Hello, and welcome to Kentucky Afield.

I'm your host, Chad Miles.

And tonight you have tuned in for our annual question and answer show all about spring Turkey hunting.

Joining me on my panel, I have turkey biologist Zach Danks.

How are you doing?

Doing great.

Also have a regional wildlife biologist, Dirk Steenbergen.

This is your first time on the show tonight.

It is.

It is that Excited to be here.

Very glad to have you.

And answering all of our law enforcement questions.

We have Sergeant, out of the sixth district, Christon Cornett.

How are you doing?

Good, sir.

How are you doing?

I'm doing good.

Hey, we have a whole list of questions already coming in.

Have you guys already been out in the field and seeing quite a few birds?

Yeah.

Since our trapping█s kind of slowed down.

And in mid-March, I've been out a little bit, a few mornings last couple of weeks, and.

Okay.

Goblin's been hit or miss.

Had a couple really good days and a couple days where it's quiet.

So actually, that's actually perfect.

We don't want it to be full swing all going right now.

We still got a little time before Turkey season.

So the fact that, the turkeys are just starting to heat up is perfect, Yep.

Should be.

Well, let's get to some of our questions here.

Our very first question, that we have here is from a gentleman by the name of Craig.

He wants to know what is Kentucky doing with Turkey conservation and making sure the Turkey population continues to thrive each year.

Well, it's a team effort.

It's folks like these gentlemen right here beside me.

We have staff across the state Wildlife Division as wildlife biologist and technician.

We have our game warden crew across the state.

We got educators, across the state as well, all of us working collectively on wildlife conservation in general, but especially turkeys, and that's it feeds right into the turkey program.

We we try to work with our staff and, and, help landowners promote good habitat management when we can.

We're doing a couple different research projects to help give us solid information on which to base decisions about regulations, because hunting is the main thing that we can control directly.

So it's it's a really big mix of, you know, making sure our hunting regulations are, are set.

But the things that we can't control directly, you know, we've got to work with landowners.

To try to make conditions as best we can for turkeys across state.

If you look at the number of turkeys that we have here in the state of Kentucky, it's cyclical.

And there are things that we can't control habitats or are one that we can't control.

But we're going to talk a little bit later on about activities that happen every seven, ten, 20 something years.

Mainly the cicada broods is a huge driver for good turkey populations in certain years, but we can't control that.

We'd love to be able to put cicadas on the ground every year.

And that's right.

Yeah.

What Chad is referring to is this, late spring, early summer we'll be having, a 17 year periodical cicada emergence.

The last time these bugs came up out of the ground was 2008.

Last year, we had some in a portion of western Kentucky.

We had some cicadas occur.

Those were 13 year cicadas.

So the cicadas have a very fascinating life cycle.

They're prime numbers 13, 17 years.

it's just really we don't understand all their biology, but we understand the impact that it has on turkeys, turkey predators, all the interactions that normally happen.

It's it's proven to be a good thing for a Turkey population in the past.

And so we're pretty optimistic that it's going to be that way this time.

It's food for adult turkeys, for young turkeys, and for all the predators that would otherwise try to get it turkeys.

They've got handy snacks right in front of them.

So it's a pretty cool phenomenon.

But it highlights the fact that in those 16 years when you don't have these cicadas, what can we do to try to mimic those effects?

Well, it's working with guys like Dirk here to make your property as good as it can be, producing those bugs, because that's what fuels growth of young turkeys.

And that's that's really our best bet for ensuring turkeys around.

That goes right back to habitat.

We talk about that all the time.

good turkey habitat.

We'll learn a little more about good turkey habitat.

The next one here is from Edward.

How many eggs on average did turkey hens hatch in their lives?

Well, that's an interesting question because probably we'll take it back to a year and then how long they typically live.

And we'll we'll calculate it out.

We'll help you with the math.

Yeah.

Have to do some do some quick math on average.

You know handle a from 9-13 eggs.

Varies.

Year to year individual to individual.

Usually they lay a few more their second year they're more successful once they're an adult.

Nest success.

Our research has shown anywhere from like 30 to 40% of the hens are successful.

So, over her lifetime, I mean, if she lives three or 4 or 5 years, she's, you know, that's that's a long time for an adult hen.

So that's potentially a lot of eggs.

They can literally go if you kind of back off the percentages, it could go anywhere from four or 5 or 6 poults all the way up to 40.

Yeah.

50.

Right.

It is.

Yeah.

Yeah.

There's a lot of I mean, a lot of factors, from an initial nest of, say, 10 or 12 eggs.

I mean, if if only 40% of those nests survive, you know, 40 to 50% of the eggs in a in a nest are going to survive brood.

You know, it's it whittles its way down, but yet it's amazing.

Hens are are resourceful and able to make it so so and I'm guessing that the habitat is really important to making sure that you have an area, a good area for a hen to lay eggs and, and probably also works on the success rate of that as well.

Yeah, yeah, I think so.

I think it's very important.

I work with quail early in my career and it's very, very important.

So, you know, that's what these guys try to try to work on is providing places for nesting.

I don't know, Dirk.

You get any, you know, any tips on turkey nesting habitat for them.

Oh yeah.

That's that's probably what's lacking the most on private property throughout the state.

What is perfect turkey nesting habitat.

Well you kind of want a mosaic across your, your property, your farm.

So I mean big trees are nice with their hard mast.

And then on the other end, mode pastures can have their own thing.

But what's lacking a lot of times is that intermediate, brooding and nesting habitat and then that early forage habitat for the poults.

So you're talking about the, the area that you leave between your forest and your fields, that area of tall grass.

Yeah.

I mean, you ideally, if you're going to be cropping or using a field, having, buffers and feathering to add that structure to your landscape really, really does a lot to improve.

All right.

Next question here, comes from Daryl.

He wants to know what the daily limit for turkeys are.

It's been the same for quite some time.

