Help! Seasonality and Weather Questions from a Novice
 

I do not have the ability to travel great distances to hunt, due to time constraints and I must hunt within an hour or two of home. The good thing is thereare significant turkey numbers nearby that hold @ 4000-5500 ft elv. in the spring - andI have seen them throughout the summer.


Our state's standingGeneral Spring Turkey Seasonopens April 15th.Two years ago, the season started at about the time toms and hens were beginning to breed.Last year it got hot early, and the birds were about done with what nature intended, within the first 7-10 days.This year the breeding season will be very late in the central Mountains of IDAHO. It hasn't been warm enough to melt off the great amounts of snow we have received.

The area that holds turkeys near home do have some bare ground on the south facing slopes and in the tree wells
- but there is still 2-3 feet of snow out there - and no sign of turkeys in the woods.My buddy and I scouted hard on 4/4-5, and saw one set of tracks - on top of 2 feet of hard-pack snow, and a mile and a half from a small town!

We know birds in the area wintered well
- We have been told, by reliable sources, they have been fed by the locals and several have reported that every morning 100's are in and around the town.

HERE ARE MY QUESTIONS:
1.) Will the need to breed be enough of a reason todrive the birds fromtheir comfy "Bed and Breakfast" into the surrounding forests to do what nature inteded?
2.) How does this significant difference in yearly weather patterns affect the breeding cycle of birds?
3.) What triggers, or when is breeding triggered? (I.e.: When is the most opportune time for me to be in the woods?)

RE: Help! Seasonality and Weather Questions from a Novice
 

Here's what I think:

1.Absolutely! That's what nature intends for them to do. There's not a tom or jake alive today that would rather eat than breed. Hey, they're just like us!;)

2. Turkeys will breed when the weather says it's time to breed. Usually this means when it gets warm and the days start getting longer. One good thing about this is that the hens probably have been bred already and the toms are still looking for more action. I've found that when the toms are in this stage, they're seemingly easier to call in. They know that there's not many opportunities left to breed and they don't want to miss that last "hen" they hear calling to them. Too bad it's only me!;)

3. I actually answered most of your 3rd question in #2, but if the hens have indeed been bred,be there around mid morning through early afternoon, pending your state allows huntingall day,when the hens leave to tend to their nests that tom will go looking for more action, and he'll probably find you instead.

RE: Help! Seasonality and Weather Questions from a Novice
 

while weather is a big factor in breeding it is not the trigger. most biologist and state DNR will swear that it is actually the lenght of the day that triggers a toms breeding cycle. As spring approaches the days get longer and this is what triggers it.

RE: Help! Seasonality and Weather Questions from a Novice
 

Weather has a big influence on gobbling and turkey movement. However the hen's biological interest and capability of breeding is triggered by day length. Regardless of the weather, the hens will be receptive about the same time every year.