Turkey winter mortality-spring abundance-seeing more or less in your zone than last year?

[laker1]

Been hunting the northern half of zone 508 and it may just be the weather,but seeing lot less birds than last year and smaller groups.

Your opinion,did winter or last springs hatch effect this years abundance in your area?

At least give us the zone please?

Side note: Hunter abundance change with youth able to hunt all seasons>

[hugonian1]

I don't know if it is winter mortality but I can say without a doubt the turkey population in my north metro area is way down.

I have never seen so few birds.

Makes me wonder if I should have taken the lone Tom I have seen.

[Borch]

Seems about the same of the places I've been checking in 507. Been seeing quite a few jakes as well so seems to be decent survival. Lots of farm/ag/live stock in the area though that may have helped them out.

PS

Deer seem to come though things ok in the areas as well.

[ANYFISH2]

Overall in my area 507 seems to be down. With that said the birds still seem concentrated in certain areas so that may be skewing my observations.

And I must agree with borch about the deer. Granted their always more visable in the spring but I have seen great numbers of deer.

[NoWiser]

I haven't seen so few birds on my drive to work in the south metro for years. There are a few pockets with some, though.

I hunted around Rochester 1st season and there are a TON of birds there, but we didn't see a single jake. Usually there a herds of them all over the place.

[laker1]

The jake,thing,the DNR said less jakes were registered than normal during last years fall season.

[Meat-Run]

I'm in the Brainerd/south area and very, very few turkeys spotted, actually one lone hen around my house that's it. All my other spots have no sign at all and I'm thinking this winter finally took a toll on the flock...just my .02

mr

[mainbutter]

We used to get a couple dozen turkeys in the yard very regularly in the north metro.

We haven't seen them since October.

Now at our hunting place further north, we've seen evidence that this is the harshest winter the deer have suffered in the past 5 years, but at the same time we're seeing triple digits of them in the farm fields during a 15 mile drive at deer-o-clock. Normally we see a dozen or two.

[paceman]

This morning I sat for an hour scouting for my son for this coming weekend. Gorgeous morning, calm, clear, little frosty. Did not hear a single gobble. Should have been able to hear anything within a mile. Dissapointing for sure.

[paceman]

Near detroit lakes, this morning I sat for an hour scouting for my son for this coming weekend. Gorgeous morning, calm, clear, little frosty. Did not hear a single gobble. Should have been able to hear anything within a mile. Dissapointing for sure. I usually hear lots of birds in this area so I would say they are way way down.......

[laker1]

Very interesting,I know a few more people been out and comments are appreciated.

I think the extreme northern zones and limited ag areas it was hard on them.

Thru January there were lot of birds around,than they seemed to disappear,at least what i seen.

[123fish]

I hunt the very southwest corner and though there are never very many birds I would say there are as many or more than usual. I had three jakes in the decoys yesterday and one this morning before I shot my gobbler. That was a first for me.

[laker1]

A season harvest results yet?

[sticknstring]

2,560 birds killed during A season. Up from 1,723 last year.

Outside of Wednesday's blizzard, the weather was beautiful.

[lindy rig]

I'm in the north Metro.. Forest Lake area. Last summer and fall we were seeing birds daily. I've only seen one hen so far this spring and no gobbling yet.

[DonBo]

I'm absolutely shocked that they didn't all just freeze to death sitting in the roost. I hunt the east meto and have been seeing at least as many birds as lst year, probably more.

The bird my Dad shot the other day was a tyical 2 year old that weighed over 24 lbs! Very fat and helthy indeed. I also have been seeing more jakes this year than last. Amazing.

[laker1]

2560 harvest is very good,

I think also with youth being able to hunt the season brought a few more out in A season. Either way that is good.

Be interesting how it plays out. B season has been windier and a little rain. Also did northern zones old up compared to southern zones? I like numbers.

[Borch]

2,560 birds killed during A season. Up from 1,723 last year.

Outside of Wednesday's blizzard, the weather was beautiful.

I'm surprised it was that high with several days being very difficult to even make it out in a short season. That being said the weekend was very nice but still plenty of snow around here on Saturday and very sloppy.

As I travel around it seems that there are areas with lots of birds and areas without as many. Seems that the break up process is still happening.

[laker1]

Talked to different people the last few days have found like 5 dead turkeys or more from dying because of winter harshness.

[Handsonthepole]

Without a doubt there was winter mortality. Hearing many reports of numerous dead birds under roosts and nearby. Have seen a few dead myself and also haven't seen nearly the amount of birds typically using our fields. I am in western Wisconsin.

[FishinFools]

I'd like to blame winter and say it had a detrimental affect on the birds, but it could just be hunting pressure? Can't believe too many folks were hard at in the the crappy C season weather, but in two days of D season, I have heard exactly four gobbles so far. Normally where I hunt you have several birds in different areas pinpointed at sun down. I'm out right now and have not heard a single one. Might be going in blind in the morning.

[laker1]

Done hunting but been going around to areas I usually see numerous birds,now you might see one,very few tracks. Now I am talking west of Mille lacs area. Numerous friends have found at least a few dead birds.

It seems like some of the jakes and toms might have survived better than hens?

Southeastern Minnesota it sounds like numbers are as strong as ever.

This year if I heard one Tom in the morning that was good for 508 zone.

[hugonian1]

Still very few birds in our north metro area.

I would say 5% at best of what we normally see.

The few I see are alone or just a couple together.

Usually there are many large groups.

[Scott M]

Seemed about normal where i hunted in Fillmore County. However, around Le Sueur and Rice county I'm just not seeing the birds I have in the past few.

[laker1]

Friend saw turkeys eating spruce needles,I think they were hurting for food.

[Sinker]

Hunted west-central WI. during the 2nd season and just started the 4th and definitely am seeing less turkeys than 5-6 years ago. Haven't found any dead ones but I haven't seen one jake. Hens in small groups or alone and toms here and there. Less gobbling in the morning. Still out there though. Came close this morning when a hen and a tom came to a hayfield from the roost but no dice. I'm sure there are pockets of better numbers but the properties I hunt are down, where a few years ago you would see birds all day.

[DonBo]

I just got back from W Central WI also, and you're right, far fewer than 5-6 years ago. Don't believe this last winter took the population down any, just as many as last year.

Still a decent population though, 2 of us filled our tags in 2 days.

[brittman]

After day one and two of Season E I would have said birds were down in 508 north of the metro.

Today we heard more gobblers than we have ever heard hunting this property. The weather was perfect - starlit and relatively calm after a nasty, windy, rainy day - yesterday. We pinpointed at least 8 separate gobbler points in the 360 degree circle around us. Two were multi-group.

I did notice that this year the birds were really using areas that you could not see from the road. Walking or driving back into areas really resulted in us see a lot of birds.

Saw more gobblers and jakes this year than hens, which is not that common for us.

[Borch]

2,560 birds killed during A season. Up from 1,723 last year.

Outside of Wednesday's blizzard, the weather was beautiful.

Where do you find the numbers at. Just looking for them to see where we're at compared to last spring.

[sticknstring]

Outdoor News posts harvest numbers every week. Should have an update to post tomorrow. Last I read, every season was up from last year except, C & E.