Tell us a little bit about turkey.

How many turkeys you're allowed to take and what the daily limit is.

Sure.

You're allowed to take two turkeys in turkey season.

The daily limit for turkeys is one, so you can only kill one bird per day.

And also, those turkeys need to be have a visible beard.

That's that's the requirements for, for those bag limits.

So that becomes really important to make sure that if you're lucky enough to be hunting a place where five, six, seven turkeys come out there, make sure that you get an opportunity where when you take that shot, it's one bearded bird and there's nothing behind it, because we're shooting shotguns that you get out there, they can get a pretty good pattern.

So yeah.

So, you know, sometimes you'll get a stray pellet that's, you know, it does happen where you'll kill two birds at one shot.

But it's the hunters responsibility to try to make sure that doesn't happen.

We do understand that sometimes accidents happen.

What I would encourage people to do if something like that does happen is just right off the bat.

Call your game warden, your local game warden.

That way you can talk to him.

He can come and investigate, see what it is, and and kind of go from there.

All right.

Next question here is from Zach.

I'm not sure if you staged this question, but what's being done on Kentucky public lands for Turkey habitat quite a bit.

Thanks to the the work that our staff does, our WMA staff does in general, plus some additional funding that we I've been lucky enough to receive from the National Wild Turkey Federation the last few years.

It gives guys like Dirk Chance to do some turkey focused projects.

Dirk, you want to talk about some of the.

Oh yeah.

Super fund, innovative, super fund grant dollars we've got.

Oh yeah.

They've done a lot as far as, giving us equipment and chemical to establish some of that early successional habitat that turkeys love for, for rooting and, and foraging.

One example is we got a masticator last year, and, on barren River Lake, and we were able to, put in fire lines, which, which fires great benefit to turkeys.

And then we, we cleared out, probably 20 or 30 acres of unusable, forest land.

Okay.

And there's several WMA█s across state that are doing that exact type work, okay.

To to kind of chew up some overgrown areas and restart it.

So okay.

Plant community can be ideal for turkey poults and nesting hams.

And then yeah you guys have been doing some burning as well.

Yeah.

We we're actually going to be doing some burning tomorrow on yellow Bank.

Okay.

So burning is one of the best tools that we have.

For knocking it back and then opening up the ground for forbs and things, which the forms, increase our bug load.

And bugs are what baby turkeys want.

Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

All right.

Next question.

Is from Jonah.

He wants to know what a turkey's number one predator is outside of humans.

Yeah.

Yeah, for male turkeys, it's humans, for sure.

But otherwise, you know, the adult turkeys, it's definitely going to be, bobcats coyotes and great horned owls.

A great horned owl.

Take, a good number of of the adult birds that are taken.

Really?

Yeah.

And, and that's, you know, should be something we just, you know, we have to acknowledge and appreciate nature's fascinating, we can't we can't do anything to to manage those, but, if it weren't for those predators that, you know, keep our turkeys on their toes, they wouldn't be as fun to hunt, that's for sure.

As far as a nesting hand, she's susceptible to those same predators.

Her eggs are, of course, susceptible to raccoons, striped skunks, possums, but also things like rat snakes and crows, too.

So.

Okay.

That's, you know, those nesting hens are what really are most susceptible to predators.

And the poukts they grow relatively quickly.

But for I mean, the turkey obviously turkey egg.

You ever seen one.

They're they're not that terribly big.

So the bird that comes out of is pretty small.

What what do they have to worry about as far as the first month or two of life.

Yeah.

Well, they they really can't fly, till they're, you know, maybe ten, 14 days old.

And even then, they're just kind of flying up in the bushes.

She tries to get them hen and tries to get them flying as, as quickly as possible, as soon as they can start flying that ups their odds of survival a lot.

And then once they're able to get up into tree level, it's their survival goes up drastically.

Of course, there's still everything trying to get them at that point, but it so that first week, ten days of life is by far the most, the most iffy for them.

Yeah.

That's when you know, the hawks, owls, everything.

Are trying to get them.

So everybody knows that, most people know if you ever hunted turkeys, that they fly up into a tree and roost at some point in time in the evening, and then they fly down at night.

Turkey poults.

They can't fly.

So where are they stuck that first?

And does mom stay down on the ground with them?

She does.

Yeah.

Yeah I mean she's she's nesting on the ground from you know when she's after she's laid 6 or 7 eggs.

She's, she's incubating pretty much all the time sleeping on the ground.

Then she has her poults she's on the ground with them until they're able to fly up in bushes and and maybe she'll be on a low limb or something.

And and breeding those, those little poults under her wings.

But, you know, she's not out of the out of the woods, so to speak, until they can get up there with her.

That's why you said that's why she's most vulnerable.

The reason being there's a a bird that spins, you know, 48 weeks out of the year or more roosting up in the tree, and all of a sudden it takes a a month period that she's on the ground at night with other predators and trying to protect her eggs and then her young.

Yeah, absolutely.

And, you know, it's a dangerous time for a turkey.

We talking about these natural predators.

But again people don't just kill turkeys during the legal hunting season.

But we bush hog and mow up a lot of nesting hens and and nesting cover too.

So yeah, you know what the number one predator is at an egg stage.

It's probably a lawnmower.

It's a big one.

Yeah, definitely is a big one.

Research shows it takes a big chunk of the numbers out.

So that's one thing right there you could do to up your local turkey populations.

Chances are just to stay off the mower if you can at all.

Until after until after the birds are going to get into the trees.

Really?

I mean, if you you don't want to mow it now because it's going to be cover for a nesting site and you don't want.

And once the eggs start being late because you're going to destroy the eggs, but then until the poults can get up.

So, staying off that lawnmower until later in the year can really increase our turkeys chances.

Unless you're a farmer.

That's cutting hay, has to do that.

You know, part of a farming operation.

Then you need to stay off the mower.

Just stay off it.

