"IT" is happening early this year in the South...
 

Anybody else noticing Tom's henned up really hard already? I've seen several birds breeding and season hasn't even started in Oklahoma. In the past five years I've never seen hens being bred at least until about the 3rd week of April.

Last weekend in Texas, ALL the tomsI saw were with hens. The jakes were cake to call, but the big birds already had their ladies lined up. I guess the warm weather got them going early?...

RE: "IT" is happening early this year in the South...
 

Here in NE Iowa I witnessed a Tom breed a hen on March24thand My nephew watched 2 hens get bred late last week. Call me crazy but I saw what I saw. :)

RE: "IT" is happening early this year in the South...
 

Yeah Dustin, I was at LBJ grasslands and experienced the same thing. Big birds just wouldn't respond. I saw several, got a couple to gobble, but none would move from the hens they were with. I'm hoping that this situation will make for good mid to late season hunting. More hens will be going to nest at mid morning so the toms will be out looking. One can only hope!

RE: "IT" is happening early this year in the South...
 

I believe it Spur, it's nuts.

Ihope you're right greg, I hope the cool front this weekend will slow them down a little bit. I really hope that they don't get all the hens bred and lose interest... I've seen that happen as well. El Nino is killing us!!

RE: "IT" is happening early this year in the South...
 

I've experienced the same thing in Louisiana so far. Every gobbler I have called too has had hens with him. I set up on one this past saturday and he was answering every call while on the roost. I managed to sneak to about 50 yards of him and just knew he was going to come straight to me when he flew down. Well of course, he flys down with 3 hens and never responds again and heads the opposite direction.