Last Saturday I was out walking in our woods in Southern Ohio and came across a hen out walking her babies. I spooked them and they all took off flying so that should put them about a week old. By doing all the math that would put the hen on the nest at about the beginning of our turkey season. That seems a tad early to me but I guess she wanted to get it over with soon. She only had 5 babies with her so not a very good hatch.

I'm used to seeing at least one hen with her broud (poults) near or at the end of the season. This year nothing, I was suspecting and talking with many that the hatch season is running later. I saw hens in fields all day or roosting in trees indicating they were not totally nesting. It should be a good hatch then.....

My hen here at home is nesting on 9 eggs. Im ready for some poults to be running around here.

Funny, just last night I saw my first brood. My gal and I went for wings and heading down a back road I saw a township cop sitting in the middle of the road. He saw me coming and got back in his car. I pulled along side and asked, "what'd ya see?"....he said a hen and her poults crossed the road and sure enough, they were scattered in the high grasses along the road.

Today I saw my first fawn....tis spring/summer.

The hot weather here in April, coupled with the wet/cool May, pushed the breeding back by about 2 weeks. Hens were sitting full time last week of the season here (last week), so we should start seeing poults soon...