Tough Start
 

Man has this been a strange season down here in SE Alabama where I hunt. Opening day, March 15 temperatures were well below freezing. Same for March 16. Frankly I am 100% stumped. About half the 3000 acres I hunt has under gone a thinning of the pines. This thinning was done both in 2014, 2015 and again spring/summer of 2016. All thinned areas have been prescribe burned. About 400 acres in 2015 and and about 600 acres in 2016. Another 400 acres or so have been burned this spring. Exceptional fresh growth under the pines.

Nothing has changed as far as hardwoods areas, water on the place, acorn crops, food plots no change there that I can detect ..... but the birds are just not there. Not hearing hens. None of us has been able to locate a roosting area.

During the past 6 days, up 7 guys and no less than 3 , all very very good turkey hunters, have been scouring the place for gobblers. Three gobblers have been killed and one kissed, but the amount of gobbling, the sign in the plots, scratching in the woods, and tracks on the muddy roads .... slim to none. Eight to ten years ago, this property was covered up with turkeys. It was not unusual to have to make a choice which daybreak gobbler to go after.

I am at a loss as what to do next week when I venture down again. Probably have to stop at Winn Dixie on y way home if I want some turkey meat. :confused0024:

Sounds like maybe your neighbors may be pouring the corn to them!

Being a northern boy who hunted south a few years. I found a 3 degree drop in temp just turned your birds off.
Lots of lockjaw.
Now being freezing?
Bigger difference down there to what I witness up here.
Just my musings.
Stay the course.....
JW

I've seen that here with the woods almost silent I saw only two gobblers and they were not roosting in their normal roost area, they where a month ahead of their normal activity. I'm wondering if no one can find a roost were they roosted there before? Is it poss. the roost area was cut down? I would hunt from 2 to dusk.

Happened to all of us last year in SoCal at my hunting club (leased land).

Rough ...................... hang in there - thins out the woods, from fair weather hunters though !

It's all about educating them - Let's face it, "we" kill the dumb ones.

I hunt woods with cuttings up here every year.. They are a much harder to bird to hunt.. ( at least that is what we are told ) These birds will come in silent at times. One of my birds I hung tight for 2 and a half hours before he showed up.. No gobbling at all and it took another half hour to get him into shooting range. These are smart birds for the most part. But at times you will get a dumb one and he will gobble all the way into you. I find most the birds here move around between 11 and 2 .. Although we do see them and get them earlier in the morning with most of them right around 8 in the morning.. Good luck to you and let us know how you make out. But remember some are very tight lipped which maybe cause by coyotes? No idea really but it is they way some are..