Spring turkey preview

When spring fills the air, Tom turkeys get in the mood for love as the wheels of another breeding season kick into gear.

A dominant gobbler riding a testosterone high is prone to bust into uncontrollable fits of boisterous gobbling. The resonant vocals are often followed by peculiar struts, drums, spitting sounds and other haughty displays of self importance. It’s raucous behavior meant to impress the ladies and discourage other suitors from infringing on their turf.

All of the trash talk is sweet music to the ears of spring turkey hunters. That’s because they rely heavily on gobbling activity to pinpoint birds and plot hunting strategies. The idea is to home in on the sounds of the gobbler so you can move in close, mock the sounds of a lovesick hen turkey and ultimately lure the boss bird into shotgun range -- 40 yards or less.

If spring turkey hunting sounds like fun, that’s because it is. Most of Texas’ 55,000-plus spring turkey hunters will agree it is one of nature’s greatest shows.

One of the main attractions is the mystery. No two spring turkey hunts are ever the same. Things are forever changing out there, especially the moods of Tom turkeys.

Some gobblers are so easily fooled that luring them in close enough to make a head shot with a 12 gauge might hardly seem like a challenge. Other birds can be so difficult that it may seem like a total waste of time.

Turkeys in Texas Texas’ army of turkey hunters will be out in number in coming weeks. Most will head to Rio Grande country in South, Central and North Texas.

Rios are by far the most plentiful of the three sub-species of wild turkey found in Texas, according to Jason Hardin, wild turkey program leader with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Hardin says Rio numbers have declined somewhat in recent times, but the population remains strong at around 400,000 to 450,000 birds.

Eastern wild turkeys run a distant second to Rios with a population of about 10,000 birds. Merriams are the least common of Texas turkeys with isolated pockets found in the Davis Mountains of far West Texas. Hardin says the last estimate in the early 2000s indicated about 500 pure-bred Merriams. He says those birds have likely hybridized with Rios since that time.

Season Outlook Every year is a good year for turkey hunting in Texas. Hardin predicts 2023 will follow suit, with plenty of mature gobblers in the field and limited numbers of jennies (juvenile hens) to distract adult birds from tending to business. Toms will be most responsive to calling once adult hens are bred and locked on nests.

The biologist says Rios had little nesting success and reproduction in 2022 due to the prolonged summer drought and intense heat. Drought reduced the forage availability turkeys need to be in peak physical condition for breeding and nesting, while the heat resulted in severe stress.

“There just wasn’t a lot of interest in reproduction last year,” he said. “The heat being what it was, I think the birds spent a lot of time in the shade panting instead of out looking for what little forage there was. The birds were in more of a survival mode.”

Hardin added that some hunters may see visible evidence of last summer’s stress in gobblers that are shot this spring. A common indicator is “beard rot.” The temporary condition is caused by a vitamin deficiency that makes portions of beard appear orange or rust in color. In some cases the beard will be so fragile that it actually shears off.

Spring 2023 Season Dates Youth Only Seasons North Zone: March 25–26 and May 20– 21 South Zone: March 11– 12; May 6– 7 Rio Grande Spring Regular Seasons North Zone: April 1 – May 14 South Zone: March 18 – April 30 Special One Turkey Bag Limit 10 Counties (Bastrop, Caldwell, Colorado, Fayette, Jackson, Lavaca, Lee, Matagorda, Milam and Wharton): April 1– 30 Eastern Turkey in 12 Counties: (Bowie, Cass, Fannin, Grayson, Jasper, Lamar, Marion, Nacogdoches, Newton, Polk, Red River and Sabine): April 22 – May 14 Staying Legal * Hunters in the 10 Rio Grande one-bird limit counties and in 12 eastern wild turkey counties are required to report their harvest within 24 hours through the My Texas Hunt Harvest app or the TPWD website. All turkeys must be tagged immediately after harvest.

* Hunter Education requirements apply. Valid hunting license and Upland Game Bird endorsement ($7) required.

* Eastern Turkey counties: Shotguns and lawful archery equipment are the only legal means of take; no hunting over bait.

Matt Williams is a freelance writer based in Nacogdoches. He can be reached by email, mattwillwrite4u@ yahoo.com.

Eastern wild turkey stockings set to continue

It was a busy winter for Texas Parks and Wildlife’s eastern wild turkey restoration program. Wildlife wildlife staff completed one “Super Stocking” in Angelina County and are continuing work towards finishing off another in Hopkins County.

TPWD wild turkey program leader Jason Hardin says 71 eastern wild turkeys have been released in the two counties this year.

The 30 birds released at the Lower Neches site Angelina County since early January complete the super stocking effort that got underway there in 2021. In Hopkins County, a March 15 stocking of 17 birds along the Sulphur River brings the year’s total to 41. That’s 39 turkeys shy of a complete super stocking of 80 birds — 60 hens and 20 gobblers.

Hardin said all of the birds released in eastern Texas over the last two years were wild-trapped birds acquired from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries of Wildlife at a cost of $525 per bird. Funding is provided by the sale of upland game bird stamps and other sources.

Hardin says it is unclear whether or not Hopkins County will receive any additional birds this year. “If Maine keeps trapping, we will take more birds,” he said.

The wild-trapped birds are collected using nets at bait stations, then transported to Texas by air. The birds are blood tested for diseases and are outfitted with metal leg bracelets for identification purposes. Some are equipped with GPS transmitters before release. This allows researchers to monitor the birds and collect vital data regarding habitat usage, nesting, ect….

Several other states have provided Texas with birds for restocking in the past, but those efforts have waned amid concerns about declining wild turkey populations across the southeast and beyond.

It’s worth noting that more than 40 East Texas counties enjoyed a spring gobbler season in 2005. The number has since spiraled with dwindling turkey populations. Only 12 East Texas counties will have a spring season this year, April 22 May 14. Hopkins and Angelina counties are not among them.

Hardin pointed out there are three counties that adjoin Hopkins County (Lamar, Fannin and Red River) along the Sulphur River corridor that do have a spring gobbler season.

The biologist urges hunters in those three counties to be careful before pulling the trigger on a gobbler this spring. It’s entirely possible some of the birds released in Hopkins County this year may have gone walkabout and ventured into adjacent counties.

“It wouldn’t surprise me at all,” Hardin said. “If you haven’t seen turkeys on your property before and they all of the sudden show up, there is a good chance it could be some of these release birds.”