Birds are gone!!

[MACHINIST]

I doubt it but it seems like it.I have seen them and or heard gobbles every night I have went out to roost some.I only bumped them once and that was may 3rd.I went out tonight and noticed the farmer spread potash on all his fields from monday morning through today and I didn't see one bird or hear a single gobble. I know they didn't just up and leave but would the fields all spread in pot ash do anything to push the birds out of all the fields or is it just a coincidence.Heading out in the am to see what happens anyways.

[G-Man]

Possibly, caustic to their feet, but they will be close by.

[MACHINIST]

didn't hear anything this am,I could only sit till 7 though

[sits in trees]

We are already getting to the point of the NY season where things start to diminish. Our season starts about 2 weeks too late here in NY.

[Arrow Flinger]

First week of the season was HOT!! Been dead ever since.

[letinmfly]

It has been a very weird season thus far. I hunted the first two days of the season and the birds were gobbling pretty good.  I've spoken to a few friends that have hunted since and are still hunting and they all say that the birds have lock jaw.  I'm going to head up this weekend and give it another try. 

 

 

 

[mbucks27]

Same went for me.  I was up there from Sunday the 5th- Sunday the 12th. I barely  heard any gobbling and was only able to get one bird gobbling good and he didn't come any closer than 80 yards. I also called in 3 jakes that all came in silent and i think one of them saw me move and they didn't come any closer than 50.  I did hear some gobbling on another property i hunt but it was as soon as they flew down and then that was it.  I'm hoping to have some better luck this weekend but it doesn't sound like its getting any better from the reports here. Good luck guys.

 

John

[MACHINIST]

Went out tonight and watched one lone hen go in to roost,The winds where so bad I didn't head over to the other side to listen to gobbles on the roost.I am going to give it a chance n the am and see what happens.If I dont see anything I will leave the property alone fora week or so

[mike rossi]

We are already getting to the point of the NY season where things start to diminish. Our season starts about 2 weeks too late here in NY.

Your getting into some contentious stuff.  Animal populations will go up & down and harvest rates will follow, but in the long term there are lots of birds and the harvest is large. "Why fix what aint broke?"  Be careful what you wish for because if you want the legislature to enact political decisions over biological ones, you may get your wish, that should be obvious by now.

 

The current season structure strikes a balance between conservation and maximizing hunting opportunity and is obviously working very well. A few decades ago turkeys were extirpated from most of their historic range. Today populations which can sustain hunting have been restored and turkeys have even been successfully introduced outside of their original range.

 

Spring turkey hunting seasons are timed to minimize interference with reproduction and protect hens by setting the season to coincide with nesting. The logic behind this is that it will allow the majority of mating to occur without disturbance and will reduce the shooting of hens (for whatever reason: stray pellets from flock shooting, poaching, error, or bearded hens which comprise 10 to 20 percent of the turkey population).

 

Fortunately, peak incubation roughly coincides with the second gobbling peak. The first gobbling peak is more active, however, hunting influences gobbling activity, therefore, hunting earlier in the spring certainly would increase harvest, but likely due to more hunting days, rather than greater gobbling activity. In other words all the preseason gobbling would be suppressed if hunters were afield at that time.

Edited May 16, 2013 by mike rossi

[RangerClay]

I turkey hunt in central Madison County and the birds are just not there like they used to be.  My opening day was the first Saturday and I hunted till 11am and never heard a single gobble.  Plus I heard only 1 shot from neighboring hills that morning.

 

From what I see, between the coyotes and coons they are doing a real number on the birds in our area.

[mike rossi]

I turkey hunt in central Madison County and the birds are just not there like they used to be.  My opening day was the first Saturday and I hunted till 11am and never heard a single gobble.  Plus I heard only 1 shot from neighboring hills that morning.

 

From what I see, between the coyotes and coons they are doing a real number on the birds in our area.

[Meat First]

I have to agree with Ranger Clay, We are on the chenango/madison county line and after the first weekend the gobbling has ceased.  Buddy bagged one tom on first morning and the rest of us haven't seen nor heard much at all.  Years past we would take at least 2 or three birds on opening weekend alone.  Going to keep trying memorial day weekend, thats all we can do at this point.

[Arrow Flinger]

I turkey hunt in central Madison County and the birds are just not there like they used to be.  My opening day was the first Saturday and I hunted till 11am and never heard a single gobble.  Plus I heard only 1 shot from neighboring hills that morning.