You got the latter part of summer, early fall to mow bush hog.

That's just one easy thing we can do to or not do rather.

Yeah.

To help out.

Or it's you can help the turkey population by doing nothing at all.

So we're going to leave you.

All right.

Next question here.

This is a great question because we we somehow bypass this, this question.

And that is when is spring turkey season?

Well, and we have, two seasons, we got the youth season and the general, when do those seasons come here?

Sure.

The, the youth season comes in.

It's April 5th and sixth.

It's that one weekend only.

Of course, the youth can still hunt the general season as well.

General season is April 12th through May 4th.

All right.

And, it's April 12th and May 4th.

That right there.

Yes.

There.

You and, tell me a little bit about who qualifies for a youth hunter.

Yeah, a youth hunter is, for a youth license, you have to be.

It's between 12 and 15.

But a youth hunter would be any youth is under 16 years of age.

Okay, so anyone under 16 years of age.

All right, next question from Cordell.

What county?

What counties were turkey banded in the past years?

What are they?

What do they look like?

So what counties were the turkeys banded in the last few years?

And how's that looking?

Several counties, too many for me to spell off.

And, with my limited brainpower at the moment, we've got, you know, we've had tremendous efforts again by our staff, that have tried to do a good job of getting a representative sample.

You know, that's what we scientists want is something that represents conditions.

Well, they've done a pretty dang good job.

I mean, well, over well over half the counties, are represented in between Kentucky and Tennessee.

Who's doing the same research I think there's, like, over 160 individual locations.

Okay.

How many birds have you banded in the last year or two?

Over 1600.

Oh, wow.

Okay.

In Kentucky alone.

So.

Okay.

And I know we recently were out with you guys, in Northern Kentucky.

I know down in the the Barren River Area and Green River, you've been you've been working on turkey banding recently.

Recently I pulled one net yesterday.

Okay.

And then, we were actually out with you a couple years ago, Woodford County.

So I can I can give some counties.

And you're saying almost half of the counties that we've been in, right?

Yeah.

It's a lot.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's, just trying to get a snapshot of conditions all across the state.

Private lands, public lands, east, west, central.

And how many, how many years have you guys been working on this program now?

This turkey banding program?

For solid years.

A few years, kind of before that, pilot study type years.

But any learning so far?

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, we're, so far, it looks like, And the results haven't been published, and they will be in our scientific journals.

We're working with Tennessee Tech University.

So shout out to Doctor Bradley Cohen.

He's the professor principal investigator of the research.

Works with me and and Tennessee's turkey program coordinator.

And then we've got a master's student.

She's getting her degree.

She's already gotten a professional job.

She's crunched the numbers.

The analysis is basically showing that our harvest rates are don't appear to be excessive.

They're pretty much in line with kind of what we had expected.

The rule of thumb is 30%.

If you can keep your harvest rate, you know, the proportion of gobblers in your population, you really don't want to take out more than about 30% of those.

So this is really important information, because we hadn't had any kind of estimates from this for over 20 years from, work done in western Kentucky about George.

Wright.

You know, Turkey program coordinator decades ago.

So it's really important information and, and the data is just continuing to flow in.

So next question.

Christopher wants to know, or actually, Ryan, a question from Ryan wants to know, are the turkey populations on the rise, the decline any why?

Yeah.

Well, it's a partly depends on where you are.

But in general, our numbers have come up in the last few years.

Are they where they were eight, ten, 12 years ago?

Perhaps not.

But they have definitely come up since, I would say a low point around 20, 17, 18.

And we know that from harvest is one source of information, but we also, do brood counts, brood surveys and, observations from the public and, and our staff and folks are seeing more turkeys the last few years.

And so we think that bodes well.

We had a really good hatch last summer.

It was like almost 30% better than 2023.

So, that that bodes well.

Hunters are going to see quite a few jakes this year.

We also know that from our banding, these guys abandoned a lot of jakes this winter.

So, you know, again, it's a great chance for a first time owner or youth to get their Jake or anybody, but next spring season, for the next couple of years, we're going to have quite a few gobblers.

So for people who don't know, when you talk about a Jake, we're talking about a juvenile male bird, right?

That's right.

So, if you're out in the if you're out in the field and you see a bird come up and it looks like it's, you know, it's got a beard, that's not very long.

If they go into a strutting motion, how can you determine if it's a Jake or a mature bird?

In strut they need to look at the tail fin.

So it's the, the central tail feathers two to 4 to 6 are going to be longer than the, the outer ones.

So the contour is going to go on a break.

Whereas on a adult bird it's going to be even contour all completely big and round on a, on a mature bird and kind of a jagged up and down like that on a, on a jake bird.

How long are they jakes?

a year.

That's technically a year.

So by year two they're, they're it's for the fall.

For that second fall they'll be they'll be looking like an a an adult.

Okay.

So there's some other characteristics too.

If you know anybody that gets a Jake and shoots a Jake this spring, you know, look at its wing feathers.

It's it's ninth and 10th feathers.

The, the feathers closest to you are going to be sharp and pointy, and the tips are going to have a lot of black on it.

An adult bird that wears his feathers down.

It's going to be squared off, and the white bar is going to go all the way to the tip.

So that's another other way.

They can look at their interesting animals that they want to watch.

And turkeys, when they get out and they get into full strut and try to show their dominance.

I'll tell you what, if you like to be outdoors hunting or whatever, just watching, a group of turkeys come out and watch watch those male bird strut around.

It's something to see, isn't it?

And listening to it and the vocalizations and.

Oh, yeah, you could be if you can be around several gobblers when they're, they're fighting and posturing and you're hearing all the purring and, yeah, it's it's pretty special.

Next question is from Christopher.

How many turkeys can a youth harvest during the youth season?

Sure.

Yeah.

You can harvest.

They can harvest two turkeys during new season.

Course, it's a two day season, so, you know, maybe one per day, one per day on those.

