Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting Turkey Nests And Hay Fields

Just don't go together. We always get a nest or two when cutting hay, but when we cut the wheat hay a few weeks ago, we didn't see any. Now, we cutting the grass hay, and my son said he knew he ran over one nest. Yesterday, I was tedding the hay in the field where he was the nest, and I found another one, only this time, the hen had remained on the nest and was run through the discbine. Big pile of feathers and a chunk of breast meat was what was left.

I hate it when we run over the nests, but there is an optimal time to cut hay, and it can't be put off. You have to do it when it's ready, and when the weather is right. I put off running the bushhog where I think a turkey could be nesting, until later in the summer. The consolation to this is that at least there were eggs in a nest that a predator hadn't found. I'm hoping there are more around and they hatch out.

Yeah. It sucks. Turkey nests AND fawns.........

I don’t cut hay but am a believer in “no mow may” and practice it on my farm. I realize that’s not an option for hay

2 years in a row a hen has had a nest on the side of one of my roads in the same place. If we mowed in may the eggs would be scrambled. That’s the only one I know about but there are probably more.

I was seeing where some were already seeing this years hatch. I was hoping since spring was so early this year that the nest would be empty, guess that is not the case.

I have never found a nest. I saw a hen hanging around my cabin last year. I'd watch were she went and would look for her nest and never found it. They must be good hiders.

Very good policy. But the problem arises with the hens who are re-nesting in June or July or August. 2 years ago my boy and I were out calling yotes and on our way out just after daybreak, found a batch of peeps that were no more than a few days old. That was Labor Day weekend.

Short of letting the entire farm go fallow not much can be done about that

I found a nest while looking for morel mushrooms last year on my property (which I've yet to find!). Now, I pretty much stay out of those areas in the spring and have started going after the raccoons, which there's no shortage of. No hay to mow and the farmers up by me are just now starting to work their fields.

Sadly.............yep.

There's bound to be casualties of war no matter HOW careful you are.

We don't make hay any more. I'm going to mow our "hayfields" very soon............before the hens would nest in them.......and KEEP them down.

turkey nests, rabbit nests, fawns etc

A freshly cut hayfield is a good place to ambush a coyote or two. Coyotes learn to hunt through those freshly cut fields for newly exposed mice, rabbits, fawns, ect. Grab your long range rifle and keep an eye on those fields and you can probably smoke a few coyotes.

No doubt. Always seems buzzards and hawks are doing the same thing

mowed lots of turkey nest ,turtles and rabbits. never have hit a fawn though so far any I found mowing I've been able to get up and run off..
did get a small calf once though. wasn't mine wasn't supposed to be any in that field the neighbor didn't think it was his either. run it right through a John Deere cutter with the flail type conditioner. I just felt the tractor kind of burp a tad ,the next round I seen the mess. the really nasty part was raking all the parts and pieces up so I didn't run them through the baler ..

Haven’t hit a turkey nest that I’m aware of

I did hit a fawn last year. Mower clipped the top of his head off. It was a buck too. Bummer

I was spraying some food plots earlier this week and had 4 fawns jump out from under the UTV. If I’d been going faster than 4mph they might not have escaped

I'm convinced the reason we have an above average turkey population is because the ground is so poor in most places they CAN'T cut until the end of June, early July. Any birds hatched into August I doubt seriously could survive our winters though.

You just do the best you can and go with it if you cut much hay your going to have accidents. I trapped almost 40 coon and 27 possum last year trying to help the turkey population.