Sad Season In PA
 

Through hunting networks in PA, many clubs are saying this year has been the worst in decades for turkey. Any other social thoughts on why PA turkey season was not successful this year for hunters. Share your news.

RE: Sad Season In PA
 

Indiana season was down as well. I believe it was the weather. We had a warm spell early then it turned off cold. It effected the turkey hunting quite a bit...

RE: Sad Season In PA
 

I agree..it was truely sad for the most part...it's been getting worse every year for the last 10 or so..AMBUSHING is taking it's toll, The "SECOND" tag I feel didn't help matters at all..it may not seem like a big deal but we've seen the results on public and open ground.. We need to return to the days of CALLING..BAN the decoy..the root of all ambushing without ever making a call... lots of change needed but it doesn't look like anyone in HARRISBURG really cares about the hunting part..they are interested in the second tag $21 and the possibility of a turkey hunting license !!!

RE: Sad Season In PA
 

I agree, the turkey hunting was very poor this year. I only heard one bird all season and he wasnt intrested in any of my calling. Im not sure why this year was so much worse than the last few years. I cant remember, were you able to buy an extra tag last year?

RE: Sad Season In PA
 

I don't think this year was bad at all. I managed to kill two longbeards,and call in 4 other longbeards for other hunters. There have been over 100 birds logged in on the huntingpa.com site. And I have seen at least 10 longbeards since the close of the season. Just my .02

RE: Sad Season In PA
 

it was some of the hardest hunting i have done, thankfully i was blessed, but boy was it tough.

RE: Sad Season In PA
 

You bet it was one of the wiederest season I have ever witnessed inthe many states I hunted.

There was no rythm or reason to it. The birds where in a vast array of breeding from no hens to grouped Toms to flocked birds with jakes Toms and hens right up to the end.

Nothing - I mean nothing was typical to their behavior I have witnessed in past years.

What made me successful as I worked very hard at it.

Concentrated on single Toms where I could find them - I found these more callable.
Concentrated on areas I had patterned Toms that seemed to use the same terrain consistenlty.

I left groups of Toms alone - did no calling - but if one wanted one of these guys you needed to wait them out in area and hope they walked by.
I was very cautious with my calling and did not get aggressive at all or Cutt at anything - it just did not work. Small vrey soft clucks - maybe an occasional soft series of yelps - seemed to be more productive for me.

4out of 5 Toms taken by me and my group I called came in silent.
Periods hunted was from 3/22 to 5/20....

Birds did gobble from the roost but once ont he ground became silent most times.


Anyways just some musings

JW

And I passed on 11 Jakes.

RE: Sad Season In PA
 

this was also the wierdest season i've ever had. didn't hear 1 gobble in 3 mornings in SD despite seeing tons of sign and being in an area that holds a lot of birds. here in KS, i think the weather messed them up. opening day of the youth season, IT SNOWED. after that it was almost constant rain and a lot of it. the toms would gobble on the roost but fly down with the hens and be grouped up all day long. when i was able to get a tom moving my direction, they'd get chased off the field by jakes. i've never seen so many jakes in my life which should be good for this fall and next spring. bottom line is i had to work way harder to get my birds than i ever have but that is turkey hunting. good news is that i saw more hens and jakes than ever before.

RE: Sad Season In PA
 

i only hunted 2 days and took a buddy out the first saturday.

from what i seen id call it normal and a typical PA season. worked birds all 3 hunts. killed mine on heavily hunted state game lands the 2nd day i went out...

first day i worked 2 birds..the first thursday i worked atleast 4...killed mine that day.

first saturday i took my buddy and worked more..just no dice

our season is always a little wierd...this was my 9th season...it can be hit or miss...depends on who stirred things up and mother nature...this was the dryest spring season ive seen in a while. i think the moon phase was a little off and may hurt the gobbling...but i found hot birds all 3 days i went out...hens are another factor.

turkey hunting in PA is gaining popularity daily...back when i started it was almost rare to see a turkey hunter. dad started 8 or so years before then and he didnt think anyone else hunted them!! now everyone wants to be a turkey hunter...but not everyone knows how to play the game...and it adds to the pressure.

the only thing the 2nd tag MIGHT do is add a littleeee more pressure..but those guys killing their first bird and hunting for a second are typically good diehard turkey hunters. i forget the numbers...i think on 7000 or so were sold the first year and i think less this year...that aint many...and say MAYBE half were filled...that aint that many more spring birds...flocks definently arent hurting...

RE: Sad Season In PA
 

This year was miles ahead of last season. Much nicer weather, more cooperaitve birds.

RE: Sad Season In PA
 

I been noticin a change in the birds over the last 5 yrs or so too.Bout all a guy can do is change huntin tactics till ya find one that works.

RE: Sad Season In PA
 

RR brings up a good point... I have been seeing a lot of hens!!!! Maybe the DNR will make the fall turkey seasons a little longer:)

RE: Sad Season In PA
 

Maybe we need to have a "HEN" only season in Jan/Feb...North Carolina did something like this a few years back..I'm not sure if they still do it but it would work..maybe someone at the PGC could design a little identification test and make you take it, then grant you a special license..course' that would require some thinking.. OH yeah I forgot-it's the PGC !!

RE: Sad Season In PA
 

A few years back when they first started talkin bout a two tag season in the Spring.I suggested at one of the PGC meetins,a two tag fall season instead.The first bird would have to be a hen.Then the second could be either sex.It fell on deaf ears just like the hunter orange deal.

RE: Sad Season In PA
 

Cant say what the deal is as I've never hunted Penn!But I have also seen a change in the birds around here as well.RR makes some very valid suggestions that I'm sure have a bearing on the amount of gobbling activity we are all NOT hearing particularly on the roost.Coyotes as well as other pretadors have figured out turkey talk means a potential meal coupled with hunting pressure from man himself definately leads to much quieter woods.One thing I have definately noticed in our birds is alot of days there is more gobbling activity in the late afternoon hours than at first light.I do believe this ties right in with some of the predation issues as well as to many hens early in the day.Calif is pretty leniant as we can legally hunt till 4:00 PM.But with that said it still leaves plenty of day left for the birds to fire-up and do there thing....Bob

RE: Sad Season In PA
 

I think that the birds acted different this season as well. Could b several things, among them are:
Many states had poor hatches in 05, resulting in an older class of birds to deal with:
The record April freeze seemed to have changed the dynamics of normal mating activity, how im not sure, but it was different.
Anyway, toss in the high number of hens corvorting with experienced gobblers, the lack of 2 yr olds & it has the makings of teeth nashing hunting.

RE: Sad Season In PA
 

good call on the high number of hens. we can hunt hens in the fall here in KS so i guarantee my son and i will be out in force trying to thin a few out. we can harvest up to 4 birds in the fall.