BipNelly

My first turkey hunting experiences were typical with what you think turkey hunting is supposed to be like. The next year, I started hunting a different farm. Hunting this farm over the past four years has been anything but typical. Out of all the time I have been in the woods there (I hunt deer there as well), I have only heard birds on 5 occasions. And that is not just gobblers!!! I'm talking about hens too. It is the strangest thing. From reading other posts, I found that sometimes that happens to everyone, but I don't think it happens to the degree that it happens to us at this farm. At most four people hunt the 275 acres, two hunt the whole season (brother and I). I know the farm is covered in birds. Most I have seen at one time is around 30, and the past three days I've been scouting, I've seen 8 total with little effort. Dealing with this has made locating birds very hard. The best solution I have is to sit it out somewhere I know they travel and wait 'em out. The farm is located no more than a half mile off the interstate. The noise is as you would expect being that close to it. I have talked to other hunters in the county and they have not had the problems we are having, so its not a geographical thing. What gives? Everyone I have been talking to about this is interested to find out what the deal is. PLEASE, someone, shed some light on this subject for me. Thanks.

Adrian J Hare

Not to be smart here, but I read your post and am kinda confused as to what your asking ?

Sounds like the birds are around, but other then that, are you asking How to hunt them? , Why you are not hearing gobbling? maybe you can give me a little more info, not what you need Please...BT

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benhuntin

I hunt an area very similar. I have only heard a turkey gobble out there once in the past 10 years. That one gobbled twice on the roost and then shut up. Ive killed 6 birds out of there though. Why the lock jaw? I dont really know. Hunting pressure isnt bad at all. These gobblers arnt always with hens either. There are alot of predators in the area though. Domestic dogs running through there frequently as well as coyotes. Bob cats are also very numerous. This may have something to do with it.

BipNelly

I guess more than anything, I was just wanting to make sure there were people out there that have encountered the same thing. It's hard to bring up this subject with fellow hunters around my community that I do not know very well because they react like I am a complete idiot. That's probably the main thing. Some confirmation that I am not crazy.

Yes, I know the birds are there. (just being direct, not disrespectful)
The interstate noise is not so bad that I cannot hear anything, but it could affect ability to hear at some distance.

I am not hearing gobbling because they are not gobbling. I know that to be certain, but my question is Why are all the birds never (really... never) gobbling?

Could it be the interstate noise or not? What are some other things that could cause it. Thing is, this is not a subject that would be discussed in any magazine or book because it has to be rare. Judging from the looks I get when I talk about it, it must be.

Thank you for your post. I really appreciate the effort people like yourself make on this forum to answer questions. Hopefully I gave you the info you were looking for. If not, post again with questions. Really do appreciate the help.

fantail

BipNelly, I've been there, done that I guess you could say. The first year I hunted turkeys was near an interstate and I never heard a sound the entire spring except for the interstate! Whether it was so loud I couldn't hear them or they just were not vocal that year I didn't really know. However the second year I hunted there I did hear one gobbling for two weekends in a row until he was killed and that resulted in the same thing for the second year, silence. I don't hear very good in the first place, this was public land, and was located near a weigh station for trailer trucks who liked using their jake brake so this is why I think I didn't hear very much. Havn't hunted there since (skeeters were too bad) but there was a lot of turkeys there.


Don't give up!!!

BipNelly

Thanks fantail. Like I said, just wanted some support that this does occur and that I'm not going CRAZY! The best way to really try and describe it is to say its like being deaf and trying to hunt turkey. It has its good and bad points.
Good: I believe, if you can hunt like this, you can hunt any condition. Bad: You miss out on communicating with the birds. That's what really got me into the sport in the first place.