Opening morning, usual spot, a few hens came buy with a gobbler trailing my wife shot the bird. I've hunted there every moring this week, I've probable seen or called in 60 or more hens. Not a jake or gobbler in the bunch. yesterday I had 17 hens feeding around me. ! Thursday I heard some one shoot in the state park about 200 yds from where I set up, then about 30 minutes later I heard a gobble in about the same spot, did my best to call him but only hens kept coming out of the park. I know my wife didn't shoot the only turkey on the farm. So what gives, why so many hens coming when I call and not a jake or gobbler to be seen ? I didn't hunt this morning, too cold and windy and I'm tired.
What do you thing is going on here ?

Don't know the answer, but some reasons are, the jakes and longbeards haven't broke up yet, still in their bachelor groups and haven't started traveling as far. The longbeards haven't run off the jakes or the opposite yet. They maybe henned up with hens somewhere else, and when those hens go to setting on a nest, the longbeards will go in search of some fresh hens. I've seen it as if the jakes and longbeards appear overnight from a place they hadn't been in a while. Good luck, keep searching to locate the longbeards.

I don't know what's up down there in Mo. Here in Michigan our weather turned to crap with a couple inches of snow last night My season started on the 18th and the first couple days weather was great. Then it rained and turned cold after that. I didn't see any hens without Tom's in tow, but I did see a group of 4 jakes. Last thursday I called in a single Tom an hour after daylight and took him with my flint lock Fowler. I'm glad I did because that was the last decent day of my two week season.

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Now THAT'S the way to do it!!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Congratulations to the highest degree <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Try them again about 2:00 in the afternoon. The gobblers will be alone and looking for company. They will most likely come in with out making a sound and you should call less than you might in the AM. I do three yelps in fifteen minute intervals.

Her in Mo. we can only hunt from daylight to 1 pm. Will try again in the morning but is is supposed to be 32 cold for Mo. this time of year.