AL Spring Gobbler Season 2025

[bamaranger]

-24April, #18
Dawn finds me back on that same ROW w/ blind and dekes. I call a bit, perhaps once an hour, softly, but I'm counting on the decoys working for me.
At 10:00AM or so, a lone hen appears from the pines, 70 yds or so away. She eyeballs the decoys, then walks a beeline straight across the ROW and into the pines on the other side. I'd bet anything she's headed to her nest. I call a bit more over the next stretch of time, perhaps she's given her boyfriend the slip and he's close. At 11:15, after a string of yelps, I hear a string of 6 yelps that sound awful. I figure I've called up another hunter. I glance to my right, and 60 yds away stands a a hen. She cranks up again 6-7 yelps that to me sound thin and thready, but it's her. I answer with some clucks and she pivots, works about 10 yds closer, eyeballs the dekes again than reverses her course and walks a big loop of a couple of 100 yds or so on the ROW. I figure its the same hen from before. She re-enters the pines about exactly where she did when I saw her around 10:00. Highlight of the morning. I hear no gobbles and see no other turkeys. I tough it out 'til 12:00 noon, then bail. I've spent over 12 hours on this spot over the course of two mornings, no gobbles heard, no toms sighted. I've not heard a gobble since 15April, eleven days ago. Shucks what a season.

-26April, hunt #19
The day before, a huge line of storms sweeps thru. There was a couple of hours in the morning where a guy could have hunted, but I take the morning off. This morning I'm going to get away from that stupid ROW and get in the open woods again. I leave home about 30 minutes late, but I'm not too worried. It's very foggy, overcast too, and dawn is delayed considerably. I hit the Big Club and out the ridge with the little shelf again ( I suppose I should name it?) that overlooks the creek and ag fields. By 6:30M I'm out on the point where the pines get big and I hold up, pick a spot, and call for an hour between 7 & 8:00AM , Figure there might be some birds late on the roost in those pines, but hear nothing. At 8:00, I pull up stakes and ease ever so carefully off the end of the point down onto the little shelf. The creeks up with the rain, , the bottom is partially flooded. The farmer sprayed the ag field, it's browned out and the grass is down, there really ought to be a turkey holding on this little shelf. I'm hopeful. In my minds eye I can see a the big gobbler from preseason easing down that bench to me. But it never happens. I stay till 10:30, about 2 hours, calling every 15 minutes or so, no results. I pack it all up, start slowly back up the ridge. Every 100 yds or so, I hit the gobble tube, maybe I can provoke one. Private property, no other vehicle tracks, I feel safe in using the gobble tube. But again no results. Back at the old Toyota 4wd by 11:45, home and cut grass. Man it's slow.

[Jim Watson]

They’re out there.

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[bamaranger]

29April, hunt #20
Back out to the Big Club to hunt a series of small points just east of the Big Hollow area. I'm just a wee bit late on arrival, but again an overcast dawn delays daybreak and I don't feel too bad about it. I killed all 3 of my birds last year on this series of hardwood points east of the Big Hollow, heard birds here on Day #1 & 2 this year and preseason, but since, it's been really quiet. I settle at the base of a big white oak, and construct some cover from saplings clipped nearby and run some soft calls on the slate. It's 6:15AM, still and warm and will get warmer as the morning progresses. I elect not to yelp any more unless I hear one close enough and spend the next 4 hours just sitting and listening. At 10:00AM I start with the crow call and answer myself with short, jake like (I hope) gobbles. I'd seen a flock of 9-10 birds in a pasture perhaps a 1/2 -3/4mi further east while cruising the county roads one evening, many if not most of them were jakes. I'm beginning to think there may be a lot of jakes in the woods this spring. Perhaps that bunch or others will respond to my attempted juvenile gobbling? Alas, once again, I see or hear nothing the rest of the morning. I stay 'till 11:30. The day broke nicely the sun popped out, it's hot, but the pines are shaded on my walk out and there's a decent breeze, even in this pine plantation.
On the way home, I blow a tire on the ATV trailer. No big deal, I've got all I need to get going again. A level shady spot is easily found on these rural county roads and I park safely and get the spare on easily. While doing the change two different pickups drive past, one an old country boy type, the other a big shiny dually. Nobody inquires if I need help or checks on me. I'm kind of surprised. It's nice to be perceived as competent and capable, but there was a time when if you saw someone the age of your grandad on the side of the road broke down, you stopped and checked on them, stranger or not! Ah, the times they are a changing.

[eastbank]

all ready for sat-3 may for the opener, cloths spryed for ticks, shotguns cleaned sighted in, hearing aids all charged up. final scouting done four days ago. now all i need is a willing senior gobbler. good luck to all going out and be safe.

