I live in central kansas and by now it is in the mid 60's and 70's fairly consistently. However, when I was driving around the other day, I came across a large flock of about thirty turkeys. I certainly didn't expect that! When will the turkeys really break out of their large flocks and shift 100% to breeding mode?
When you see the big flocks is when most of the breeding occurs. When they breakup is when hens start trying to find nesting areas
Dont really know how the warm weather will affect the birds this year in KS but you should see them breaking up in the next week or so.
Here in south central PA we have so many hens these days that they truly never really break-up these days. Heck I've seen gobblers with a dozen hens walking around during the last week of our season in late May...we could use a good hen thinning in this state... So far this spring I've never seen so many jakes walking around in group of 10 or 15...I knew our hatch was super last summer but never thought is was as good as it was. I suspect the packs of jakes are going to screw-up lots this spring for the old boys.
I agree with frank. I had my boy out listening this morning and we were near a mixed flock of hens and gobblers that must have had nearly twenty jakes gobbling by the sounds. Heard a ton of birds. Piles of jakes but it was the same story last yr so theres a ton of two yr olds around too. :)
The same time they do every year. Weather has little effect on the breeding cycle. It is controlled by the photoperiod. The breeding cycle is a bell shaped curve begining this time of year and ending around June. Our season in Pa doesn't come in until May which means we get to hunt the tail end of the cycle.
Cntrlpa - I've thought the same thing but wasn't sure. I'm glad to hear it from someone else though. I have a hunt booked down in KS for the 3rd weekend in April and was a little worried about this early spring. I have surprisingly done well in the past though very late in the season on properties that get little to no pressure. Actually they were some of my quickest hunts! I've got friends that wouldn't even go out and ate a tag cause they weren't hearing much if any gobbling and thought they birds were done???
I'm a Kansas hunter too and a landowner friend of mine where I hunt texted me a photo yesterday morning of 10 toms strutted out together with no hens in sight.
In scouting last Saturday I saw one group of thirty birds with about five to seven toms/jakes. Another group of about forty birds total with similar number fo toms/jakes same day.
In the same area I saw two small goups of hens together...one of four , one of six....and two toms cruising fields together.
Kansas, Wow I would give my Left N**, to hunt some private land in Oz. I did however Hunt out there last spring on what was to be Private property and Got Hosed, whats a guy to do when he's 700 miles from Home But to Gin it and Bare it. and Hunt. 1 day I will, thats on my Bucket List.