Now, one thing to note on that is if they're between 12 and 15 and they purchase their youth license or youth sportsman's license, that there's only one bird on those turkey permits.

So because they need those turkey permits as well.

Okay.

So they need to buy an additional permit for the second bird.

Okay.

So if you're lucky enough to get one day one and you're on a, a youth license, you'll need to buy an additional tag for day two, right?

Yes, sir.

Yep.

Correct.

All right, next question is from Dylan.

With being a first year turkey hunter, what is the biggest mistake a hunter can make when a turkey comes into your set up?

And also, any tips that would help me become a better hunter?

What do you think is the number one mistake made by new hunters when it comes to turkey hunting?

Well, start thinking about your answer here too.

If it's if there are, if the birds have already come in, then probably, I would say being impatient and shooting too quick.

It's easy to misjudge distance.

And that bird can be farther than you think.

I've talked to several, veteran hunters, and I know it from myself.

You pull the trigger and and it's farther than you thought.

Whether you kill the bird or not, you step off where the bird was, and it's like, oh, man, I thought it was closer to it.

So just being patient to and waiting for that right moment because you've got to be still.

But and you're, I mean, your heart's going to be beating, your chest or else you're not.

You're not really alive.

So just try to be patient and calm down.

What would you say?

I would say either over calling or movement.

Yeah.

I'm actually excited.

This year.

I'm taking my son for the first time on this youth season.

Okay.

But I know exactly how it's going to go.

And if we're not successful, it's going to be because I say there's a turkey coming, and he goes where?

And that's going to be the end of our hunt.

So movement is definitely one of the big ones.

You know what's interesting to me and I'm no expert turkey hunter been turkey hunting for I don't know, ten, 15 years.

It's amazing to me when you're calling a turkey how well they can locate approximately where you're at and if they're at a certain distance call and when they get close doesn't help them figure out where they need to go.

They know pretty much where that turkey call came from.

So if you try to make some calls regardless of what type of call you're making, unless it's a diaphragm call and you got to make that movement to get them in a little bit closer, you got you stand a chance on on being spotted.

It's fun to call to them.

But if he responds to you and he's out of sight, he knows where you are.

Yeah, yeah.

You might try to hasten it, but he's probably on his own time.

Yeah, he'll eventually come back to you.

Yeah.

You know, in a lot of cases.

Yeah.

Hen may take him off, but he knows he's not forgotten where you are.

Yeah.

You talked about, you know, you talk about patients and you talk about movement.

We've we've we've mentioned this to all new turkey hunters, and that is, you know, if you've done a little scouting, you know, the birds are there and you kind of have a basic idea of what their patterns are like.

They change.

You can get out there and think that turkey has been right here.

I've seen him three mornings in a row.

He's 9:00.

He's right here.

I'm going to set my clock and get in there early, and he's going to be there at 9:00.

Well, that ain't how it works.

They quite often don't get frustrated if you know the birds are there.

If you start trying to walk and find a bird, they run and gun.

And if you hear one he know where they're at, that's one thing.

Close a little bit of distance, but just trying to blindly walk through the woods and call is a rough way to go about it isn't.

It's pretty tough.

Yeah.

I mean, for a bird, it's got the brain the size of a walnut.

It they just have an uncanny ability to outsmart you.

You know, when you are like, you're running and gunning and you locate one.

Oh, my goodness.

It's just very difficult now to try to sit down and try to bring them to you.

It's so important.

Yeah.

You got to get lucky and so I'd say for a new hunter, my experience has been for a new hunter.

Don't be frustrated if that bird doesn't show up in that first hour and a half, because I've killed way more turkeys between 10 and 1 in the afternoon than I have that initial fly down period.

So you talked about patience and not moving a whole lot.

And now once you kind of figure out, okay, I've been out here, I've hunted 3 or 4 days, foliage is coming out.

You can hide yourself a little better later in the turkey season, and you've seen the pattern and you kind of maybe that's a little different.

You hear one gobbling, but it just get in the woods and try to move from spot to spot spot every 30 minutes can be a very tough way to kill a turkey.

I would advise to not move around a lot.

Yeah, it's hard to sit there.

Next question from Dave.

He wants to know what shotguns and shot sizes are legal for turkey hunting and which are best.

Well, Dave has opened a can of worms.

Talk about legalities of, shotguns and shotsize.

Yeah.

So the, the shotgun sizes, you can use anything from a 410 range, an up to ten gauge.

So that's that's your shotgun shot sizes?

For shot size is going to be nothing larger than a number four shot.

Okay, so in those shotguns, you know, they've got to be, plugged to where you can only hold three shells.

So two in the magazine, one in the chamber.

That's an important thing that we look for in the field as far as for turkey hunting, my favorite shotgun is a 20 gauge, but a lot of people, like, at 12.

What do you think?

What's your favorite shotgun?

I've been using the same 12 gauge that I started out on, so I would have to stick with a 12 gauge.

Yeah, yeah, just by tradition, if nothing else.

Yeah, yeah.

What do you think?

What's your favorite?

What's your favorite?

Shotgun.

Our gauge size to shoot.

It's still a 12.

Yeah.

I like as many pellets as I can throw at them.

Are are you guys all using LED or are you using tungsten or.

What are you shooting?

I've used some the third degrees last few years.

Yeah, several years now.

And I really like those, kind of my go to.

I bought a pile of shells 20 years ago, and I deal in a turkey season.

I use three a year, one to kind of sight in my gun.

And two for turkeys and then I'm done, so.

Oh, that's funny because I came across the sale to I was like, oh man, I these are the best prices I've seen.

How about five bucks as well?

I didn't calculate out how how few times I shoot a year.

I probably got a lifetime of 12 gauge shotgun shells.

In the last three years I've shot a 20 gauge.

So yeah, I know how that deal works.

Next question is from Keith.

How do we draw turkeys to our properties?

