Scouting, numbers down?
 

I know it is a little early, but there is no sign. I live in Florida and we have had a fairly warm and dry winter.
Went scouting the last 2 weekends and am not seeing any sign, I mean NONE. Usually the roads have tracks, scat, dust bowls, scratching or strutting areas. Just put a few cameras out, so will have a better idea in a couple weeks, hopefully. Predators are always a problem and not sure about the hatch numbers.
Again, these are the same areas as years past with almost no sign. Also This is public land.

Anybody else have any reports? Either lots of sign or none? Public or private property?

Going this weekend to listen in a couple of spots but have been seeing some birds here and there. Last week of general gun seen a couple flocks of gobblers and lots of sign in and out of the cypress swamps. Public land too!

Same where I hunt. I am baffled. This property has held a good number of birds for many years past, but the number of birds that I saw dropped off precipitously last year. This deer season I saw zero birds and heard some only two mornings. Very, very few tracks in the muddy roads. It'll be interesting come Mar. 15 for sure. Hope to scout some more weekend of March 4.

This is my first season of turkey hunting. My season starts March 20 and I was scouting my property last weekend and found plenty of scratches and feathers. I also heard distant gobbling and actually walked up on a pack of turkeys about 20-30 in size.

Have not heard a gobble yet in central Fl but haven't had a chance to be out @ sunrise. Saw one trail of fresh tracks.

Feels like May 1st today not March 1st. I plotted up harvest data for the romp and stomp near Tampa I hunt...been in a free fall since spring of 2012. Last 3 years of have averaged around 30 checked out all season.. 2006 - 2012 accounted for more like 60 per season. Hoping to go out this weekend and have a listen.

I know a lot can influence success but it's an alarming trend. Last year was a real tough one too (close call opening day in the rain), and 2015 was the year with no spring. I remember it went from 50s the 1st week of March to upper 80s by March 10. There were still a few birds talking but it was tough trekking out there in the heat

I have to agree. I live just North of Tampa and probably hunt and scout in some of the same areas as you. We have heard very few gobbles this year and have noticed a definite decrease in turkey sign. Last year was also tough in one of our favorite areas.
On a side note... I remember a Shemp from an old Florida hunting forum that I used to frequent. I think it shut down three or four years ago...it was a good one. Anyway, good luck this season.

Same Shemp, new site; Florida Fish and Hunt was a cool forum (what was your handle?); I'm sure we hit a lot of the same areas, glad to hear it's not just me confused as to the sparsity of turkey (but sad to hear it may be more than just me).

On a side note, there was also very little sign in Lower Hillsborough when I took my son there earlier this year [not to hunt, just to sit in a ground blind and hike around for a bit]. That place used to be overflowing with turkeys [and deer, also strangely absent].

Hoping the aggressive burning by SWFWMD will help things this year

I'm not positive what I went by on that forum...maybe Backwater. I was a member there for about six months before it shut down. Pretty active Florida group there. Welcome to Hunting Net.

Went out yesterday and Things are picking up, a lot more sign. Heard a few gobbling, still not much on the game cameras.
Very little rain here in Florida and warmer, still not sure how this will effect the turkeys or what stage they are in.
2 weeks and counting.

It looks like a great year up here right now. But that can still change as our winter is still far from over.. But if it continues the way it has been going it should be a great year. I am currently trying to watch a group of 3 big bachelors. The bird in my avatar is one of them...