- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
re: More proof that LA turkey season is too late: hens running around with poults
Posted on 4/24/23 at 1:22 pm to lowhound
Posted on 4/24/23 at 1:22 pm to lowhound
I got on a bird last Monday that was gobbling his head off alone, and responded to every call on public land. Hunters all over the damn roads too, but weather was perfect.
My buddy got on one Saturday and Sunday, same public land, and the bird responded just fine to calls. He didn’t even see another hunter on the last day of the season. Most of them are pretty lazy hunters.
It’s frustrating, but hunting pressure reduces gobbling more than anything, and hunting henned up birds in march can be just as frustrating.
If we couldn’t shoot Jake’s, that would give us more hot 2 year olds to be hunted also.
I like an early season… weather is typically better and birds are active, but when the top turkey biologists in the country recommend it as the easiest way to help the population, it’s hard to argue with. I’d rather have more birds to hunt in the future. Gobbler density per acre will trump everything else with regard to your success in the woods.
My buddy got on one Saturday and Sunday, same public land, and the bird responded just fine to calls. He didn’t even see another hunter on the last day of the season. Most of them are pretty lazy hunters.
It’s frustrating, but hunting pressure reduces gobbling more than anything, and hunting henned up birds in march can be just as frustrating.
If we couldn’t shoot Jake’s, that would give us more hot 2 year olds to be hunted also.
I like an early season… weather is typically better and birds are active, but when the top turkey biologists in the country recommend it as the easiest way to help the population, it’s hard to argue with. I’d rather have more birds to hunt in the future. Gobbler density per acre will trump everything else with regard to your success in the woods.
This post was edited on 4/24/23 at 1:23 pm
0
Posted on 4/24/23 at 8:13 pm to lowhound
I was actually attacked by a hen today. Her poults bolted on her and one came right to me and she charged me. (Lol) I wanted to pick him up and give him to her, but I know some birds kill their offspring if that happens
Posted on 4/24/23 at 8:15 pm to TutHillTiger
I heard poults on two other nest as well, we have never seen them this early before
Posted on 4/24/23 at 8:27 pm to TutHillTiger
This year started off with an early spring. The small brush and trees started budding leaves in late Feb. The Dogwood trees started flowering 2 or 3 weeks earlier than normal.
It only follows that the Turkey would start breading earlier than normal this year.
It only follows that the Turkey would start breading earlier than normal this year.
Posted on 4/24/23 at 11:32 pm to lowhound
Love those late season birds. If I can get him to gobble, he’s coming.
Posted on 4/25/23 at 8:27 am to lowhound
Area I work in is crawling with Turkeys...and lots of poults have been around since mid march or so. I see groups of jakes and toms almost daily..and hens eerywhere. There is no rhyme or reason to it either, winter, spring summer or fall, all day every day they are out and about. I can't imagine them being as thick anywhere in the area where they can be hunted...at times they are almost a nuisance.
Posted on 4/25/23 at 5:52 pm to Ol boy
quote:
Looks like what they are doing is working!!
1 single gobbler can impregnate every single hen in the area and result in the same number of poults. The population of males has no effect on poult production, as long as you have at least 1.
Restricting gobbler harvest has no effect on how many eggs are layed and hatched and eventually reach adulthood.
That said, I do think jakes should only be legal for youth.
Posted on 4/25/23 at 6:02 pm to deeprig9
quote:
1 single gobbler can impregnate every single hen in the area and result in the same number of poults. The population of males has no effect on poult production, as long as you have at least 1.
Yes, but poults hatched earlier have a better chance of survival vs later. Killing the dominant bird before breeding disrupts the process and delays nesting.
Posted on 4/25/23 at 6:06 pm to deeprig9
LINK to a LDWF article
I just listen to what I hear from buddies and what they in turn gather from other sources.
Not sure if it’s fact but this is the ryme and reason for the delay in the season.
Hopefully it does work and we see population increases.
I just listen to what I hear from buddies and what they in turn gather from other sources.
Not sure if it’s fact but this is the ryme and reason for the delay in the season.
Hopefully it does work and we see population increases.
Posted on 4/25/23 at 6:09 pm to Ol boy
they weren’t wrong about Covid… I limited out in MS in the first week that year. I would have been there anyway since I had vacation, but there were a ton of hunters in MS and LA running the roads during the weekdays. 
Posted on 4/25/23 at 9:43 pm to deeprig9
quote:
1 single gobbler can impregnate every single hen in the area and result in the same number of poults. The population of males has no effect on poult production, as long as you have at least 1. Restricting gobbler harvest has no effect on how many eggs are layed and hatched and eventually reach adulthood. That said, I do think jakes should only be legal for youth.