Best source to attract them legally.

Let's talk about how do you attract turkeys best the best way to attract turkeys with normal practices.

And then let's talk about what we need to be aware of.

Well, a lot of times you can kind of look at your well each property is different right.

So some properties, may be all overgrown woods.

Right.

And having that diversity that we talked about with a habitat can draw turkeys off of neighboring farms if they lack that.

And then in the spring, you can always do new supplemental plantings, like, wheat I've seen a lot of turkeys strutting in wheat here in the last week or so.

Yeah, it's starting to pop up this hill just started and they're loving it.

Absolutely loving it.

So wheat and and just having some diversity and kind of look at what your neighbor got now from something, you know, you offer something different.

That's that's in general, anytime you can offer them something that attracts them that they can't get over here, that's going to draw them into your, your area.

But I mean, every property is different.

So it's kind of a case by case sergeant Cortnette to tell us what we don't want to offer.

Oh, sure.

Yeah.

So, you know, we, outlawed abiding in Kentucky for turkeys, so we've got a feeding band that's starts, March 1st goes through July 31st.

So you cannot place any type of corn or grain or anything like that out there that's designed to attract wildlife.

So, you know, your deer feeders, you can't put corn in those, you know, food plots are legal.

Like he's talking about your point in the wheat.

Those are great ways to do it legally.

It's what I would recommend.

You know, those food plots, we we plot stuff like that.

But you just can't add to it, you know, anything that's not a bona fide agricultural practice?

So, you know, whatever, you know, like UK suggests that you that you would do.

So, for example, planting wheat, you know, if it's if the, the planting rates You know, you got to follow those guides on that.

You can't over, over seed and stuff like that to try to attract the turkeys.

Gotcha.

Because I'd say, what if you've ever hunted next to someone that you either know is baiting or is actually baiting, it brings turkeys.

And if it's really you're doing not only the birds, it's illegal for a reason, but you're doing your neighbors a disservice as well, because you're now over attracting birds and the the bait doesn't necessarily need to be on the property you're hunting.

If if those birds are being manipulated by the bait, you're not allowed to hunt them, right?

Correct.

Yep.

So you can actually get your neighbor in trouble by baiting.

So you got to be very cautious there.

You can't oh you can't hunt with the aid of bait at all.

So, and if there is any bait, if there's any, if you go out there and your corn feeders still throwing out corn, you didn't realize it.

You can't hunt that area unless the baits have been completely removed for for 30 days.

Yeah, yeah.

So all right, next question from Brian.

How does Kentucky turkey hunting stack up to other surrounding states.

So you talking about you guys are in a study with Tennessee and I know you program coordinators for Turkey.

You communicate with all the turkey program coordinators around this.

We do.

How are we doing?

How are we stacking up to our surrounding states?

Yeah, I, I think we're holding our own.

When I get asked why aren█t we changing the regulations or, you know, to try to help the turkeys.

Well, we know from experience looking at other states, especially in the southeast, that have made changes, sometimes many changes over the course of the last couple decades.

You know, it's it's pretty rare that they can actually document this help to put up the population a lot.

Our philosophy has been to stay consistent.

We've managed to be completely consistent with spring, since 2006.

And really, that was just a minor change.

So going back to 2000 and before that, it's our timing is basically the same or bag limits been to for many, many years.

So sometimes regulations need to be changed.

Other times if it's unclear, it's going to have a benefit.

We don't.

All that said, I think, I think we're holding our own, you know, if you want to go down south to Florida and hunt the Osceola birds, you want to go out west and hunt Rio Grande's or Merriam's.

Hey, that's that's excellent.

But as far as eastern goes, you know, Kentucky's kind of a sleeper state.

I mean, maybe we don't get talked about as much as some states, but we've got just as much turkey hunting opportunity.

And the pros know about us.

You know, all your major turkey hunting pros, pro staffers, for various companies like Kentucky.

So I think we stack up pretty well.

Yeah.

So the surrounding states are their back limits.

Like, what's Tennessee's bag limit?

It's two now, just like ours.

They come in basically the same time as us.

And have same bag limit.

Their season goes a little longer.

The other states, a little bit different.

Missouri is pretty similar.

West Virginia is pretty similar.

Ohio's, I believe, gone to one.

Indiana has been one bird for its entire history.

So it varies a little bit.

But, you know, Kentucky is a lot like the upper, you know, we're the upper South, which makes us quite a bit like the, Midwest as well.

So again, you know, we have people from the South coming to hunt here.

And, you know, I think, I think a lot of people can attest to the number of the rise and, nonresident hunters.

It's because we have a desirable turkey population to hunt.

All right, next question.

What is a good turkey call for beginners?

You know, we get this question about every year on the show.

And I get it, a lot of the show.

What, what would you recommend if a person wanted to try to get a call, one call for a beginner that would give them an opportunity to call a bird in, I would say a pot call, a slate in particular.

You know, this one I'm sure is great.

A slate's easy.

You can make a turkey sound.

That's what I used for first few years.

But, I don't know.

I think that's easy.

The push button calls.

You know, you really don't have to sound great if.

Especially if you can do some homework and get amongst the birds and know kind of roughly where they are.

You don't have to sound like a a champion turkey caller.

So to pull some birds in, it's amazing.

You go out and you talk to some of these world champion turkey callers, and they'll tell you that the way that they call birds in competition is not the way they call birds when they turkey hunt.

You don't have to.

I mean, it's amazing.

I have had turkeys that I was like that.

I don't know who's hunting over there.

I don't know who else got permission, but that's the worst caller I've ever heard of an entire life.

And then a bird steps out and it's actually a bird making that godawful sound.

You don't have to be a great caller, just don't over call.

Be still and do your scouting in the front and the front side.

And you can kill a turkey.

You can't.

You?

Yeah.

Yeah.

You can't.

Yeah.

Just don't get intimidated by it.

