Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting birds are hot around here

in SW PA. went out this morning for a stroll and there were birds sounding off all over. its been a very loud year so far. and i am seeing tons. too bad the season doesn't open until may 2nd here in PA. i watched a show across the field from my house and 2 big boys were tearing it up for the hens. if this keeps up it should be a good year.

Heard 4 yesterday morning. Two only gobbled 5-6 times apiece, the other two were 50-75 times each in about 40 minutes.

My front yard this morning. Rio7

Nice pics!

Been quiet around here, season opens next weekend, so getting anxious. Seen a few hens that’s it. A month ago I had 9 gobblers in my field.

Last Spring there were birds all over the place near my house. I heard them every morning and it took me only 1/2 hour of hunting to get my bird. This year, I haven't seen a bird near me and haven't heard a thing. I'm not sure what happened to them but the numbers are way down by me. We do have coyotes and lots of Barred Owls have moved into our woods. I'm thinking major predation.

they were so hot this morning that they were gobbling at crows. kind of windy now so i can't hear them in the valleys from up here on the hill. my woods look like somebody raked and fertilized them.

Coyote aren't great turkey hunters. Coyote certainly will kill and eat turkeys given the chance but they aren't a major problem overall for turkey populations. Barred owls also aren't a player on turkeys. Great Horned Owls are a different thing. Great Horned Owls will certainly prey on turkey, waterfowl also. Bobcat are great turkey hunters.

The biggest problems for good turkey populations are nest raiders, nesting habitat and weather during nesting and shortly after. Raccoons, skunks, opossum, feral hogs, crows, black snakes, fox, ect. are hell on eggs and poults. Nesting habitat is important and so is decent weather. Cold heavy rains wash out nest, flood habitat and kill pouts.

MOGC, This guy know's what he's talking about. Rio7

Bad weather when they're nesting, and predators that raid nests are indeed the biggest reasons for low turkey numbers. I actually witnessed a coyote catch a turkey that as coming to my call, ambushing it in a broomsedge field. I've always killed bobcats where turkeys were found also. But, although the larger predators do eat turkeys, it's the nest raiders that need to be controlled.

I never understood why PA and NY turkey seasons start so late.

I'm not from there but my guess would be after the bulk of the breeding is done and the hens are serviced?

I'm still left to wonder what happened to them over this winter. There were lots of birds in the Fall but I haven't seen a bird near me since then. The winter was very mild with little snow cover. My wife is a bird watcher and is in our nearby woods all the time and she hasn't seen a turkey in awhile either. It's very perplexing.

they could be wintering closer to their preferred food source. The birds on our farm leave the 2nd week of Oct. and don't return till April.

I'm still thinking predation. Today when my wife was out birding she saw a Northern Goshawk in our nearby woods. I know they prey on turkeys because maybe 15 yrs ago I was sitting and calling at the base of a tree and had a Goshawk come flying thru the forest straight at me. I had to wave my arms to make it flare off it's attack, just a mere few feet in front of me. A Goshawk flying around might make turkeys seek a safer area.

Turkey population here is way down. Don't know exactly why, bu I am seeing fewer and fewer birds each year.