East Texas Thunder Chickens are in Rut

[D. Key]

Got these off my Camera yesterday, about 300 Yds behind my home.  Our Spring season opens on April 15 so I hope they stay around for the next few weeks. Gotta get my pop-up in place and practice with my Sarrels Bow.

 

 

Doug

Man, I hope to get some turkeys on my place sometime. They are really close, like within 1/2 mile, but only have one pic on one gobbler so far!

Good luck Doug!!!

Bisch

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Good luck, still 7 weeks for me

[OkKeith]

Bisch-

Do you have live water or a low (8-10 inches from the ground) tank on your place? Turkeys are water hogs. When I worked for the USF&WS as an undergrad I spent an entire year as an intern on an install crew for wildlife guzzler systems. The water catchments caught rainwater and stored it in underground cisterns so game birds and other critters could get to it. Within days after even a rain of only a couple hundredths birds were crowding the trough.

As with deer so are turkeys. The Guys are ALWAYS where the girls are! Hens need water and I figure in your country a snail or two from a spring in order to make eggs.

I may be telling you stuff you already know...

OkKeith

[OkKeith]

Douglas-

Those are great looking birds!

Easterns are my favorite. Those copper tails in the sun are dazzling. Good luck with your hunt.

OkKeith

[Hud]

Douglas,
Nice birds, beards, and spurs. Looks like they gathering and looking for food.  What is the rig on the tree in background?

[D. Key]

Hud:

It is a small 5 gallon spin feeder I placed to keep the deer close, not knowing that this flock was here.  I have a small 60' diameter pond about 100 yds from this feeder so I hope they stay around for a couple of months.  Our East Texas season opens on April 15 but I feel by then the breeding season will be over and they will just be looking for food sources.  This entire set-up is about 300 yds. behind my home.

[Hud]

If water is scarce, they might hang around.  Birds around here will hang around farms, and move up as the snow melts. Season usually starts the same time and runs through May. Many years they start mating before the opening date.