I mean, it's not thankfully it's not life or death.

You can mess up, you know, and you can get a call this year or two next year.

You can, you know, get it in practice.

We're all busy.

Yeah, but let's, do practice a ton, but it is fun once you start getting into it a little bit and experimenting.

But, yeah, you know, you just, basic call from, you know, you could get the cheaper call will work.

Let's talk a little bit about the different forms of calls.

Are you talking about a push button call?

Well, it's literally kind of a box.

And you just got a button and you push on it.

This.

You got a bunch of different names.

You call this a pot call or, glass call or a light call.

They got different materials that you can use with a striker.

Talk about some other calls.

Yeah, a box call.

I mean, I had one of those and squawked on that thing.

Probably made, my wife sick, you know, when I first got into turkey hunting.

But it's a box.

That's a great one that can really, you know, reach out there.

And these are very loud.

You can create some volume with these, right?

It's a bit harder to control the volume with them.

But it's good sometimes, you know that's what you need to cut through.

And and you know I might have favorites.

But once you do start accumulating calls, you know, then you can kind of play around where, you know, maybe the slate is not working, but you've got a glass and for whatever reason, you know, but I can't pick out the distinction and the sounds.

But the bird gobbled at the maybe he gobbled up the slate or the ceramic or not.

The glass, or vice versa.

So having some calls can help you talk about the other type of call.

That's probably the most common is call the what?

The mouth calls.

Yeah, I really like a diaphragm call because, just the silent and I can be loud.

I can be softer.

But I've always wanted to have the ability to make a sound right at the last moment, maybe, and not move too much.

Yeah.

So I like the.

I like the diaphragm mouth calls myself.

I'm not great at it, but I can open, put and cluck enough to.

And this is, this is what you're talking about, a diaphragm call.

Now, this is a little piece that actually goes in your mouth.

It takes a lot more practice.

You pop this thing in your mouth, and then you you pull an air through it, and it.

And you can make this amazing.

People get really good with one of these that what type of sounds they can make.

Oh, yeah.

Per a pot.

I mean, people can gobble with these things.

You can make a. Yeah.

So this is, the best thing about this is, is that it doesn't take any movement to make that sound.

If you got a bird really close, if you get proficient enough with one of these, you can be down on it ready to go.

And you're making that, making that call with no movement whatsoever.

Yeah.

What, what type of calls do you like to use?

I prefer to slate calls this over all the time.

Although my son will be using a box call.

Okay.

The diaphragms.

I have a problem where I have it in my mouth too long and I stopped not liking it.

And I've had some instances where a turkey came in and I can't move.

And the main thing I want to do is get that thing out of my mouth.

So, but I definitely prefer the slate.

There's, there's so many different things you can do with them, and then you can do it down low.

If you're in a blind, you can keep it low.

Where?

Yeah, where everything's going.

I know that when I usually, when I usually have a bird coming in is trying to close the distance.

I quit calling completely, but when I put my slate call down, I usually put it there with the striker right there.

Next to it.

And if I'm in a situation where that bird is not committing and it moves where I can't see it, it's behind a tree or whatever, it's just right beside a couple little calls and then back up and ready to see if they won't commit that last little bit.

But, so I use a ton of pot style calls as well.

I tend to like those the most as well.

What about you?

What type of calls you like the most?

I'd say the same thing is what Dirk said.

Pretty much.

I like my slate calls, and I like to be able to do it down here, you know, keep keeping those hands low.

But I also like the box calls, especially if I'm taking a youth hunting or something like that.

Those are the box calls are real easy for kids to do.

Those are those little push calls.

They're really easy for the kids to do.

They enjoy that a lot.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So, man, that what's the best type of call that?

It all depends on your experience level and how you like to hunt.

Next question is from Tyler.

What are ways you can age a gobbler?

And, what age is considered mature?

Yeah.

Two years is is mature.

You really can't reliably age gobblers.

We used to, you know, there used to be kind of a rule of thumb about spur length, but it's not as hard and fast.

You know, all things being equal, longer spurs means an older bird, but it's not so precise that you can say, well, it's exactly this measurement that makes it a two year old.

This measurement makes it a three year old or a four year old.

It's not that exact.

It's kind of like height, shoe size.

It varies, you know, so you could have two four year old birds and could have different spur length.

It's just not something, you know, you just know that if you if you get a long inch and a half spur, it's probably, a 3 or 4 year old bird, but.

All right, next question is from Aiden.

What are the best terrain features to look for to help locate Roosted turkeys?

Tell me a little bit about what if you went out to try to locate an area for rooster turkeys to try to plan a hunt like you're going out before the season?

What would you look be looking for?

Oh, I kind of like hillsides and bluff sides.

Hardwood covered and hardwood.

You know, they seem to like to get up in there, in my experience, and then fly them where they have the option to fly down into the lower fields or something.

So as far as a roosting site is, what's the best way to locate a roosting site like roost?

And they won't reach an exact same tree, but they find that they're comfortable with.

They'll continue to come back to certain areas and roost.

What's the best way to locate one of the, leather getting out there, observing them.

What are you looking for, though?

Well, you're looking for scratch, and you're looking for, you know, droppings and hearing the bird.

Seeing the birds.

Both hunting both seasons.

A good a good time because birds are in flocks.

Bigger flocks.

So it's a good time to locate them, get get accustomed to where they're roost and, you know, and just kind of keep tabs on them until spring.

They, they don't usually roost in the same tree night after night.

It might be very close in an area several nights in a row, and then they'll up and move to a different spot.

But, it's highly variable.

So sometimes they're in hardwoods, sometimes are in cedar trees.

You got pine and some in your place and they do like those, but it's really site property specific, you know, so hard to say.

It's something we can't really predict.

And a lot of times you can get them getting out there at dawn or dusk and listening for them using your ears a couple days for the season when you can, a lot of times find out exactly where they're at from over the ridge.

