Turkey Gobblers

WV Sawmiller · February 25, 2016, 02:29:10 PM

Been seeing a nice gobbler most mornings when I take a bale of hay up the hill on my ATV to feed the mule and horse. He must have been lonely and linked up with a buddy and now I usually see 2 of them. Usually they are turning over the old hay picking up worms under it and eating seeds inside the hay. With sporadic periods of nice weather I sometimes see them strutting around. Not sure if they will hang around 6-8 more weeks till our Spring Gobbler season opens here.

Today they drifted down closer to the house. Maybe 40-50 yards from the house out in the pasture. It was fun watching them scratch throwing leaves and dirt clods everywhere then rushing in like small children to grab their prize.

My wife was gone with her big professional camera so I snapped the picture below with my little digital. A little grainy but you can make out his beard okay. Both turkeys are about the same size but I could not get them in the picture this time.

thecfarm · February 25, 2016, 02:51:43 PM

I feed the deer outback and just had 2 turkeys show up in the last 4 days. One year my step son and grandson set up across the road and called a tom in up by the house. That is about 500 fet away. The step son saw it running and knew it would be a good shot for his boy. ;D He's hoping it might stick around too. But depends on the weather too. I have seen 30 turkeys here at one time in the summer. This is really the first year that the turkeys have find the deer food.

Sparty · February 28, 2016, 08:12:51 AM

I'll add some toms that have been hanging around our property. 15 years ago we didn't have any turkeys, now we have an infestation. Hunting them isn't a big challenge right now.

http://youtu.be/dLiB-YHev4s

thecfarm · February 28, 2016, 08:27:49 AM

That white,grey one is diffeant,albino???
The turkeys here are some skittish.And I do mean skittish. Yes,mine will walk around the house,but try to open the front door and they are long gone. I go out the back door and the turkeys are about 100 feet away and they take off and the deer will look up and than go back to eating.
I think they have only been here about 10 years. I saw some down by my aunt's house about 2 years before I saw them here. She is about 10 minutes from me.
My step son hunts them with blinds,decoys and calls them in.

Sparty · February 28, 2016, 08:37:06 AM

As soon as you put camo on and head out to the woods, they are skittish. I can work around the yard a little without spooking them too much, though. I never got too good at calling them, mainly because we never had turkeys around when I was young. Its pretty easy to time their travel or stalk them here. Usually stalking them would be nearly impossible, but I have a woods line with mowed grass on either side. If the turkeys are on one side, you run around the woods line and wait for them to come out on your side.

thecfarm · February 28, 2016, 09:07:46 AM

Yours are way diffeant than the ones around here.

No way they come around if I am outside. I will see them at a distance,but nothing to shoot at. I think they have the yardage down pretty good. :D I have never shoot at them. I am not a hunter.

Sparty · February 28, 2016, 09:14:56 AM

I have only taken one on this property. I enjoy hunting, but rarely shoot anything. Will probably start taking more turkeys, though... They seem to be overpopulated.

Bibbyman · March 01, 2016, 02:27:13 AM

I stepped out yesterday morning to get a stick of wood and heard one gobble. First of this year. We seen a pretty good flock this past week on our place so they have survived the winter pretty good so far.

DDW_OR · March 01, 2016, 12:29:18 PM

this is a store bought turkey i cooked
foil tent until the last hour.
Stuck toothpicks in the bird to hold the foil off the skin.

sandhills · March 01, 2016, 01:39:00 PM

What time is supper DDW? ;D
I'm with Sparty, I'd being willing to bet I could walk out on dad's place right now and see 80 or so, not real sporting. I've never shot one but if I ever do I don't want the long beard and spurs, I'll take a nice young juicy one, speaking of that my wife did get me a smoker for Christmas......

DDW_OR · March 01, 2016, 01:54:01 PM

yep, tasted good and made great soup.
dressing was package mix that i added ingredients to 8)

Bibbyman · March 01, 2016, 09:50:03 PM

http://youtu.be/AR4_ULpz8W8

I think I posted this before but I like it if I have to say so myself.

DDW_OR · March 01, 2016, 09:54:49 PM

Quote from: Bibbyman on March 01, 2016, 09:50:03 PM

I think I posted this before but I like it if I have to say so myself.

Love the photos and the bluegrass music.
what is the name of the song?

WV Sawmiller · March 01, 2016, 11:10:06 PM

Quote from: DDW_OR on March 01, 2016, 09:54:49 PM
Quote from: Bibbyman on March 01, 2016, 09:50:03 PM

I think I posted this before but I like it if I have to say so myself.
Love the photos and the bluegrass music.
what is the name of the song?

Bibbyman and Mary,

Thanks for the pix and great to hear from you guys again.

Bibbyman · March 02, 2016, 02:08:10 AM

Quote from: DDW_OR on March 01, 2016, 09:54:49 PM
Quote from: Bibbyman on March 01, 2016, 09:50:03 PM

I think I posted this before but I like it if I have to say so myself.
Love the photos and the bluegrass music.
what is the name of the song?

Black Mountain Rag.

Magicman · March 02, 2016, 09:04:46 AM

This Gobbler showed up following along behind 9 hens the last day of our deer season. It was cause for concern because if there had been more Gobblers he would have been with them instead of the hens.

He is shown here trailing the hens,

LaneC · March 02, 2016, 05:13:02 PM

I just see 1 big longbeard and a bunch of beardless gobblers :D. They all gobble if you watch them long enough :D.

Magicman · March 02, 2016, 07:13:21 PM

I wish, but they were hens. :-\

rooster 58 · March 02, 2016, 08:58:26 PM

That whiteboard gray looking turkey is known as a "smoke phase" turkey, and indeed is a very rare coloration in the wild

LaneC · March 02, 2016, 11:56:23 PM

I was just joking. Some folks around here see "antlerless bucks" They are not worried if male or female, they are worried about getting them in the pot. That is a nice flock there.

Bibbyman · March 03, 2016, 03:29:53 AM

Quote from: Sparty on February 28, 2016, 08:12:51 AM
I'll add some toms that have been hanging around our property. 15 years ago we didn't have any turkeys, now we have an infestation. Hunting them isn't a big challenge right now.

http://youtu.be/dLiB-YHev4s

Have you noticed a decline in snakes, small reptiles and ground nesting birds like quail? All these small animals are gone now.

Sparty · March 03, 2016, 11:24:41 AM

The smokey gray color is in the genetics around here. The DNR says the genes came from flocks relocated from another state during reintroduction efforts. It seems like one out of every 30-50 turkeys have some level of smokey gray here.

Magicman · March 03, 2016, 12:22:48 PM

Since our season opens before Arkansas, we will soon be inundated with Arkansas hunters. They build camper/tent compounds in the National Forest and live there until their season opens.

WV Sawmiller · March 03, 2016, 01:27:05 PM

Our season is much later - April to May. I think opening a week earlier this year than in the past. Last year they had about quit gobbling by the time season started.

These two were back yesterday. It is fun watching them scratching and throwing dirt 5-6 feet at a time. One day last week I saw them fly off the mountainside behind the house and land across the road in my neighbor's pasture. They lock their wings and glide like a great big quail once they get some altitude and speed up.

Yoder409 · March 08, 2016, 06:48:14 PM

Been seeing three big flocks on my way to work in the mornings. Strutters all blown up and going at it.

Got up Sunday and went out to listen on our place. Heard 2 bunches of gobblers. Somewhere between 6 and 10 birds talking, total. Always good to hear again !!!!!!!

I'll be in Texas in 5 weeks to swat some Rio's and rattlers. ;D