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Turkey hunting?

Just a question for you all - how many of you turkey hunt in the Fall? I love turkey hunting in the Spring and when Fall comes it is all about bow hunting deer. I have shot a couple of turkeys b4 in the Fall with a bow but I don't really turkey hunt - it is just by chance when I am bowhunting for deer during the Fall Turkey season. I hunt in Virginia some and they have a January turkey season. I thought several years ago there was talk of a Winter Turkey season here in WV - wonder whatever became of it?

It was talked about for a couple of years then dropped. I used to fall hunt a lot. There's nothing better eating than a 10-12 pound hen. But when the turkey population started declining I just started feeling guilty about shooting a hen and would prefer letting jakes grow up. With the numbers of predators out there it's tough for a clutch of birds to reach adulthood. Hopefully with fur prices increasing more predators including egg eating coons and possums will be caught

Here in berKeley county I don't think there r many who turkey hunt in the Fall and we have a ton of turkeys. With it raining the past few days I have been seeing them out in almost every field I have driven by. I know this is going to sound extreme but I bet I have seen close to a thousand birds the past few days!

Herd some of them down this way

I think fur is predicted to be down this year. I don't know how or if it is legit but, I read it on WV Angler forum. I hope whatever it does the trappers catch a bunch of the egg eaters. Every little bit helps. But, what I heard from a state biologist is the birds of prey are taking far more than the coyotes and such. To the point they he suggested timber harvest to a friend of mine, to thicken the forest floor to negate the loss of young poults that they are causing.

I know last May I watched a hen with twelve little ones in a pasture. She was content to gather her harem and lead them away. Until a buzzard flew over. when the shadow got in the hens sight, she threw her wings out and sheltered the brood under them. That is a telling sign.

I guess we need more chicken farmers that depend on their chickens like before. Seems like they kept a good check on the birds of prey. I do know I see more hawks and such now than ever. Not like ten years ago when you'd see them flying over the valley or across the field. I'm talking while setting and hunting. They are every where. God Bless

The coyote study that WVU and the DNR did found very little evidence of turkey remains in the coyote scat but I do know they get a few . I agree about the raptors, I think hawks, owls, and golden eagles get a lot more than we think. I think those black headed vultures get some also.

My nephew was turkey hunting this spring when a large hawk swooped down and grabbed his decoy and flew out over the hollow with his decoy in its grasp never to be seen again

I agree Gobbler. God Bless

Well the chicken farmers might keep em in check but they can't kill em.

Jefferson county has not had a fall season. Even though we see dozens of Turkey every year while deer hunting. Rumor has it that due to so many folks not checking in their spring harvests, that DNR assumes the numbers are down. Maybe someday.

Whether a county has a fall season is based on spring gobbler kill per square mile of county. If they are not checking gobblers in then the kill numbers are artificially low.

Most of the guys here in Jefferson county where I live kind of shy away from checking birds in that they kill in March. LOL

They wren't supposed to kill them back in the day either...

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