spooked turkey

[RTC]

I was walking through one of my NWSG fields yesterday and spooked a nesting turkey. Will she come back to the nest????

I guess it will depend on how long the odor from messin my pants lasts!!!!!!![:0]

She was less than 2 steps from me when she exploded from the nest! I could feel the air blast from her wings when she took flight.

[Valley Station]

Did you find her nest and eggs?? How many eggs?
She should return, no problem.

[RTC]

I sure did...10 eggs in the nest

[RutNBuck]

i recently read a study on the disturbance of nesting hens

they said (using tracking collars) that 98 % of hens that were busted off the nest one time returned to her nest but the 2nd,3rd times dropped her return rate like down to 10-20% chance of her returning...

now if you disturbed the nest i am sure chances of returning dropped to almost 50%..

keep us posted on if she abandoned the nest of finally hatches them out..

"A wise indian once said,the more you move the less you will see,the less you move the more you will see"

" I live to hunt, but my wife says i may hunting a place to live"

[The Beagler]

I think she will come back, too. My dad and I hunted our lease in Caldwell County this Saturday and while setting up I almost stepped on a nesting hen. After the set up failed I went back and checked her nest. It had 12 eggs in the clutch hidden in a honesuckle thicket. Well, I slept in Sunday, but my brother and dad went back Monday. My brother accidently spooked the hen again and they checked her nest and it had 13 eggs in it. So, I think she will come back. Also, I read an article in "Turkey and Turkey Hunting" that said if she is far enough along she will come back to the eggs. The only time she won't come back is if she hasn't laid that many eggs. Then, she will go off somewhere else and lay another clutch. But with it being this late in the breeding cycle I believe she will come back since she already has 10 eggs in the clutch.

[schuyler olt]

I would agree. Since you know the location of that nest, I'd mark it and if it is in an area that will be hayed, try to get that done before June 1. Leave a circle uncut around it, and it should be fine.

[RTC]

With all this rain she may have to learn to scuba dive in order to stay with the nest.
I'll keep ya'll informed on her progress.