Winter flock questions

[RutnNStrutn]

I moved from Florida to out in the country in Tennessee last May. I was very pleased to see my property had lots of critters, including deer and turkeys. But most of my turkey experience has been  further south than here.
Come the end of October though, the turkeys disappeared. I figured they had gathered with a winter flock. I am familiar with the winter flocking phenomenon, but I haven't experienced it in person. I was dismayed when my turkeys disappeared. I had a bumper crop of acorns this year, and have been putting out corn for the deer and turkeys since I moved in.
Not only did they disappear from my place, but they disappeared from the entire area. I didn't see any turkeys on my place or driving around for almost 3 months. Finally, a couple of weeks ago I drove by a field that I'd seen turkeys in before, and there was a winter flock of about 150 birds. They were about 2 miles from my place.
So here are my questions.
1 - Is the winter flock I saw likely to include my birds, even though they were 2 miles away?
2 - Why didn't the turkeys hang out at my place when they had tons of food, and no pressure?
3 - Are my turkeys likely to return to the area? Or are new turkeys going to take over? Or do turkeys change areas after flocking up?
Thanks for the help guys!!

Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk

[ChesterCopperpot]

Can't answer all those questions partly or authoritatively, but I'd say, one, yes, some of your turkeys are very likely in that giant winter flock, and, two, yes, your turkeys are very likely to come right back. Oddly enough they tend to show up at my house in the winter mostly. I get some in spring obviously but I get huge groups in winter. One place I hunt is flat covered up in spring and bare in winter. A couple miles from there, just over that ridge I'll see groups of 100. No doubt in my mind that's those birds. And they always seem to return. Kind of seems to work like deer habitat. I don't really care if big bucks are on my property during summer or not; I want big bucks on my property come fall. Most times those are two different places.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Paulmyr]

Curious what type of field did you see the turkeys in  2 miles away. Is it a high energy grain field? Something is attracting them to the area that is beneficial to winter survival. Reliable open water maybe?


I would say it's a good possibility some of the turkeys from your property are mixed with the flock you seen. They'll travel much greater distances than 2 miles to winter flock. It maybe habit that brings the turkeys to that field 2 miles away. If you keep feeding corn during winter you might be able to keep some of them around.

Pretty good chance some of the turkeys you seen last summer will be back with a possibility of new blood. The Turkeys up here in Mn will start to disperse around the end of March maybe a little earlier if the weather is nice or depending on where you are north or south in the state.

[Vintage]

Hunt a farm in Northern Ky. The turkeys are never seen in deer season but will be there every turkey season and usually don't start gobbling till a week before the season starts.

[Greg Massey]

After the winter flock breakup turkeys will more than likely return. Just before the breakup both gobbler flocks and hen flocks will come together, it's like a rendezvous. Once this gathering take place they will split up and if your lucky enough to see all of this take place that morning, the gobblers will go in different directions with each having a few hen's leaving with each gobbler. It's amazing watching all this take place. In all my years of turkey hunting I've only seen this happen twice while scouting before spring season opens. I sure others will add to this and have seen and witnessed the coming together of both gobbler flocks and hen flocks and the breakup of these flocks. It's all part of the survival and matting ritual of the turkeys in my opinion.

[RutnNStrutn]

Curious what type of field did you see the turkeys in 2 miles away. Is it a high energy grain field? Something is attracting them to the area that is beneficial to winter survival. Reliable open water maybe? It maybe habit that brings the turkeys to that field 2 miles away.
...If you keep feeding corn during winter you might be able to keep some of them around.
...depending on where you are north or south in the state.

Great questions!!
I live in farm and cattle country. There are green grass fields bordering my property that don't look any different than the field I saw the big winter flock in. The woods around the field also look the same as the woods here. There are plenty of ponds, small lakes and year round streams throughout the area, but there is more water over here than there is over there.
I've fed corn non-stop since I moved in. One of the first things I did was out out corn. Priorities!!!
I'm on the eastern side of Tennessee, about 2/3's of the way up to the north, in between Nashville and Knoxville, but just south of both.

Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk

[RutnNStrutn]

if your lucky enough to see all of this take place that morning, the gobblers will go in different directions with each having a few hen's leaving with each gobbler. It's amazing watching all this take place. In all my years of turkey hunting I've only seen this happen twice while scouting before spring season opens. I sure others will add to this and have seen and witnessed the coming together of both gobbler flocks and hen flocks and the breakup of these flocks.

I hope to see such awesome things. That's what I dreamed of for 25 years before retiring and moving to the country.

Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk

[RutnNStrutn]

Thanks for those answers!! Any other thoughts and ideas from the guys here at the forum? I haven't experienced this before.

Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk

[Paulmyr]

In the areas that I know that hold winter flocks the flocks seems to gather and wander around a decent sized area. I suppose until the find decent pickings. Usually there's a fair amount of snow around. It would probably be a good bet turkeys know what fields get wind blown or what hillside have a tendency to not drift in and the eats may be easier to get at. Not sure this will help you in eastern Tn.

[tal]

 I had a small piece of land that did not hold turkeys year round (lot of grain farming around) but always held a spring breeding flock. I could ease over a ridge where they roosted in a big hollow and watch them in the mornings. Spring break up is something to witness. Gobblers would hit the ground and start fighting immediately. Some would break off and leave as already mentioned while others would accept their sub-dominant position and stay with that flock.
What little I know you can take or leave. Will they return? I would guess likely.  Why did they leave has a lot of variables like most things turkey. You mentioned the best answer with the birds just forming winter flocks. Eastern birds usually don't have a home roost address compared to a Rio for instance but from what you've seen already there's a good chance you'll have birds come spring. 

[Dtrkyman]

I have seen it a bunch, even the opposite way.  Had a ridge on a property that was filthy with gobblers in the fall and winter, I have seen as many as 15 toms on that ridge in Nov.

I many years of hunting that property I only killed one bird on that ridge.  And really for the most part on the complete opposite end of the property, the north end close to that ridge looked outstanding for turkey habitat but almost never had any on it!

[crow]

1. yes and no, a few may have made it over there, I doubt many survived.
,
2.There was/is pressure.

3.originals, no------new ones, no.
So, no

What you have a chupacabra thats moved in.

I've seen it happen, usually on public ground the day after opening day

[silvestris]

Gathering in winter is what they do.  Likewise, breaking up.  Absent changes in habitat or the evil baiting (feeding = baiting), your spring turkeys will likely return.

[catman529]

If you had a bumper crop of acorns, there was probably a bumper crop everywhere else around you. I'm guessing you're in the highland rim area of TN - the white oak crop was insane last year. The turkeys go wherever they want. Sometimes it's obvious why they move and sometimes it's not. They'll start splitting up here in the next couple months and you should start to see a few around your place again.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[RutnNStrutn]

If you had a bumper crop of acorns, there was probably a bumper crop everywhere else around you.
I'm guessing you're in the highland rim area of TN.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Yes, it's almost exclusively hardwoods in this area. White and red oaks everywhere. So I'm sure you are correct.
Upper Cumberland, just east of the Highland Rim.

Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk