[Mathews94]

I hear a lot of people saying their hearing birds, and I'm glad it's lively in your neck of the woods, but around here it's slower than molasses. They are not doing much of anything. No gobbles, not responsive to calls, it's just different this year, for you guys that are sharing the same expierence, what do you thinks going on ?
Weather?
Breeding is early?
Who thinks it will pick up?

 

[GermanHillHunter]

I hear ya buddy. I have never experienced a year like this one before. See my thread on Lockjaw in my area!

 

[browtine64]

We're going through the same thing in my neck of the woods. Since last weekend, I haven't heard a single gobble. Not sure what is going on.

 

[Tom Hooks]

Well I can tell you this, and all can make their own assumption as these birds are truly hard to figure out at times. But the last week of April I was able to locate and take two nice lonely Toms in Ohio.

And the point I'm making I am hunting exactly due East in Pa, not North or South from the Ohio area and haven't found a Tom that will play yet here in PA. Where the breeding of both areas should be pretty much identical. So that leaves one to wonder, are they pretty much done? Or are we in a second round of hens that have to renest and are with hens again? Because they sure didn't seem to be with hens the last week of April?

 

[Bates]

2E has been quiet as a church mouse. Not sure what is going on either. I'll toss this idea out, coyotes are more prevalent than ever 'round here... and the birds are there in good numbers but seem to be grouped and low key. Part of me wonders if the 'yotes have taught the flock to hush. Pure conjecture...I dunno.

 

[Takemrarely]

My year:


Youth hunt....gobble on the roost, shut up when they hit the ground. Had a bird come in silently....spooked him when we moved.

First weekend....gobble on the roost, shut up when they hit the ground. Had a bird come in silently....bang....I'm done.

Second weekend......gobbling on the roost, gobbling on the ground......gobble gobble, gobble.....heard a tom run off two jakes...squacking, hollering. Jakes gobble to answer hen yelp....bang...kid done.



I can't complain.

 

[xarcher]

I have watched 5 birds go down brween me, wife and friends in the first week. Not complaining either.

 

[Mathews94]

I'm not saying that there's no chance of success I am just wondering if anyone was seeing it also, because I've been to about 8 different spots within miles apart and it's the same thing. Hopefully it picks up, for the guys and me that are in a slow spot.

 

[Uncle Nicky]

Same luck here. Hunted near Clearfield first 5 days of the season, and drove to the Poconos Saturday. Hunted hard until noon each day, and put at least 5 miles on my boots each day. Finally heard my first gobble of the PA season Saturday, a distant bird who gobbled 3 times then went silent. The only pattern I see so far is I'm hunting public land, first in the western part of the state and in the NE part last Saturday.

And no, I'm not complaining, and yes, I know there are guys in some areas that have birds gobbling, so please let's not go there. Given where I live and my schedule, getting out & roosting birds a month before the season really isn't an option, so I have to either depend on intel from other guys or rely on spots that have been productive in past years.

I do know a lot of friends I have in Virginia ran into the same scenario this year. I was lucky enough to strike a kamikaze gobbler there a few weeks ago who gobbled non-stop and killed him, but from what I'm hearing it's the exception rather than the norm. Also talked to a buddy in western NY who's having the same luck. Overall, I believe that the birds are generally tightlipped this year, at least on the East Coast.

I'm not a biologist, so I don't really know why they aren't gobbling hard this year or if it will pick up, I am hoping so. I do think turkeys in general seem to be gobbling less than they did 10 years ago. Ask 100 guys, you will get 100 theories, mine is that the cold wet weather we've had the last 2 weeks certainly ISN'T helping things. It could have something to do with early breeding, if so things ought to pick up, but who knows?

I will say that this is the strangest opening week that I can remember.

 

[good ole boy]

Agreed.As the season progresses the more remote and tight lipped they are.I haven,t even been seein em durin the day out in the fields.

 

[beagler]

A couple gobbling sporadically on the roost then silent the rest of the morning. Not much going on here. A few weeks back they were hammering like crazy.

 

[Mathews94]

Agreed.As the season progresses the more remote and tight lipped they are.I haven,t even been seein em durin the day out in the fields.

Same here, just recently I noticed their not making much of an appearance out in the fields in the evening.

I also hunt public land, so it's either pressure, the weather, or early breeding.
Running and gunning is almost near useless right now, hard to roost birds that won't show themselves or make a sound.
I'd say the best I heard was the first day, but even then it ended by 8AM if not earlier (again this is MY observation in MY area)

It could be so many things, They could have more hens then they know what to do with around here so maybe the don't know need to gobble as much , but 3 counties over could have not so many, thus making calling and hearing them more productive.
JMO

 

[fishdoctor]

Only got out a few days. Plenty of birds and they don't seem to be henned up too bad. Not seeing hens around as much so guessing most on nests. Just not gobbling even from roost, which is weird and not much fun lol. State ground, and theydefinitely pressured birds. Pretty sure you can kill birds sitting on a pipeline or some other open area waiting for a walk by if you have time, but that's not much fun to me. Running an gunning before work doesnt work well with quit birds. Sometimes it picks back up late in the season.

 

[Adam]

I've been out 5 mornings and I've heard about 8 gobbles.

 

[Mathews94]

I've been out 5 mornings and I've heard about 8 gobbles.

That's about 7 more than me! Lol

 

[dpms]

Our season is already too late and the early spring made it worse.

 

[fall gobbler]

Our season is already too late and the early spring made it worse.

We had early May weather in March, then we had a dry April with March winds. We finally got our much needed rain in the form of a week long, socked in, cold front.

Definitely affected the birds.

 

[steelhead125]

The only good day I have had so far is Monday, my first day out. Heard three different gobblers and ended up shooting one of them. Since then I haven't heard a thing and I have been going out almost every day and walking for miles. I hunt mountain public land and the same thing happened to me last year.
If it makes anyone feel better it's not uncommon for me to have a bad week or two in a row up there. Usually at some point they turn back on though. I know if I just keep going and keep searching I eventually will get some action.

There have been years were I would swear there is not a turkey in the area for miles and then I will go to the exact same spot during the 3rd week and there are birds gobbling all over the place.

 

[Pa.Bone]

I have only been out twice in Pa. on opening day and this past Saturday. I have heard a lot of gobbling which is normal here the first week, but gobbling really seems to slow down after that. For me because I start hunting turkeys several weeks before our season in other states, I start to lose interest about mid May much like the gobblers do.

 

[Uncle Johnny]

A couple gobbling sporadically on the roost then silent the rest of the morning. Not much going on here. A few weeks back they were hammering like crazy.

This is what I am seeing. This past Saturday, just before I got into the woods I noticed a roosted bird silhouetted against the sky, which prevented me from getting to my hunting spot. So I circled around him and got to my spot and waited for daylight.

He gobbled only one time just before he flew down, and did not gobble again.

I only heard a couple of sporadic gobbles in the a.m. from a distance and then silence. Weird.