You don't have to they don't see you.

They don't.

You don't know they're there.

You don't call, you just sit there and you listen and, kind of find out where they're at early in the morning.

That can give you an idea kind of where they're starting out.

Right.

So next question from Braden.

What's your favorite thing about turkey hunting?

What do you think?

What's your favorite thing about it?

You probably spend a lot of time in the woods working during the season, but when you get a chance to Turkey hunt, what's your favorite thing about it?

Yeah, I would say my favorite thing is here to, drum and gobble both those things.

See them spread, those fans come in and start drumming around a decoy.

It just gets you really excited, you know?

Yeah, that's that's probably my favorite thing.

Yeah.

Yeah, that's that's that's the same with me, getting to see them in action doing their thing is, to me, as rewarding as shooting them.

So yeah, that's what gets me kind of fired up about it.

Once you pull the trigger.

The hunt, the hunt for the day is over.

Is it is.

No.

It's done.

It's enjoy the enjoy the experience is what I would say because you get out there and like I say, hunting birds are, it's it's a lot of fun.

But when you pull the trigger.

Okay, well, we're done for the day, so, make sure that you enjoy the communication aspect.

Watch them.

You don't have to be.

It's not like, how fast can I get the gun up and get a shot?

Because sometimes when you get them in there around you for long periods of time, that can be a lot of fun as well, when you can actually learn a lot from them.

So as far as for your next time you're sitting there and watching how they behave and the sounds they make, what is your, what's your, favorite thing about turkey hunting?

Oh, obviously, the behaviors that we're all after, you know, that's great, but I guess I'll to be different.

I'll say it's the end because it's true.

I really enjoy the the opportunity to get out with somebody else.

A family member, friend, new Hunter.

It's really rewarding to see them experience something that I've been very fortunate for many years to get to experience.

I think what the look on somebody's face the very first time that a gobbler gobbles, and then when they start closing the distance, how much more intense and loud it is when they gobble really close to you.

If you can get in there and you know, camo up, really good gloves, face mask and you have some a new hunter there.

And when that bird gets in close, if you're watching them and that bird gobbles, man the hair on the back of their neck will want to stand up.

Their eyeballs will get real big.

It's, it's a pretty intense moment.

I think it's really special way to connect.

Get away from our modern constructs.

We have, you know, we go to work, go to school every day.

We do our normal routine.

In that moment.

You're connecting with the past, you know, like, it's really an interesting thing.

You know, it's it's a for me that it's like a vibe that you just can't hardly replicate in any other way.

It is special.

Hey, we're going through as many questions we can get here.

We're getting tons of questions coming in today.

We will definitely not get to every single one.

So if you have a question for our info center is available Monday through Friday, you can reach out to them 1-800-858-1549.

They can definitely help you out.

So, make sure you reach out to our info center.

Next question is from Tyler.

Does harvesting Jakes negatively impact the Turkey population?

It depends.

Most most answer answers a biologist will give you is it depends.

With our population situation now, we don't think it's detrimental.

If you want to be extra conservative on your own property, nothing stopping you from restricting.

Take a jakes.

Some people do that.

But it's not necessarily going to, you know, bolster your numbers greatly.

And particularly in a year when there's quite a few of them.

I mean, it's it's not a bad thing.

We have a two bird limit that's quite conservative.

So, yeah, it it's not going to hurt anything to to take one of your birds as a Jake but it's a personal decision.

A lot of guys graduate in their turkey hunting, you know, career.

So to speak, and they prefer not to take them.

I've taken a Jake I'm not.

I'll be the first to tell you I've taken Jakes before.

And if you're seeing lots and lot, if you're having a sometimes you just have a year that are kind of tough.

And if you're seeing plenty of jakes, your property has plenty of plenty of birds.

And, you know, hey, I've got kids, got this next week, got to be at a wedding and, you know, like, okay, I've got this bird in close and this might be my last day in the woods.

Don't, don't hang your head and be a shame, because you took a Jake.

It's part of hunting.

And if you decide to take one as long as the landowner and you, you're fine with tagging that bird.

Then you're taking a Jake I've never taken one.

No, you never taken one of you.

Oh, yeah.

For sure, for sure.

Jakes beware.

Yeah.

Jakes beware.

For several years, that's all I looked at.

Have you ever taken a jake?

My first bird was a jake.

Yeah, I got a soft spot.

Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

Get me into it.

So I have, no issues with, if you've got the birds and the landowners sign with the Jake, then, don't feel pressured to, to not take a bird at all to avoid take if you to avoid taking a Jake.

Next question.

How is hunting pressured gobblers different?

And what mistakes are most common?

Pressured gobblers late in the year.

Breeding taking place.

You've called to them a couple times that you may have even worked a bird in, and scared the bird, and it takes off.

How do you handle that bird differently than a bird?

That opening morning?

That had no pressure whatsoever?

It's hard.

It's definitely hard.

You know, as the season goes on or public land is tough because everybody's out there and calling to them so much, if you have the ability to, you know, you know, where birds like to be because you've scouted, you're just familiar with a farm or a may, and it routinely has the birds then try an ambush set up, try to try to wait them out.

Sometimes you can get lucky, certain days, they'll turn on in the afternoon, you know, even later in the season when you'd think they'd be gobbled out or have been called to a bunch.

It can flat out work, even on public land, where they've almost assuredly been called to quite a bit.

I've had luck.

So, I you probably shouldn't go out there just cause a blaze and, but so it's it's a patient game, I guess I'd say you got to wait them out and just try to get in amongst them without, you know, call as much as you maybe would have earlier.

You really don't want to over call.

And then what's the rule and regulations on calling prior to the season?

Yeah.

So there you can't do any preseason calling.

So you're not supposed to be out there before season call, and, I can't exactly remember the date that that starts, off top of my head, but, but you can't do any preseason calling so that, you know, you can't start your call until season.

