Thoughts on the 4/15 opener?

[Southern Sportsman]

I will say I've heard less roost gobbling than I typically do early, but they have responded really well once on the ground. I called in 5 different gobblers Saturday by 9:00 (hunting with kids, no shots fired). Sunday was a bust but it was really cold and windy. Today, called in two around 8:00 but one flanked me without me knowing it. When I shifted to get the gun on the other, he picked me off. But on the way out I struck a bird, that turned out to be six birds. All 2-year olds I assume. At least one of them was and they all acted like it. Most of my buddies have also worked lone, responsive birds.

 

[younggun308]

Woke up this morning at the farm and went outside before commuting back for work and heard more gobbles this morning from 5:45-7 than I did the whole weekend.

Lends credence to the barometric pressure explanation for low gobbling this past weekend.

 

[Planking]

I like the new dates. I didn't hear much on the roost either but once they hit they ground they would gobble.

 

[Henry]

They wouldn't shut up Saturday. I got out a little later than expected, just after daylight, and past two different areas of gobbling while I went in to an area with no gobbling, but a half hour later there were 2 hens, then 3, then 4, then Tom and Jake showed up together to watch over them. Had a hen show up at the chicken coup door Sat afternoon. Last year opening day I got there in time to see the birds come down off their roosts. Pretty happy with both last year and this year.

 

[poorhunter]

I have lived in Tennessee for 10 years now. All of those years I have had the privilege to live in and amongst turkeys, I can walk out my house and hear them gobble, drive down the road and see them in the same places year after year. I keep pretty good tabs on the turkeys in a 5-6 mile radius. The first 3-5 years there were a TON of turkeys before they suddenly practically disappeared. They have finally come back some the last two years. What I can say about gobbling activity and time of year is that turkeys just plain go through cycles of little to no gobbling or gobbling like crazy all day long. Sometimes it's day to day, but usually it seems like it's a week to week ebb and flow. There have been years where they gobbled like crazy two or three weeks before the season, and then hardly anything opening week. Or like this year where I didn't hear the first bird until the first week of April. I've had a few years where there was great gobbling in June. I've had two years where I heard one gobble the entire year (mostly due to there not being any birds to speak of). Gobbling just plain varies.
I would say, generally speaking, I've had great success the first week of the season, but only when they are gobbling, which ain't every year. Today was my first chance to hunt this year, and I didn't hear a gobble all day. Did call in two hens and bumped another off her nest though Tomorrow HAS to be better!

Edited to add that I love the later start in hopes more poults survive because there are more fertile eggs.

 

[REN]

I mean it's fine but personally I don't prefer it just do the massive increase in green. Granted we had a very early spring so maybe next year will be more normal for that.

 

[megalomaniac]

Went out this eve to coax toms to roost where I need them strategically for tomorrow.

3 spots I went to and called from, had gobblers respond to me at 2 of them.... this was from 430p to 530p this eve.

Saw 3 different lone hens who have obviously already been bred and initiated nests.

Now resetting coon traps before dark.

 

[Coker]

DONT LIKE IT AT ALL!!!!!! I wish they would change it back the way it was years ago when it opened the 3rd weekend in March. But, I will settle for the weekend closest to April 1st.
Gobblers are grouped back up, gobbling less, harder to find (due to lack of gobbling), less responsive (due to breeding almost over), etc etc etc.
And yes, I have killed one already.

 

[Bgoodman30]

I don't mind it as long as the weather is nice and not hot and muggy but I really don't like that 3:30am alarm clock. It's hard to function the rest of the day when you're getting up at 3 in the morning..

Around here this week is prime henned up time and this season is no different. Birds are plenty well henned up with tons of hens and not gobbling much on the ground.. Seems more hens than normal this year which is good. I saw a group of 9 hens yesterday with no tom tending..

 

[Setterman]

I hunted KY which also opened and also usually opens now. Birds didn't gobble great but I found a player and he's dead so it was a success. If the weather will improve maybe I'll get to try TN in the next few days. Dang wind has been howling for 2 days and a third tomorrow.

