very quiet in the turkey woods
05-10-2015, 10:50 AM
#11
Typical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Hatton, Alabama
Posts: 520
05-10-2015, 04:45 PM
#12
Spike
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: New York
Posts: 39
I know seriously! I'm in Oswego NY and there's lots of gobbling on the roost and maybe a little around 11 am but its silent, I've heard the hens calling more this year then ever and they are calling more then the gobblers, haven't seen or heard one Jake gobble yet, there are more turkeys this year then last so far from what I've seen. the only thing I can think, their either still flocked together (doubtful), Henning up all day, change their strategy to fool hunters or the coyote are making them stay quiet.
05-10-2015, 08:31 PM
#13
Super Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Northern California
Posts: 18,382
It's kind of tricky. Until they have a cow, horse or goat, etc. killed by a lion, they can't do much of anything. Once a farm animal is killed by a lion, DFW will trap and relocate the cat. If my buddy calls the federal trapper ( he can only do this after a farm animal is killed), the trapper will track the lion down with dogs and kill it. My buddy (and pretty much most ranchers) prefer the federal trapper because relocated lions have a way of returning to the original ranch without the problem truly getting solved. As you might imagine, DFW does not like the federal trapper's resolution method but he basically tells them to pound sand (or so I'm told). Oh well, maybe it will get fixed for fall turkey season. I'm also in the process of gearing up with an upgrade air gun for more urban hunting. I hear about lots of homeowners on 5-acre parcels who have turkey problems but the parcels are too close together for a shotgun.
05-11-2015, 08:45 AM
#14
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Maine
Posts: 12,564
It has been strange up here as well. Our bird numbers looks like they are down from our harsh winter. But, we still have some birds out there and hardly any gobbling at all. This morning i did see 5 hens in a group so I know the tom had to be around nearby.. Then within a 1/4 mile I saw 3 more hens still nothing has gobbled at all. Some of it maybe the fact when people saw birds out in a field they would practice their calls with them.. So these birds could have traveled from a place like that ?? Hard to say why.. It is still nice being out there though no matter what.. Good luck everyone..
05-11-2015, 10:00 AM
#15
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: SW Michigan
Posts: 1,906
Hi All,
Long time for me to post. I moved to Portland OR and worked my tail off for 5 years, and then lived in the Caribbean for 3 years, and well - lots of surf and sand, but no deer or turkeys...haha.
I'm living in SW Michigan now, and hunting with my new favorite partner - my 9yo son, who's enjoying his first hunting season. The birds have been gobbling good for us for the past week, especially on the roost. I also know people in Central NY and in SW Michigan who scored in the last week, and all say their birds came in on a rope - some took longer than others, but most pics were snapped before 7:30am.
My son and I found a few nice properties near our house and have called in gobblers on 2 different occasions. Unfortunately, the birds came in quite cautiously and we've left without firing a shot. The first time, we were on an afternoon hunt and some mountain bikers crashed through our setup on public land. We then had one in thick brush about 30 yards last Friday morning (about 6:15am), but he either saw us move or heard us whispering, cause he gave us a loud cluck/putt and off he went before we had a clear line of site...
It's the 3rd season here (turkey started April 20th here), and although most would say be soft and seductive, my son & I have had good success running multiple calls at the same time. I want my son to learn how to hunt and call, so he's been using a pushpin and slate, and at the same time I've been running a different pot (to teach him) and a mouth call. Last Friday morning we were using 3 different calls at the same time, hitting all of them with different volumes about once every 5 mins, with a lot of leaf raking.
We have not been overly aggressive, but we definitely aren't being passive or conservative either. I've always had better success in being loud & aggressive and then shutting up, even in the late season, as compared with being passive the entire time. The technique is working for us even on public land...so I recommend you at least consider getting aggressive. The worst thing that happens is you blow one morning, the best thing is you end up with a classic call and hunt...
Happy hunting, and hopefully I can post a pic of my son's first bird later this season...
S&R
Long time for me to post. I moved to Portland OR and worked my tail off for 5 years, and then lived in the Caribbean for 3 years, and well - lots of surf and sand, but no deer or turkeys...haha.
I'm living in SW Michigan now, and hunting with my new favorite partner - my 9yo son, who's enjoying his first hunting season. The birds have been gobbling good for us for the past week, especially on the roost. I also know people in Central NY and in SW Michigan who scored in the last week, and all say their birds came in on a rope - some took longer than others, but most pics were snapped before 7:30am.
My son and I found a few nice properties near our house and have called in gobblers on 2 different occasions. Unfortunately, the birds came in quite cautiously and we've left without firing a shot. The first time, we were on an afternoon hunt and some mountain bikers crashed through our setup on public land. We then had one in thick brush about 30 yards last Friday morning (about 6:15am), but he either saw us move or heard us whispering, cause he gave us a loud cluck/putt and off he went before we had a clear line of site...
It's the 3rd season here (turkey started April 20th here), and although most would say be soft and seductive, my son & I have had good success running multiple calls at the same time. I want my son to learn how to hunt and call, so he's been using a pushpin and slate, and at the same time I've been running a different pot (to teach him) and a mouth call. Last Friday morning we were using 3 different calls at the same time, hitting all of them with different volumes about once every 5 mins, with a lot of leaf raking.
We have not been overly aggressive, but we definitely aren't being passive or conservative either. I've always had better success in being loud & aggressive and then shutting up, even in the late season, as compared with being passive the entire time. The technique is working for us even on public land...so I recommend you at least consider getting aggressive. The worst thing that happens is you blow one morning, the best thing is you end up with a classic call and hunt...
Happy hunting, and hopefully I can post a pic of my son's first bird later this season...
S&R
05-12-2015, 04:08 AM
#16
Super Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 7,437
After being out 4 mornings now here in NY, the silence is killing me???? I mean no gobbles what so ever and this is even from some of my honey holes!!! I can understand after a morning gobble before flydown they get henned up. But not hearing a peep right till the quitting time at 12 noon is sure frustrating to say the least!!! Wondering on any others experiencing this when out?
I will hear a shock gobble mainly due to crows picking on the strutting toms. But nothing when I call.
If this helps. The last 5 toms taken - 3 of mine and 2 for others.....came in totally silent and in full strut. We didn't even hear any spit and drum either.
Today out scouting for my upcoming WI 5th season opener.....2 shock gobbles early......witnessed a ton of strutting.....if you know where to look.
JW
05-12-2015, 07:56 AM
#17
Super Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Northern California
Posts: 18,382
Welcome back S&R. Not to hijack the topic but I'd be curious to hear about what it was like living in the Caribbean. Sounds like quite an adventure. Maybe a separate topic.
Back to the CA lion issue, I should add that it used to be different. When CA voters first passed this stupid mountain lion law (can't hunt mountain lions), DFW (used to be DFG back then) had to come out whenever a lion was "bothering" your stock. Predictably, they were inundated by calls about lions on cattle, sheep and goat ranches so DFW changed the policy to the rancher had to call DFW, get permission and then kill the cat. Even that took up too much time so DFW changed it to just kill the cat and bury it. That worked out well until DFW issued a new bulletin in 2013, stating lions should be relocated, etc.
Coincidentally, HSUS had begun donating money to DFW (seems like some kind of conflict of interest) and that surely played a part in this policy change. Here's a link to an in-depth article explaining a lot more about the policy change.
https://www.wonews.com/t-FeatureArti...cy_061913.aspx
Back to the CA lion issue, I should add that it used to be different. When CA voters first passed this stupid mountain lion law (can't hunt mountain lions), DFW (used to be DFG back then) had to come out whenever a lion was "bothering" your stock. Predictably, they were inundated by calls about lions on cattle, sheep and goat ranches so DFW changed the policy to the rancher had to call DFW, get permission and then kill the cat. Even that took up too much time so DFW changed it to just kill the cat and bury it. That worked out well until DFW issued a new bulletin in 2013, stating lions should be relocated, etc.
Coincidentally, HSUS had begun donating money to DFW (seems like some kind of conflict of interest) and that surely played a part in this policy change. Here's a link to an in-depth article explaining a lot more about the policy change.
https://www.wonews.com/t-FeatureArti...cy_061913.aspx
05-12-2015, 08:59 AM
#18
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NY
Posts: 2,820
Ditto in WI and MI.
I will hear a shock gobble mainly due to crows picking on the strutting toms. But nothing when I call.
If this helps. The last 5 toms taken - 3 of mine and 2 for others.....came in totally silent and in full strut. We didn't even hear any spit and drum either.
Today out scouting for my upcoming WI 5th season opener.....2 shock gobbles early......witnessed a ton of strutting.....if you know where to look.
JW
I will hear a shock gobble mainly due to crows picking on the strutting toms. But nothing when I call.
If this helps. The last 5 toms taken - 3 of mine and 2 for others.....came in totally silent and in full strut. We didn't even hear any spit and drum either.
Today out scouting for my upcoming WI 5th season opener.....2 shock gobbles early......witnessed a ton of strutting.....if you know where to look.
JW
05-12-2015, 09:11 AM
#19
Super Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Northern California
Posts: 18,382
Absolutely nothing other than I think that's suppressed turkeys where I usually hunt and somebody asked for more info (admittedly a side track). Moving back to the topic at hand, JW, what do you think has made the toms silent?
05-12-2015, 09:54 AM
#20
Spike
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: New York
Posts: 39
Another loud morning but silent afternoon, heard a few gobblers across the muck and had one gobbler working his way to me, the only thing he seemed interested in was the gobble call, he got about half way across and a truck started to drive up the muck farm road and the gobbler turned around and went back. I saw it cross over power lines that are parallel with the muck so I crossed over as well and waited a couple hours and only saw a small hen, the woods were dead from 8 to noon, have no idea what's keeping them from gobbling.