And it really is in your best interest to not be in, even though it's illegal before the season.

You really don't want to be educating those birds.

If you're going to be hunting that piece of property, you really don't want to.

You want that opening morning everything to be brand new to those birds.

The easiest way to trick them.

You don't want any any calling of any type.

Right prior to the season.

Next question from Ed.

Will this bird flu that, we've, we've heard with our chicken populations.

Is that going to impact wild turkeys?

Well, we're we're still monitoring that to see so far it's not it doesn't appear to be having a major issue.

There's only been a few wild turkey cases that that I'm aware of.

And those most of those were in association with a poultry operation.

Okay.

So, you know, we just don't know.

It's we're still kind of early in it, but it seems like turkey wild turkeys are not as susceptible.

Okay.

Not like, you know, waterfowl and and raptors can be.

So we're hoping that doesn't change.

It's possible the nature of the disease can can morph through time, but fingers crossed right now doesn't seem to be that detrimental.

Yeah.

Very good.

That's that's good to know because man that we've seen that can be devastating to not only the wild birds, but you know the chickens and things like that.

So serious.

So, I tell you what, hopefully there's new hunters out there.

If you are an experienced hunter or have a piece of property that you want to take a new hunter out, you know, get someone involved in turkey hunting, it's a short window of time that we get to chase spring turkeys.

It's not like archery for deer season, but get out there, pattern that shotgun and get to the range.

Take a new hunter out there.

It's a fantastic sport and a good way to introduce someone to the outdoors.

And if you want to know more about turkey hunting and you're not an experienced turkey hunter, go to fw.ky.gov.

There'll be a link right there.

And you can download our spring turkey hunting guide.

Familiarize yourself with that.

The good news is, is I think anything that's new and I don't think there's a whole lot that is new will highlight in red.

If you're an experienced turkey hunter and you kind of know the rules and regulations, but read through that kind of pick out a place that you might want to go, do some scouting and get out there and get to the range.

Now it's it's the time.

Right?

Right now is kind of the time to be to do that.

We talk about patterning shotguns.

Have you had a shotgun one particular shotgun shooting the exact same ammo, and you shoot a turkey choke tube through it that you know, choke tubes thing that goes in into the gun and it it constricts how big of a pattern that you're shooting through your shotgun, which makes it more lethal.

Right?

I've taken turkey choke tubes out of one shotgun and put it in a different shotgun.

And they don't shoot the same, do they?

Yeah, it's it's really, you know, it's not a bullet.

It's not got rifling.

It keeps it a bullet spin.

And it's, there's a lot of, a lot of chance that happens, you know, in that instantaneous moment.

So it's real specific to the gun and all of its internal workings.

It sets the shot in motion.

So I say that because if it's you, if you got a shotgun and you borrow a choke tube because you're thinking about getting in turkey hunting AR, you borrow someone's shotgun and you kind of mix and match this all together and hit the woods.

You might not be happy with the results.

You really want a gun that'll throw a tight pattern with a whole lot of pellets and a smaller area.

Right.

And, if you're getting something that's putting pellets out on a big area like that, your combination either your your gun, your choke tube or your ammunition, your shotgun shells you're using may not work real well together.

So buy a couple different boxes of ammo.

It's always fun to shoot a shotgun.

Anyway, get out to the range and make sure that gun's doing what you want it to do before you get out there and pull and pull the trigger.

Did having a colder and snow your winter this past year have any significant impact on the projected Turkey population?

I don't think so.

Our winters are not as severe as they are in the in the far north.

And, you know, turkeys are just remarkably tough.

So it would take it would take several weeks of not having food availability to make it make it hard.

You know, sometimes long term flood events like they have in the deep South along the Mississippi River.

Those conditions work.

Turkeys cannot access the ground, and it's too far to fly to the nearest, you know, dry land.

In some cases, that's been just as detrimental as the cold, cold weather.

So I don't think it I don't think we're going to see a whole lot of detrimental effects.

The eastern Turkey range.

I mean, how far north does that go?

Oh, they go way up into Ontario and so certainly in the Bay they can survive the cold weather.

Yeah.

We don't yeah.

Our, our winters are not the harshest that the, the turkeys face.

Yeah.

This is our last question.

What's your favorite way to fix wild turkey for the table?

Man, this question comes up quite often.

And, let's get everybody's favorite way to eat turkey.

Yeah.

Mine█s going to be the old fashioned smoker.

I'm like, everything smoked So, I like, take my breasts and smoke them in a I've got a little electric smoker that I use, and, I love it.

How long does it take to smoke?

Wild Turkey breast?

Oh, wild turkey breast is pretty quick.

Yeah.

You're talking like an hour.

Hour and a half, you know, like, not very long at all.

Okay.

Yeah.

My experience.

All right.

What's your favorite?

I've actually got into making, stews out of the the thighs and and, like, quarters.

Okay.

And it turns out I like that a lot better than most.

Most of it.

All right, there you go.

How about you fried turkey nuggets.

Fried turkey nuggets.

Yeah.

That's a you're a kid at heart.

Yeah.

My kids love the fried turkey nuggets with with the chick fil A.

They like that chick fil A sauce.

They like turkey, turkey, chicken nuggets from, from chick fil A.

It turns out they like fried turkey nuggets, with chick fil A sauce on them.

Just as well.

Well, turkey season is upon us.

A reminder of our turkey.

Turkey season dates.

It's coming up.

If you don't have your turkey tags, or you plan on turkey hunting.

Now's the time to be out scouting.

Now's the time to get out.

And, sight in that gun.

The youth season is going to be on April the 5th and sixth.

That's a two day season.

And then in the general season that will run from April the 12th to May the 4th.

So good luck this spring turkey season.

And remember, hunting and fishing on private property is a privilege.

Always ask permission and thank the landowner.

Until next week, I'm your host, Chad Miles, and I hope to see you in the woods or on the water.