Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk ALTurkey Talk -- Beards and Spurs Question for those of you who had a bad year

While we are on the topic of population and season review, I've got a question for those who struggled. If you weren't hearing or seeing any or many birds or sign, did you try new properties or continue hunting the same places?

I am fortunate to have a couple of good tracts that had above average populations this year. If I would have gone a week or two and not seen any, I would've been on the move though. There's too much public land opportunity in the state for me to keep going and wasting my limited opportunities to hunt hearing or seeing nothing.

I am just curious if this is a widespread thing up north and in other effected areas or if it is a tract to tract type of thing.

Some of both I would think. I'm the same way, I see all these people going day after day and not hearing any, yet hunting the same place all season. I don't do that. But, excluding my place in Barbour county, the lack of gobbling has been widespread for me. I've hunted private land in Jefferson county, and public in clay, talladega, Calhoun, and Cherokee. Also one hunt on a private piece in st. Clair. 15-18 hunts between those places and I heard a gobble 4 mornings.

I hunted four different properties and heard two birds. One of which was roosted on the adjoining landowner. I hunted one new property this year a total of three times. The others were on places I've always hunted.

How many mornings did you hunt Matt?

I hunted a total of 10 days. That don't sound like much but they were on good days and I just can't go like I used to. I went on the best weather days of the season. Most years if I hunt 10 times I kill at least a couple if not several birds and hear a dozen or more gobble. Last two years have been the same for me. 10-15 hunts, 1-2 birds gobble all season, and only a sighting or two. Total contrast to other years in very recent past. Heck I hunted in 2012 a total of 7 days and killed 5 and called in another for my dad. In 2014 I hunted 9 times and killed 4 and called in two more to the gun. My last few years have been incredible or absolutely depressing. Still thankful to get out though.

And by the way, I did go to TX and killed a limit there in less than 24 hours from the time we started hunting, so I had a great season, just not here.

well that's good Matt, glad you had a good turn around

Matt, I didn't ask that thinking you couldn't kill a turkey. I've been on here long enough to know you know how to get it done. Your answer is the kind of information I was looking for. Are your properties in close proximity to one another or are they spread out?

Spread out from one side of the county to the other.

I hunted every weekend and I saw tons of tracks and dusting bowls and strut zones...my problem was when I heard them by the time I got within working range the wind would be blowing 40 mph....my lack of patience is my problem. Even though I didn't seal the deal on any ...there is not a doubt that they are there.....and we have alot of hens

I hunt Choccolocco, Talledega NF both Oakmulgee and Talledega districts, Hollins, Oakmulgee WMA and private land in St. Clair County. I am fortunate to be able to hunt almost every morning, but decided to sleep in more than usually due to very poor gobbling. These are my regular places to hunt and I have never seen a season this bad, I heard 9 diffrent gobblers all season in these places, all of which were on public land. 6 of the birds were single gobbles, only to be heard once all season. It has been extremely tough this year, I shot feathers out of the only Alabama gobbler I laid eyes on in early in the season, he couldn't fly but he sure could run. Never recoverd him. Maybe next year they will decide to talk a little more.

I hunted 6 different private properties in Madison and Limestone counties. I heard or saw birds on each property, but only saw/heard gobblers on three of them (one place I went with a friend and heard 1 gobbler). The other 3 were full of hens and/or jakes. I hunted 18-20 times (a few afternoon hunts), and gobblers just weren't around. Two weeks before our season started there were 9 gobblers and 45 or so hens, but once they busted up they headed for parts unknown. I saw two gobblers on this place the opening week and missed one on another place opening day. I kept hoping some of the other gobblers would filter back in, but they never did. I have a suspicion that these guys may have been my biggest problem, 17 of them lol.

I've had years when I could not hear turkeys on my farm or on 2 hunting clubs I had joined. Several times I just switched to the Coosa WMA and hunted it the rest of the season. It is tough hunting, but you can always hear turkeys there. There's not as much land as it used to be in it, but the guys that hunt it are still hearing turkeys.

I hunted Jackson County and Marion the early part, then Franklin and Winston the later season.

One piece in Franklin had a bird or 2 opening weekend, but after that never heard another there and I went there 7-8 times.

Opening day we had 2 gobble in winston, one was shot right afterwards though. They were roosted together, never heard a gobble there again either.

I had been hunting some great managed land and always had a lot of turkey and didnt understand how bad it was in a lot of areas.

Believe me..I do now.

I used to think the guys who werent hearing any had silent birds....well heck..you can kill them. Id tell them to just sit and wait em out.

Well..I thought that could be our problem too..so i tried it..a bunch..and waited, and waited..and waited.

The problem WASNT silent birds..just LACK of birds..even hens.

Definitely not many turkeys where I hunted this season.

Looking back at my avid hunter survey hunts, I hunted 33 times. On 7 of those hunts I heard at least 1 turkey gobble. On 2 of those hunts I heard more than about 25 gobbles. This is across 4 large properties in northeast Jackson county. Plenty of birds around on all properties.

My buddy and I hunted 6 1/2 days in Alabama and we killed 5 toms this year. . Last year we killed 6 toms in 9 days. Last time I hunted Alabama before that was 5 years ago- I killed a 5 Tom limit in 5 days and my buddy killed 3 toms and missed another (we hunted with bustinbeards first 2.5 day and killed 5 between the three of us). As a non-resident Alabama hunter that's hunted all over the country I can tell you the opportunities are endless for an Alabama turkey hunter. I don't think yall realize how fortunate you are

Bad year for me but it was circumstance mostly. I was limited severely in time. I only had 4 hunts this year.......and none of them lasted more than 5 hours. i didn't have the time to put in like a normal year. All hunts on wmas,but in areas I've heard , seen, and killed birds in the past. Didn't get to any private land I normally hunt in coffee and Geneva counties. I had to trade family time for turkey hunting this year. Young kids and two full time working parents can play hell on your hobbies! Maybe next year I can get after them like a deranged crack head

My time was limited was my main problem. I heard turkeys almost every hunt, but never got on one that just burned it up. I had 3 hunts that I just can't explain what happened??? Like, he's there and answered and should show any second, and now, an hour later he's two ridges over. And this is in places where I've killed multiple turkeys in the past. The setups have proved their self, but something crazy always happened. I'm not gonna try and make a bunch of excuses. It boils down to, when I get to hunt more than 7 mornings and don't kill one on decent property (at best) I'll start to worry.

No offense, but I don't think you realize how good the land you must be hunting is.