Not Hunting .....

[fasteddie]

We were coming back from dinner in Williamson Friday night . We had 3 hens and at least 18 poults  cross the road in front of us .... no camera and no phone to take pictures . Neat sight . 

[Lawdwaz]

I saw two different groups of poults/hens last Sunday in Ontario County, not a half mile apart after I left my friends place.  Then Monday morning a hen and a poult flew across Tonawanda Creek Rd in front of my truck.

They're EVERYWHERE!!

[G-Man]

have 3 hen poult groups hanging around. the one of 4 hens one with a 10 in beard and 25 poults insits on hanging in front of one of my cameras giving me 700 hundred or so photos a day of them..

[wolc123]

They did seem to be everywhere yesterday.  A buddy from work, who has been deer hunting on opening day of gun season with me the last couple years, stopped over with his brand new truck.   We drove it back to look at some food-plots near the stand that he hunts from.   There was about a dozen turkeys feeding in the clover below it.  The poults looked like they were nearly full grown.   I guess I am going to get my turkey tags this year.  I am not much of a caller, but maybe I can blast one with the shotgun from a deer blind as they come out to feed on clover this fall.  I will not be hunting deer around here until crossbow season opens, so I guess I can use fall turkey season as a scouting opportunity.   It is too bad that turkey season closes before crossbow deer season opens in the southern zone.  At least they run concurrent up in the northern zone, providing another reason for me to buy the tags.

I never use to like turkeys, and considered them "feathered-rats" because they were always in my corn food-plots, which were intended for deer.   Now I don't mind them because, as it turns out, they only feed on corn that has been nocked down by coons.   They are too lazy to get it off the stalks themselves.   Keeping the coons eradicated thru aggressive trapping, starting around September 1 (carcasses have to be burried or burned prior to opening of regular coon trapping season per NY state DEC recomendations on "damaging coons"), ensures that  almost all of the corn goes to the deer.   I also like the turkeys more now, because they led one of largest antlered bucks I have ever killed, to within "chip-shot" range, a few years ago.   Wise old bucks often use turkeys to take advantage of their sharp eyesite, and the turkeys don't mind having them around to capitalize on the "mutual protection" of their nose.    

[Robhuntandfish]

Have seen so many poults this year.  Must've been a good nesting season for sure.  I see them just about everyday to and from work in all different places.   Good to see

[wolc123]

1 hour ago, Robhuntandfish said:

Have seen so many poults this year.  Must've been a good nesting season for sure.  I see them just about everyday to and from work in all different places.   Good to see

I think the reason we have so many poults where I am, is because I have neighbors on both sides who are excellent coyote trappers and they keep the area relatively cleared of those "vermin".  That, combined with my coon eradication (saves the nests), makes it easy for the turkeys to flourish.  I am kind of looking forward to killing my first one this year.  I like it that you can take hens or toms in the fall.   Fall hunting is a lot more appealing to me than spring hunting when more bugs are out.  They say wild tom turkeys are dry and tough.  Maybe the hens would be a little better eating.   Only one way to find out I guess.

[turkeyfeathers]

Been seeing lots of crickets/grasshoppers lately. Turkey food !   Yes, the spring weather was conducive to a good nesting year.

[mowin]

Seen some poults that were the size of a quail yesterday, then a few miles down the road they weren't much smaller than the hens.