Turkey reproduction

Your trppin man...I see them every where.....

Actually, Pennsylvania as a whole is experiencing the same situation as you. While there are no doubt some areas of the state with lots of birds just as there are areas of the state with lots of deer, the state as a whole has experienced a net loss of over 30 percent of the turkey population in the last decade.

Two of the main reasons are believed to be a couple very wet springs and increased predation. That is the reason I was against the introduction of the Fisher into the state as it is one of the most efficient predators of ground nesting birds. The hunters could have controlled the porkeys but they were illegal for us to kill.

There is a study going on right now to determine the effects of hunting and other causes on turkey mortality as it is becoming a real cause for concern in areas of the state. In my own area I have fed them in the winter for over 40 years and in a typical winter had 40 to 70 on feed. The last two winters I have had approx 22 on feed in the same area. Still a huntable population but sure not what I was used to.

Our fall turkey hunter numbers have dropped 35% or so since their peak but the spring hunters numbers have actually increased just a bit depending on the years you compare.

The two biggest problems I encountered when hunting in the spring was finding a bird without someone else also on it and bumping deer into them when moving in. I no longer have the deer bumping problem but still have to contend with other hunters.

30-40 years ago killing a coyote got your picture in the newspaper. Now it takes a truck load of them to get any notice.

No doubt a real wet spring is the single greatest cause of ground nesting mortality.

Predators are either #1 or #2 depending on how wet the spring is in my opinion. Either one can really put the hurt on them.
As late as 2002 the PGC only thought we had about 20,000 coyotes in the state. The last three years there are an average of approx 25,000 killed each year that are documented and who knows how many thousands more that just get killed and tossed. They are eating something and it's not all deer.

Hey 10-
One thing I have learned over the years is to go as deep into the woods to hunt as you can-regardless of how much game is there compared to the edge.
Reason being that most all hunters only go a couple of hundred yards in and think they are 'deep'.
    Even with a possibility of less game its great to enhance the chances of being alone on whatever is there.
    Even with Spring turkey commonly coming to fields there are always a few Toms working ridges further in the woods. Some strut those ridges so well that you can set your watch by them as the season goes on. They definately come to the same places each day at about the same times. Generally after the first hookup a bit later in the AM.  Those are the birds that can usually be hunted all by yourself.
  I NEVER go in and take a chance of pushing out a strutting Tom in mid morning on a ridge. I ALWAYS try and get there ahead of him and set up a day or two later.  Once he shows up and announces himself sometimes only one light cluck and a rustle of leaves with a stick brings him directly in with no messing around.
  That loud leaf rustle with a stick has become my favorite way of bringing in a Gobbling Tom- works great with the birds that 'hang up' too. I keep the stick alongside me and reach around behind with it to the leaves and leter rip. Most guys have never tried that one but an old timer advised to do it  -it works great.Try to make it sound like turkeys scratching real hard.

I agree with all of the above and also think that nest robbers also have an influence on the population.

Finished last post and went right out back on this foggy drizzley  AM. NO gobbling whatsoever. Waited an hour and decided to move up the ridge and immediately spooked a Gobbler off a roost about 50 yds from where I had been sitting and occasionally clucking.
Hate silent days cant stand waiting around in a 'likely spot' without 'working' the bird.
Came back to the house and will go again tomorrow AM  (supposed to rain)
  It WAS a good day -got out and saw a Tom.

We're seeing a nice number of birds here in SW Pa this year as well.. More hens then normal but we already bagged a tom last week for the youth hunt. My sisters first turkey hunt and she got one with a crossbow.

