Went and talked with Range Control, Weapons Training Battalion, and a couple Scout Sniper instructors this week and asked when they may have observed any turkey's breeding this year since they are out and about almost every day on the ranges or in the field.

They all reported that they saw gobblers on hens or displaying around hens from the end of February through the snows in March and then not much after that.


Earl

I think some of them breed about year round in some places in the southeast. I have seen half grown poults on the ground in march. A TWRA turkey biologist is quoted as saying last year officers observed freshly hatched turkey poults from early march through mid july. I have seen gobblers strutting at about every month of the year. Maybe they were just practicing?

Yea gobblers do strut and gobble some year round. But this year is a strange one as some others are trying to figure out what stage or where the breeding cycle is at.
Last year we here also observed poults that were maybe only a couple weeks old in July. Of course that hen we believe may have re-nested due to a lost clutch earlier. (that one was one of our radioed transmitter hens that we trapped in February)

This year we were unable to get any hens on bait so none were trapped (due to training areas closed or something just not working out). I hope better planning and the base can work things out for next year. The young lady that was heading up that program transferred. She got some great data from trapped turkeys the previous 3 years so far as nesting, hatches, breeding etc. as gobblers were also trapped and transmitters put on them.

Practicing? yea maybe.


Earl

Flushed a hen off nest yesterday and late am today. One today had laid full clutch. 13 eggs!