Poults 2023

Ol Copper

Ol Copper

Twelve Pointer
There is a guy in SC that I have known for a while, deals in squirrel dogs...
Retired older gentleman, spends most days in the woods, running dogs, checking traps and shed hunting this time of year.

Swore to me ten ways from Sunday that he and his wife saw 7 very juvenile poults in a group with 5 adult hens on Wednesday while running dogs.

I say no way, that would put that hen to nesting in February. I guess weirder things have happened, but I have no reason not to believe him. He knows his stuff.

Guess there is no need in hunting, its over, done bred and gobbled out. 😬
This is in Newberry Co, SC

Anyone ever seen any this early ?? I have not.
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
Ol Copper said:
There is a guy in SC that I have known for a while, deals in squirrel dogs...
Retired older gentleman, spends most days in the woods, running dogs, checking traps and shed hunting this time of year.

Swore to me ten ways from Sunday that he and his wife saw 7 very juvenile poults in a group with 5 adult hens on Wednesday while running dogs.

I say no way, that would put that hen to nesting in February. I guess weirder things have happened, but I have no reason not to believe him. He knows his stuff.

Guess there is no need in hunting, its over, done bred and gobbled out. 😬
This is in Newberry Co, SC

Anyone ever seen any this early ?? I have not.
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this gobbled out deal is being pooh poohed. And i hope its on till memorial date but I have seen places when the season is in and the breeding deal and interest from gobblers is indeed OVER. It aint a pretty sight.
Now of course it doesnt matter to many because they can kill them without calling with those ninja/blind setups.
We'll see shortly.
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
Eric Revo said:
They could be little turkeys, can't call them midgets anymore it's not politically correct
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which does bring the thought of the legend of the ole mossyheads. SC is ground central for that tale/truth. A small turkey with some interesting characteristics.
I say truth because I saw in allendale a polaroid of a very strange looking bird that I was tolld was indeed a mossyhead. I was staying with him so I didnt argue. 🤷‍♂️
 
turkeyfoot

turkeyfoot

Old Mossy Horns
Never even heard it. I know most anything is possible and weird things do happen but thinking that's one them gotta see it deals but I've been wrong plenty before
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
woodmoose said:
You worry on that a lot,,,,

Ain’t for me, but don’t care what others do (that’s legal),,,
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no worries for me just pointing out why it dont matter whether they are gobbling or not to kill them
You however worry a whole lot about what anyone else says? Why is that?
 
hoyt85

hoyt85

Six Pointer
A few years ago, on March 15th, I found a clutch of 10 or 12 eggs that had been burned. That block was lit up some 10 or 12 days prior to when I arrived. I'll let ya'll do the math on when the nest was initiated in February. Not SC, but none the less it seemed awful early for that part of the country. On that year it was a "late" spring.
Talked to a friend last night about 3 separate hen tracks he followed this past weekend into certain areas. He's convinced they're already laying. He's seen plenty of poults at the tail end of the season in that area of the country over the years.
 
Ol Copper

Ol Copper

Twelve Pointer
hoyt85 said:
A few years ago, on March 15th, I found a clutch of 10 or 12 eggs that had been burned. That block was lit up some 10 or 12 days prior to when I arrived. I'll let ya'll do the math on when the nest was initiated in February. Not SC, but none the less it seemed awful early for that part of the country. On that year it was a "late" spring.
Talked to a friend last night about 3 separate hen tracks he followed this past weekend into certain areas. He's convinced they're already laying. He's seen plenty of poults at the tail end of the season in that area of the country over the years.
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Interesting that you posted this...

Scouted SC yesterday morning.
@turkeyfoot followed a set of hen tracks that were visible in the mud. The way she was moving about clearly indicated nesting behaviors.

Also, got on to the smallest set of tracks you've ever seen. No idea when that bird was born, but easy to see that it was an immature bird. Odd....
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
Ol Copper said:
Interesting that you posted this...

Scouted SC yesterday morning.
@turkeyfoot followed a set of hen tracks that were visible in the mud. The way she was moving about clearly indicated nesting behaviors.

