Turkey Talkin' where's the gobblers???

[SEMO_HUNTER]

I know guys ask this question every year and normally I don't ask it because I know that sooner or later they will be tearing it up with gobblin. But it's been 3 days into the season and I have yet to see......much less even hear a gobbler. Normally around here I've heard at least a half dozen birds from my own back deck and I know exactly where the roost sites are. This year is drastically different. I've heard exactly 2 different gobblers on opposite sides of the house and I've only heard them on 3 seperate occasions since the 5th of March.

I'm really starting to get worried that something may have happened to them, maybe disease? Has anybody heard of any outbreak or something that's effecting the flock? Especially in Missouri specifically.

I've seen 4 different hens all alone, feeding by themselves or together out in open fields with zero sign of a gobbler anywhere. This time of year there shouldn't be a hen anywhere out traveling around without a gobbler in tow.

How's everything going in my neighboring states? How's y'alls flocks holding up guys?

[Spurs]

Been the worst Mississippi season that I have had in years.  The birds haven't never really started talking.  I have heard some birds, but they aren't gobbling past fly down.  We only have a week left.  Hens are nesting and it is getting muggy and green.

[bolong]

They pretty much shut down here about 2 weeks ago. Youth weekend was good but been dead for the most part since.

[L82HUNT]

My farm in central MO is on fire right now with birds.  I can't get out til this weekend but my father and cousin both killed Monday on good birds.  Dad said they were still gobbling at 945 when he shot his. And somewhere around 10 differant birds where gobbling

[Friend]

At least I know the fish are in the water.

[Missouri CK]

Chris,

Their is a quote from the movie "Dances with Wolves" that says ...you can't figure that stinking buffalo"!

I think it applies to turkeys.  They are wierd.  I had a spot that was thick with them everyday of the season one year and completely devoid of turkeys the next and the crops were the same.

Good luck!

[Living_waters]

Chris, if I hadn't changed my normal tactics I would agree that they seem to have vanished. But after watching them (because they are not that vocal at the moment) hens are not nesting good yet (or at all), still feeding all day and the toms are feeding with them. They seem to be all show and no go. I have a video of two toms strutting side by side picking bugs with the hens for one whole pass across a field. Looked pretty but was not a courting strut just two guys flexing their muscles showing off for the other one.
Wait a week till the toms bust loose from the hens then they will talk and you will see them again. Old osage indian friend of mine use to guide and he would tell the guys he guided for to show up the second week for this reason.

[joekeith]

Chris, you know that big o'boy I sent you the pics of, well I just saw him struttin' across the yard with that big o' beard hangin' down.  Bad thing is I don't even have enough money for a tag this year.  They ain't gobblin' around here, but they're still here.  I think all them bad storms are messin' with them.  Hang in there guy.

[bigbadjon]

We had a bad season here. I hardly saw any turkeys and I was the only one lucky enough to bag one. I never had one answer the call. I also saw babies already. I saw one baby that was half grown, it must have hatched in February! Very strange season this year.

[BuckyT]

It's been a off year here in Georgia for myself and a few others I know too.

Granted, I'm still working my confidence up to hunt one with my new curve, so I'm still chasing them with the scattergun.

I've heard very little gobbling this season.  Most gobbles I heard came from one bird and he's in the freezer at the moment! lol

I know quite a few accomplished turkey killers here that have had a tough season..

Far cry from last year.  I got my 3 bird limit along with everybody else I know.

[stabow]

Bucky our club is down around Columbus Ga. And were having a pretty good year I killed 2 and a few fellows limited out and I had several close encounters. In Alabama I called in a nice Tom for another fellow and a buddy of mine got 3 so I guess it matters where you’re at.....stabow

[BuckyT]

Originally posted by stabow:
Bucky our club is down around Columbus Ga. And were having a pretty good year I killed 2 and a few fellows limited out and I had several close encounters. In Alabama I called in a nice Tom for another fellow and a buddy of mine got 3 so I guess it matters where you’re at.....stabow

I'm in two clubs stabow.

The one gobbler I shot this season was on my club near Greensboro.

My other club is near Sylvania and that place is usually slap eat up with birds.  Only 2 longbeards pulled off our property this season.

Last year we rolled 10 birds.

[Jedimaster]

Very poor year in central MS.  Pretty much ditto what Spurs said, not gobbling past fly down.  The paper had an article quoting several experts including the state turkey biologist as this being a slow-to-start year.  Our season is over in a week and the article states it's just now getting about right (so they say, I haven't been this week). All that to say, if it's not been good here I can see where it may be bad there too.

