What happened???

[Grizz1219]

This weekend was a tough turkey hunting weekend in my area... Heard only 2 shots on Sunday.... Barely heard turkeys never mind worked any??? What the heck happened??? Anyone else have a tough time??? I'm in 4Y & 4Z

 

 

[turkeyfeathers]

How was the wind? Hunted yesterday for a few hours and it was really windy. Haven;t heard a lot of success stories on windy days. I know I haven't had much luck on those days.

[Grizz1219]

Wind picked up but at first light there was no wind.. and no gobbling...

[TeeBugg]

Same here in 8f. Dad shot a jake saturday morning, had a mature bird working and he said it gobbled quite a bit. Just never materialized. From thursday til noon today i think ive heard a total of 5 or so gobbles and only a handful of shots. Its early yet!

[ghug92]

They're definitely having a late start. Its just been too cold. I'd say this next weekend is when we'll really hear them like we usually do opening day.

[dbHunterNY]

Hunted 4c Saturday morning. Called in half dozen jakes. Couldn't make things happen on three long beards. Tough morning but not slow. Gobbling was going on some birds henned up.

[ants]

Dead a$$ quiet in my area... 7F. I've hunted 4 days so far and have heard only one tom, that I screwed up on. Hunted the last few hours this morning and nothing. The hell of it  is that, up until a few days before the opener, I had been seeing a lot of birds, including some nice toms. I can only assume that they are still henned up, big time.. Seeing a lot of deer though….LOL!

[Grizz1219]

Not to be mean, but I feel better knowing it isn't just me..

 

 

[asav2013]

It was tough all around, hear a Jake and Tom on the roost on the neighboring property think they got shot off the roost shots sounded close and way to early pissed me off right out the gate, they had busted up the 3 Tom's I had roosted the night before and they were tight lipped, found 2 of em strutting at 10 in our field and tried to make a move on em run ans gun but they only gobbled 3 times and some.hens took em away, hope it gets better soon , this weather blows big time

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[skyhunter]

yes, same here in Orange county. very quiet early and no gobbling except for 2 birds that came into my set late at 10:45 and 11:30. they only gobbled after I had called. no bow shot on either.

[philoshop]

I've never hunted turkeys and I don't know very much about them, but I do pay attention to the wildlife and it seems like everything has been slow for the past few days. Even the birds at the feeders have been kind of 'off'. Strange weather for sure, with winds shifting through 360 degrees every few hours and temp changes following the winds. ???

Things are supposed to settle down a bit for the next few days though. Good luck everyone.

[vince1230]

Nothing in 7p. Saw one hen crossing road on way to state forest windy as heck

[catskillkid]

I hunted 4O Saturday and Sunday. Weather was terrible, low pressure system shut the birds down. I saw a flock of hens with no toms. I don't think the flocks even broke up yet here. Very late start to the season. Not one gobble was heard on roost or during the day..

[Four Season Whitetail's]

I hunted 4O Saturday and Sunday. Weather was terrible, low pressure system shut the birds down. I saw a flock of hens with no toms. I don't think the flocks even broke up yet here. Very late start to the season. Not one gobble was heard on roost or during the day..

They have broke up in our area. 7 Toms taken the first 3 days and the toms that are left are in with small flocks of 6 to 8 hens. 6 different boys all fluffed up with the ladies today. Let them rest a day or two and they are right back out like there was no season at all.

[UpStateRedNeck]

I have never seen birds so spooky or as quiet as I have this year.  Made it out Saturday with my buddy (who incidentally took a big Tom on opening day with his bow + the head loppers), and had 2 weird encounters.

#1 A big tom gobbled once from a below a lower field, but he beat us to the open and would, not, gobble, or come in.  Even though he was in full strut in the middle of the field and we snuck up to the edge.  He's a wiley old bastard and just strutted off in the other direction.  An hour later after trying another likely spot, we went back to the truck for a breather.  This bird pops out of the woods 200 yards south of the truck, on the road, fans, runs a couple steps, fans, runs a couple steps, rinse and repeat.  Not a noise.  The SOB was trawling for ladies on pure sight, not making a noise. 

#2 We trailed big fella, set up in his wake, and called, nothing.  Then we heard a pair gobbling their fool heads off 1/4 a mile away.  We trot over, set up with a hen decoy right over a rise in the field, we're perfectly camoed in a bush.  They both come out in the field, but hang near the edge of cover.  A pair of jakes, but we would have taken them for the double whammy.  These punks eyeball the decoy for a minute, never fan once, then stroll away gobbling.  We trail these boys out to another field, set up, and call again, they gobble twice, then drop off the top of the hill without a peep.

 

I hypothesize that the coyotes have the birds very nervouse about giving away their location.  May I stress that I am really good bird whisperer, and this is the first year in 4 or so that I've gone out up on the farm and not come back with a big tom.  Never seen birds so nervous. 

[whaler]

Agree UpStateRedneck.

 

Coyotes have made birds act differently the last few years.

[bowaholic]

population way down in 6p and general area...got one Saturday morning but that was the first good time I have gotten in two years. a lot of fishers around and I know that has something to do with it.  it also doesn't help people shooting four or five birds in the spring.... a-holes

[Jennifer]

I'm in 9x and it's been very quiet here, too. I am also a birdwatcher and I will note that this is the first year in memory that I have gone out turkey hunting in May and haven't heard about half the migratory wild bird species I am used to. Have any of you also noticed a "diminished" dawn chorus of wild birdsong? Now of course this has nothing to to with turkeys but everything seems very 'late'. The Mayapples, Trilliums, and ferns are just barely starting to peek out of the ground.

 

I can only hunt weekends due to work and Saturday was a calm, beautiful spring morning. It was dead silent all morning and I didn't hear another shot. No distant gobbles mocking me either! Usually at least one will holler from a distant property that I don't have permission to hunt on. Haha. But not this time. Sunday was windy and was quiet as well.

[letinmfly]

I hunted the first three days and the silence was deafening!!

[jjb4900]

I'm in 9x and it's been very quiet here, too. I am also a birdwatcher and I will note that this is the first year in memory that I have gone out turkey hunting in May and haven't heard about half the migratory wild bird species I am used to. Have any of you also noticed a "diminished" dawn chorus of wild birdsong? Now of course this has nothing to to with turkeys but everything seems very 'late'. The Mayapples, Trilliums, and ferns are just barely starting to peek out of the ground.

 

I can only hunt weekends due to work and Saturday was a calm, beautiful spring morning. It was dead silent all morning and I didn't hear another shot. No distant gobbles mocking me either! Usually at least one will holler from a distant property that I don't have permission to hunt on. Haha. But not this time. Sunday was windy and was quiet as well.

funny you should mention the "dawn chorus"......normally every year when it gets warm and I walk outside to leave for work, I would hear the birds and think to myself that it feels like turkey season.....that hasn't happened this year and it never even crossed my mind till you mentioned it.

[Jennifer]

Some of the migratory birds I am used to seeing in mid-late April are just starting to show up this week.

Turkeys aren't migratory of course, but I do wonder if nature is 'later' than we are used to, this year. Spring is never late, nor is it early; it arrives precisely when it means to...