[stagpanther]

Yesterday afternoon I was going out to shoot a few test loads when I came across the property owner coming out; he was scouting around for turkey signs as our hunt just started; but he hadn't seen any. I told him I hadn't seen but a couple of turkeys since I've been back--but to rest assured, both the deer and turkeys know that when I personally am around shooting they have nothing fear.. I told him that they often come out especially around where I like to set up my targets--and he chuckled and said good bye. Sure enough, just as I pulled up at the target berm I use a hen came out on the gravel road behind the berm--called my friend and told him and he laughed.

[bamaranger]

As noted by E'bank, best of luck to all starting their seasons further north. My plan is to hunt PA sometime after Mothers Day. Stagpanther, you really need to start hunting turkeys!

1MAY, hunt #20
Desperate to hear a gobble, I make the long up/down hike into Irish hollow. There seems to always be turkeys down here, the problem is I can only legally hunt a sliver of it. Many hours spent listening to gobblers parade about in the pastures on the bottom, while I try and entice one up the only hillside I can legally hunt. I've killed a half dozen or so here in seasons past, but spent probably well over a couple of hundred hours trying. But I gotta here a gobble, its been over 2 weeks!!!!!

I'm obligated to pick up 'bamagrand early, but leave 'bamagrand with patient bamawife and arrive on the lease at 9:00AM. That's OK, as I want to make a mid-day hunt anyhow. I take my time working my way down to the bottom, but by 10:00AM I'm settled at the base of a big red oak where I've sat many times before. I can just see portions of the pasture thru the trees, couple of hundred yards distant, and I'm about a long shotgun shot from the property line. Winds up, but down low it's not bad and I haven't sat 10 minutes, or made any calls, when an owl hoots and I think I hear a gobble, muted and garbled in the wind, off to the right, 1/4mi maybe? Certainly out of bounds and likely out in that dang pasture. I gobble back at him, no reply, but I feel better, dang it, I've finally heard one!

A little over an hour later, I hear a for sure gobble, again muted and warbly(?) off to the left this time, again, 1/4mi or more. I've got some wiggle room to the left, not much, but I can get a wee bit lower and across a small creek that's between us. I move left couple of hundred yards and settle again at a big hackberry. I can clearly see segments of the pasture, and the property line angles such that I still have a shot. A third gobble, closer, 100yds plus a little now, reveals the birds location, out in the pasture of course. Between him and me there's another, bigger creek, and a four strand barb wire fence. My job is to convince him to cross all that.

I figure best chance is to challenge him to a fight, and run the gobble tube hard, short and choppy, hoping to sound jake like. ......nothing. A few minutes later, I try again, adding some hen yelps with the slate...."this youngster has stolen one of my girls"......nothing. He goes silent, so do I. About an hour later, through one of the wooded windows where I can see pasture, 150 yds out, other side of the creek (and fence) four turkeys drift through, right to left. Ones a jake for sure, not sure on the others. May have been a second gobbler, and hens too. I try the gobbler call again....nothing. More silence and I do same. An hour later, once again turkeys slip thru my narrow field of view into the distant pasture, this time left to right. Same bunch, I can see a 8-ball black gobbler but can't age him, and at least 2 hens. I try the gobble call again....nothing.

It's 3:30, I've got an uphill walk out, and must carry 'bamagrand back to town to bama daughter-in-law. No calling these birds, and I cannot move closer to attempt an ambush. Done. I push as hard as I dare back to my old Toyota 4WD (the old Bronco is sick again) and blast back home like one of the Dukes of Hazzard, dust and gravel flying. I'm 15 minutes late to meet the momma, but I get it done. And.....I've worked a gobbler...sort of!

-2May, hunt #22
Same as before, I must do the grandpa (grumpa?) thing and carry little miss bamagrand from her home to mine first thing in the AM. And its Friday, and bamawife (bama-nanna?) makes a deal over French Toast Friday, and has it waiting for me/us when I arrive back home at 8:00AM. Well, what ya' gonna do? The three of us have breakfast (dang that kid eats alot for a 1 yr old!). Bamma-nanna loves it and my belly is full.

Jump into hunting clothes and rocket over to Irish Hollow. I don't arrive 'til 10:00AM, and am not into the bottom to nearly 11:00. But, halfway down, I hear two gobbles, over to the left. I push hard to the last place I sat the day before, the hackberry tree. The bird gobbles 6-8 times while I'm enroute, and he's across the big creek (and fence) again. By his tone, he's alone and doesn't like it....maybe today's the day? I yelp on the slate....no answer, but a minute or so later he gobbles again. OK....I cut at him and by golly, ....I think he answered that! I yelp in reply....silence. A few minutes later he gobbles again, seems like he drifted away a bit. And then it rained!

