Predators and quiet birds?

[Marc]

This hunting season I have called in an inordinate number of predators, and am noticing that the birds are far more quiet this season...  Sometimes vocal on the roost, but I can only get the occasional mid or late morning gobble.

I have now gone 5 hunts in a row (at different properties), in which I get a bird gobbling, and end up calling in a coyote (or coyotes) or a bobcat.  This past hunt, I called in coyotes at properties some distance away from each other...  Both times birds gobbled once tentatively, and again a bit closer, only to call in a yote, and have them run off in the direction of the gobble.

Driving by residential areas close to where I hunt, they are very vocal, and still with hens at noon (which is late in the season to still be with hens so late in the morning). 
Earlier in the season, the hens were quiet vocal, but now I only hear them at first light.  I rarely hear a gobble after they hit the ground...  I have watched birds at a distance (with hens), and they go into strut as soon as I call...  Had one close enough that I could hear him spitting and drumming every time I called...  Surprisingly, he was almost 100 yards away when I could first hear him spitting/drumming (I would have thought he was much closer by the sound).  But he never gobbled, nor did the hens make a sound.

Thus far this season I have called in:
2 foxes
3 bobcats
8 separate occasions  have called in coyotes (or pairs of coyotes).

Most of these critters have gotten very close, and one pair of coyotes rushed me...  Had a bird working on my left side of the ridge, and 2 yotes came up on my right.  They were about 20 yards away from me (no decoy), and in an attempt to scare them off without scaring off the turkey I tried to have my hand to frighten them.  I suppose they saw the motion of my hand and thought it was food...

They both rushed at me full speed, and I stood up and could have poked the lead dog with m gun barrel as he came to a skidding stop...  The dogs took off down the same side as the bird, at which time I could hear the alarm put of the bird, and he took off (as in flight).

I went back towards the car and called again (about a quarter mile away), and those same two dogs came in for a second look (although not nearly as close).  Both these dogs were very fat dogs.

I am not hunting a large population of birds, but my guess is that the drought we are facing is putting extra predator pressure on the turkeys...  And they are far more quiet than normal...   Any thoughts?

Hunting quiet birds takes out a lot of the fun for me, and increases the difficulty level of mid-morning hunting (which is often my only time to go).  But I do feel it is likely that the predators are what is making the birds so quiet...

[owlhoot]

Save a turkey, kill them coyotes when you can

[IowaGobblers]

Start shooting em. Took one this morning.  Had one come in Friday morning and this guy cut off a couple of birds and the came to my calls. 

[MACHINIST]

tripple "S" shoot,shovel and shut up

[mikejd]

I had to re scroll up to make sure this wasnt an old post that I may have posted. This same thing has been happening to me for about 10 yrs now and there is no doubt that it has affected the calling habits of the birds in my area. I have had to jump at a coyote to chase him away before he could pounce on me.

Second thought. And maybe I am crazy. But obviously young birds learn from mature birds. So if the mature birds never make a peep its only a short time before even young birds do not make a sound. This is what its like by me.

[Ihuntoldschool]

I kill every coyote I call in if I possibly can; I feel like my chances of calling a bird into gun range with a coyote out there running around are slim to none. I am guessing foxes and bobcats are not going to be in season where you are if it is like it is here.   I agree with your theory about an abundance of predators and quiet birds on the ground. I also think the presence of a lot of predators is more likely to keep the birds in those open areas where they can see a long ways. It doesn't make them easy to call either.

[Bowguy]

Remember the turkey sounds on varmint hunts.

[Doc Holliday]

im with the others that say kill the coyotes. a couple ruined hunts every so often  is better than multiple ruined seasons , at least  in my humble opinion.

[Red Huck]

Save a turkey, kill them coyotes when you can

Kill the coyotes when they give you a chance.

[owlhoot]

this year in Missouri, you can finally do it again legally. if one comes looking for dinner it getting fed.

federal HW 7"s

payback for spooking toms all these years.

[Onpoint]

This hunting season I have called in an inordinate number of predators, and am noticing that the birds are far more quiet this season...  Sometimes vocal on the roost, but I can only get the occasional mid or late morning gobble.

I have now gone 5 hunts in a row (at different properties), in which I get a bird gobbling, and end up calling in a coyote (or coyotes) or a bobcat.  This past hunt, I called in coyotes at properties some distance away from each other...  Both times birds gobbled once tentatively, and again a bit closer, only to call in a yote, and have them run off in the direction of the gobble.

Driving by residential areas close to where I hunt, they are very vocal, and still with hens at noon (which is late in the season to still be with hens so late in the morning). 
Earlier in the season, the hens were quiet vocal, but now I only hear them at first light.  I rarely hear a gobble after they hit the ground...  I have watched birds at a distance (with hens), and they go into strut as soon as I call...  Had one close enough that I could hear him spitting and drumming every time I called...  Surprisingly, he was almost 100 yards away when I could first hear him spitting/drumming (I would have thought he was much closer by the sound).  But he never gobbled, nor did the hens make a sound.

Thus far this season I have called in:
2 foxes
3 bobcats
8 separate occasions  have called in coyotes (or pairs of coyotes).

Most of these critters have gotten very close, and one pair of coyotes rushed me...  Had a bird working on my left side of the ridge, and 2 yotes came up on my right.  They were about 20 yards away from me (no decoy), and in an attempt to scare them off without scaring off the turkey I tried to have my hand to frighten them.  I suppose they saw the motion of my hand and thought it was food...

They both rushed at me full speed, and I stood up and could have poked the lead dog with m gun barrel as he came to a skidding stop...  The dogs took off down the same side as the bird, at which time I could hear the alarm put of the bird, and he took off (as in flight).

I went back towards the car and called again (about a quarter mile away), and those same two dogs came in for a second look (although not nearly as close).  Both these dogs were very fat dogs.

I am not hunting a large population of birds, but my guess is that the drought we are facing is putting extra predator pressure on the turkeys...  And they are far more quiet than normal...   Any thoughts?

Hunting quiet birds takes out a lot of the fun for me, and increases the difficulty level of mid-morning hunting (which is often my only time to go).  But I do feel it is likely that the predators are what is making the birds so quiet...

this is exactly why I started hunting coyotes. Saw a bob cat today, if i had been on my farm instead of public land I would've rolled his azz right in that creek he was walking by. I killed a bunch of coyotes a about 5 or 6 years ago and didn't even see or here a coyote on that place for over a year. They are starting to make a comeback though. i don't shoot foxes, not yet anyways.

[gobblerman87]

No doubt when the predators are around the birds will be quiet as they are skiddish to begin with throw a predator in the mix and they are to smart to openly give there location to a coyote or bob cat which definitely ruins hunts so like said by others kill them when you can don't let them go only to possibly breed and ruin future hunts maybe even seasons

[Mike Honcho]

I am seeing same thing happen where I hunt.  Had a nice Tom coming in at 100 yards and coyote rushed him this weekend. Called one in last week on another property....no drought here just too many predators.

[Bowguy]

Opening morning today. Birds were roosted last night, I watched em fly down n head right to me. Suddenly alarm putts. This one won't try that again

[birddogdoc]

I had a bobcat and a black bear come in this year.  I had a tom and two hens strolling towards me on a logging road about 30 yards from me when the bear came five feet from me...spooking the birds off.