Frustrated in NY

[NYGobblergetter]

Anybody else having an issue getting birds to cooperate? I have been within 80 yards from a lone gobbler on a roost twice, and he wants nothing to do with my calls. I tried calling softly, cutting, silent treatment...heck even gobble tube as he was walking away...that when he gobbled back...i have also worked several other birds before 7..but after that they just shut up...is this due to the early spring we have had?

[troutfisher13111]

To be honest I have had similar results. All my action has been early morning then it ends. The one bird I did kill was killed at 5:50am. Other guys I have talked to say the same thing. Not sure if it's the early spring or what, but it is an odd season for sure.

I also believe there are not as many birds as there was 5 years ago, at least not in my area. The ones I have found seem to travel more and are here one day, gone the next.

[NYGobblergetter]

I agree on the number of birds issue too, I recall when I first start hunting birds in NY (after moving from MN) that there were quite a few birds on the properties I had access too. I think we had some bad hatches the last couple years and that has put a big damper on the number of toms. This year looks to be a good year and the grass cover should be amazing for poults. I am taking 7 acres out of hay production on my property to provide some extra habitat

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

I agree on the number of birds issue too, I recall when I first start hunting birds in NY (after moving from MN) that there were quite a few birds on the properties I had access too. I think we had some bad hatches the last couple years and that has put a big damper on the number of toms. This year looks to be a good year and the grass cover should be amazing for poults. I am taking 7 acres out of hay production on my property to provide some extra habitat

Definitely substantially lower numbers up there from what I'm seeing.

The hatches were poor the past couple years but New York hunters also hit their turkeys very hard in the fall which reduces the number of hens in the woods.

When you have multiple bad hatches and annually reduce hen numbers through hunting, a significant drop is inevitable.

I'm heading back up tonite to give it one last try.

Best of luck to you guys still hunting!

[NYGobblergetter]

My dad saw 42 birds on our property in the winter, with 6 being toms and 3 jakes...so I know they are around, but we had the only standing beans and corn around so they flocked up big time. I had 3 gobblers frequenting the property this spring...but i screwed up my only opportunity by shooting when they were too far out...i still did kill one this year, but on a buddy's land

[WNY Bowhunter]

It's been a strange spring in my area too.  There were definately more gobblers killed around here than there were last year though.  I just found the birds to be far less visible than they typically are.  Some areas are loaded with birds while neighboring properties that usually hold turkeys seem to have no activity? I'm still hearing/seeing toms strutting with hens...it's not over yet.  I'll be back out over the long weekend trying to help my dad and a couple of buddies fill their tags.  We'll see how it goes.

Good luck guys!!!  

[njdevilsb]

I have noticed the same thing.  The number of birds around where me and my dad hunt are definitely lower than the last few years.  We have killed one, and that has been the only bird we have had even interested in anything we do.  They aren't talking, on the roost or on the ground.  If one gives us 2 gobbles, that's a lot.  As far as gobbling goes, it's the worst I can remember.  Birds are definitely traveling as well.  We had seen a bird with the center of his fan missing on numerous occasions on a piece of property we can't hunt about 2 miles down the road from where we can.  We have been calling him the Split V.  We stopped seeing him there, and suddenly he shows up on our lease one evening with another tom.  We hunted them the next morning, got 2 gobbles out of him and could never get them and the hens to come in.  That evening they weren't around that we could see and we haven't seen the Split V since.  

Yesterday, we put about 80 miles on, going from spot to spot, trying to strike a bird in certain areas, trying to catch some out in a field in others, and in that 80 miles spanning from 3:45am until 12:30, we saw 2 hens and didn't hear a turkey sound that wasn't coming from our calls.

[troutfisher13111]

I remember around 2007-2008 I couldn't step in the spring woods without hearing a gobble. Things have gone south since then. Not that we don't have birds, just that they are fewer and farther between. I think most birds have a high and low cycle. I have seen the same thing with waterfowl and grouse.

[tomstopper]

I feel your pain. Except for the first day, I cant get a gobbler to gobble or any thing. I know that they are there because I have seen them but they just wont cooperate. It does get frustrating but I refuse to give up. Good luck to ya.

[troutfisher13111]

The bird I killed this year had a 11" beard and 1-1/4" spurs, I am pretty proud of him, but it doesn't really help. I want my second of the year badly. I too won't give up. The more I fail, the harder I hunt!