Hey Eman- great work by the young lady.....
10- what you are 'down to' is where it was in the heyday hereabouts.
Ct. has about 35,000 birds according to the Dep with a couple of thousand hunters who took less than a couple of thousand birds last year.
My experience is that there are far more birds on unailable Pvt NO HUNTING lands that are available to hunt. Thats OK cause they produce young that travel but it can be a difficult season sometimes.
This year promise to be tough where I go due to few birdies. They guy feeding them bout a 1/4 mile away in his neighborhood of houses has a flock every day though. Gee -wonder where 'my 'birds are?
Stuff like that is why we only have a couple of thousand Turkey guys. It can really frustrate some guys driving out of their area  seeing all those birds hanging around the houses.
  My uncle has a nice farm about an hour away I used to hunt but the birds are off the roost and gone in 15 minutes each Am into a nearby neighborhood. Sometimes they might come back round 10/30 or 11 AM but hanging around all morning just in case is such a pain I dont even bother anymore.`

Thanks for the response- interesting that the hunter sucess rate in Ct is far greater than PA - would have thought just the opposite.
LOVE the swingset thing.
    Have waited them out- guess we have done the setup and wait thing- but have been down to not even taking a decoy anymore- gotta workem with the slate to enjoy it now. With the exception of sometimes calling in a buck with the Grunt there is NOTHING like working a hot Tom.
   Not that I would pass up a bird simply walking by but the opportunity to Call one in rather than simply a setup is the best thing in sports IMHO. Have likely lost birds cause of moving  to a HOT bird when just sitting  in a spot where birds were around could have been productive.-- Different strokes--

   Well I hate to say this but I havent  hunted Turkey here at home since the first day.. Saw that one gobbler roosted close by me the first day and have seen him walking all alone in the close field across the street from time to time. My Wife walks the Labs out there in the other fields each day and has seen birds only twice this year. A Tom and 2 hens one day and a Hen on another.
Took a Sunday walk two weeks ago and could hardly find any scratching at all - walked bout 2 hundred acres of Oak ridge above those fields. Went way off my permit property on that walk and I'm the only hunter in the whole area. Around 900 acres  with just myself hunting a small portion of it.
  In the past she saw at least one group of birds every day--- not now.
For many many years  could get up in the AM and listen to various birds  across the street on the ridges. NONE at all this year-- not one Gobble.
This Spring is a record breaker for being wet and even though I'm getting older and there are far more seasons behind me than ahead of me I'm NOT gonna shoot what breed stock is left there. I know this is only a local thing but gotta letem breed a bit and come back. Also gotta get someplace new to hunt in the Fall.
    We Hunters were the first conservationists and should stay that way. Cant complain either have had a number of years now with full tags --too bad the weather has donem in here and there but they say that on the whole the birds are doing just fine.
  BTW- its now the 23rd and I have seen that poor one  longbeard walk across the field to his roost the past 3 days in a row- Step outside each rainy morning and he hasent gobbled once. Either he's got tonsilitis or just wont in the rain-since it rained every morning for 3 weeks now maybe thats why I dont hear him.--stilll wont hunt the lonely thing- got a great beard, can clearly see it from 200 yds.

Good job 10-
Hope the local numbers dont drop for you like they have here-it gets nutty when you can see a bird here and there but dont feel comphy hunting them. NOT hunting is against my nature..
  Its like you say though, one place is sparce and another seem OK- hope that lasts cause this weather looks like it may very well put a real hurt on their numbers for the upcoming year- Hope to be  very wrong on that but we all know that weather and predators are the main controlling factors in population of these great birds.
  This  is gona be my first birdless year in a very long time so thats OK as long as they bounce back.

They can be vewy vewy twicky

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  Just got back from my place in upstate NY by the Salmon River. Wed was nice but no gobbles and then Downpour, lightning thunder and quarter inch hail. Been like that all spring.  Paper said wettest April on record for many years and an unusually wet May too.
   Gonna draw a pentagram in the dirt next Spring and dance around it - hope to conjure up a dry season.

The hay is ready to be cut so if it stays dry for awhile we should start to see them if there are any to see.

The GF heard Tom gobbling yesterday morning at light. Still hoping I guess.