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Post by Sasquatch on Mar 26, 2008 14:38:31 GMT -5
All winter long, I have been watching a flock of longbeards feed in the field behind my house. Usually there is something like 10-15, occasionally 20 or more. I never saw any hens, even though the field is huge.
A few days ago, I saw a couple of hens in the field at the same time as the gobblers. The longbeards took pains to remain at a distance. I thought they might puff up, being that it's getting close to game time, but nothing doing. I recall seeing a strutter last year in February.
Yesterday, 3-25, I saw the usual gobblers, but a much larger flock of 20-30 hens, tightly grouped. Again, it was as if they deliberately avoided each other, with no showing off by the Gobblers.
I don't pretend to draw any conclusions from this; I simply thought it was interesting.
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Post by Sasquatch on Mar 26, 2008 18:47:33 GMT -5
Well, I was out today burning brush and what-not, and the same bunch of hens were out.
Today, at least one gobbler was fanning big time. Warm weather, maybe?
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Post by Ahawkeye on Mar 27, 2008 9:01:38 GMT -5
I'd say they'll be breaking up the flock soon, I'm not sure where you are but we've got rain and cool weather in SW Indiana I'd say in the next week or so we'll start to see the first round of breeding. If the weather's right I hope we get a better atmosphere this year than last year for the opener. I always laugh when I hear guys say "there done breeding, I can't buy a gobble" I've heard them gobble in June and I'm sure they are still breeding after the season goes out.
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Post by huxbux on Mar 27, 2008 18:21:30 GMT -5
Seems we're having a much more "normal" spring this year. Should only bode well for the turkey hunting.
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Post by 76chevy on Mar 28, 2008 13:25:10 GMT -5
it seems like the flocks have or are starting to break up already
all the birds that I have seen in the past week or so have been in smaller groups
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Post by Sasquatch on Mar 30, 2008 21:31:12 GMT -5
I saw the same mix of hens and toms this afternoon. If it's like last year, one of these days they'll just vanish from that field. I didn't see one turkey in the gigantic field behind by house during the entire season last year, after seeing them all winter.
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Post by woodmaster on Mar 31, 2008 7:31:37 GMT -5
I've been watching a group of 11 gobblers. I haven't seen them with hens yet.
I'm also watching a couple of gobblers with 6 hens. They have been together for a couple of weeks.
I saw a gobbler yesterday with 11 hens. They where about 30 yards off the road and spook when I drove by. The gobbler never came out of strut when he ran.
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Post by songdog on Apr 1, 2008 19:12:22 GMT -5
 Photograghed a couple of gobblers strutting on Saturday afternoon. I think there were 7 or 8 hens in the area. One huge old Tom would not go into strut and actually left the area when these two birds showed up . I suppose he had had his old butt kicked by the younger birds . I have actually watched birds tag team a single gobbler and once watched three jakes chase two mature birds from a flock. |
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