Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk ALTurkey Talk -- Beards and Spurs Poults

Looks like it was the same for May 2024 as well with higher than normal temps

Below are three main weather events that would have occurred during that peak hatching time back in May 2024…….The middle event does match up to some of the counties having a bad season this year but others also received heavy rains and still had a way above average season…. The low in Auburn for May 9 was 55 degrees…….on May 10 was it was 62 degrees…….and on May 18 it was 60 degrees to give the temps some perspective………If it was 55 in Auburn on May 9 it may have been in the low 50’s in north Alabama for that rain event…….If rain alone were gonna have a negative effect I would think all of these events should have done it.






I still think what's very real possibility is that these rain events could have had a negative impact on some counties because they were dealing with coyote issues and it was a prime night to hunt wet hens……Early May is right about the time when coyote pups are just being born or about to be born so this is the time of the year when there are the least amount of adult coyotes on the landscape that there’s gonna be for that cycle……Its probably only certain areas that are still dealing with sho nuff yote issues at this time…..There’s a lot of areas that are probably pretty thinned out by then……If you ARE one of the areas though that's dealing with heavy hen predation during nesting then these rain events were probably prime hunting opportunities……If not, the hen probably just tucked her poults underneath her feathers and did what turkey mama’s do and that's why you dont see any impact

I saw less poults last year than I ever have and I’ve seen less Jake’s this year than I ever have. People in west central Alabama that are having a boom year this season are going to have a lot tougher season next year.

I hunt 4 miles from the Mississippi line.

I saw a ton of poults last year and saw plenty of jakes this year and left 15 or 20
longbeards gobbling this year.

Seeing poults everywhere this year.

Saw some yesterday in Jefferson co. Smallest ones I have ever seen. Hen was trying to cross paved road with them. Poults just laid down and wouldnt move.

I walked up on a hen with poults in a clover patch this morning. She was hunkered down and I got within 15' of her before she jumped up. The poults were under her and scattered, so I backed out and got away without taking pictures, but they looked like they had just hatched.

I start seeing them here in northern Coosa county around May 10 most years, so these are right on schedule. I've never seen any in April on this place, but I have in Perry county.

Seeing flying poults and ones just about to fly. Also saw a gobbler blowed up with 5-6 hens today. Other day 4 gobblers with one hen

Saw a hen with 8 or so that were about the size of quail. They flew across the road.

North Washington County

It appears we’ve had really good hatches for the third consecutive year in a row.

Saw two bowed up at the farm this morning and another one sadly was gimped pretty bad. Bad enough probably could’ve caught him. The two had two hens with them and then two other hens on the other side of the trace. Buddy said his place still had birds hammering last week and he’d found a nest with eggs. Must have bumped the hen.

Saw a group of about 8-10 in West Central Alabama yesterday. A couple of them were a bit taller than quail, but about that size.

I think the drought/late hay cutting probably saved a bunch of poults

Jumped 3 different hens with poults just across the TN line.

It’s sounding very encouraging this year

Saw some yesterday, the size of songbirds. As small as they were, I'm sure there were more than the 4 I saw

According to weather underground for Tuscaloosa, during the month of April of 2024, there were seven days when temps dipped down into the low 40's with three of the days following rain events. On May 10th there was a significant rain event immediately followed by low 40's temp. So yes... there were times when you had both rain and cold when poults were already hatched.

A friend sent me a video of a big coyote eating a poult the size of a pigeon
while the hen was making all kind of noise 10 yards behind him

It took 3 chomps and just the feet were sticking out of his mouth

I don’t know how to post a video

New pic. Hen fighting hawk for poult

Cool pic!