2023 spring turkey!

[Gellar]

There’s been some turkey talk lately, but after March 1st it’s time to start scouting! So this wil be the official 2023 Spring turkey thread. Post your tips, tactics, plans, fails, and whatever else here!

My plans are as usual Iowa 1st and 4th seasons. 1st season is 4 days long April 10-13 and 4th season is April 26-May 14.

Last year I killed a Turkey about 20 feet off of @duckhunt’s new property on public land. I’ve already warned him if he sees a 2004 rusted out F150 stopped in his yard not to worry.

I hope to get to do a float turkey hunt again this year on a local river. Last year my schedule and COVID ruined that fun.

Press that follow button and let’s get started!

 

[WinkB]

I got second season here in WI and my daughter has first. Can't wait for the season to be here. I was thinking of switching her over to the Federal heavyweights from the Winchester long beard XL. Then I saw they were $60-75 a box of 5. With plenty of long beard on the shelf at home we will be sticking with that. The shotguns have been verified and the blinds will go up in the field in the next couple of weeks.

 

[Sheltowee]

 

[CowboyLeroy]

I went and listened to some gobble last week, GA moved the season back two weeks last year so hopefully it'll still be on when we get started

 

[Gellar]

I got second season here in WI and my daughter has first. Can't wait for the season to be here. I was thinking of switching her over to the Federal heavyweights from the Winchester long beard XL. Then I saw they were $60-75 a box of 5. With plenty of long beard on the shelf at home we will be sticking with that. The shotguns have been verified and the blinds will go up in the field in the next couple of weeks.

I intended to get a .410 this winter since they have become legal for turkeys in Iowa, but $50 for the box of 5 has my cheap a$$ hesitating.

 

[MThuntr]

I have a tag but won't get excited about it for another 6 weeks

 

[Gellar]

I went and listened to some gobble last week, GA moved the season back two weeks last year so hopefully it'll still be on when we get started

Turkeys are still in their winter groups here, but they have spread out. Im starting to see them getting closer to their spring roosting areas. Why did they move the season back? To give Toms more time to find hens before being pressured?

 

[WildWill]

I went and listened to some gobble last week, GA moved the season back two weeks last year so hopefully it'll still be on when we get started

Did the same here in Oklahoma last year moved back 10 days.

Going to western Oklahoma for the opener (April 16th)with a couple buddies and maybe my nephew to chase Rios on public for 4-5 days. With the bird numbers so low here at home in SE Oklahoma where we have Easterns plus a ton of stuff I need to get done before the new baby in July I think I'll just hunt them out west this year.


But I've made up my mind next year I'm going out of state for turkey. Tennessee and Missouri are both on the radar but pretty sure I'll head to north central NM.

 

[WinkB]

I heard one report that the reason to move the season back a couple weeks is to allow the top bird to breed more. The argument was that once the pecking order has been established and if the dominant tom was taken out early. it negatively impacts the breading cycle. Additionally it really disrupts the hierarchy of the birds and they will start that process all over again which delays the breeding which results in lower numbers so they claimed. Given that the survival rates are so low to start with the idea is to give them the best change possible. Moving it back would get more hens breed during that 2 week period.

I don't know if there is any merit to that, it was just something that I read on the internet so take it for what it is worth. I have not heard anything from the different states biologists that back that claim.

 

[duckhunt]

There’s been some turkey talk lately, but after March 1st it’s time to start scouting! So this wil be the official 2023 Spring turkey thread. Post your tips, tactics, plans, fails, and whatever else here!

My plans are as usual Iowa 1st and 4th seasons. 1st season is 4 days long April 10-13 and 4th season is April 26-May 14.

Last year I killed a Turkey about 20 feet off of @duckhunt’s new property on public land. I’ve already warned him if he sees a 2004 rusted out F150 stopped in his yard not to worry.

I hope to get to do a float turkey hunt again this year on a local river. Last year my schedule and COVID ruined that fun.

Press that follow button and let’s get started!

View attachment 266810
View attachment 266811

I hope your the only one hunting my property because there's actually a public hunting sign on my land. I'm going to elect you sheriff to keep everybody in check.

 

[fwagner]

There’s been some turkey talk lately, but after March 1st it’s time to start scouting! So this wil be the official 2023 Spring turkey thread. Post your tips, tactics, plans, fails, and whatever else here!

My plans are as usual Iowa 1st and 4th seasons. 1st season is 4 days long April 10-13 and 4th season is April 26-May 14.

Last year I killed a Turkey about 20 feet off of @duckhunt’s new property on public land. I’ve already warned him if he sees a 2004 rusted out F150 stopped in his yard not to worry.

I hope to get to do a float turkey hunt again this year on a local river. Last year my schedule and COVID ruined that fun.

Press that follow button and let’s get started!

View attachment 266810
View attachment 266811

I grew up in South Eastern Iowa....moved to WI in 2003. The decline in turkey numbers back home is so sad. Places I grew up hearing plenty of toms are now dead silent!! No toms anywhere, of course we didn't have bobcats back then and they are all over the place now. Are you seeing decent numbers where you hunt? I'll be doing the state "Learn to hunt" which is before youth, then I got first and I'll try to pick up 3rd but I'll get 4th for sure.....and maybe 5th or 6th. They backed the seasons up and 6th season I find myself bumping hens off the nest and does from fawns so I try to stay out of the woods.

