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They are breeding!

sureshot

sureshot

The Hunt Never Ends....
Had a good night scouting birds. While watching a flock in a field and taking pictures I noticed a tom begin to breed a hen. I'm not sure if this is early or not, but it's the earliest I have ever witnessed it. My question is what triggers turkeys to begin breeding. I know in whitetails it's the photoperiod (amount of light in a day), but I guess I've never thought or looked into turkeys breeding.

Here is a picture I took of the tom breeding the hen. He's on the left side of the pic. To see more pictures I took today then click on the link below to read my blog; http://chrisandblake.bowhuntingroad.com/2012/03/29/longbeard-update-they-are-already-breeding/

-Chris

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This will be a year for the books for sure. I don't know if it is going to be dynamite or be horrible yet. Last week I noticed a lot of big flocks with a ton of strutters. This week I notice a lot more lone toms out strutting with no hens. Between about 9am and 4:30pm I see birds all over the place.
 
I'm pretty sure Turkey breeding involves the amount of daylight and doesn't concern temps. The birds I was watching last weekend did something different each morning and really havent moved into their "traditional" spring locations yet.
 
Just the last few days I've seen some lone strutting gobblers. They're definitely starting to break up from their flocks. That article helped calm my thoughts but it will still be interesting to see how everything really pans out. Its going to be weird hunting 1st season in a jungle forest when usually its open woods.
 
I had a tom strutting in my work parking lot the other day, just down the road from downtown des moines by water works
 
The photo shows they are obviously already breeding. Going to be a very strange year. The good thing is with the vegetation you will be able to get right in on them during 1st season on the roost.
 
I would assume that some will breed earlier like deer and the majority

of them will trickle in as the season progresses ??
 
wapsiguy said:
http://www.turkeyandturkeyhunting.com/turkey-scratchings/brian-lovett-blog/turkeys-365-will-this-warm-spring-affect-hunting
Click to expand...

Always good to hear. I wondered if it was like deer where during the "peak" of the rut your only actually seeing like a 1/4 of the population in heat, where others may breed anywhere from September-Janurary. As a bow hunter I'm always out in the open anyway, so not real worried about the undergrowth. Might just save the hassle of birds strutting early in the woods :way:
 
I dont think it will be that bad of a deal if the hens are all on the nest and the toms are out searching for them during the first season rather than the 3rd or 4th. I look at it as an advantage. They will be out looking for a week or two before they get any pressure and when they see my hen and jake they wont be able to stand it.
 
I was gonna ask about this with the temps and all! But it kinda is like all male/female relationships!!!If the women ain't ready ........the guy is just kinda gonna hump up and wait! No matter how pretty he dances!!!!!!!!!:D:D
 
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