in MI as well. Yesterday was warm with a light rain all day and there was Toms strutting with hens on every field. This morning was perfect, cool and clear. Had two buddies that went out and never heard a single gobble. Weird.

[triune]

I've hunted SD and NE a couple of time so can't speak confidently but from my experience the birds there move ALOT more than the easterns do here.  They did always seem to come back to roost in the same areas though.  Some days you can hear gobbles in every direction and other days you can't buy a gobble.  This is true every place I've hunted.

Congratulations on your first!  It's great to read your excitement and best of luck on that second bird.

[Swenny]

Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it.  I just got a hold of a good friend of mine who is an avid turkey hunter.  He was guessing that it was weather related.  The wind gets to blowin pretty good some days, and it was windy as heck out.  He said his experience was that they tend to go silent during all day wind storms.

So it sounds like I'll give it another try.  Gotta get that last tag filled 

[BHhunter]

Here in SD as the season progresses and the weather stays nice the birds will break up into smaller groups and move to new ranges for the summer. I have found that they range farther on their cycle as the year progresses. In the Black Hills they will move to higher elevations and really use their legs. It can be a crap shoot as to where they will be on any given day. It can be tough to follow them if you can't dedicate the time to really keep after them. I think of it this way, marriage is forever, turkey season is only 5 weeks...she has to forgive me sometime.

[Swenny]

Thanks for the encouragement.  Have some time next week that I'm going to burn trying to call in a Tom.

[redleg06]

First piece of advice:
I dont know if you're a "marriage newbie", in addition to turkey hunting, but my spousal brownie points have an extremely short shelf life (as in, forgotten by the next day) so I never concern myself with holding out on an activity, in hopes of it paying off for me later with my wife....


About the turkey- they havent left the area all together but they do hit lulls every now and again. I would guess (never hunted anywhere close to that far north) that they still have a couple more weeks left before they start shutting it down on the breeding.   

One thing for sure, you 100% will NOT kill them if you dont go. I'd be out there finding out for myself instead of hanging up the hat and speculating whether they are done or not.

Good luck!

[jakebird]

They def can change in an instant from one day to the next. In my area of PA, we went from seeing toms with one or two hens a week ago and most hens on the nest to what i encountered yesterday morning, seveal toms with nearly fifteen hens. We are suspecting that the earlier cold snap may have caused early nesting hens to fail. Its like we are back to square one all over again. Very strange, but one thing i can promise you. With the birds henned up this late in my area, we will have good hunting right up till the end of the season, and prob later if we could keep hunting. Marriage lasts yr round. Turkey season is short. Live it up. Best of luck on tag two and congrats on your great rookie season!

[Swenny]

First piece of advice:
I dont know if you're a "marriage newbie", in addition to turkey hunting, but my spousal brownie points have an extremely short shelf life (as in, forgotten by the next day) so I never concern myself with holding out on an activity, in hopes of it paying off for me later with my wife....


About the turkey- they havent left the area all together but they do hit lulls every now and again. I would guess (never hunted anywhere close to that far north) that they still have a couple more weeks left before they start shutting it down on the breeding.   

One thing for sure, you 100% will NOT kill them if you dont go. I'd be out there finding out for myselinstead of hanging up the hat and speculating whether they are done or not.

Good luck!

We'll be having our fifteenth anniversary this summer, so a few years of dealing with a wife are under my belt (so to speak).  I agree with your advice that if I don't get out there I for sure won't get the opportunity to even try for that second Tom this year.  Got a day next week negotiated and on the calendar.

[lonnie sneed jr.]

  

I would be finding out for myself instead of hanging up the hat and speculating,  for sure you 100% will NOT kill them if you dont go. I'd be out there finding out if they are done or not.

Good luck

[ridgerunner]

A Gobbler is a perplexing creature...The DO what they want, when they want to, and from one minute to the next they don't even know what it is they want to do..That's why they can be had to kill...One thing for certain..you can't kill one sitting on the computer talking about it...Get out there and learn for yourself..you might figure something out.