I've not busted up flocks well but I have called turkeys in, in the fall. To hear all those birds talking is something else. We can hunt them with dogs in the fall now. Great time to be in the woods!!
You are right. For some reason or another our fall was more popular than our spring at one time. I'm guessing that there was a fall long before a spring season but not sure. It has since reversed. For some reason or another I equate fall turkey hunting to fall flintlock up here where a lot of our folks dress in leather. Seems Native Americanish to me!! There are times everyday that I wish I was back there.When we finally did get a spring season, the Elders who were my mentors weren`t really interested in hunting them in the spring. Said it was too easy to kill a mature gobbler then. They were right too. In the spring, they have a reason to come to you. In the fall they don`t and are much more of a challenge to kill.
They were right too.
The very best hunting of anything, and my personal favorite type of hunting, was hunting turkeys in Georgia when we had a Fall season. I`m glad I`m old enough to have experienced it. Some almighty good memories.
I think your video is spot on. Used to hunt some places that is covered in concrete and warehouses. Will never have turkeys on those places again. Lots of hardwoods gone too.
Thanks for watching..and your comments. And I'm with you on hardwood loss...makes me sick.I think your video is spot on. Used to hunt some places that is covered in concrete and warehouses. Will never have turkeys on those places again. Lots of hardwoods gone too.
MAN YOUR OLD !!!! I wasn't even born then ....Early 1960s. Killed my first game of any kind, a turkey, at my Grandfathers knee, in December of 1960. He called it up with this call that he made in the early 1900s.
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Old is relative. He's wise!!MAN YOUR OLD !!!! I wasn't even born then ....
Thank you for taking the time to watch/reply. I'm 54 and used to love to quail hunt...would hate to see turkeys go the same way!
Hard to say, usually good quail habitat is good for turkeys as well. Since the video I've really wondered about corn feeders. And DNR says it's too many mature birds taken too early...We have great habitat and our quail population is really good, probably at a 25yr high currently. So how does that explain the turkey decline we have?
When we finally did get a spring season, the Elders who were my mentors weren`t really interested in hunting them in the spring. Said it was too easy to kill a mature gobbler then. They were right too. In the spring, they have a reason to come to you. In the fall they don`t and are much more of a challenge to kill.
They were right too.
Agreed. But you don't hear much about snakes either...until you try to raise chickens or quail.Not a lot of room for disagreement with anything mentioned in the video. All of those reasons for possible turkey population decline have been mentioned before in one way or another.
I've wondered about the fire ant issue myself quite a bit because as was mentioned, anything edible on the ground does not stay undiscovered for long in fire ant country.
However, to my knowledge no official documentation of fire ants destroying a nest or feeding on newly hatched poults has ever been presented. Seems like someone with the DNR or others doing nest monitoring would have observed it if it was widespread..
First of all thank you! My intention...and hate to use this expression...was to " raise awareness ". As birds of prey go...all I know is that Coopers Hawks population have increased 300% and quail are down 80%. And I am 100% with you on feeders drawing predators...and turkeys. My hope is that we turkey hunters do whatever it takes to get the numbers back up. QTM like QDM. If we all help one hen nest successfully , that's a start. Thank you for commenting!Thanks for taking time for this , maybe it will help . Even if it’s just a little . I think the #1 problem is predators , nest raiders and birds of prey . No one Coon hunts , the fur market is gone and they are being fed unlimited supplies of corn and protein feed . By almost all deer hunters , me included . May be totally wrong but just my belief. It’s a cardinal sin to kill a bird of prey , and all of our elders shot every one they seen . Even the areas of hardly any habitat change has seen a decline . I’ve been in 2 leases recently that had an excellent quail population and they both were recently cut . Also haven’t we always had fire ants ? And in my area we have no agriculture for chicken manure . Some cattle farms but not a lot . Never ride the roads and smell it like south ga . And as far as over harvesting , I’m not buying that either , we’ve been killing the same amounts for ever. And gobblers don’t lay eggs . My guess is the population will self correct and the biologist will look like geniuses .
Thanks for taking time for this , maybe it will help . Even if it’s just a little . I think the #1 problem is predators , nest raiders and birds of prey . No one Coon hunts , the fur market is gone and they are being fed unlimited supplies of corn and protein feed . By almost all deer hunters , me included . May be totally wrong but just my belief. It’s a cardinal sin to kill a bird of prey , and all of our elders shot every one they seen . Even the areas of hardly any habitat change has seen a decline . I’ve been in 2 leases recently that had an excellent quail population and they both were recently cut . Also haven’t we always had fire ants ? And in my area we have no agriculture for chicken manure . Some cattle farms but not a lot . Never ride the roads and smell it like south ga . And as far as over harvesting , I’m not buying that either , we’ve been killing the same amounts for ever. And gobblers don’t lay eggs . My guess is the population will self correct and the biologist will look like geniuses .