2015 Done For me
04-26-2015, 10:05 AM
#1
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location:
Posts: 2,186
2015 Done For me
Interesting and confusing spring season for me in SE Alabama came to a merciful end this past week. Skunked !!
No doubt numbers were way, way down. Not much gobbling heard and an obvious lack of tracks pretty much all across the property. We are all scratching our heads .... yes, there was thinning going on on about 1/3 of the property all season long, but that left at least 1500 acres undisturbed that has been historically loaded with birds. I never found them.
It was weird ..... and may sound crazy, but I saw zero ... nada ... niltch ... hens. Heard maybe 2 groups of hens all season long. I had only 2 reasonable chances at a gobbler. Blew one by moving in too close to the roost and simply could not pull the other off his hens.
We did have some good times though. Had one clean miss. A classic call in, strutting and drumming gobbler that was downed in time to be back at camp before the coffee cooled off. A good buddy of mine from La. dropped his first Alabama gobbler. A super nice 21# bird with a 12" beard and 1 1/4" curved spurs. One guy took a super-duper triple bearded gobbler that topped 23#. Spurs were also 1 1/4", and curved. Beards were 13", 9" and 6".
There is a week left in the season. A few of the guys are giving it one last shot, but I am done. Gotta work sooner or later.
No doubt numbers were way, way down. Not much gobbling heard and an obvious lack of tracks pretty much all across the property. We are all scratching our heads .... yes, there was thinning going on on about 1/3 of the property all season long, but that left at least 1500 acres undisturbed that has been historically loaded with birds. I never found them.
It was weird ..... and may sound crazy, but I saw zero ... nada ... niltch ... hens. Heard maybe 2 groups of hens all season long. I had only 2 reasonable chances at a gobbler. Blew one by moving in too close to the roost and simply could not pull the other off his hens.
We did have some good times though. Had one clean miss. A classic call in, strutting and drumming gobbler that was downed in time to be back at camp before the coffee cooled off. A good buddy of mine from La. dropped his first Alabama gobbler. A super nice 21# bird with a 12" beard and 1 1/4" curved spurs. One guy took a super-duper triple bearded gobbler that topped 23#. Spurs were also 1 1/4", and curved. Beards were 13", 9" and 6".
There is a week left in the season. A few of the guys are giving it one last shot, but I am done. Gotta work sooner or later.
Last edited by Mojotex; 04-26-2015 at 01:28 PM.
04-26-2015, 11:51 AM
#2
Spike
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: New York
Posts: 39
Wish you could've had better season. That's what it's been like here for the last 2 years, low gobbling and not much hen activity (Calling etc...) hoping for this year to be different but I have my doubts, with last April staying below 50's and getting as low as 30's last week. the breeding season probably going to start later but I'm sure they'll still be out there.
04-27-2015, 04:06 PM
#5
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Maine
Posts: 12,563
I am sorry to hear about your luck Mojotex.. It is hard to believe that so many seasons are starting to come to an end and mine will open next Monday.. I can hardly wait. I do see less turkeys this year up here as well. That is because of our huge amount of snow though.. We have had over 190 inches of it this past winter and most of it fluffy stuff.
I have scouted and have seen a few nice birds though.. But, I wanted to add the last 2 years I shot 2 birds each year with none of them gobbling at all. So I have learned not to rely on the gobbles so much anymore.. No gobbles makes for some long hunts without any action.. But they do show up if given the time..
I have scouted and have seen a few nice birds though.. But, I wanted to add the last 2 years I shot 2 birds each year with none of them gobbling at all. So I have learned not to rely on the gobbles so much anymore.. No gobbles makes for some long hunts without any action.. But they do show up if given the time..
04-28-2015, 03:09 AM
#6
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Seymour IN
Posts: 597
2.
Was the 2015 spring turkey season better, worse, or about the same as the 2014 season?
Better
Worse
About the same
3.
Was the 2015 spring turkey season better, worse, or about the same as the average for the past 5 years?
Better
Worse
About the same
4.
Was the 2015 spring turkey season better, worse, or about the same as the average for the past 10 years?
Better
Worse
About the same
5.
Does your hunting property have more, less, or about the same number of turkeys as last year?
About the Same
More
Less
6.
Does your hunting property have more, less, or about the same number of turkeys as the average for the past 5 years?
About the same
More
Less
7.
Does your hunting property have more, less, or about the same number of turkeys as the average for the past 10 years?
About the Same
More
Less
8.
What do you consider to be the major factors limiting turkey numbers in your area?
Weather
Predators
Disease
To many hunters
To liberal of a bag limit
Other
9.
Would you be happier if the spring turkey season started earlier and ended earlier in your area, started later and ended later, or leave it alone?
Start earlier and end earlier
Start later and end later
Leave it alone, its just right
10.
Please provide any additional comments regarding Alabama's spring turkey hunting season or wild turkey resources.
Done Cancel
Was the 2015 spring turkey season better, worse, or about the same as the 2014 season?
Better
Worse
About the same
3.
Was the 2015 spring turkey season better, worse, or about the same as the average for the past 5 years?
Better
Worse
About the same
4.
Was the 2015 spring turkey season better, worse, or about the same as the average for the past 10 years?
