any strutters yet??

[retranger]

Don't know what you do when you go out scouting but just because you didn't hear anything doesn't mean they aren't there. Look for sign, scratching, dust beds, scat etc. You can check out other areas also.

[BigTom]

I take out a crow/owl call before dusk, and at dawn i go out and take a slate call and try to get some thing to respond. But idk, maybe its the wind b/c it has been windy too. so maybe i anit hereing them

[tex3012]

yes the wind wont help you hear anything with its at 30-40mph.. buy yourself a game camera or two.. spend time glassing open areas.. go out early to hear talking on the roast, this is when, more then likely, they gobble the most.. also when walking around look for turkey sign, scratching and footprints to make sure there in the area..

[Turkeybuster]

I was out today it was a good morning no wind and clear didn't hear anything.
I saw 1 strutter on a gas line with one hen then I ran into 6 jakes in a field two of them are super jakes but no gobbling whatsoever.

Jon

[tex3012]

@turkeybuster..

i was wondering if you were calling at all.. i also noticed your from harrisburg, are the woods your woods turning green yet and if so how green..

[Turkeybuster]

No I don't call to birds before the season it is tempting though so I dont carry any calls with me. The woods are bare the trees are budding up and the undergrowth is starting to show some green.
Not going to be much ground cover this year for the early part of the season.
I was out thismorning the birds gobbled a little but sporatic, I had a big gobbler almost walk over me he has at least a 12" beard on him. I have been watching him for awhile from about 300 yds. but today he lost his hen and was on the prowl.Today was the first I heard him gobble. He walked within 25 yds. and I was leaning against a tree and he never saw me. I watched him for 45 min. and finally his hen came and they left.
I also saw some other birds in some thick cover I know there was a gobbler or two in that bunch as one gobbled on the roost but couldn't get a good look at them.
I saw another bird strutted up in a field across the road on private land with three hens.
Been a interesting week so far and now the rain is back.

Jon

[roughrider123]

This week I got out tues-wend-thursday up in the pocono's at daybreak. There is little or no green up where I hunt. If you find some green the birds are there. I located 9 birds at least maybe more. They answered my shock call at daybreak and also answered a couple yelps. I quickly leave the areas once they respond. Its all or nothing with the sign, either lots of droppings in small areas or none over very large areas.

roughrider out

[tex3012]

these are all great posts.. i believe a lot of how greens your woods are, equals where in the breading season the turkey are.. i remember a few years ago during the first week in bradford county i found ONE tree starting to bud, and the hunting sucked!! i ended up hunting the turkeys like i would in the fall time.. i didnt even hear a gobble in 3 days.. then the following year, exact same week the woods were comming along good with the green half way there and hunting was amazing.. last year everything greened up real early and it seemed at the start of the turkey season we were already towards the end of there breeding cycle..

just a theory, i understand this may always not be the case but i only have little data to support it..

[Turkeybuster]

I agree with you tex we were at least half way through the season last year on opening day. Looks like this year should be right on schedule. The birds were active today up in the morning after the rain stopped. I called 4 jakes in for a youth hunter today and he missed but we had a good time. We got on another bird later and had to break off of him at 12:00 pm. We were in Juniata Co.

Jon