Strut Report: Successful Southern Youth Hunts Spur Optimism About Season

Positive reports on abundant and active birds are coming in from hunters throughout the South. (Photo by Denver Bryan)

Young hunters throughout the South have been getting the job done during the youth weekends as reports of abundant birds and heavy gobbling have set the stage for an exciting season.

Realtree’s David Blanton guided 13-year-old Cam Rhoden during the youth weekend at SRP Farms in East Georgia.

Rhoden suffered a severe spinal cord injury after diving into a pond last year. Despite a poor prognosis, Rhoden has regained his ability to walk with support after a successful surgery and intense therapy at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta. Blanton, who visited Rhoden at the center after the accident, kept a promise to take him turkey hunting once he recovered enough to go.

“We had lots of good gobbling on the limb and for about two hours after fly down,” Blanton says. “The hens were very vocal. But hardly any birds were vocal throughout the remainder of the day. Cam ended up killing a bird on Sunday morning about an hour after daylight when two strutters came in to a hen and jake decoy.”

Rhoden shot the gobbler at 37 yards with a CVA Scout. His hunt is featured on Realtree 365.

Turkeys for Tomorrow (TFT) Director of Outreach Pete Daugherty says he heard a lot of gobbling and witnessed four mature gobblers fighting over hens during Alabama’s youth weekend.

“Around mid-morning, a few of the hens left the group and went to sit on their nests, I believe,” Daugherty says. “The remaining ones stayed with the gobblers. We are seeing lots of this type of behavior in Central Alabama. I feel from past experiences and what I witnessed this weekend that we are on the cusp of our peak gobbling and maybe a week away from some really good hunting.”

Cam Rhoden tagged this nice gobbler during Georgia’s youth weekend with David Blanton as his guide (Photo by Realtree)

TFT Founder Ron Jolly says hen flocks in East Central Alabama continue to disperse into smaller groups. This past weekend he saw single hens appear consistently in the same areas.

“It is my opinion that these single hens have chosen a nest site and have begun the egg-laying phase,” Jolly says. “Toms are well into settling dominance and single toms are slinking around hen flocks looking for opportunities with hens. A tom with one or two lieutenants dominates every encounter with single toms. I have only seen two jakes this spring, which is troubling for next spring. Gobbling is intense on the morning roost but tapers off quickly after fly down. In all, I’d say things are pretty much on schedule.”

Outdoor photographer Tes Jolly says she saw several hen fights between small social groups this past weekend on her farm in Tuskegee, Alabama.

“They’re fierce, and interestingly, a couple were between some jennies. Toms are hanging with the hens and there hasn’t been as much gobbling on the roost. Two hens are still coming alone for short periods so they are likely are incubating or soon to be.”

Realtree.com Editor Will Brantley says spring seems to be arriving a little late in the Texas North Zone.

“My wife and I took my son, Anse, hunting on Sunday afternoon, March 23, which was the last day of the early youth season,” Brantley says. “We got on a strutter right away, but he had at least a dozen hens with him, and there looked to be three to four jakes in the group as well. It was sort of the classic dilemma for the early season. We could see him, and he'd strut when we'd call, but he never gobbled at us. The hens did answer a few times, but they finally pulled the flock the other way.”

Anse Brantley shows off the Texas bird he tagged during the youth weekend. (Photo by Michelle Brantley)

The Brantleys ended up moving on to a different spot, setting out a half-strut jake decoy, and doing some blind calling.

“We had a mob of jakes march in almost immediately, and they strutted and flogged the decoy. Anse had initially said that he would pass on a jake, but all that action at 20 yards was just too much to take! Once the birds separated, he dropped one of them. I'd have probably done the same thing. It was a fine-eating turkey, and the show was a great start to the season.”

Brantley says the general season opens in the North Zone in another week, and he believes hunters should hit it just about right.

“There seems to be a pretty good crop of turkeys to hunt in Texas this year,” Brantley says.

TFT Chief Executive Officer Jason Lupardus says the Rios in South Texas are starting to break up, as there are still large flocks of hens and gobblers hanging together.

“The hunting should only improve with the weather warming up and the birds dividing up into smaller sub-groups and singles,” Lupardus says. “Despite the challenges, some aggressive calling to the boss hens of the groups helped to pull in gobblers that were ready to engage in some action. Patience and persistence worked the best for everyone hunting at Mellon Creek Outfitters in Refugio, Texas, as the success rate still sits at 100%.”

South Carolina’s season opens April 3 and TFT Board of Directors member Stacy Boland says the action is wide open.

“Our first youth hunt is this weekend and the birds are doing their thing,” Boland says. “Gobblers have busted up, are gobbling good on the limb, and are traveling with/strutting for hens. We're just counting down the days.”

All looks good throughout the Southeast so far. If the weather cooperates, the upcoming week should be productive for hunters throughout the region.