Hoping for a Good Hatch

QuietButDeadly

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Really hoping the weather warms up and not a lot of rain in the next couple of weeks. With the early warm up, I believe we caught a break that should result in more little turkeys on the ground. The spring hay mowing took place earlier this year than I ever remember at about the time the hens were starting to lay. If any early nests were destroyed, it forced the hens to areas for cover that would not be mowed for hay. And the mature hen started disappearing about two weeks ago and I have only seen them late in the evening some days out bugging. The day it got near 80 this week, they were out in force late afternoon/early evening.

If my guess on timing is right, they should be hatching in about a week. Not that many birds around my area and it sure would be nice to get a good crop hatched instead of having several nests destroyed by the mower as happens most years.
 

stilker

Old Mossy Horns
After the next little few day cool down it looks like some good weather for them,I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
 

Lucky Clucker

Old Mossy Horns
Already been told of some being seen with poults.And several busted off nest.With the cool days and heavy rains we been getting I really hope it warms up and stops raining.
 

wannabemountainman

Button Buck
Did some major nest predator management on the farm last winter. If that can be combined with some decent warm/dry weather I am hopeful for the poults in my neck of the woods!
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
Hatch wont solve issues related to jake overharvest.
well it might? but not this year's hatch.
2019 hatch provided those that got taken and perhaps was such a productive hatch that we didnt kill ALL of them.
If we go on the ole personal observation/experience bias, we are indeed doomed. I aint seen a jake yet while hunting yet.. In three states. :panic:
 

Ol Copper

Twelve Pointer
Hatch wont solve issues related to jake overharvest.

Yep, been saying it since the numbers started skyrocketing. Better hope there is another good hatch this year.

When you actually start crunching the numbers, seeing the jake harvest go up by 110% makes no sense. It can only mean that a whole bunch of kids that have never turkey hunted went for the first time in their lives and found success on the first try....odd....
 

wolfman

Old Mossy Horns
Well my daughter got a jake but this was her 3rd year trying. I've had a lot of jakes on camera but not one in the past two weeks. I also usually hear them gobbling if nothing else but haven't heard any in that time frame either.
 

ScottyB

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I counted 14 jakes one weekend while hunting early season...….no worries that they will be back now that the breeding is over.....they didn't go far just clear of the toms...….
 

turkeyfoot

Old Mossy Horns
Tues Wed and Thur all with rain highs in 50s lows in 40s for NW and west NC. not good for our areas as many poults just hatching seen piedmont and east is warmer just rain so should be fine. Lets hope that is one time thing or we could cont with our decline in some those areas.
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
Tues Wed and Thur all with rain highs in 50s lows in 40s for NW and west NC. not good for our areas as many poults just hatching seen piedmont and east is warmer just rain so should be fine. Lets hope that is one time thing or we could cont with our decline in some those areas.
well if @Shaggy is correct it'll be a mess east and west. I hate that.
 

wolfman

Old Mossy Horns
that should be correct but all the poult sightings now and the birds behavior early in the season makes me wonder if it was not indeed an "early" process this season due to the lack of winter.
I do agree. I'm just always hesitant to believe "early season" since we hear it every year for some reason. Hopefully my cameras will let me know in my neck of the woods.
 

shaggy

Old Mossy Horns
This was issued at 430am today. It's sort of a lesser known weather index. We all know they put out severe storms risks but they also do this flooding but it's far more rare and usually moderate risks are extreme events. Read it and hope for the best as far as the poults go.

 

shaggy

Old Mossy Horns
Euro rain totals thru next Saturday.....ouch.
 

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QuietButDeadly

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Should already be hatched here based on when the hens disappeared. The pastures and fields are so grown up now that I can not see the adults now much less the little ones so no way to prove it. With between 5" and 6" of rain between now and Saturday, it is not good news for the turkey hatch any way you look at it. Gonna take a mighty good hen to keep the little ones alive in these conditions.
 

turkeyfoot

Old Mossy Horns
At this point a widespread 4 to 8 inches of rain for the foothills and eastern slopes of the mountains seems real likely.
This was my concern in checking it add that with the cool temps for days not good for western NC. I know its short period and some have hatched some not but were already on decline in areas so really didn't want to see this. Shame really seen more hens this year than in past was hoping for bumper crop but maybe it'll at least even out in end. As long as flooding doesn't get bad anyway
 
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