Not Looking Good

[Whitetail Addict]

I live on a very rural road, with my house on one end and another on the other end, with a good mile separating us. It's mostly fields with hedgerows along the road between our houses, that go 1/4 to a half mile from the road to the woods. By walking to the top of the hill I live on, I can see almost  all of the open ground on both sides of our road. Before turkey season each year, I walk to the top of the hill several times, at different times of the day with my binoculars, to get an Idea of what the birds are doing. There are generally birds in a couple different fields, and sometimes several of them at once. This year has me worried. I'd gone up on top of the knob several times in the morning, and again in the afternoons without seeing a bird anywhere. Yesterday evening I finally saw 3 hens, and a decent tom in a field of winter wheat. 4 birds where I usually see a lot more. We had a hard winter, with deep fluffy snow and brutal cold, and I worried about the birds welfare all winter. I'm starting to wonder if maybe it took a heavy toll on the birds. I went up on top this AM in the dark, and listened as it lightened up, and only heard the one tom gobble. It was an ideal morning for it. In an average year, I can usually hear several in different places most mornings. We still have almost two weeks before season, and maybe I'll start seeing/hearing more birds, but I'm getting worried. The deer seemed to make it through the winter ok, I counted 23 in the winter wheat yesterday evening.

Bob

[fnshtr]

Where I live in WV the turkey numbers are definitely down. The WVDNR did a transplanting of turkeys a few decades ago and it was highly successful... but they have dwindled significantly in my area during the past few years.

Of course, there are areas where they seem to thrive and it does change year to year. This morning I watched a hen cross a right of way across the road from my house. I have been seeing and hearing a gobbler on that hillside this year and yesterday heard two gobblers from my back porch.

I understand your "worry" and often feel the same, but remember, there are cycles to wildlife populations. Enjoy what you can, while you can.

Good luck!

[Pat B]

We have tons of turkeys here. One field I drive by has had 30 or more turkeys in it almost every day. They have been strutting for over a month now and the group gets smaller each time I see them. Not too far away from there, across the river is another field I can see a dozen or more off in the distance. On our property we have a few gobblers we hear each day all around our house. They seem to gobble all day long here.

[Wudstix]

Wet during the laying period is a bigger hit on the turkeys.  

[Todd Cook]

They definatly cycle up and down. Some years the hatch is a lot better than others. We have good numbers in some places, but not what we've had in the past. Our DNR says our hatch numbers have been low the past few years, and nobody seems to know why?

[Whitetail Addict]

I agree with what's been said about the cycles and the weather. We had two rainy spring in a row several years ago and it cut the numbers of birds down here quite a bit. We had a couple good springs in a row and they bounced back some. Last year things were looking better, and I had high hopes for this spring. Like I said, maybe there's more birds around, than I think, time will tell, but from what I've seen so far, it doesn't look too promising .

Pat, I'm glad to hear that the turkeys in your area are doing well. That's similar to what I'm used to seeing here, though maybe not quite so many in a bunch.

Thanks everybody.

Bob

[Jmatt1957]

My turkey hunting area is under about 10' of water
so I delayed my vac 2 weeks.

Turkey number are way down in western Iowa, then I read on the DNR sight how successful their cannon netting for turkeys and how much money that those netted birds have brought in. I do not know if the netted birds were from our areas and what all that money was really spent on.  I cringe when I by one area that at one time was one of the best hunting areas in the state.  It is now a putrid impoundment surrounded by massive overpriced campgrounds.  When contractors bid on these state projects, there is about three times the normal blue sky profit attached.  What gets me is that pheasant number seem to be going up while turkeys are going down, it is hard to blame the skunks and raccoons in that case.

[maineac]

Our last tow winters have been hard here.  Over the years I have been generally able to hear three to four roosts from my yard in the morning. Last year I could only hear one.  Same this year, one roost.  I think the birds are still in their winter flocks, though should be starting to break up.  It was a challenge last year to find birds, I expect the same this year.  There are birds, but it will take more energy to find them, especially birds others are not already hunting.

[highlow]

I have a similar post up about this very topic. Not looking good in NW Jersey yet in the neighboring county one TGer is seeing plenty. I would think that being in such close proximity the results would be about the same. Did have four longbeards in the driveway about a month ago and now don't even hear them much less see.

[LookMomNoSights]

Do you hear a lot of coyote howlin' going on in your area?

[fnshtr]

I videoed 2 mature toms strutting for 5 hens about 250 yards away as I sat on my front porch. They put on quite a show. Our season begins April 27th. Seems early here.

Good luck all!

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Bob, Its the same by me.  Usually I see a few from horse back. I was hoping a logging operation where I normally see them has them moved but I dont hear them or see sign either.

Still I am optimistic at a chance. I have seen a few other flocks I cannot hunt and they seem fine.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

I saw 4 today from the back of my galloping pony! Right where I was thinking they moved to.  

Hopefully no one else has found them on this public piece.

Good luck! I hope they are a plenty, and you find a few to shoot!

Bisch

[Biathlonman]

Maybe they've been patterning you.  

[Whitetail Addict]

Well, I have an update on the turkeys, but not what I'd hoped. I've been out early, during midday and in the evenings, and I'm not seeing or hearing birds. I've checked out other places that I have permission to hunt, and It's the same there. There are other places that I can't hunt, but always see birds in the fields, and they just aren't there. I drove a 20 mile loop through good turkey country three mornings in a row, looked at lot of fields, and saw one hen. These are places that have had good turkey populations for years, and on less than ideal years, there were still a fair amount of birds around. At the end of the spring season last year, I saw 13 hens, what appeared to be 2 - 2 year old toms, a group of 3 jakes and 2 big toms in different fields around my house, all at the same time. They're nowhere to be seen this spring, or the "new" birds that were hatched last year. The area I mentioned in my first post is ideal habitat. Several open fields surrounded by hardwood ridges, with lots of cover for the hens to nest in. Most of the fields are hay fields that have greened up nicely, with one big corn field and a big field of winter wheat thrown in. I've hunted turkeys here since 1984, and I've seen some lean years, but I've never seen anything like this. Whether it was the deep fluffy snow and bitter cold we had for so long this winter, or that, and or a combination of other things, I don't know. Whatever the reason, the birds just don't seem to be there. I've never been one to give up easily, and I live to hunt. I'm going out when season opens at the end of the week regardless, but if I don't start seeing more birds, I don't think it would be right to shoot one if I do have the chance.  

Bob

[Whitetail Addict]

I went back out and did some more looking and listening again this morning. Low and behold, I found a few birds.    3 toms and 4 hens in two different fields on the other side of the mountain behind my house. Not a lot of birds for the amount of ground I covered, but at least now I feel like I can shoot one without killing the last turkey here. Looks like I'm going to be able to hunt a little after all.  :D  

Bob

[Izzy]

Well, I have been seeing them all along here in suburbia. The snow was deep as its ever been but they seemed to fare ok as well as the deer. I was out in the woods yesterday with the camera collecting some rocks for my garden and I saw a pile o turkeys. I heard them gobbling behind the house last week and in general they appear to be at normal number around me. Im gonna see if I can bring one home this weekend.

     Im not a bonafide turkey hunter but I am excited this year. I
need some woods time in a bad way, it has been a long winter.

[Whitetail Addict]

I'm glad to hear that you have a fair number of birds in your area Izzy. I hear ya' when you say you need some woods time. I think being in the woods may be the only thing that's kept me sane all these years. There's no place I'd rather be. I hope you shoot a couple slammers Izzy, good luck this weekend. Thanks.

Bob