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Tough row to hoe

Started by ChesterCopperpot, April 18, 2021, 07:19:01 AM

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ChesterCopperpot

Had some success and stayed on plenty of birds opening week in SC, but season's been open a week here at the house in the NC mountains and I ain't heard a gobble. I know of some birds being killed, but I've covered seven to ten miles per day and haven't heard one on the roost or struck one mid morning to early afternoon. Been in the woods every day. Worst part is I know I'm doing nothing wrong. I'm in prime locations well before first light, places I know gobblers frequent and where I can hear literally miles of country. I'm setting up and sitting on heavy sign. Most times I'd assume the sign could be old but we've had plenty of rain and I'm seeing new tracks made daily. It's fresh and the birds are there. I'm still-hunting the miles slow enough that I'm getting on hens so I know I'm not moving too fast. I've had hens coming into my set ups so I know I'm not calling too much or too aggressively. Just no gobbling and no gobblers.

Come home yesterday afternoon and one's strutting above the house. I don't hunt these birds for various reasons, but the ridgeline above my house I can typically here three to five birds every morning. In the process of building a listening tower up there just for sh*ts and giggles. Anyhow, I assumed they were still gobbling every morning here at the house. Sat up there this morning since we can't hunt Sundays and to my surprise I didn't hear a peep here either. Perfect morning. Shredded clouds and bluebird skies. Zero wind. Cold and crisp. Crows raising a ruckus. Not a gobble. Just turkeys being turkeys and I'm not going to change a thing in that I know I'm on birds and I know I'm hunting them right, but it sure has been a tough row to hoe thus far.


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762hunter

Tight lipped and difficult here in W Tn as well

Lots of jakes, seen about 20 different jakes at different properties so far. Look like we had a good hatch.


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ChesterCopperpot

Quote from: 762hunter on April 18, 2021, 08:15:45 AM
Tight lipped and difficult here in W Tn as well

Lots of jakes, seen about 20 different jakes at different properties so far. Look like we had a good hatch.


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That's great news anyhow! We've had bad hatches here the past few years, largely on account of heavy cold relentless rains throughout nesting. This year hasn't been like that so far as far as weather so I'm hopeful they'll do well. That's one reason I refuse to hunt these birds at the house. I know for a fact that not a single hen has successfully reared a poult in two years. Not one.


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Tom007

Stick with it my friend, it will break for you.........

Greg Massey

Everyone will say patience's , but sometimes they wears a little thin. All of what you said can wear on you as a turkey hunter, if we killed one ever time we left the truck, we for sure wouldn't have any gobblers left. I agree with you it has happen to us all, we get to thinking am i doing something wrong, NO your not it's just turkeys being turkeys... it's like turkey's communicating to each other, we better shut up and stop gobbling, it happens pretty much in my area, just as soon as the tree's leaf out .. it's like they just stop gobbling.. but i know gobblers are still in my area, because i'm seeing hen's mostly ever trip out into the turkey woods. Could this be because most hen's have already been breed, Could is a big word in hunting these birds. IMO...

ChesterCopperpot

Quote from: Tom007 on April 18, 2021, 09:22:09 AM
Stick with it my friend, it will break for you.........
I appreciate it, and, yeah, I'll be there whether they hammer or whether they go tight lipped as mobsters Sooner or later one will slip up.
Quote from: Greg Massey on April 18, 2021, 09:47:33 AM
Everyone will say patience's , but sometimes they wears a little thin. All of what you said can wear on you as a turkey hunter, if we killed one ever time we left the truck, we for sure wouldn't have any gobblers left. I agree with you it has happen to us all, we get to thinking am i doing something wrong, NO your not it's just turkeys being turkeys... it's like turkey's communicating to each other, we better shut up and stop gobbling, it happens pretty much in my area, just as soon as the tree's leaf out .. it's like they just stop gobbling.. but i know gobblers are still in my area, because i'm seeing hen's mostly ever trip out into the turkey woods. Could this be because most hen's have already been breed, Could is a big word in hunting these birds. IMO...
Anybody who's been at it awhile knows you can kill them when they're silent. Just ain't the fun way of doing it. And the unsuccessful silent days tend to wear you down more than the unsuccessful gobbling days. Patience definitely wears thin, my friend.


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RutnNStrutn

Early season often means henned up gobblers that don't want or need to talk to you. Stick with it. Things will change.

Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.


Tail Feathers

I feel your pain.  Seven days in FL and never heard a gobble this year.  Yikes!
Love to hunt the King of Spring!

Tom007

Quote from: RutnNStrutn on April 18, 2021, 11:01:04 AM
Early season often means henned up gobblers that don't want or need to talk to you. Stick with it. Things will change.

Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.


My scouting has revealed henned up gobblers. The good news in one of my spots, there's 2 Tom's courting one hen. Maybe I can get hm jealous. One week rom tomorrow Is our opener. Good luck to all...

Fieldturkey

Similar condition here where I hunt in eastern NC. Birds are here but being tough

Gooserbat

And tomorrow it could change.
NWTF Booth 1623
One of my personal current interests is nest predators and how a majority of hunters, where legal bait to the extent of chumming coons.  However once they get the predators concentrated they don't control them.

ChesterCopperpot

Quote from: Gooserbat on April 18, 2021, 03:14:00 PM
And tomorrow it could change.
Absolutely! And I'll be there with bells on.


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silvestris

Not covering enough ground.
"[T]he changing environment will someday be totally and irrevocably unsuitable for the wild turkey.  Unless mankind precedes the birds in extinction, we probably will not be hunting turkeys for too much longer."  Ken Morgan, "Turkey Hunting, A One Man Game

deerbasshunter3

It has been tough in the Low Country as well, at least for me. I had a bird gobbling today until noon, but I could not pull him out... He finally busted me trying to make a move.

ChesterCopperpot

Quote from: silvestris on April 18, 2021, 04:31:31 PM
Not covering enough ground.



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