 

From what I see, between the coyotes and coons they are doing a real number on the birds in our area.

We used to see flocks of 30-40 birds at a time bowhunting in the fall. They were everywhere. You'd see some just about every time you were in the woods. Over the last 10 years the sightings have been slowly decreasing. This past fall not one turkey was spotted all deer season between 3 hunters! I've been turkey hunting elsewhere this spring.

[Witty]

We had birds gobbling all morning. All with hens, couldn't get them to come in.

[RangerClay]

We used to see flocks of 30-40 birds at a time bowhunting in the fall. They were everywhere. You'd see some just about every time you were in the woods. Over the last 10 years the sightings have been slowly decreasing. This past fall not one turkey was spotted all deer season between 3 hunters! I've been turkey hunting elsewhere this spring.

 

I remember those days.  I hunt near Hamilton and the turkeys were almost a nuisance during deer season.  And now that you mention it, I don't think any of us saw turkeys either last fall.

[MACHINIST]

We see flocks like that now during the fall.I think that all the commotion in our fields shut em down for a bit.I talked to a few guys that hunted 1/4 mile away to the east and another 1/2 to the west and they are seeing and hearing birds.

[mike rossi]

We see flocks like that now during the fall.I think that all the commotion in our fields shut em down for a bit.I talked to a few guys that hunted 1/4 mile away to the east and another 1/2 to the west and they are seeing and hearing birds.

I think it was the commotion. Potash is used quite a bit and I never heard of it being a turkey repellent. Lots of salt in it, you would think it would do the opposite and attract them. Turkeys are accustomed to agricultural activity and you would think they would be back sooner. Maybe they just moved a ways off and are side-tracked with their mating business.

[Fantail]

I'm using the 'silence' of one area as a reason to hunt another I've been meaning to check out. You never know.

[landtracdeerhunter]

Their on the ground here by first east  light.  By time legal hours hit, they moved on. Got some new tricks up my sleeve. A new gobblers in town, LOL. With all this effort, I think I deserve a bird!

[Lawdwaz]

I heard one in Ontario County on Tuesday and zip today in Wyoming County.  You could hear for MILES both days. 

 

The one I heard on Tuesday out smarted me pretty bad.  Made me look like a rank amateur................

 

I hunted Wyoming County last week one day and heard two gobblers, both on posted property.  I tried to suck 'em onto my side of the road but they wouldn't go for it.  Neither one was heard today.

[Jennifer]

I have to laugh a bit. In years past, when I was quite young indeed, my dad and I would spend an entire season, excited to hear a single gobble. There was a year or two we heard nothing, and this is when he was younger and hunted hard and we had a lot more land open to us.

This isn't poking fun at anyone. I'm just saying that I get excited just to hear a bird or two! It's exciting just to "talk" with them. They are the only species I hunt that you can really have a conversation with and interact with so much.

[Lawdwaz]

I heard one in Ontario County on Tuesday and zip today in Wyoming County.  You could hear for MILES both days. 

 

The one I heard on Tuesday out smarted me pretty bad.  Made me look like a rank amateur................

 

I hunted Wyoming County last week one day and heard two gobblers, both on posted property.  I tried to suck 'em onto my side of the road but they wouldn't go for it.  Neither one was heard today.

 

SOB........my friend  from Arcade (where I hunted TODAY!).  called around 8:30 tonight,  a gobbler has been hollering for the last 15 minutes up in back of his house!  I can't hunt tomorrow so he'll have to wait.  Maybe I'll look for him Saturday...........damn it all.............

 

[MACHINIST]

Went out this am and busted one from the roost becuase I didnt hear him go into the roost last night,I also heard one this am about 300-400 yards away.

[2012_taco]

The turkeys have definately gotten quiet!  Tuesday only heard 4 gobbles all morning all shock gobbled to crows etc. It was less than 100 yds away when he gobbled, and he never gobbled to my calls. Went out today a stayed right till noon, never heard a bird! Sucks driving 70 miles each way and not even working a bird.

[Five Seasons]

Went out this am and busted one from the roost becuase I didnt hear him go into the roost last night,I also heard one this am about 300-400 yards away.

 

busted what i believe was a hen as well. but thankfully there was another in a tree nearby that I didn't bust. Sucked in a jake and 2 toms. couldn't believe it, i may have had a mild anxiety attack seeing the 2 vw beetles coming my way.

Edited May 17, 2013 by Belo