Turkeys

[MCgunner]

Checked my game camera today. I've gotten shots of both toms and hens before, but never a flock like this. I've seen this big flock on the road a couple of times down from my house, but got 'em on camera this time. I count 17 in frame and there's probably more out of frame to the right.

 

[Hookeye]

Tell them to stay out of the woods in deer season!

 

[jmorris]

Hunting at the Mota Bonita lodge one time I saw turkeys so thick crossing the road I thought it was mirage. Must have been thousands of them.

 

[hoghunting]

Hopefully they will still be close when turkey season opens. Good luck.

 

[Patocazador]

That group is probably 3 or more hens with their poults from this year. Towards Fall they tend to group up into 2 groups, one all gobblers and the other hens & poults. They look like Rios in the photo.

 

[jmr40]

I've been seeing them in large groups in fields near the house for the last few weeks.

 

[MCgunner]

Another fellow from Texas says he's had a big hatch, too. Says the drought knocked down hog numbers and turkey and egg survivability has gone up as a result. Makes sense to me as our hogs have been scarce for over a year. The rains this season must have helped 'em, too.

 

[natman]

Tell them to stay out of the woods in deer season!

That's when you see them the most. Just like the big buck I saw in the woods - during turkey season.

 

[Hookeye]

Had about 50 resident birds where we deer hunted.
Toms with hens.

Saw one group of 25 go down Jeep trail in deer gun season. 3 big toms up front, all others behind.
Hen near the end moved past one.....the passed hen, and another, beat the crap out of the one in a hurry.

Pretty funny.

Never did blast any of the big boys. Toms taken in spring were the 21.5# and 11.5" beard guys.............yr after yr.
Shot a 24# off another place, oak ridge. Not the best eatin' bird.

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

We see groups of 15-20 all the time here, usually all hens or all jakes. We've had a bunch of babies around this year. They seem to lose their fear of humans when they have babies. They'll walk right up the driveway or through the garden.

We live on the Arkansas river bottom, so ours are all Rios. It's fun to watch a momma turkey stash her babies in the brush, and then chase off all the young jakes. I guess they're afraid the "teenagers" are going to teach their babies how to drink, cuss, and smoke.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

My house, deep in the woods, overlooks a stream, about 200 yards away, and my pasture is between the stream and the house. I often see turkeys in my pasture -- I've even seen them on the concrete apron of my garage.

One morning I stepped out the front door, and there were easily 30 turkeys in the pasture. Apparently they were upset to see me -- for the next couple of minutes there were turkeys taking off, turkeys calling the tower for clearance and turkeys taxiing into position.