[swp]

They have been sounding off here pretty good here but the leaves are about 2 weeks ahead of where they have been for the last 4 years so it may get alot harder to hear them pretty quick.

[Huntschool]

I am not sure what's up but we are hearing and seeing a bunch of birds.  Several of my students have killed out already.  One of my guys had two hunters yesterday and called in two big beards and killed them both.  We got birds....

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Well the way it sounds, I'm not the only one not hearing any gobbling. But as the cookie crumbles somebody is always covered up with birds as some of you are. From the guys in Missouri thanks for the input and it sounds like maybe they just haven't started yet? I sure hope that's the case.
We've never had just tons of birds, but usually plenty to go around and it's never been a problem for me to get at least one and sometimes 2 birds.

 Living Waters - Your probably the closest one to me at just about 1 hour south, and what you described sounds exactly like what I've experienced so far except I have not seen a gobbler as of yet. Day 4 now turned out to be a bust also, didn't even see a hen this morning. But I did find a heck of a sack of morels, ended up with 4 quart ziploc bags full after they were cleaned and sliced in halves ready to bread and fry. I just need some fresh turkey breast to fry now.
 

 JoeKeith - You can get a farm tag and it's free! That's what I hunt on. It's free to anybody who owns 5 acres or more so why not take full advantage of it. You got turkeys struttin in your driveway, those are your birds and you can hunt them on a farm tag.......Go Get That Farm Tag!    

Man I sure hope you all are right with your analogies of the season getting a late start! It's been a long time many years ago since I last got skunked.   :rolleyes:

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Originally posted by Chris Kinslow:
Chris,

Their is a quote from the movie "Dances with Wolves" that says ...you can't figure that stinking buffalo"!

I think it applies to turkeys.  They are wierd.  I had a spot that was thick with them everyday of the season one year and completely devoid of turkeys the next and the crops were the same.

Good luck!

You got that right! Around here they can be spotty at best. Some areas seem to have more than enough and other areas don't have any at all. Right here around the river where I live I've got about 400 acres and 2 miles of river front access at my disposal and the turkeys have always been reliable, not a whole bunch but just enough to keep a guy interested. I've usually had to work at it pretty hard to get my bird or birds. I'm happy if I get one, two is just icing on the cake.

L8T2HUNT- I'll be heading your way with bow in hand tomorrow evening, I just need your address and your cell # in case I get lost. I can just throw my sleeping bag on the front porch with the hounds if that's OK with you? I don't want to wake any of the kids up when I get there and you can just kick me on your way out the door at 4:30am. I'll have my bow close by and probably sleep with my camo on so I can be up and ready to hit the woods in about 30 seconds.
Thanks buddy, I appreciate the invite and I look forward to huntin with ya!  

[monsterbuck]

Not much going on here in Kentucky. Chuck and I have been really hunting hard and can't seem to hear any. Hunted this morning and seen one hen, hunted on some different property this evening, and didn't see or hear anything. Just the first week ginks I guess. Going with my brother-in- law in the morning hopefully we can get something to gobble. Best of luck to ya!   Thanks!!!  God bless.

[L82HUNT]

Hey Semo I'm thinking of putting a turkey hunt on the st. Judes listing this year for 2012.  Between the spring and fall bow season we average probly about 8 birds.  4 guys killed 7 last spring. I"ll post some pics when I get back from the weekend as long as the hail and tornados dont get me i hope to have a bird.

[uglyjake]

This is the worst year I have had in 26 years.  I have been hunting all day since Monday.  I was hot on Little Rock AFB Monday, 89* but the turkeys did talk some in the morning.  Started off the morning calling for a friend and we called in a nice tom, a couple jakes and six hens.  He gobbled one time.  The hens talk softly and were overall very quiet.
At 0930 I called in one long beard and three jakes but my friend could not get a shot.  The afternoon was dead silent.
Tuesday was very slow but I did see a few but I only heard a couple gobbles.  Afternoon was stormy.
Cooled off and rained most of Wednesday and today.  I have not heard a turkey since Tuesday morning.  I think the birds are henned up and quiet.  I hope it changes soon, I have to go back to work on Monday.
A fiend in Texas guided this past weekend.  They took out five people and only 1 bird.  That is horrible, they normally to two birds each.