I dont understand these birds!?

[woodsman2230]

I have been hunting around my house lately, and they dont act like all the other turkeys I have hunted. I went and roosted them last night. (First time I have ever gotten a response from them at night) and I got set up about 90-100 yards from them this morning. They gobbled like crazy to crows but would not answer hen calls. They only gobbled by themselves 2 or 3 times on the roost. They probably gobbled 75 times on the roost. I heard them fly down at 5:55am! Once they hit the ground they immedately went the other way. They only gobbled maybe 7 times on the ground. They answered my calls once on the ground then they shut off for the rest of the day. Can anyone explain why they are doing this? Thanks!

Chris

[MadHuntinPastor]

Nope. It is hard to understand those birds!! Good luck.

[TC308]

Could have found some hens.

[mo_hunter]

[ QUOTE ]
Could have found some hens.

[/ QUOTE ]

yup, thats my thought

[BamaTrophyHunter]

[ QUOTE ]
Could have found some hens.

[/ QUOTE ]
and their probaly old and smart and been shot at. the best way to killem is to get were they want to go before they do

[PAbowhunter4life]

This is by far the strangest PA season I have ever encountered. Scouted my butt off, had a flock of 50 birds PEGGED the entire month of April up until a week before season opener, then BAM, didn't hear or see anything but a hen the week before the season. So I decided to give up on that spot and go to "Old Faithful" where the birds are always gobbling. Well, here is my season thus far..............







Opening day here had 3 gobble on roost, flew down a little after 6 and those were the last gobbles I heard that day. Saw 2 longbeards, 6 hens and 3 jakes, but they never made a peep. Passed on jakes and the longbeards only made it to 80 yards away when the hens showed up.

Following Thursday I was back in the same spot and the birds were going ballistic in all directions; it would be safe to say I heard at least 15 different birds. Called in 5 jakes right off the roost and passed again. That was the morning action. I had to be at work at 9 and when I left the woods at 8:30 they were still screaming all around me.

Two days later on Saturday, 3 gobbled on roost, never heard a peep after they flew down. Saw one hen and one unidentifiable.


Today, went up the valley to where the 3 constant gobblers have been and guess what, NOT A PEEP today period and only saw one hen.








I know the breeding season is pretty much winding down, but I usually hear birds gobbling until the first week of June or so in this spot. I wish I had an answer; maybe it's the unusually warm weather we've had since January, maybe it's................................ I'm not even gonna guess lol


All I know is I am getting my butt handed to me by these birds

[hookedonhunting]

Around me i think people a feeding them. Just like PABH4L said, they dissapear right b4 the season opens. Turkeys are just wierd this year!?!?

[elnor]

I'd guess they're beelining it to some hens.

I fought an old bird this season for nine days that did that. He'd gobble his fool head off as he ran down a ridge and into a field to beat two other ol toms to a strut zone that seven hens were frequenting. He never roosted in exactly the same place or took the same path from day to day. Though he roosted somewhere on our side of the fence every night, the field they strut in is on adjacent property I don't have permission to hunt.

I tried ambushes and got within 40-50 yards several times but always had obstructions. He never would present a shot and always wanted "that hen squawking over there in the brush" to come to him, rather than the other way around.

Never got him before the season ran out. The last day he was still gobbling at 3:49PM, only 50 yards or so away from me and acting a little curious, when a storm moved in and shut everything in the woods up.

Argh! Maybe next year...

[woodsman2230]

These birds dont act like any other birds I have ever hunted. People see them along the road a lot so I would imagine they have had almost every call imaginable thrown at them. Maybe that has something to do with it. But these birds also stop gobbling almost immediaetly after they fly down.

[M00N]

I had the same problems in PA. Just got back Friday from hunting all week up in Northwest PA. The birds the first week were going nuts, but the second week, when I actually had time to get out and hunt them, they were quiet as could be. They would gobble once or twice for flydown and go quiet the rest of the day. Other times they didn't gobble at all during the day. I saw about 75% of the birds while up there while driving to a new hunting location standing on the sides of the roads. Most were jakes or hens. I only managed to find 5 different gobblers the whole time up there and they were quiet about 75% of the time. The only times I heard them gobble was between sunrise and 7am. After 7am they went quiet for the remainder of the day.

[Bruce Schmeck]

Only certainty in turkey hunting is............................................thos e birds can and will drive ya nuts.