I'm currently sitting under a pine tree with palmetto surrounding it. Killer set up. I'm in florida on public. This is my 2nd morning. Same spot. First morning I set up here had two hems in front of me amd watched another 4 fly out of their trees. I got them all to cross I. Front of me not a gobbler in sight with them. I also seen them fly out of the tree this morning as well and had some conversation with them. I haven't heard a single gobble since I've been down they are tight-lipped from pressure and the wind is 30 mph gust. In yalls opinion should I deer hunt this spot in hopes that the hens pick up a gobbler amd he runs through here? Surely there's got to be one around somewhere close. I'm setup inbetween where two cypress domes get real skinny and taper together. If you got any experience with this kind of situation please chime in. I got 3 more days to hunt.
I don't have experience with Florida lands.
My only experience is where there's hens there will be a Tom.
Hang in there. It will happen.
Best.
Thanks buddy. This is my 3rd spring turkey season and I've never come across that many hens multiple days by themselves.
Hunted central Florida yesterday. Lots of hens and suicidal Jake's this year. Hang in there they seem to be very tight mouthed. Even more than usual. Cameras pick up an abundance of coyote. That will quiet them down. Good luck btw - the number of big gobblers our cameras pick up mid day is amazing. Consider sleeping in and hunting 2pm until sunset.
You have hens around. I would sit tight, call every so often. If it's windy, use a long box, or glass pot. They cut the wind pretty good. I would think you may luck out and pull in a gobbler. Good luck!
Hmmmm.... A viable option. However, don't be surprised if one day they are not there anymore. Turkeys move on for whatever turkey reason. Or cycle thru periodically. I think you move on in search of a gobbler today and check back .
After I sat in my morning spot till about 11 o clock. Of got up and moved into the direction I seen the hens go. It's a small knocked down path inbetween an edge of the cypress and a thick palmetto field. This cypress has water in it and I found gobbler tracks and scat. I believe those hems already have a gobbler with them. And he's skirting around the edge of this cypress while they are coming out to my calling. The way they leave its almost as they hear him drumming in a certain location and know it's time to go. Not sure about all that. But nevertheless I will be going back out about 3 o clock to kind of sit where I think they may walk back to a roost location. And encouraged Ifound that sign and know there is a gobbler in there. Thanks boys for the opinions.
Quote from: Zach.Hannigan on March 25, 2024, 01:55:20 PM
After I sat in my morning spot till about 11 o clock. Of got up and moved into the direction I seen the hens go. It's a small knocked down path inbetween an edge of the cypress and a thick palmetto field. This cypress has water in it and I found gobbler tracks and scat. I believe those hems already have a gobbler with them. And he's skirting around the edge of this cypress while they are coming out to my calling. The way they leave its almost as they hear him drumming in a certain location and know it's time to go. Not sure about all that. But nevertheless I will be going back out about 3 o clock to kind of sit where I think they may walk back to a roost location. And encouraged Ifound that sign and know there is a gobbler in there. Thanks boys for the opinions.
I've hunted Osceola's twice for a week each time and I have to say they are the most finicky and stubborn birds I've hunted (and I have my Slam). The Osceola's, I've been privileged to kill, will normally gobble on the roost, fly down and gobble a little more, then shut up for the day. With your latest post, you did the correct thing by scouting and trying to find their travel routes along with where they hang out midday. I would suggest setting up along their travel routes, unless you can roost them tonight. Cold calling can work but you will have to be patient. Good Luck and keep us posted.
I hunt in central Florida. I was lucky opening morning and had a solo gobbler respond and come to the gun that morning. Hunted 5 out of the next 8 days and very little gobbling . When I did see gobblers they had hens and showed me no interest. A couple of buddy's killed birds and both had them come in silent.
Quote from: Zach.Hannigan on March 25, 2024, 10:09:27 AM
Thanks buddy. This is my 3rd spring turkey season and I've never come across that many hens multiple days by themselves.
Your third season turkey hunting and you are hunting Florida Osceolas on public? You are definitely an optimistic turkey hunter! Good luck!
I personally haven't hunted Osceola's enough to really have a say in the matter, but in my limited experience, if there were gobblers around, they would gobble...at least a little bit on the roost in the morning at daybreak. With that many hens around,...and assuming the season has been on a while where you are hunting,...my guess is the gobbler(s) that were with those hens are now in somebody's freezer. ;D
...Hope I am wrong, though, and you find one... :icon_thumright:
Tom is probably already dead and possibly just a jake is leaving the sign. But you won't know unless you lay eye's on him.
Quote from: GobbleNut on March 25, 2024, 04:00:04 PM
Quote from: Zach.Hannigan on March 25, 2024, 10:09:27 AM
Thanks buddy. This is my 3rd spring turkey season and I've never come across that many hens multiple days by themselves.
Your third season turkey hunting and you are hunting Florida Osceolas on public? You are definitely an optimistic turkey hunter! Good luck!
