The dirty dozen spotted next door...

[Skychief]

Snapped a quick couple of shots of them in my neighbor’s pasture yesterday. Quite a winter scene on Christmas Eve. Twelve male turkeys (ahhh, turkeys) in the spitting snow.

Four months now. Just four short months.....

 

[Brokennock]

Four months now. Just four short months...

Yup, 4 months,,,, 3.78 months until they relocate to an undisclosed spring food source,,, lol.

 

[Nazgul58]

Load your Firelock!!!

 

[GANGGREEN]

Sweet. I don't hunt them like I used to, but something about seeing a flock of gobblers, especially longbeards, still gets your heart going.

 

[deermanok]

Nice to see them but where are they in the spring time?

 

[Eric Krewson]

I was deer hunting some land in TN a few years back when 21 gobblers passed by in single file. Come turkey season then must have dispersed to the ends of the earth as none were in evidence on the same property.

 

[Brokennock]

Nice to see them but where are they in the spring time?

See my post above.

I was ribbing Skychief, but, I have found that the places I see turkeys in the fall and winter, especially toms, I do not see them in the spring. At least in all the areas I hunt.
I think it is a combination of food source changes and cover. I think there are places they feel more secure in winter that they don't in spring and can see approaching danger better. Also, turkeys would seem to prefer to be out in open wet areas when it is raining or wet, they don't like being pressed by wet brush, also in think they can see approaching danger better this way.
With the leaves down these areas are different.

 

[George]

I can hear them now, Fellas, you watch out for the guy who lives over there next door, he will flat do you in. You can't ever figure where he is going to show up, and if he spots you, you'er a goner.

Spene

 

[hanshi]

One late afternoon out in the woods deer hunting, I was sitting on the ground at my usual stand and decked out in the required orange. Deer season was in but not turkey season. Movement caught my eye and I turned my head slightly to witness a file of turkeys, slowly marching like a line of monks, crossing right in front of me no more than 30' to 40' away. They completely ignored me sitting there.

 

[deermanok]

One late afternoon out in the woods deer hunting, I was sitting on the ground at my usual stand and decked out in the required orange. Deer season was in but not turkey season. Movement caught my eye and I turned my head slightly to witness a file of turkeys, slowly marching like a line of monks, crossing right in front of me no more than 30' to 40' away. They completely ignored me sitting there.

Funny you mentioned that. I had a similar experience once during the muzzleloader season back in Connecticut. The group that walked by me were less than 20 yards. I don't get how they can spot me in the treestand at 100 yards but walk right by me another time.

 

[Skychief]

I can hear them now, Fellas, you watch out for the guy who lives over there next door, he will flat do you in. You can't ever figure where he is going to show up, and if he spots you, you'er a goner.

Spene

(Insert evil laugh here)...........................

 

[Yewbender]

It’s amazing how things like that happen. A couple of time during deer season this year they would walk 20 to 30 yards from me and its like the orange didn’t bother them Maybe i’ll put it on in the spring and confuse them to thinking its deer season!

 

[smo]

Apparently those birds don’t know who they’re messing with!

I just mentioned the Skychief load once and....

They moved too the next County!
Word travels quick in the bird World, especially at their favorite watering hole....

 

[toot]

it's nice to be a TURKEY? MABIE?

 

[SOLANCO]

Sitting on the deck of our last home reading. Under the shade of two big hemlocks and not paying much attention to my Lab looking up into the trees. Finally I look and there are two toms roosting up there. Guess I'm lucky not to have been baptized with turkey droppings.

 

[Smokepole55]

All the turkeys were in the pasture below the house just before season but suddenly disappeared.

 

[Shooter1]

Driving to my daughters house to drop groceries (they have covid and don't get out) we saw 4 flocks of up to 30 birds....most afternoons see them circling the chicken coop 30 yards off their porch..

 

[Boomerang]

Are they allowed to congregate like that without wearing masks!

 

[nkbj]

Nope, but hey, they're a bunch of turkeys.