Texas Turkey Outlook
THE COASTAL PRAIRIES FORECAST: MURKY FOR THE TURKEY "Look at this area in thirds," Burk proposed. "In extreme South Texas, south of Corpus Christi, you have the same scenario as in the South Texas Brush Country. Good rains resulted in a bumper hatch, so there are a lot of young birds. North of Corpus it got drier, probably resulting in low production. In the East Texas part of that area, we should have had pretty good production."
As in the Post Oak Savannah, pockets of turkey habitat here will be interspersed with agricultural and urban areas. Hunting can be an exciting proposition wherever you find a concentration of birds.
THE SOUTH TEXAS FORECAST: ONE MORE YEAR OF DROUGHT Mother Nature has not been kind to South Texas the last several years. Flooding fall rains have been followed by almost totally dry winters, springs and summers - until this year. "This year, range conditions are probably as good as you could hope for," said Burk, "but they haven't had a good hatch since 1997."
The bumper crop of jakes in 2003 will lead to hunters pursuing a limited number of mature toms - and having to adjust their tactics in order to succeed.
"2004 will be frustrating because there are not many adult gobblers," Burk observed, "and the number of jakes will be high. What happens is, bunches of jakes gang up on mature gobblers and beat them up, and make them go silent. The strategy to use when you have a lot of jakes is to get as close as you can to a mature gobbler before you do anything. If you get a response, don't call any more; let him come. The more you call, the more likely you will be to have jakes come in. The old bird you're after won't move far, either, because he does not want to run into jakes."
Remember one thing more when hunting gobblers that go silent: You must be very still and be constantly looking for an approaching bird. You won't have his gobbling to help you track him as he moves, so you have to be ready for him to pop up anywhere, anytime. One move on your part at the wrong time can spoil the game.
THE EDWARDS PLATEAU FORECAST: SHOWERS OF TURKEYS Texas has more Rio Grande turkeys than any does other state, and the Edwards Plateau has the lion's share of those. "The Hill Country always leads the pack with two-thirds of the harvest," Burk pointed out. Good hatches in 2001 and 2002 promise an abundance of mature gobblers this season, and the poor hatch in the northern and western parts of the Edwards Plateau - say, north and west from Brady - means that fewer pesky jakes will be getting in hunters' way.
Hunting is somewhat easier in the eastern and southern sections of the Edwards Plateau, because the hilly and more thickly vegetated terrain makes it easier to move in on gobblers and get close. However, while gobblers find it easier to spot hunters in the drier, more-open country to the west, fewer big trees are available for roosting, making birds somewhat easier to pattern.
Key on drainages whether they have running water in them or not. Birds will likely roost in the larger trees along drainages and spread out over surrounding mesquite flats during the day to feed, often following the same travel lanes to and from roosts.
Find turkey tracks and droppings along pasture roads or in sandy creek bottoms, and locate a workable hiding spot in which you can get comfortable for several hours. Call sparingly and stay alert; a gobbler will come find you when he runs out of willing hens.
Be prepared to stay out all day; take a lunch. As one veteran Hill Country turkey hunter told me, "If I can get a turkey to gobble at me in the afternoon, I can kill him."
So can you.
THE POSSUM KINGDOM DISTRICT FORECAST: RAINING TURKEYS "Much of the district has experienced good turkey reproduction for the past two years," reported TPWD district biologist Kevin Mote, "and this year is shaping up to be another good one. Populations could be the highest in five years, with a healthy percentage of the population being mature birds."
John Burk is less reserved in his prediction. "The Rolling Plains had another bumper hatch," he said, "the third or fourth in a row. There should be worlds of adult gobblers out there. I can't imagine having better turkey hunting anywhere else."
THE PANHANDLE FORECAST: HOT RIO GRANDES "Hunting prospects for Rio Grande turkeys in the eastern Panhandle are expected to be good to excellent," said TPWD district biologist Danny Swepston. "Good reproduction during the last two years has resulted in an abundance of young toms, particularly in the northeastern counties."
"The last four or five years the Panhandle has gotten just enough rain at the right time for turkeys," added Burk. "We have had above-average production and are probably above carrying capacity in the High Plains."
THE TRANS-PECOS FORECAST: MOSTLY CLOUDED HUNTING "I believe the Trans-Pecos did get rain at a good time, so they should be in reasonably good shape," Burk offered. "They had their first hatch in a long time last season, so it's probably about as good as you can expect it to be." Turkeys in arid West Texas will basically be in the riparian corridors, and therefore will be easy to find, but ranches are huge, and landowners control hunting tightly. Turkey harvest in the Trans-Pecos is essentially nonexistent.
THE LONG-RANGE FORECAST: RISING TIDES OF TOMS Turkeys - both Rio Grandes and easterns - could well be the poster children for modern wildlife management. Research has shown what the birds need to thrive, and public and private landowners have gotten very adept at providing turkey habitat. Hunters have funded the entire endeavor through purchases of leases, hunting equipment, licenses and stamps.
Turkey hunting right now is the best it's ever been, thanks to you. Enjoy your reward. You've certainly earned it!
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