With the 2 bird limit the days added to the end likely won't be available for me which is fine. Overall I'd say I'm good with the new dates but the decoys need to be banned lol

 

[Setterman]

The people saying it's over etc are really showing ignorance. It's not even close to over anywhere in the country let alone here.

 

[scn]

Behind it 100%.

My personal wishes mean nothing if it will help our dwindling turkey flock. I see ZERO in the changes that have ANY chance of hurting the turkey flock, and think there are some things in the delay that will actually help. I am more than willing to give it a chance.

 

[Livin2hunt]

If hunting other states I miss the earlier start date. If this later date is anything as crazy as Saturday morning I'd live with it. Overall birds were abundant all morning and when I saw a tom there was a large group of them. Neighbor texted me Saturday morning and said we had groups of toms in all 5 of our fields at the same time. Never seen this before at the farm. Sunday was quiet due to weather. We got in later in the morning and birds were very responsive to calling but all came in silent. I called in one that my buddy killed at 4:00 pm.
Whatcha also think about hunters this year with the increase in kills? Maybe more than usual years? Thoughts?

 

[Longbow2240]

this season opening weekend: 10172. last year opening weekend was 6,521. With the change of date they've increased the harvest so far.

Those numbers are not gonna be accurate. Several counties were delayed the last two years the first 2 weeks.

 

[deerfever]

12,373 this year juvenile plus opening weekend, 2020 11, 590 , 2019 13,770 , 2018 11,406. Those are most recent years in which no counties had a delay for a kill comparison, all are juvenile plus opening weekend. I like hearing some of the good reports of gobbling and calling in birds. I have heard some and worked one for my son Saturday evening that just wouldn't commit. The kill seems close to normal for the start of the season. I don't know why but I went to a spot Saturday morning that I had not scouted but just drove by on public and thought looked good. I heard one of course a mile away and he did just enough to to get me to climb several ridges before getting with hens , Lol! Congratulations to all that have harvested.

 

[deerhunter10]

Personally I don't mind it. I have been surprised at how many long beards are still henned up. Killed one Saturday hunted pretty hard. Killed him at 1230. Missed one at 10. Had a chance to tag out Sunday was being picky and passed. Had a chance to tag out today also being picky and passed. Saturday morning was pretty quiet, picked up through out the day. Yesterday was rough with the wind but still had a few gobbling same this evening. I won't hunt again til probably Thursday. I love the fact that we aren't dealing with big groups of turkeys just small groups with a few ready to play. Also on our places seeing a ton of Jake's which is just great news for us.

 

[poorhunter]

10 days ago flocks around me were still very large, 5-8 gobblers and 15-20 hens. That changed Thursday last week and now they are hard to find as hens teeth.

 

[Setterman]

Behind it 100%.

My personal wishes mean nothing if it will help our dwindling turkey flock. I see ZERO in the changes that have ANY chance of hurting the turkey flock, and think there are some things in the delay that will actually help. I am more than willing to give it a chance.

I absolutely agree with this 100%.

If we kill more birds but more nests are successfully initiated because Dominant birds were allowed to live longer than heck yes. I enjoyed some early April fishing as a result.

With the 2 bird limit many hunters won't need 6 weeks to kill their 2, so I'd be fine with closing the season mid may.

Bottom line in my opinion we should've never had a statewide 4 bird limit. It was dumb when enacted and glad it's gone

 

[Setterman]

Personally I don't mind it. I have been surprised at how many long beards are still henned up. Killed one Saturday hunted pretty hard. Killed him at 1230. Missed one at 10. Had a chance to tag out Sunday was being picky and passed. Had a chance to tag out today also being picky and passed. Saturday morning was pretty quiet, picked up through out the day. Yesterday was rough with the wind but still had a few gobbling same this evening. I won't hunt again til probably Thursday. I love the fact that we aren't dealing with big groups of turkeys just small groups with a few ready to play. Also on our places seeing a ton of Jake's which is just great news for us.

I noticed this as well. Usually when it opens you're dealing with massive flocks that aren't much fun to deal with. Now it's small groups which at least gives us a fighting chance

 

[woodsman04]

Best ever. The only negative is they didn't outlaw decoys.