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Post by featherduster on May 1, 2019 13:47:52 GMT -5
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Post by medic22 on May 1, 2019 15:46:18 GMT -5
We don't have a lack of Turkey, we have a lack of adequately timed Turkey season.
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Post by greghopper on May 1, 2019 17:15:05 GMT -5
lol..... wonder how so many get done year after year!
probably just lucky.... ha
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Post by span870 on May 1, 2019 19:25:08 GMT -5
Neither is an issue. Plenty of turkeys but this season hasn't been the best. Wind and rain. Hunted four different public spots and could have killed birds each day. Some days are better than others. We kill birds every year and usually end up really doing better later in the season. Never hunt fields, always woods. Gotta get out and find them. We put a lot of miles on our boots. We walked three miles on one property on Sunday am and didn't hear a bird. I guarantee I go in there on a call sunny day it'll lit up with gobbling. Hunt is missing on a lot of guys anymore whether it be deer or turkey or whatever.
Areas that may have a shortage may want to focus more on getting rid of nest robbing predators than coyotes and blaming cats. Said it many times a coyote or a cat will get one here of there but them nest robbers will kill 8+ every nest they find night after night after night.
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Post by lawrencecountyhunter on May 1, 2019 19:53:32 GMT -5
Here locally I've actually been seeing higher numbers than in recent years. But, I'd say gobbling has been down, although I still hear a few most days at work or here around the house.
As far as where they're found, it's funny how certain areas seem to always have birds and 1/2 mile away seems to be totally devoid of them. In 14 years of deer hunting at my in-laws' place I've never seen a turkey and have only gotten a couple pics in that time. See them out in the fields less than a mile away all the time though.
There used to be a ton at my parents' property, but they're a rare sighting now. You can hear them gobbling on the next property over though, they just rarely come over for whatever reason.
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Post by span870 on May 1, 2019 20:05:20 GMT -5
We were talking about this this weekend. Anyone that's been hunting these birds for awhile, 20+ years, remember them gobbling way before first light? I remember they use to start getting fired up and it was still dark. Rule used to be if you can see trees 40 yards in front of you, you best be set up and ready. Seems every year they start gobbling later and fly down later and later.
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Post by featherduster on May 1, 2019 20:08:31 GMT -5
The area that I hunt was one of the original planting area for turkeys many years ago. I would take winter walks and see upward of 60-70 birds, now your lucky to see 6-8 and a lot of times you won't see any at all.
With all the predators out there both domestic and wild a turkey has a hard time. I would like to see a no hen fall season or no fall season at all at least for a while. I think a number of birds are poached every fall by unlicensed deer archery hunters.
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