Mississippi public land turkey hunting 2021

[Tail Feathers]

Are they hunting a National Forest by any chance?  Those belong to all of us.

It's the curse of hunting public I suppose.  Hope you have a good, successful season in spite of the crowds!

[bushwhacker]

We are here, we've been at countless gates, we've driven and walked  countless miles. Forty miles driven this morning. For our efforts in three days we have heard four turkeys and it has not been for lack of effort. I'm talking there are no tracks, no scratching, no hens crossing the road, it's like a ghost town. I reckon the arkies killed them to the last Tom. 

[turkeyfool]

Not from Miss but staying with a buddy in Memphis so I've been making the drive down to here the past week (you can guess what National Forest I'm hunting). I can confirm that I've seen zero hens crossing the road, maybe a handful of tracks, 2 gobbling birds on the limb. It's been pretty brutal, granted I hunted here last season and chalked it up to bad weather/being here too early in the season.

Obviously I've seen more Arkansas plates than Mississippi plates, but I gotta say that I do feel bad for the Mississippi guys because this particular NF is basically a wasteland for wildlife

[bushwhacker]

Stop by our camp, we can drown our sorrows together. We have probably passed each other on the road. We are sporting Michigan plates to be in total disguise.

[turkeyfool]

If I were you I'd be hunting down at the WMAs around Jackson. I did well in South Alabama when I went to visit a buddy down there, but Holly Springs is completely dead from what I've seen. I don't mind saying the places name because it's pretty brutal

[quavers59]

  Man I have been following this Thread. Where are all the Mississippi  Turkeys?  I thought that State had a High Population

[RiverRoost]

I'm not on any public land but private up in the delta and it's been dead quiet where I hunt. Finally with the consistent sunshine and temps warming up I'm starting to see some more tracks in the road and finally a little dusting and strutt marks in the road. It's crazy how little gobbling we've heard so far. Glad to hear it's the same report all over the state mostly and the mid south

[deadbuck]

  Man I have been following this Thread. Where are all the Mississippi  Turkeys?  I thought that State had a High Population

Mississippi Dept of Wildlife sent out a press release right before the opener stating we had 2 consecutive bad hatches in N Miss in 2019 and 2020 and not to expect to hear a lot of gobbling since 2 year old birds would be scarce. I will hand it to them, they got this one right. The problem here is that when you put tremendous pressure on them on the public they simply move to the nearest private where they dont get harrassed EVERY day. I have noticed that afternoon hunting is at unprecedented  levels here also, where I used to have it all to myself in the evenings. I know a lot of hard core killers that have only killed 1 bird so far and they are good hunters and  hunt very hard. I have played with 2 and killed 1 myself. Did not hear a gobble first 2 weeks and  Havent struck the first bird running and gunning and I have about worn out a pair of rubber boots and the wood is getting thin on my box call lid. I tell myself I am doing it for the exercise. BTW, all of the Arkansas boys are gone in my neck of the woods.

[Howie g]

  Man I have been following this Thread. Where are all the Mississippi  Turkeys?  I thought that State had a High Population

. It was a " huntable " population before the covid invasion. Last year was a bumper crop of 2 year olds , and they got hammered! 

[bushwhacker]

Hear one gobbling at 7:20. Go around the road, no truck, he gobbles, go to him, round the corner and stop. Wait ten minutes and he flies out of the tree. Watched us walk up. I reckon they stay on the limb until a hen gets to them here. This is crazy.

[Fullfan]

Starting to sound like Missouri.  Bird numbers are down and have been for the past 8-10 years.

[tyler19]

Mississippi is the poorest excuse for turkey hunting I have ever seen. The MDFWP should be ashamed to sell turkey tags. I just left there and had zero luck. I would have been ashamed of myself if I did kill a gobbler because I'm almost convinced it would have been the last one in Mississippi.

[Jbird22]

That's right
And I think ,if the mdwfp gave a rat about the wildlife
As much as they say, instead of all the money they get from out of state hunters ,they would make the season later . It's all about the money.

I agree. Most of the surrounding states have changed seasons and limits


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Y'all know on the Mississippi game and fish page the main turkey man is Adam Butler and his contact information is on there. Have you contacted him? I heard a radio show where Preston Pittman said the laws need to change down South, after Katrina in 2005 it messed up the habitat and it has never recovered.

We were hit hard by Katrina but turkey hunting here was the best I've ever seen it for 5 yrs following that storm. For the past 5-6 several years though, entire flocks (hens included) have vanished and my old honey holes have been without turkeys. It is a sad state of affairs but Katrina was almost 16 yrs ago and the habitat has definitely recovered since then. It's past time to stop blaming Katrina.

[turkeyfool]

After two years of us driving across the border TN, my buddy finally got it done this morning. Complete luck where a bird gobbled at 9am and just wanted to die. I'd say between the two of us this year, we really only know of 3,4 birds across different locations. Like I said, I'm not from Miss. but I'd be pretty certain that the overall population has to be really bad. Especially in the counties around Holly Springs

[silvestris]

I gave up on Mississippi this year and I think I gave up on turkey hunting this morning.  73, a stroke and a low blood pressure incident have about convinced me.  Reality is a bummer.