Also, got on to the smallest set of tracks you've ever seen. No idea when that bird was born, but easy to see that it was an immature bird. Odd....
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i told you- SC mossyheads. LOL
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
turkeyfoot said:
I don't know about that but I do know it was smallest hen track I'd ever seen bigger than poult but tiny for a hen it was keeping up with other one walking side by side for ways down red mud rd
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well look- dont get too excited when you see it and get us a pic. Mossyhead or tiny turkey- both will be interesting.
 
Duckmauler dhc

Duckmauler dhc

Twelve Pointer
I had to get out of the boat due to nature calling 2 weeks ago and bumped up a hen that I had no idea was there. It was thick but I’m almost positive she was sitting on a nest. The fish were biting too good so I didn’t have time to go searching every inch of the woods. I’ve seen turkey eggs in march a couple of times and I am a big believer that temps drive it far more than photo period or what have you. I have seen poults the first week of the season several times as well over the past 10-12 years. If we have 70s-80s for any extended time any time in February it’s on.

I also have song birds nesting as we speak under the shelter where I keep my boat. Tried to get up there to see if there were actually eggs a few days ago but one of the birds kept trying to nip at me so I’m assuming that means there are eggs. Will find out tomorrow for sure.
 
QBD2

QBD2

Old Mossy Horns
^Eggs in March? Absolutely. That’s not unusual at all.

Regularly seeing poults the first week of season? Well…people see black panthers, mt lions and Bigfoot all the time so there’s that🤣🤣🤣

As far as the gobbling goes…just because the boys are feeling their oats in February, that doesn’t mean the girls are squatting. The fact that wild turkey breeding cycles are photoperiod based is well documented and proven🤷‍♂️

It’s on like donkey Kong right now, weather be damned.
 
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woodmoose

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
what the heck is a mossyhead? is that supposed to be an old turkey? swamp turkey? Turkey Monster (like the Swamp Thing)?
just had never heard that term (that I can recall) till seeing it on this forum this year
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
woodmoose said:
what the heck is a mossyhead? is that supposed to be an old turkey? swamp turkey? Turkey Monster (like the Swamp Thing)?
just had never heard that term (that I can recall) till seeing it on this forum this year
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no it is a small mostly black bald headed miniature turkey.
I had read about them for a couple of years and was in allendale on a hunt and was going thru a photo album and there was a pic of a turkey unlike any I ever saw. I asked the host what that was and he casually replied a mossy head turkey. Well this was before the days of cell phones and he would not gift me the pic. He didnt think it was such a big deal.
Later I corresponded with Jim Casada who had wrote about the mossy head and told him I knew where there was a pic. He told me he had a theory about the mossyhead an explanation but never spelled it out.

It's not a made up thing by me- That's why I posted the MO podcast on the topic. But now that TF has seen tiny tracks_ I am hoping he sees one. :)
 
woodmoose

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
oldest school said:
no it is a small mostly black bald headed miniature turkey.
I had read about them for a couple of years and was in allendale on a hunt and was going thru a photo album and there was a pic of a turkey unlike any I ever saw. I asked the host what that was and he casually replied a mossy head turkey. Well this was before the days of cell phones and he would not gift me the pic. He didnt think it was such a big deal.
Later I corresponded with Jim Casada who had wrote about the mossy head and told him I knew where there was a pic. He told me he had a theory about the mossyhead an explanation but never spelled it out.

It's not a made up thing by me- That's why I posted the MO podcast on the topic. But now that TF has seen tiny tracks_ I am hoping he sees one. :)
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Thanks for that - I learned something new today

And no I didn’t think you made it up I just never heard the term - And I’m not one who’s afraid to ask when I don’t know something
 
georgeeebuck

georgeeebuck

Ten Pointer
oldest school said:
My regret is that i didnt get the pic. Guy may still be in business I may try and see if he's still got it.
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Here are two pictures ,one that I pulled off the internet and one from my camera last week. Both look a little strange to me. Very dark, small waddles and smaller then normal . Not sure if this is what you where speaking about or just me being way off base.Than again the one from my muddy cam may just be just a normal tom standing it the shadow of a tree.MUD_0146.JPGIMG_1106.jpeg
 
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