Ok lady’s and gentlemen, anyone seen any yet? Nothing here.

No fawn or young geese. Our first Quail survey the other day on base was not that good. We are hoping the next one in 2 weeks is better.


Earl

Seen a pile of young geese and a few fawns, but no poults yet

Same here. Fawns, goslings, but no poults. I did see a Tom strutting yesterday in my neighbors paddock where he has a few domestic hens. Also heard two birds gobbling after sunrise last Thursday
Weird year

Fawn, goslings, yes, no poults yet. But turkey are more secretive than the others.
V

Saw some on May 22nd in PA while hunting.

I am hearing from a couple friends up there they are seeing them also since the end of May.


Earl

Just saw the first poults of the year about 30 minutes ago In Powhatan. Off my back deck skirting the yard in the edge of the woods, I could see the hen clearly but the poults were in some brush and I could just see movement, no idea how many.

I saw two hens in a field today that were acting like they had poults with them. Both had their heads as high as they could reach looking around intently. I couldn't see youngins, but suspect they were there. Ground cover too high to see, plus I was several hundred yards away.
V

Finally, driving through the base spotted a hen ahead of me in the tall grass next to road. As I approached she started her poultish body action (new term). I stopped about 30 yards from her and watched and listened to her giving an alarm type purr and putt. Watched her for 2 minutes and was ready to drive off when she started giving the assembly call. At that point I seen little figures emerge from the crass to the edge of the woods where she was. There were 8 of them, looked about 3 weeks old.


Earl

Poultish body action, I like it. Seeing 8 that age is very good. They should be fledged by that time. Assembly call is kee kees, right?
V

The kee kee is the call that poults start using around September, know as the lost call, they then develop that call throughout the fall winter when they are separated from the flock or hen. The hen if separated from her young ones will use an assembly Yelp. It’s a series of 8 to 18 yelps that start out as a normal Yelp but with a more urgent message tone. The last couple or few yelps of that series has a more course pitch/ tone to the yelps. If a fall hunter breaks up a drove of a hen and poults the poults usually start calling first trying to find each other and get back together. The hen is a little more cautious of calling at first after a scatter without making sure any danger is still present. But once she has started the assembly Yelp the hunter will notice all other calling from other birds stop and they are on the way back to her. They know thier mothers voice like we knew our mothers voice calling us to find us as kids. At that point the hunt is over unless you can spook off the hen or rebreak them once they get back together. But those young birds learn quickly that after they have been broken up a couple of times by hunters, coyotes or whatever that silence may be the better part of survival.
I have never known in all my years of anyone out calling the hen in that situation. Not saying it’s not possible but just never seen it heard or done.
The kee kee at first is a whistle like tone and then what’s called the kee kee run is developed and that is the poults develop thier calling by adding on a yelp or two before or after the kee kee which is usually 3 whistle like notes.
The Jakes around December still use the kee but are now developing the gobble and of course a more courser kee, Yelp and cluck then the Jenny. So knowing what birds you broke is what different calls, pitches and tones must be used throughout the fall winter season.
The longbeards which myself and other fall hunters focus on is a whole new ball game. In the fall it is fun just breaking up the birds and trying to call them back in, not shooting any but just hearing and learning the different calls pitches and tones of all turkeys.


Earl

Had a lone hen cross in front of me while cutting grass no poults in view.6/12/20

Saw a hen this morning w 5 poults. About pigeon sized

Was walking the dog last week and saw a hen with at least 4 grouse sized poults. The Mrs was in central MD and saw a hen with 6 poults crossing a road. So a few made it. I thought the hen had poults with her because the had a poultish gaze upon her. Ha!
V

[quote="Vic"} poultish gaze upon her. Ha!
V[/quote]


I will look for that, starting next Wednesday I will start the official Quantico poult survey.


Earl