There'd been rolling thunder the whole time, I'd heard it in the distance about the time I heard his first two gobbles while I was still descending. And now the squall was here and for five minutes it pours. I hear no more gobbles and my questing yelps go unanswered. Half an hour later, through the same slice of daylight as the day previous, I see turkeys easing past 150 yds away. 2 hens and .....a strutter! I cannot make out the beard, but the fan looked mature and even. OK, couldn't call him away yesterday what now?

I can hear another line of storms brewing in the south, headed my way. Hmm! If those birds continue drifting the way they are, they may leave the pasture, paralleling the creek and take shelter, or even roost-up, on club land upstream. I pull out, and head upstream, paralleling what I hope will be the little flocks course ahead of the coming storm. I get a glimpse of the gobbler one time as I overtake them (in parallel from a distance) and he looks huge! Well out ahead now, I find a spot where the creek leaves the private property and enters club land, perhaps a quarter mile upstream and not all that far from the pasture. There's a really large sandy wash where a turkey might fly from one side to another and a good field of fire. I slide into the base of a medium sized hornbeam, the biggest thing around and we'll see. I sit 45 minutes, hear and see nothing, except that dang storm getting closer, and then the bottom fall out.

It rains, I mean, it really rains. A lot of thunder and lightning too, though most of it seems cloud to cloud, aloft. I remember one of those thin emergency poncho's in my vest and manage to get it over me and all my gear, but not before I'm pretty soaked. Well, I won't get any wetter, and it will trap body heat. I plod out, uphill of course, but am not dejected or defeated. Again, I heard and saw a gobbler, and it's been a long dry spell until yesterday and today. I take my good old time, making sure of my footsteps. Forty-five minutes later I reach the 4WD and call bamawife , she's worried. I console her and make the soggy drive home....wet and smiling. I worked a gobbler again.

[stagpanther]

I'm wondering if odd weather changes might have something to do with changes in mating behavior? It's been very cool and windy up here--the leaves are just now starting to bud on the trees--and there is far less turkey activity than I've ever seen before.

When you run into hunters that don't have a clue about properly making calls or approaching turkeys--well, I'm that guy, and is one reason (besides health issues) that I don't hunt them. Besides that, I have a sweetheart deal with the property owner to target shoot where I do--so I am happy to spot game and let him know what I see, when and where. I haven't seen "Mr Big" in a couple of years now; I assume somebody must of finally got him or he simply passed of old age. I know, excuses, excuses.

Good luck in PA! Persistence pays off eventually.

[bamaranger]

Oh sure, weather has a bearing on gobbling activity certainly and turkey behavior overall. There are now some relatively comprehensive studies done by a couple of southern universities that have hi-tech microphones out and compare the recorded gobbles v. wind/temp/barometric pressure, maybe some other parameters too.

No doubt cold and wet shuts the gobbling down. Wind also. I think turkeys hate wind. Every thing in the woods is moving....and to a turkey, any moving thing could be a threat. It also robs them of their hearing. Fog denies them of their vision and a fog bank rolling into a ridge or mountain side will shut them down as well.

Another factor I believe in is light. The lengthening days and increased light after short winter days supposedly trigger something in a turkeys noggin to signal him to start his breeding cycle (there are likely correct biological terms for that, but they escape me just now). What I have noticed is that the brighter and nicer the morning, the more gobbling activity I am likely to hear.....as a general rule. On overcast "flat light" mornings, gobbling seems to diminish...again broadly speaking. Hunt turkeys much and you will hear exceptions to all of those statements, but as a guide, nice days are better than days with any sort of inclement weather.

In a perfect year, gobbling will peak just before the season comes in, the logic being that a goodly amount of breeding has occurred before we start killing 'toms and disrupting breeding activity. Things will taper off then a second "late peak" will occur towards the seasons end, this occurring as hens begin to sit their nest and gobblers find themselves alone without willing companions.

I think weather swings effected N. Alabama's spring season this year. Wild temp swings leading up to the opener, tornado activity and high wind days combined to reduce gobbling (at least in my observations). I never heard a bird 'til March 21st, heard birds first two days, then went 12 days before a gobble (..."a"... gobble mind you, not even a number) and went 15 days after that 'til I heard a bird on 1 & 2 May. On top of that, I think the gobble of 15April and 1/2May are the same dang bird!

[eastbank]

turkeys started to let loose at 5:20 AM yesterday and i sat down and put out a small series of soft yelps and had quick responses, i shut up and waited for better light. another hunter was below me, that i didn,t know was there and he went crazy with calling. and at 5 till 6 he fired a shot. i don,t know if he got the bird or not, but every thing went quite. at about 9:30 i called in a few hens with a jake and they went right by me at about 20 yards. i didn,t shoot at the jake. i,ll be at the same area monday morning.