Better
Worse
About the same
5.
Does your hunting property have more, less, or about the same number of turkeys as last year?
About the Same
More
Less
6.
Does your hunting property have more, less, or about the same number of turkeys as the average for the past 5 years?
About the same
More
Less
7.
Does your hunting property have more, less, or about the same number of turkeys as the average for the past 10 years?
About the Same
More
Less
8.
What do you consider to be the major factors limiting turkey numbers in your area?
Weather
Predators
Disease
To many hunters
To liberal of a bag limit
Other
9.
Would you be happier if the spring turkey season started earlier and ended earlier in your area, started later and ended later, or leave it alone?
Start earlier and end earlier
Start later and end later
Leave it alone, its just right
10.
Please provide any additional comments regarding Alabama's spring turkey hunting season or wild turkey resources.
Done Cancel
04-28-2015, 08:48 PM
#8
Typical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Hatton, Alabama
Posts: 520
I have had this theory for a few years. Three years ago the weather in late Feb/early March was very warm and dry. I heard several reports of nests being found a lot earlier than normal...like late March as opposed to late April.
The next season there were tons of reports of jakes. Most everyone said that these birds had longer than normal beards and full gobbles but were definitely jakes.
Last season I heard of a lot of birds that had over 1" spurs and weighed over 21#. That isn't average in north Alabama. This year I have heard lots of reports of scarce gobbling and birds with multiple beards.
My thought is that the birds hatched early 3 years ago. That extra month or so gave the birds a jump start on growing. What I think is that the largest concentration of gobblers were 3year old birds that due to the early hatch are acting a lot like a 4 year old bird.
Everyone I talked to said the same thing about gobbling this year. One guy said he had been on his family farm most every morning and hadn't heard a bird. One day he pulls past a greenfield and three longbeards are standing in it. He said that they hadn't gobble almost all year.
Most birds I tried to work this year acted like older birds. They didn't answer calls very well. I had more days this year where I might hear 6-8 different birds on the roost and they would gobble 1-2 times each. I went to an area that had virtually zero pressure one day and heard 7 birds. We took a bird that day but I don't think he was one of the 7 that we heard on the roost. My brother went back the next day and didn't hear a single gobble.
I have always been of the opinion that what people say is a "call-shy" bird is actually an older bird that doesn't play games. So having said that I think numbers are decent and stable but the age class of toms is older therefore you hear less gobbling.
I saw loads of sign and plenty of hens. I probably saw more gobbler tracks this year than recent years.
The next season there were tons of reports of jakes. Most everyone said that these birds had longer than normal beards and full gobbles but were definitely jakes.
Last season I heard of a lot of birds that had over 1" spurs and weighed over 21#. That isn't average in north Alabama. This year I have heard lots of reports of scarce gobbling and birds with multiple beards.
My thought is that the birds hatched early 3 years ago. That extra month or so gave the birds a jump start on growing. What I think is that the largest concentration of gobblers were 3year old birds that due to the early hatch are acting a lot like a 4 year old bird.
Everyone I talked to said the same thing about gobbling this year. One guy said he had been on his family farm most every morning and hadn't heard a bird. One day he pulls past a greenfield and three longbeards are standing in it. He said that they hadn't gobble almost all year.
Most birds I tried to work this year acted like older birds. They didn't answer calls very well. I had more days this year where I might hear 6-8 different birds on the roost and they would gobble 1-2 times each. I went to an area that had virtually zero pressure one day and heard 7 birds. We took a bird that day but I don't think he was one of the 7 that we heard on the roost. My brother went back the next day and didn't hear a single gobble.
I have always been of the opinion that what people say is a "call-shy" bird is actually an older bird that doesn't play games. So having said that I think numbers are decent and stable but the age class of toms is older therefore you hear less gobbling.
I saw loads of sign and plenty of hens. I probably saw more gobbler tracks this year than recent years.
04-28-2015, 09:08 PM
#9
Typical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Hatton, Alabama
Posts: 520
One other thing is that I don't think that there has been anything substantial enough to make a huge drop in numbers across the entire state. I do think that 2013 and 2014 hatches are going to be slightly lower due to slightly cooler and wetter springs. I expect the 2015 hatch to be somewhat poor in north Alabama.
2012 we saw drought like conditions...dry and hot = good hatch.
2013/2014 we saw above average rainfall in the central part of the state with temps around normal.
So I don't think it is so much that numbers are down as it is 2 things. One is that we just saw a large number of birds hatched in 2012 that make us think that are losing numbers now that things are returning to normal conditions. The other is that the last couple of years the weather hasn't been really nice during those first few weeks of season when the greatest number of hunters have been afield. Bad weather = bad gobbling = thought process that numbers are down.
2012 we saw drought like conditions...dry and hot = good hatch.
2013/2014 we saw above average rainfall in the central part of the state with temps around normal.
So I don't think it is so much that numbers are down as it is 2 things. One is that we just saw a large number of birds hatched in 2012 that make us think that are losing numbers now that things are returning to normal conditions. The other is that the last couple of years the weather hasn't been really nice during those first few weeks of season when the greatest number of hunters have been afield. Bad weather = bad gobbling = thought process that numbers are down.