Golden State Turkey Outlook
August 23rd, 2005 by Administrator
Golden State Turkey Outlook - Despite a couple of mild storms, spring 2004 was just about perfect for turkey production, leading experts to believe we’ll see an increase in turkey numbers going into the 2005 spring turkey season.
It was opening day of spring turkey season 2004, the last Saturday in March, and something was amiss. It was spitting rain, but not enough to get you really wet, and the air was cool but not cold. I’ve seen opening days that were warmer and sunnier, but I’ve also been out in the teeth of a full-fledged storm. Regardless, on the familiar property where I was hunting, there had always been turkeys and even on slow days the toms were almost always vocal enough to keep me interested regardless of whether an old longbeard came to the gun.
At daybreak of the season opener last spring, however, despite the air being filled with the sounds of small birds, quail and distant dogs barking, the morning was completely void of the sounds I wanted most to hear. If early morning turkey vocalization means anything in the spring, and it certainly does, there wasn’t a gobbler anywhere within hearing. I hunted hard all morning, but the only indication that there might be a few turkeys present was one lone set of tracks in a mud puddle.
A week later I did find a few birds in another spot, but all in all it was one of the slowest seasons I can remember. Some of the local hunters I talked to remarked about the absence of jakes (1-year-old gobblers) and the short supply of older toms. What’s more, the symptoms of a here-and-there decline were apparent in several parts of northern California.
By John Higley