I personally haven't hunted Osceola's enough to really have a say in the matter, but in my limited experience, if there were gobblers around, they would gobble...at least a little bit on the roost in the morning at daybreak. With that many hens around,...and assuming the season has been on a while where you are hunting,...my guess is the gobbler(s) that were with those hens are now in somebody's freezer. ;D
...Hope I am wrong, though, and you find one... :icon_thumright:
Lol my first season flew all over me and I'm absolutely ate up with second season when I had a little learning under my belt only made it worse. Not optimistic I came down here knowing full well itss more than likely I'm going home with my tail between my legs but more learning and lessons. I'll never know unless I go. Thanks for the luck buddy. Best of spring to yourself.
I've heard old timers say the opposite. If he knows he's got multiple hens why does he feel the need to gobble. Osceolas are already known as being stingy with their gobbling, unlike the western birds. Also could very well be a jake but maybe I'm not giving a jake enough credit but I would've expected to see him by now after seeing the hens two mornings in a row. But like you said I won't know till I lay eyes on whatever is leaving the sign is fresh sign to found more on my way back to the same spot from taking a sandwich break back at the truck. So whatever it is is still alive and roaming somewhere in this jungle of Florida.
Quote from: GobbleNut on March 25, 2024, 04:00:04 PM
Quote from: Zach.Hannigan on March 25, 2024, 10:09:27 AM
Thanks buddy. This is my 3rd spring turkey season and I've never come across that many hens multiple days by themselves.
Your third season turkey hunting and you are hunting Florida Osceolas on public? You are definitely an optimistic turkey hunter! Good luck!
I personally haven't hunted Osceola's enough to really have a say in the matter, but in my limited experience, if there were gobblers around, they would gobble...at least a little bit on the roost in the morning at daybreak. With that many hens around,...and assuming the season has been on a while where you are hunting,...my guess is the gobbler(s) that were with those hens are now in somebody's freezer. ;D
...Hope I am wrong, though, and you find one... :icon_thumright:
I agree with Gobblenut. Two days in a row with hens and no gobble, and no eyes on a tom? I am not spending a third morning there. I would also be out at dusk looking and listening for birds.
Could be the tom/toms were killed... Could be hunting pressure is shutting them up? Could be they are traveling a bit from their roost to meet up with a tom that has not been killed?
If you roost a bird hunt there. If not, maybe look for one in the direction that the hens are travelling off the roost?
Get off you phone and hunt!! LOL Just kidding.
I agree to maybe branch out since you are in a time crunch. If you find no other info this afternoon and no fresh sign, head back there with your plan.
The gobbling most likely won't pick up until after peak breading and the alpha gobblers start waking up knowing they didn't go to sleep with any hens nearby.
Why don't the subordinate/satellites gobble? Because they afraid of a whooping. They need to know where the boss is at and if he ain't gobbling they ain't knowing.
I hunted a roost early season last year 2 days In a row. 1st day the flock was there. Gobbling was decent on the roost but when the hens showed up the gobbling stopped for the day. Next morning had me near the same roost. Only 1 gobbler and he gobbled but would not answer my calling. I kept the calling to a minimum because I believed I was between him and where he wanted to go. A pasture where the flock went the day before. He gobbled maybe 8 times on the roost from about 150 yds away so I knew he could hear my calling but never responded.
After fly down he gobbled once under the roost. I thought cool he gonna come right down here. Nope he went to the next little finger ridge over to my right and gobbled once. I thought he was bugging out so I called a little more aggressively no response. The next 2 gobbles came from the little finger ridge to my left a little deeper into the woods. Again I thought he was bugging out. I call some more with no response and got after him because I didn't want to lose him. I circled wide left to get in front of him and messed around up in there for about an hour only to come slinking back out with my tail between my legs. Never heard him again
What did happen is when I came out, he was there not 25 yds from where I originally called to him slinking away from just inside the pasture.
He knew a hen was there. He knew he was going to go check her out. What he didn't know was where the rest of the flock was. His gobbling was an effort to locate the flock and the boss. I didn't want it to draw attention to himself by gobbling to my calling.
When he was satisfied the coast was clear he came down to give the his little lady a visit but I had already left.
Keep us updated, Zach. I think all of us are interested in knowing how things work out for you. :icon_thumright:
Quote from: GobbleNut on March 26, 2024, 09:37:22 AM
Keep us updated, Zach. I think all of us are interested in knowing how things work out for you. :icon_thumright:
Same spot this morning didn't see anything till about 945 - 10 o clock I seen a lone hen skirting around the cypress and went up a small slough clucking very quietly. About 9 o clock before the wind start gusting 30 mph, I heard some sirens sounded like they were in the wma well my ears mightve been playing tricks on me but I could've swore I heard a gobble straight ahead kind off where the hen came from. Never heard anything else so I can't be positive it was a gobbler. 1 gobbler has been taken the past 3 days in this wma. Probably about 30 to 40 hunters a day. No gobbling going on on the limb from what other hunters are saying of course they could be lying but with so little harvest recently I think these birds are just kind of in hiding right now. Almost impossible to roost in the evenings cause that's when the wind is kicking the most. Dang near Gail force. If I have any luck I'll defiantley let yall know. And if I go home with my tail tucked and a lesson learned I'll do the same.
Look for gobbler tracks if there are some sand roads on that place, unfortunately sounds like your going to have to deer hunt them, not sure how big the place is but 30-40 hunters a day probably has those birds scared to death already!
I do get a certain satisfaction out of killing quiet turkeys!
Good luck.