[bamaranger]

-5 May, hunt #23
The morning is misty with fog and a very slight drizzle. I'm where I want to be, at bottom of Irish Hollow when I hear the first gobbles, way to the west, so much so that I do not slide that way. My hope is that this is a different gobbler than the bird that has been frustrating me and I will hear the trouble maker, closer, and try him again. But over the course of the next few minutes, the gobbles draw closer and it seems this is indeed the same bird from days before. In fact, I'm pretty sure this bird has been here all season. If I recall correctly, it was Irish Hollow where I heard my first scouting gobbles in March, and a gobbler fight on the second morning of the season.

A few minutes more and Trouble slides into view on the opposite side of the creek and fence, passing through the same small window in the treeline 150 yds away. He's got at least two hens with him and already things don't look good. Hens, creek, fence. I've moved gobblers from this very spot, but always without hens and a good bit of luck. Trouble continues sliding east and I pick up and parallel him along the property line. His gobbling slows, but continues enough to keep track of him. I set up again, further east, but any calls I make, to include some challenge gobbles, go unanswered. He gobbles at crows, he gobbles at hawks shrilling, he gobbles at jets passing overhead, trucks in the distance....but he never gobbles at my calls.

After about an hour, Trouble retraces his path from earlier and drifts back west. I work along, and end up just west of the hackberry tree where I've called from two other mornings as well. Its as far west as I can legally get, but about as close to the bird as I've been at any point. Trouble drifts through and contiunes west, gobbling periodically. He has to hear me, but I get no true answers. I'll stay with him and we'll see.

By now, it's after 11:00 AM. Trouble goes silent, but I stay put. I know he's heard me and my hope is that he'll loose those hens and come searching for that girl from across the way. I hear nothing for an hour, past noon. Then a tremendous gobble from my left front, closer than any before, close enough I can hear the distinctive "woosh" at the end. I give a soft cluck and purr and am rewarded with a rattling triple gobble. I stow the slate in my vest and get the gun up, and within a minute, I can hear drumming. He's here, I suspect down on a gravel or sand bar in the creek, perhaps 60-70 yds away. Get up here! Time passes, the drumming continues, and it's clear from the sound that he's got a strut zone going, left and right, out of sight. I stay silent, hoping he'll come into sight and into range. After 20-30 minutes, the drumming ceases.....he's likely moving. Away or nearer? I risk movement, lower the gun, get slate out, and cluck and purr again....he liked it before. A double gobble, but away, up in the pasture on his side of the creek. And this time he does not return, the next gobble I hear and he's continued back west, and the next further still. A long period of silence follows.....gone.

I'm resting now, the slate close at hand, the gun across my lap, watching mostly left. Long years of practice (and mistakes) have taught me to look with my eyes and limit head movement . When I cut my eyes right after some minutes, there, .....15 feet or so away, stands a turkey! My heart skips a beat but I realize immediately, that it's a hen. She's right here, but hasn't seen me, even raises her head and eyes me with one eye, and goes back to pecking. Closer still, mere feet, and when she raises next, looks right at me, both eyeballs this time, and makes me out. Putting loudly and repeatedly, she zig zags off, not running, but in that head jerking walk spooked turkeys do. And, she heads west, towards where ol'Trouble was last heard, still putting occasionally. Well, ...that's likely that.

It's 2:00PM, was a heck of a hunt, no feathers, but I finally worked ol'Trouble and he won....sort of anyhow. I'm pretty convinced now he's about unkillable, given my property line restrictions and his tendencies to stay out in the open. Even if he'd left the creek bottom, he'd have had to slip the fence just beyond for me to legally shoot him. He might have done it, maybe not. Know telling how many hens are down in this bottom and Trouble is content to stay in the open and gobble them up for his pleasure and he seems to have no competitors either. It's a long walk out, uphill again of course and things have warmed considerably. I'm not completely dejected, this was the best hunt of the year, but time's running out.

Trouble is safe from me, I'm hunting elsewhere tomorrow.

[eastbank]

been hard here too. i,ll try to wait them out.

[stagpanther]

Not a hunting story--but it really is mystifying the scarcity of turkeys here this spring--normally they are everywhere this time of year and I usually hear them in the woods gobbling up a storm. I suspect a spike in predator population maybe the cause--we have way too many does (which we are not allowed to hunt) and I see more bear and coyote signs than usual. It's still cold and rainy most of the time--oddly enough I did see a group of 4 turkeys cross the road near my house this morning in the miserable weather--that's all I've seen in the last week.