Could have saved a lot of typing by just saying you understand jackshit about turkey reproduction
Posted on 4/25/23 at 9:55 pm to TheDrunkenTigah
quote:
Could have saved a lot of typing by just saying you understand jack shite about turkey reproduction
And thats not even his best work
Posted on 4/25/23 at 10:55 pm to TheDrunkenTigah
quote:
Could have saved a lot of typing by just saying you understand jackshit about turkey reproduction
Please educate me on how more male turkey increase poult recruitment.
Posted on 4/26/23 at 7:16 am to deeprig9
Eastern wild turkey populations have been in decline for the past decade. Part of this decline can be attributed to reductions in reproductive output. Hens select which males they will breed with, and if that male is removed, she will not just breed with the next available male. Instead, she undergoes another evaluation process of the available males, thus delaying the breeding cycle.
Research indicates later breeding results in egg clutches of smaller size and increased infertility of the eggs. Also, with a higher incidence of the removal of gobblers, males with superior traits are not passing these desirable characteristics to young poults.
“Another problem with a higher concentration of hunters being in the woods is that it increases the chances of more unsafe interactions while hunting,” Collier said.
That’s directly from the ldwf article from the biologist
Research indicates later breeding results in egg clutches of smaller size and increased infertility of the eggs. Also, with a higher incidence of the removal of gobblers, males with superior traits are not passing these desirable characteristics to young poults.
“Another problem with a higher concentration of hunters being in the woods is that it increases the chances of more unsafe interactions while hunting,” Collier said.
That’s directly from the ldwf article from the biologist
This post was edited on 4/26/23 at 7:18 am
Posted on 4/26/23 at 7:32 am to Ol boy
the OPs observation is just an outlier. Louisiana seson dates would have had no effect on this particular clutch they would have been bred in very early March at the latest
Posted on 4/26/23 at 2:00 pm to Ron Cheramie
quote:
Louisiana seson dates would have had no effect on this particular clutch they would have been bred in very early March at the latest
Well until a couple years ago, the season opened March 15th, just like how Mississippi does, meaning that these hens still would have been bred and the population wouldn't have been affected. It's not an outlier, several comments just on this thread have seen similar.
This post was edited on 4/26/23 at 2:01 pm
Posted on 4/26/23 at 2:13 pm to lowhound
I don't recall Louisiana opening March 15. It was the last Saturday in March before they recently moved it to the first Saturday in April now.
This post was edited on 4/26/23 at 2:16 pm
Posted on 4/26/23 at 4:46 pm to lowhound
quote:
the season opened March 15th, just like how Mississippi does
No
Third week of March was when it opened
quote:
It's not an outlier, several comments just on this thread have seen similar.
It’s still an outlier, the peak nest initiation seen for Louisiana turkeys is first week of April which means the majority of poults wouldn’t be hatched until mid May
They don’t all lay at the same time
Posted on 4/27/23 at 7:47 am to lowhound
Deer season needs to move back exactly one month. Nov 1- Mar 1. Turkey should start Mar 2.
Posted on 4/27/23 at 8:35 am to elprez00
Cannot start turkey early March.
The 2006 Washington parish rocket net study proved that.
In 2006, DWF conducted 2 rocket net studies. One in Wash. Parish, the other in the Tensas River NWR. I did kill one of the banded toms. A big grandpa.
The results in W parish was shocking .
Over 80% of leg banded gobblers were killed in the mid march season. Far, far too many. THAT is what set the April season.
Now at first, there was political opposition out of East Feliciana parish. A group of old timers got a state rep to try to stop it. I believe the exact quote was “ we hearing lots of gobbling. We want to hunt. “
We called them the “ Feliciana Few “
Wildlife Management won out. April season.
The 2006 Washington parish rocket net study proved that.
In 2006, DWF conducted 2 rocket net studies. One in Wash. Parish, the other in the Tensas River NWR. I did kill one of the banded toms. A big grandpa.
The results in W parish was shocking .
Over 80% of leg banded gobblers were killed in the mid march season. Far, far too many. THAT is what set the April season.
Now at first, there was political opposition out of East Feliciana parish. A group of old timers got a state rep to try to stop it. I believe the exact quote was “ we hearing lots of gobbling. We want to hunt. “
We called them the “ Feliciana Few “
Wildlife Management won out. April season.
This post was edited on 4/27/23 at 8:51 am
Page 2 of 2
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News