2011 Spring Turkey Summary
Spring turkey hunting in our part of West Texas during the spring of 2011 was about as tough as it gets. As much as we'd like to put a positive spin on things, it is difficult to do so. No doubt, the extremely dry weather played a major role in the dismal results.
Our area had suffered extraordinarily dry weather during the preceding fall and the winter. Sadly, spring time brought no relief. Indeed, the noose tighten around our neck. Dry winds were the rule, sometimes off the Chihuahuan desert to our southwest, sometime out of the north as a dry front move through. Maybe only one out of five or six days would be decent hunting weather.
Area fires, which finally consumed tens and tens of thousands of acres in our immediate area, burned out of control day after day with the low humidity and dastardly winds. One of our turkey hunting properties lost maybe 7000 acres to a wildfire. The fire's effects on the wildlife are uncertain, but at least on low-fence properties, the deer and the turkeys were able to get out of harm's way. There have been few reports about finding dead wildlife on any of the unfortunate ranches.
All throughout the season, hunt-after-hunt, reports from turkeys hunters were discouraging. The evidence indicated that the hens had gone on a "breeding strike" by refusing to go to the trouble of nesting. Here in what should have been the prime time of year, hens would be seen alone, or in groups, without a sign of a gobbler anywhere. But can you really blame them? Insects, particularly their favored grasshoppers, were an endangered species. Why would a momma hen want to bring offspring into the world, only to see them starve?
Longbeard gobblers were mostly silent all season long. Hunters saw little gobbling, strutting, spitting, drumming or displaying of any kind. If a long-beard was seen at all, chances were he was all alone. And silent. Most gobblers taken were simply ambushed.
To reiterate, it was one strange and difficult season from start to finish. Given this grim recap of the season, it is a wonder that our hunters did as well as they did. And it is a wonder that our 2011 hunters took it all in stride. Disappointed? Yes, of course. Wailing and bitching - almost none at all. Turkey hunters are the purest of all sportsmen, and their love of the sport abounds in forgiveness. They know that every so often a season will be a bummer. That's all a part of the deal. They signed up to hunt turkeys, not kill turkeys. And killing a turkey during a dysfunctional season like 2011 is a challenge if there ever was one.
So, as is our policy, we put up statistics whether they are good or whether they are bad. Here are some numbers to chew on:
53 hunters at three camps took a total of 45 turkeys. It is fair, seems like, to include missed shots in determining a success rate. If you added back the 14 missed shots which were tabulated, (there might have been several more), you could say that 111% of our hunters found a desirable bird.
Only seventeen hunters (32%) were able to collect their limit of two birds. About the same number (eighteen hunters) went home with no bird.
With the good hatch back a year ago, jakes were seen everywhere. And twelve of the yearlings were taken by our troops. All hunters marveled at their numbers, so it stands to reason that 2012 ought to be an outstanding time for a West Texas hunt. You won't want to miss it. As someone once said, a two-year-old gobbler is the most callable of them all. A good population of that age will make even a mediocre caller into an expert. So give us a shout to get your spot reserved for what is sure to be a memorable season.
Below are photos of those who collected the best turkeys of 2011.
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