[Turkeyman]

I've had a more difficult time this year than ever before. I got my first bird but not a second yet. I've been out all but about eight days (four of which were questionable due to the rains) and had three no-gobble days. Actually I should be done but missed one last week for the first time in many years....totally disgusted with myself. But, as my wife said, I now get to enjoy the rest of the season!

[Devastator]

hens,hens and more hens.not necessarily in that order.keep after them.

[TauntoHawk]

It's getting tough that's for sure, it was an Interesting year. I watched 9 NY birds (Greene County) and 1 PA bird hit the dirt so I can't say it was a bad year by any stretch of the imagination but it was different than in years past. Pre-season scouting I would have said we we're going to have a gang buster of a year, but I heard substantially less gobbling than previously years and birds were far less visible. I didn't see anywhere near as much strutting in fields; and that was I believe due to the early spring the mid-morning heat and extra tall grass kept them more prone to the woods and ridges than typical fields. I couldn't buy roost gobbles this year either; had mornings where I didn't hear a single one in spots I've heard hundreds of morning gobbles from before and the birds were there because I would find them later but some mornings I didn't hear a gobble til 7 or 8 am which I found weird.

On the contrasting side late mornings were amazing, regularly had birds that would fire up late and work fast, saw 4 birds get taken between 11:30 and the Noon gun. I'd never seen one taken past 10am before that but maybe it was because I was still in the woods more days because the early hunts weren't going well. This past weekend the only birds that would gobble were the ones that were roosted without any hens at all, found one bird gobbling both Saturday and Sunday by himself right after fly down time. Moved within 100yds set up and both birds only took a few minutes to fire up and come in.

Overall it was still great, I tagged out and so did my dad with his Best bird ever. I watched 3 youth hunters and two Wounded Warriors all take birds plus my buddy's one, also had 3 hunters miss birds but at least they all seemed like clean misses and didn't result in wounded birds. He started making pot calls this spring and man is he on to something, his slates are by far the best I've used or heard and they got birds to gobble when nothing else would. 

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

I'm in lacona right now watching one bug and casually strut for 5 seconds at a time.  The hen is 200 yards away wanting nothing to do with him.

I didn't hear a single gobble this am up around Winona forest.  Frustrating to say the least.

[WNY Bowhunter]

On the contrasting side late mornings were amazing, regularly had birds that would fire up late and work fast, saw 4 birds get taken between 11:30 and the Noon gun. I'd never seen one taken past 10am before that but maybe it was because I was still in the woods more days because the early hunts weren't going well. This past weekend the only birds that would gobble were the ones that were roosted without any hens at all, found one bird gobbling both Saturday and Sunday by himself right after fly down time. Moved within 100yds set up and both birds only took a few minutes to fire up and come in.

Sounds like you had a heck of a season!!!

I experienced just the opposite for late morning versus right-off-the roost action.  I hunted 18 days straight until I tagged out last friday.  Out of those 18 days, the only three that I didn't hear a gobble was when my early morning hunt got rained out and I tried my luck after 10:00.  I heard a TON of roost gobbling this season.  I hunted a new property that was loaded with mouthy birds.  On May 3, I had 8 gobblers sounding off within 60-100 yds of me.  I never even touched the call until I counted 100 gobbles which was @ 5:45.  I never did kill one that morning thanks to the hens, but I heard well over 300 gobbles by 6:30!!! Strangely, this group of toms stayed together for the first couple weeks of season and always roosted along a gulley where it "bottomed out" into the woods.  Unfortunately, they would do the same thing after flying down every morning and head over to the neighboring property where I couldn't get to them.  Finally, I was able to bust the head of a nice longbeard there on the 18th.  Probably my most memorable hunt of the spring (one of my favorite hunts ever) was on 5/13.  I took a couple of buddys out on their father-in-laws farm that is covered up with gobblers.  I saw a flock of 22 toms/jakes out in one of the cornfields a few days before.  At daylight, the birds started ripping it up...it sounded like a TV hunt with all of the gobbling, yelping and cutting that was going on!!!  I have no idea how many turkeys were on that hillside but they were everywhere.  After spooking the first two sets of gobblers that made it up to the field, one of my friends closed the deal on a beautiful 2 year old a little after 6:00.  It was his first ever turkey and to say he was pumped would be a huge understatement.  I'm taking them back out there on sunday for round two, we'll see  how it goes...

So, overall it was a pretty good season for me.  It started off kinda slow/frustrating with numerous close calls, but things picked up after the 12th...

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