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

Where to begin? I had 3 properties to hunt. 2 of them had birds prior to season and then my club.

My Macon county tract is perfect habitat and I had pics of 3 different gobs on it. Come March 15, they were gone and never to return. As y'all read, they had migrated across 2 property lines and a paved county road. They would answer me and I just kept hoping that one morning they would be on my side. It never happened. This tract was also my closest property and enabled me to hunt it during the week and still go to work.

The Butler county tract had mature gob tracks and I saw hens and jakes every time I went. It was a 70 minute drive one way so it was a weekend spot. I heard birds on each visit but again, off the property. I would go hoping "today would be the day" that I'd catch one of them on my side. It never happened.

My club land is 6000 acres of good habitat. It has a decent population of turkeys but an even greater number of hunters. It got hunted every single day of the season. It's an hour one way drive so again, it had to be a weekend spot. There are a few darn good turkey hunters in this club and as of yesterday there had been 10 total birds killed. That's tough considering this property has produced 30+ gobs killed in years past.

I had put so much preparation (and MONEY!!) into the private property I just couldn't not hunt it. If I had to do this year over again, I would cut my losses and try some public land a morning or two just to see if there was anything going on. I just kept thinking the luck would change as I've had some lean seasons before but ended up doing good. My best example was the year I went the first 10 mornings of the season and didn't hear a gobble. I ended up killing 4 birds in April that year and it was a great season.

I just didn't have the encounters or the opportunity to kill a bird this year. I've had years where I've worked bird every single day I hunted so years like this are almost more frustrating than fun. I worked 2 birds on the roost and both snubbed me and kept on trucking the other way.

I'm so grateful I got to live to see another spring arrive. I got to hear a few gobbling birds. I got a lot of exercise that's for sure! I'm glad this season is over but like the rest of us, I'll be fired up and ready to chase 'em again March 15, 2017.

Dr. B