This season

[Setterman]

Here I sit basically 4 weeks into the TN season with two tags left to fill. I've heard exactly one bird gobble in the state of TN and he was amazingly happy to walk away tossing a few gobbles over his shoulder as he left.

I've hunted TN for essentially 30 years, started here when I was 18. I've never seen anything like this nor dreamed it possible.

I don't hunt a single farm or tract of land, rather the endless mountain ranges in Eastern TN. So it isn't just "my place". This misery spans thousands upon thousands of acres and makes zero sense.

I'm lucky to be able to cherry pick "perfect" days to hunt so the weather when I go is ideal. Still, it's complete silence every hunt.

I don't get it. There were plenty of birds at seasons end last year, enough sign to keep me in the game, and no one hunting anywhere near me. There's part of me that's terrified that what happened to our grouse has hit the turkeys. Part of me that thinks it's just a weird year. And a growing part of me that is about to say screw it and go fishing.

Thank god for KY where I killed my two birds relatively quickly or this would be really ugly and frustrating.

I can't be alone in this, but dang it's brutal getting up at 3:00am driving 1.5 hours, hiking up a mountain side for another 20 minutes only to be greeted by silence day after day.

 

[Buzzard Breath]

I miss those mountains. Relish it and keep after them. The fish will still be there in a couple weeks.

 

[MickThompson]

We've seen the same disappearance in pockets over the last 10 years but I've had a good year for gobbling and working birds. Hopefully it continues.

 

[Setterman]

I miss those mountains. Relish it and keep after them. The fish will still be there in a couple weeks.

Don't get me wrong I love the areas I hunt it's spectacular. But also maddening right now

 

[Gravey]

I've only been able to go 2 mornings in middle TN. Heard gobbles opening day but no willing participants to play. The second morning I hunted I didn't hear a bird but did kill a coyote. I'm out of town for work but brought my stuff with me and was planning to stop at my lease tomorrow afternoon and Saturday morning but the weather doesn't look like it's gonna cooperate and if not I'll keep on driving.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

May just be a fluke, and hope that's all it is for you, man. I've had deer seasons like this for me. We killed 6 off our place and we are done. Planting is my voyage from here. Leave the rest for years to come

 

[tn24]

Don't feel lonesome, I've not heard the first gobble on the farm I hunt this year.

 

[WilcoKen]

Same for me. I don't like it at all.

 

[chrmayo]

The farms I hunt and farms that border are loaded with turkeys but getting them to play the game has been almost non existent. Several birds have been killed around me but not playing the game. I called a group of 4 in opening week and finally got the lead bird to gobble at me twice before shooting. I'm hoping it's just this year.

 

[Harold Money jr]

It's been an extremely weird year for me as well in East Tennessee. I haven't had a Turkey hen or gobbler vocally respond to my calls. I do have turkeys on both of my farms and can see them, they gobble on the roost and a few gobbles when they hit the ground but nothing responding to me. I'm going this morning to hunt a group of 4 gobblers that are still tightly henned up with 4 hens. It's probably going to be more of a "deer hunt" as I'll try to hold off the calling as much as possible. Hopefully I can kill one before they get across the line on the neighbors corn pile. The baiters have had a banner year where I hunt, the calling hunters have had it rough.

 

[TITANSFAN2104]

Im usually done hunting by the second or third weeks end and this year was no different. I killed 1 and my buddy tagged out in the first 4 days of the season (not counting sunday as i hardly ever hunt on sundays) . Fishing has been on my mind!!!!

I love the turkeys and when im driving down the road and see one walking across a field all alone, I about drop everything and go to the woods. It fires me up when i start seeing or hearing them gobble!!!

 

[timberjack86]

Same for me, had to travel to middle TN just to hear a bird. I have seen some gobbler sign in the mountains. Spent many a day this season blind calling to no avail.

 

[hbg1]

I wish Twra would have listened and took action sooner, we saw this coming and nothing was done.

 

[fairchaser]

I had a question in my head when the season started if the decline in gobbling would be the same around the first of May or would the late start push gobbling into the first two weeks of May. Well, I got my answer. The gobbling is affected by hunting pressure but more so by the timing of the strut. They pretty much acted the same this year and stopped gobbling around the first of May. The two gobblers I saw yesterday never gobbled or broke into strut. They were just hanging out. I blame the lack of gobbling on the late start as much as anything else.

 

[rem270]

In NW TN and SW KY I see a lot of people post in your same situation. I also see a lot of people in my situation where 10-15 years ago there wasn't a single turkey around where I hunt now. Didn't even consider turkey hunting where I do now back then because you wouldn't ever even see a turkey. Not sure how long it will last or if it's the normal now (hopefully it stays the new normal). I always try to listen and watch pre season and in season to get a good idea of how many male birds are around. Best I can tell there's at least 2 gobblers left and 6-8 jakes after I'm tagged out. Not sure what the transition is now from 10-15 years ago, habitat, pressure, just more birds now than back then? I have no clue.

 

[Bone Collector]

Part of me that thinks it's just a weird year.

I certainly have heard enough reports to think that it has been a weird year. I personally can't say it has been a weird year, where I am, but parts/aspects of it have. Usually due to how I access the areas I hunt I hear a bird gobble at least on limb, but more and more, birds seem to be going silent once they hit the ground. Pressure is SUPER high. Someone posted on the thread I started, showing kill #'s and # of hunters, but I cannot see how the TWRA came up with hunter #'s without guessing. I know I have seen more hunters in the spots I hunt and used to have to myself this year than even in the COVID year and I hunted 2x as much in the COVID year.
So it may just be one of those years. I have seen 3 jakes so far, so not as much as usual, but some.

 

[Bone Collector]

Same for me, had to travel to middle TN just to hear a bird. I have seen some gobbler sign in the mountains. Spent many a day this season blind calling to no avail.

there are no turkeys in Middle TN... stop spreading lies

 

[Bone Collector]

I wish Twra would have listened and took action sooner, we saw this coming and nothing was done.

THIS^^^^ I feel like everyone started writing in the comments 5-7 years ago about the limits, the season dates, fall hunting, etc. They tried to slow roll in fall changes then all the sudden started implementing the spring changes people were talking about. Now, because they made all the changes in two seasons, people are upset and it may have been too late. I have thought about this a lot this season as I walk 5-6 miles were you used to see and hear turkeys, but see and hear none...

 

[timberjack86]

there are no turkeys in Middle TN... stop spreading lies

It could have been a barnyard turkey for all I know

 

[megalomaniac]

I had the same experience in MS... hunted 21 days, covered 6 different counties on public, never heard a single bird. Thank goodness I had one get lost and end up on my private lease as he was the only bird I heard gobble this year. Just aren't very many turkeys in south MS.

Now on my private farms in middle TN, population is up from 5y average due to good hatch 2y ago. And those birds have been WAY more vocal this year due to the increased competition from later start date. It's quite simple... more gobblers creates exponentially more gobbling as they compete against one another on the roost. Just a single gobbler who never hears another gobbler doesn't have to gobble, he just drums to his hens on the roost.

And they are STILL going at it just like April 15th. Got a pic this morn from a cell cam aimed at a salt lick for deer. In the field behind the salt lick, there is a tom in full strut, head colored up with 2 hens 15 minutes ago!