 

[Jorgy]

I have turkeys under my bird feeder right now, can't wait

 

[fwagner]

I heard one report that the reason to move the season back a couple weeks is to allow the top bird to bread more. The argument was that once the pecking order has been established and if the dominant tom was taken out early. it negatively impacts the breading cycle. Additionally it really disrupts the hierarchy of the birds and they will start that process all over again which delays the breading which results in lower numbers so they claimed. Given that the survival rates are so low to start with the idea is to give them the best change possible. Moving it back would get more hens bread during that 2 week period.

I don't know if there is any merit to that, it was just something that I read on the internet so take it for what it is worth. I have not heard anything from the different states biologists that back that claim.

Mike Chamberlain, a PHD from the University of Georgia talks about that very thing quite a bit. He said exactly what you wrote about disturbing the hierarchy and messing up the breeding seasons. He has some great talks and videos on youtube. He also dispels the nonsense rumor that bobcats climb up a tree and kill turkeys on the roost but does say that great horned owls will kill full grown toms on the roost. He has some interesting research from gps collared turkeys.

 

[Gellar]

I hope your the only one hunting my property because there's actually a public hunting sign on my land. I'm going to elect you sheriff to keep everybody in check.

A good Sherriff has to know his protection area. Thanks for the permission to hunt your land!

 

[Gellar]

Mike Chamberlain, a PHD from the University of Georgia talks about that very thing quite a bit. He said exactly what you wrote about disturbing the hierarchy and messing up the breeding seasons. He has some great talks and videos on youtube. He also dispels the nonsense rumor that bobcats climb up a tree and kill turkeys on the roost but does say that great horned owls will kill full grown toms on the roost. He has some interesting research from gps collared turkeys.

That makes sense. I’ve killed birds in the first season, usually the 2nd week of April, that are rubbed raw from breeding, but I’ve also hunted a lot of birds in the first season that have no interest in hens and are still in their winter groups with all Tom’s.

I grew up in South Eastern Iowa....moved to WI in 2003. The decline in turkey numbers back home is so sad. Places I grew up hearing plenty of toms are now dead silent!! No toms anywhere, of course we didn't have bobcats back then and they are all over the place now. Are you seeing decent numbers where you hunt? I'll be doing the state "Learn to hunt" which is before youth, then I got first and I'll try to pick up 3rd but I'll get 4th for sure.....and maybe 5th or 6th. They backed the seasons up and 6th season I find myself bumping hens off the nest and does from fawns so I try to stay out of the woods.

I’m in northeast Iowa. Across the river from prairie du chien, wi. Our bird numbers are stable. But they are hurting elsewhere in Iowa, IMO. According to the dnr counts in July and August they are stable across the state. I listened to a regional biologist from Se Iowa who was doing nest surveys and out of something like 65 nests he only found 1 or 2 that did not get predated.

 

[fwagner]

That makes sense. I’ve killed birds in the first season, usually the 2nd week of April, that are rubbed raw from breeding, but I’ve also hunted a lot of birds in the first season that have no interest in hens and are still in their winter groups with all Tom’s.

I’m in northeast Iowa. Across the river from prairie du chien, wi. Our bird numbers are stable. But they are hurting elsewhere in Iowa, IMO. According to the dnr counts in July and August they are stable across the state. I listened to a regional biologist from Se Iowa who was doing nest surveys and out of something like 65 nests he only found 1 or 2 that did not get predated.

I forgot to add that point, nest predation. I'm sure there is a direct correlation to the price of furs in the 70's and 80's as compared to now and the survival rate of nests in the present day. It's crazy to think how lucky a turkey is to survive to adulthood!!! I hunt in Vernon county WI, so we aren't very far apart. Numbers here aren't as good as 10 years ago but are still pretty decent. I know a lot of land owners who are trapping coons all year round in hopes of helping turkey numbers.

 

[Knight.54]

I had a few traps set last weekend for nest predators. I didn’t get to do as much of that this year as I was hoping. Took three possums out of the equation. It was a rainy cool morning on Sunday and I did hear few gobbles.

 

[Wayne_Brent]

April 8 can’t get here soon enough.

For anyone interested, there’s a podcast called Wild Turkey Science. Hosted by actual scientists and sponsored by TFT (Turkeys For Tomorrow).
Should be on whatever platform you use to listen to podcasts. Interesting stuff, IMO.

Edit: They’re on YouTube as well.

 

[Chad Gus]

I've got 10 toms in my yard everyday, one has 4 or 5 beards. The extra beards are short and spindly, but there's a bunch of them.
Turkey season is my favorite, here in Wisconsin, those last 3 weeks are when i prefer to hunt them. They're skittish, spooky and call shy, really makes it fun, when you really gotta work for them

 

[TheTone]

I’m hoping eventually it stops snowing! A couple spots I’d like to hunt this year May have some access issues unless something changes big time