Tough Season... so far

[kytrkyhntr]

Any fellow Kentucky hunters out there experiencing an abnormally tough year? I'm no pro by any means but man have I been humbled. Have hunted 4 counties on both private and public land. All gobblers that have been responsive have had 3-4 hens with them. Only have worked one bird successfully and I couldn't get a clean shot on him (public land!!) have hunted at least 1 morning or afternoon every day but 2 this season. Am I the only one? This has been the first warm period so hoping my luck changes with less than a week to go. Any fellow Kentuckians having the same issues?

[renegade19]

Not sure where you are in Kentucky but the best turkey hunter I know has been blanked so far this year in Illinois and down in the LBL area.  I had great luck Illinois 1st season and have 5th season starting Thursday. 

[kytrkyhntr]

I was in the western part of the state in Logan county if you're familiar (somewhat LBL) and central Kentucky. It's been a tough go. Especially for a guy that took 6 vacation days to hunt and got skunked. Talk about a hard pill to swallow. Humbling season thus far to say the least. Good luck brother

[squidd]

Tag soup for me in FL if it helps how tough it is all over.

Four different WMAs and 12+ hunts with closest Tom at 100 yards.  Saw hens almost every hunt and can't say if it was Hurricane Irma, more predators, started early or more hunters that reduced the numbers?

3 of 4 WMAs I hunted reported less Turkeys with exception of one which had a 50% success rate increase; it went from four in 2017 to six this year.

Still discussing with the Mrs. for a DIY in Nebraska just to maybe redeem this season.

[kytrkyhntr]

I hope Nebraska works out for you brother, I hate to hear of others having tough seasons. I want us all to tag out. However I'll admit it softens the blow knowing I'm not alone!

[old3toe]

 I'd say it has been a tough season. I know several that haven't filled a tag that hunt on some prime ground. The rain and up and down temps are killing us.lol I've had some good hunts and some exciting action for sure killing one and missing another: / no excuses on the miss!lol Except the stars just weren't aligned for me that day. I just seen the first single hen of the season today so I'm guessing several are still with the boys which would be on par with our cooler temps this year. After your sick and tired and fed up and ready to give up just keep telling yourself one more hunt! It'll happen and often happens fast in the latter part of the season. And you know what? Filling one tag is still better than none! Haha Good luck

[outdoorsmen]

Im 14 hunts deep into this year in southern Illinois.  So far im very proud of the jake i killed on day 7. I had 9 longbeards all fall on camera and now only see/hear 2. The same 2 all season wont leave the neighbors ground. It dont matter if i call or just stay quiet all day and wait. They roost gobble and thats all. I see hens milling around and these 2 longbeards dont pay attention to them either. Im really qurstuoning their sexuality....

[HookedonHooks]

I'm not in KY, but I've hunted crazy hard this season in several states(primarily MO/KS though), and have only missed hunting one day out of the the last 15. This weekend was finally when the hard work started paying off.

I've talked to a lot of guys with similar results. There's birds dying, but Lady Luck isn't easily won over this year it seems.

I'm just ready to start finishing morels, once we get some more rain. The weather this year pretty well across the whole country is what has this Spring so screwball if you ask me.

[strum]

Ive hunted more this year than past seasons. I think I ve only missed 4-5 days this so far im  at ZERO. Weather has been weird and the birds are not responding well.
Im not a great hunter but Im usually either tagged out by now or at least 2  .
The weather is finally turning in our favor thought here in north ga. Im not giving up.
Good luck to you guys.

[joey46]

It was a weird year in central FL.  You never seemed to know from one day to the next what stage they were in.  I think they were finally getting into a predictable pattern when the season ended on 4/22.  I did keep a log this year and often wrote - "roost gobbling, flydown, shut up".  Did manage to luck into a pair of gobblers running with four jakes on 4/4 - not a gobble from any of the six - nor any gobbles heard that day. Then on 4/21 managed to get in front of a lone gobbler coming to challenge a noisy field strutter (2nd to last day of season).  He never shut up.  Just being in the right place at the right time did it for me this season.  No real calling skill required.  Getting out about every other day was the "secret".   

[Roost 1]

This has been the worst KY season I ever remember. I have some prime turkey ground, several thousand acres and we have killed 2 birds so far. Birds gobble a little on the limb and never hear from them again after flydown. They are not coming to fields and are not patternable. We prolly could kill some if we hunted the roosts in the evening but I don't need to kill one that bad. Hopefully there will be just that many more next year. I have hunted 4 states this year and KY has been the most difficult by far. I know my land like the back of my hand and still cant have any luck. Its truly unbelievable. Hoping these last few days of really nice weather turns it around.

[kytrkyhntr]

Roost 1.       I am in a similar boat. I've got spots all across central and western Ky. Great spots. Have only taken 3 or 4 days off from hunting and I can't catch them having the same pattern twice. I don't know what to do. It's been the worst season of my life and you and I aren't the first I've heard with these stories.

[KYFrid]

Definitely a tuff season for sure. They've been very quiet on the WMA i hunt.
Did manage to get a bird but had to go to WV private to do so. 
Goal for next season is to get more familiar with the public ground i hunt.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

[G squared 23]

It's been a "good" season for me in Illinois. I missed a tom opening morning, and then redeemed with a jake 5 hours later. 2nd season I sat all weekend (put in about 13 hours, can only hunt until 1300) and at 1130 had a tom follow a hen silently to 60 yards and would not leave her.

I am on a very poor (for turkey hunting), small farm, so seeing 2 big toms is about all that I can ask for.  Roost gobble and silent is the only turkey hunting I've ever known.  I've got a 4th season tag for this weekend and I'm looking forward to enjoying the fresh air.  If I see any turkeys, that will truly be a bonus.

I haven't been much of a turkey hunter in the past, but I find it easier to sit out there until quitting time because unlike deer hunting, I know the dang things are out there, somewhere, moving, and eventually one might walk by.

[roverboy]

Its been a little tough for me too. What little time I've got to hunt the weather has been bad and the birds have not been gobbling a lot.