Where are the gobblers

[hammer4reel]

1 minute ago, BHC said:

The way I call, yes I must get mine at shop rite

well good luck with your new call, maybe it will change the game for you .

calling less may be more and work for you also ,

as I posted before my pop didn't call well but got by using a push button call.

Being in the right spot he shot good toms every year .

you know your in the right area , as you get lots of pics.

 

.

[hunterbob1]

https://www.google.com

[BHC]

Yeah I don't call much....in fact i wait and listen for them to gobble why still on roost

[KBfishing]

With all the rain last year i am sure some polt were lost. Turkeys dont like rain. 

[Bergenguy]

They are in Saddle River.  went for a bike ride today and there were a bunch gobbling their heads off. Nice BIG toms too.

As for me, I'm waiting for May and NY season.

[BHC]

Just now, Bergenguy said:

They are in Saddle River.  went for a bike ride today and there were a bunch gobbling their heads off. Nice BIG toms too.

As for me, I'm waiting for May and NY season.

Saddle Brook Park?

[OMC]

Every year we have a flock that shows up in March and hangs around until the summer. Normally 10 -15 hens with a few toms and jakes with a couple of other toms that move through. They nest right behind my house and normally see the poults for a couple of weeks before they all move on deeper into the woods. Last year not one poult survived that I saw !  This year the numbers showing up are much lower about 8 hens and two toms so far with no jakes. I am not seeing the numbers while driving around or scouting. It is going to be a tough year for sure. I think it a combo of really wet spring and a lot of predators last year. FYI I don't hunt the birds around my house they are pets !

[Mountain Goat]

On 4/14/2019 at 8:21 AM, hammer4reel said:

Have had fantastic turkey hunting at my PA spot for as many years as I can remember .

always a bunch of mature gobblers and twice as many jakes .

last spring we had hens around us daily and didn’t hear a Tom .

this spring there are at least 6 hens roosted around our creek .

yet haven’t seen anything but those hens .again not a single gobbler .

pretty weird to constantly see the ladies without a Tom following them around.

 

 

.

Where there are hens there will be toms close by.  Just because you don't hear them does not mean that they are not there.

[OldPiney Woods]

The last couple of years I am seeing less turkeys in my area. I have not seen a hen with poults for several years and the last one I saw had only one poult.  The adults don't have to worry too much about predators, but the foxes, coyotes, racoons, hawks and owls take a lot of the poults. With very few if anyone hunting or trapping the foxes, racoons, and coyotes in my area and the the increase in protected hawks and owls it is only going to get worse.  

[Haskell_Hunter]

I used to have a flock of 20+ turkey in the area.  Would see them almost daily.  They are now down to a group of 5 or less.  Predators have hit them hard.

When the turkey flock was its strongest, the yotes moved in.  Would hear them bark all night long.  We thought we took care of that problem over a few springs, but the raccoon population got larger.  Where I used to have turkey roosts I now have a couple of raccoon nests in the trees.  Can see their eyes up there at night reflecting my spotlight.

This is what happens when we have less trappers in the woods and less people going out for predator season.  If you trap and shoot predators, your deer/turkey will rebound.  This is something I need to start working on in my area.  I might have to take bow season off and instead focus on whacking small game predators wherever I can.

[Lunatic]

14 hours ago, BHC said:

The way I call, yes I must get mine at shop rite

Me too and my success ration is 100%

[Live to Hunt]

I have a bunch of hens and no Toms yet at my house also

[Bergenguy]

16 hours ago, BHC said:

Saddle Brook Park?

Nope, along East Saddle River Road near the border of Saddle River and Upper Saddle River