Gobbler Nation

So I was talking to a biologist the other day who works for the Georgia dnr and I asked him what kind of turkey season to expect and he proceeded to tell me that we are month ahead of schedule as far as the season goes and he thinks it will be like last year maybe a little worse so I wanted to ask a few of you veterans that have experienced seasons like this and strategies that made for successful hunts

Every biologist I've ever read from said the birds breed on length of daylight, not the weather.
It will be greener than many opening days, but biology says the birds will be pretty much at the usual point in the breeding cycle.

Tail Feathers wrote:Every biologist I've ever read from said the birds breed on length of daylight, not the weather.
It will be greener than many opening days, but biology says the birds will be pretty much at the usual point in the breeding cycle.

Same here. That's what makes this sound odd to me, coming from a biologist.

Tail Feathers wrote:Every biologist I've ever read from said the birds breed on length of daylight, not the weather.
It will be greener than many opening days, but biology says the birds will be pretty much at the usual point in the breeding cycle.

Exactly, it is all about the length of daylight hours, good luck

To confirm what others have already said, from T&TH:

"We asked Lovett Williams, one of the country’s best-known turkey biologists and researchers, how the unusual spring might affect turkeys.

“Gobbling is triggered by warm weather, (but) hens are stimulated to breed by increasing daylight,” he wrote. “The daylight period is a better predictor of spring than the weather."

I have never heard a biologist say what yours did. I have heard hunters, some of whom should have known better, whine every year about breeding starting too early or too late because of the weather.

I also found this on The Wild Turkey Zone site:

"Peak breeding in many game animals is triggered by the amount of sunlight (photoperiod)"

Sorry I wasn't more clear but that's exactly what he was talking about was the daylight not the weather when he said we were a month ahead of schedule that's what he was talking about

I don't think the time frame for when the length of days gets longer varies that much from year to year not by a full month anyway. I could be wrong so what do the rest of y'all think?

I have already seen hawks, bluebirds, titmice, cardinals, and turkeys breeding this season which is on schedule w/ previous seasons. Over 35 years ago, I was told by an old turkey hunter that just because the turkeys are breeding, it doesn't mean that the hens are nesting and laying eggs. He said, "The hens won't start nesting until the brambles get leaves on them the size of a mouse's ear."

Well, after tonight we get an extra hour of sunlight in the afternoon. In addition to drying out the onion fields, the birds will be screwed up for sure.

I'm in GA and I'm still seeing gobblers in gobbler groups and hens in hen groups. About normal. This season should be fine.

I simply don't worry about such things. I hunt when the season is in. Turkeys are still there and will still die.
Every season, I hear folks whining that the breeding will be over before season comes in. I have never seen it happen.
IMO, it's just folks coming up with excuses for a crappy season...before the season even comes in! It's always something, but never their own lack of predatory talent.

The hens run the show. They do the same things at the same time every year. They don't have time to start early and try again if it doesn't work. They do it when they do it because daylight triggers them. People on the other hand will do things like planting their garden a few weeks too early because of a warm spell even though they tried it and had to replant the last time they did that. If people were in danger of being eaten while planting they would not do that.

Depending on where you are in GA, the issue won't be timing. It will be the utter dearth of gobblers. Jake shooters on the other hand are gonna have a massacre.

howl wrote:The hens run the show. They do the same things at the same time every year. They don't have time to start early and try again if it doesn't work. They do it when they do it because daylight triggers them. People on the other hand will do things like planting their garden a few weeks too early because of a warm spell even though they tried it and had to replant the last time they did that. If people were in danger of being eaten while planting they would not do that.

Depending on where you are in GA, the issue won't be timing. It will be the utter dearth of gobblers. Jake shooters on the other hand are gonna have a massacre.

Where in middle GA are you??

Yep seasons over don't go......

Old timers in pa said redbuds and dogwood blooming time to kill'em

I got a bunch of dead gobblers pics hanging from a blooming apple tree in the yard

MKW wrote:I simply don't worry about such things. I hunt when the season is in. Turkeys are still there and will still die.
Every season, I hear folks whining that the breeding will be over before season comes in. I have never seen it happen.
IMO, it's just folks coming up with excuses for a crappy season...before the season even comes in! It's always something, but never their own lack of predatory talent.

This! Every spring I hear the same thing over and over, "Henned Up" and "Gobbled Out". They're gobblers, they're supposed to be with hens, and a lot of times especially early season if a gobbler roosts with hens he doesn't have to Gobble. And with colder/overcast/windy days like we've had so far this season they won't Gobble much. I'll admit that I haven't heard much gobbling at all, and the birds that I have heard Gobble might Gobble 1-2 times on the roost and that's all, and those birds all were with hens. Doesn't mean they're not killable, just going to have to work harder to get them. I still get daily reports from friends that are killing birds. I think if anything at least in my area, Central Alabama, we are right on schedule. Honestly even though the gobbling is slow right now, I love seasons that start out like this, the weekend warriors will be burned out by the start of April, when the best part is still yet to come, leaving more birds for the rest of us

Earth's rotation slows roughly 2 milliseconds every 100 years, so days are getting longer sooner...technically.

Stinky J Picklestein wrote:Earth's rotation slows roughly 2 milliseconds every 100 years, so days are getting longer sooner...technically.

Is that what is causing gorebull warming??

ole5beards wrote:And with colder/overcast/windy days like we've had so far this season they won't Gobble much.

Last year, in Ohio, the week before the season was a lot like you described. Opening morning, 04/18, was clear, breezy, & 45. I never heard a gobble. 3 hens came in at about 9:30, followed by a big gobbler that strutted in & rode home with me. Never opened his mouth.

This year they pushed out the season by a week with no explanation.

As Mike said, I don't pay a lot of attention to this kind of stuff. I just go out & hunt.