Did this early spring hurt late season hunters ?

[brittman]

Did this early spring hurt the late season hunter's success rate ?

Looking at your contest entry board the last bird entered was on May 18th and that Tom was killed on May 14th.

That left a whole lot of MN and WI season to go.

[JPenny]

Here in Iowa I heard them gobbling at least a month early. When my season finally started (April 20th), it seemed like the hens were already bred. Crawled into my ground blind at 5:15AM and didn't hear a peep until 8:30. After a couple of very soft yelps, I heard a distant gobble. 2 more yelps and he sounded off again way behind me. 2 more yelps and another gobble to my front. I had 2 gobblers racing in from opposite directions sounding off at the same time. I figured whoever won the race would actually lose and the one from the front showed up first. On a morning following a thunderstorm, I harvested a fine longbeard.

[rbs]

was very tough for me during the archery season and my wife hunted the last season with gun. Nothing wanted to come in, wouldn't respond, and of course it was hurricane winds every time I went out which didn't help either.

[Borch]

I'm sure it made birds less responsive. We saw toms strutting yet last weekend. So I guess you never know for sure.

[bigbucks]

My season started May 18th I think. I didn't hunt until the 19th & heard & saw lots of birds. Blew a stalk shot on a gobbler on the 19th. I saw an absolutely HUGE gobbler earlier on the 19th, that was probably coming to my call silent, but I busted him walking around.

Shot a jake mid morning on the 20th.