Strut Report: Cool Nights Lead to Sporadic Gobbling in Florida

Florida birds have been tight lipped because of cooler weather, but that should change as temps heat up. Photo by Jim Cumming.

Hunt Club and Spring Thunder Host Phillip Culpepper has been in Florida hunting with Big Dream Outdoors and Buckmasters on a quest to help two friends with Down syndrome fill their Grand Slam in one season — all while being filmed.

“We started out strong, with both getting Osceolas,” Culpepper said. “The turkeys weren’t as cooperative as we liked, but they hunted hard and got it done. Cool weather shut them down a bit, but it seems to be trending back in the right direction.”

Culpepper said the story of their hunts will air on Spring Thunder and Buckmasters.

Realtree Road Trips producer Bryan Brown agreed that the turkeys in northern Florida have been off and on because of the cooler nights.

“The gobbling activity has been minimal on the roost,” he said. “As soon as turkeys hit the ground, they’ve been very tight lipped. Stay patient until the temperature rises around noon. If the wind isn’t blowing too hard, you can use thicker cover to slip around and strike a gobbler that might be henned up or strutting around in a field edge. My bet would be on that 11 to 2 o'clock time frame to get a turkey to work into your call.”

Turkeys for Tomorrow CEO Jason Lupardus said the gobblers in south-central Florida are now lonely and looking for love in all the wrong places.

“All of the gobblers that we have watched are alone and covering some ground,” Lupardus said. “This is a prime opportunity to get on birds from daylight until mid-afternoon. Gobbling intensity has been sporadic with the variable temperatures. The cold front that came in basically shut down the gobbling for a day or so, but the birds were still actively moving and working into calls. Craig Watson with Blocker Outdoors harvested his first Osceola this week. From the limb to his lap, it took just over 30 minutes, with some very hot action.”

Mississippi’s regular season opened March 15, with mixed reviews coming in from hunters in the field.

Turkeys for Tomorrow board member Chip Davis said the birds in the northern half of Mississippi are still holding in wintertime flocks, with only very limited gobbling from the trees.

“The southern half [birds] are gobbling good, and gobblers are with hens and breeding,” he said.

Craig Watson with Blocker Outdoors harvested his first Osceola during a hunt that just took a little more than 30 minutes. Photo by TFT.

Realtree’s David Blanton is hunting an hour north of Jackson, Mississippi, with little luck.

“The birds are really henned up,” he said. “Surprisingly, they’re gobbling on the limb, but we’re not hearing any gobbling the rest of the day.”

Realtree.com Editor Will Brantley said the spring is off to a slow start in Kentucky, where the general turkeys season opens April 12.

“We'll get a couple of pretty days, and then bam, another cold front and hard frost,” he said. “It seems like all of the foliage is a week or two behind. The Bradford pears just started blooming this week. I've been seeing a few turkeys here and there, and saw some strutters in a field yesterday, but for the most part, it seems like they're still holding in those big winter flocks. That'll change once it warms up a little more and the insects come out. We seem to have had a good hatch last year and the year prior both, so I am expecting a good season.”

Brantley and his family are heading to Texas for a wedding, but they plan to hunt at least one afternoon.

“It's the youth season in the north zone, so my son, Anse, will be shooting,” Brantley said. “We'll be back home on Monday night, and then heading back out to Texas the following week to hunt over spring break.”

Conor Harrison, director of communications with the Dallas Safari Club, said he’s hearing some good reports out of southern Texas, where the season is currently open.

“There are lots of birds this year,” he said. “I think the jake populations the last few years have come of age, and lots of mature birds are being reported.”

Multiple toms in a social group won’t tolerate lone toms when they try to joint the group. Photo by Tes Jolly.

Jason Hardin, wild turkey program coordinator for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, said the south zone youth season opened March 8, and the general south zone spring season opened March 15.

“We have received 852 harvest reports in the south zone since opening day,” Hardin said. “We have a ton of jakes and 2-year-old birds. That said, it is hit or miss on gobbling behavior. Where we are seeing early greens (weeds popping up), we are hearing about gobbling toms and birds being harvested. However, this is more geared toward toms being ready to breed, but hens are not. Hens are still flocked up and not showing much interest in toms. Therefore, when they do hear a hunter calling, they come running for the ‘first hen of the year’ in their minds.”

Hardin says some drier areas are having an effect as well. Dry stock ponds are reducing the distribution of birds across the landscape.

“Those drier areas are not responding as well,” Hardin said. “We need more rain. It is getting hot, dry, and windy out there. Not a good combo for turkey hunting success.”

Alabama’s regular season opens March 25, and outdoor photographer Tes Jolly said the social flocks on her farm in Tuskegee, Alabama, have formed. She says some toms are the odd man out with no hens to strut for.

“Lone toms aren’t tolerated when they try to join the groups, especially when multiple toms are in charge,” Jolly said. “I’m seeing a couple of single hens coming and going early and late. Likely they’ve established a nest and are hanging close to the area. Turkeys are covering a lot of habitat as hens check out nesting areas and toms search for hens. Gobbling is picking up as well. What a great time to be in the spring woods.”

Turkey season opens in Georgia, Alabama and northern Texas this week, and we’re looking forward to reporting on how hunters are faring in each of those states. So far, it’s looking good.