BY JIM NIEMIEC
BITTERWATER VALLEY – A strong carryover of jakes from the last two spring hatches, combined with ideal conditions afield should produce excellent hunting come opening of the 2026 spring turkey season. In addition to young adult 2-year-olds, there will also be some older adult gobblers strutting around. Mother Nature has cooperated as well, offering up ample rain at the right time of the year to produce a good food source and protective cover during the critical nesting period.
Western Outdoor News checked in with a number of turkey guides and wildlife specialists to get an accurate forecast as to what turkey hunters can expect this season.
Master guide/outfitter Clayton Grant, owner of Bitterwater Outfitters, hunt@bitterwater.com, has under hunting lease nearly 500,000 acres of prime ranch land along the central valley coast, home to very hauntable populations of Rio Grande gobblers.
“Conditions along the central coast and inland to prime cattle ranches and vineyards that we have under lease are holding good numbers of turkeys. Right now, we are concentrating on hog hunts with guides reporting the turkeys are still flocked up in large winter groups. The large flocks of birds are a mix of hens, jennies and jakes, while smaller satellite flocks consist mostly of mature gobblers. There has been some signs of early dispersal on warm days, but based on recent storm activity flocks a likely to be a few weeks away from any kind of full dispersal,” said Grant.
Grant went on to report, “Hog hunting has been extremely good with lots of pigs around, as our hunting clients have been very successful on harvesting trophy class hogs, along with meat hunts for sows and younger pigs. I would think that this spring would offer up an excellent opportunity for a hunter to book a guided spring turkey and hog hunt combo hunt.”
There is good turkey news being passed on by Steve Turigiatto, a committee member of the San Diego chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation. “Recruitment does not seem to be nearly as good as the last couple of years, BUT, we do have a ton of two-year-old toms. Conditions, afield, seem to be lining up for a banner spring season. While out in the field, I am not observing a lot of jakes, although I did see 13 jakes with 40 hens this past week. This status could be because there are so many 2-year old’s and they are getting pushed away.”
Turigliatto went on to add, “Dispersal has not started yet and with the latest storm systems, cold weather and wind, it could postpone dispersal for a couple of additional weeks. Again, ideal for us hunters starting on March 28. Right now, turkeys are very wide spread down here in San Diego County.”
Moving on to the western slopes of the High Sierra, this high country got pretty well hammered by last week’s heavy rain, snow, sleet, wind and below freezing temperatures. Thankfully, lower elevations were not impacted by deep snow, but a combination of ice and very cold temps will likely mean a delay in the dispersal of native turkeys. The mid-elevations of this region, from above Springville and down south of Lake Isabella, hold a huntable population of Rio Grande and hybrid Mirriam’s/Rios. Most of the turkey hunting takes place on big ranches that offer guided turkey hunts, but there is national forest property where unattached hunters still have limited access.
Editor’s note: Spring turkey tips: With all the rain that arrived this month, foothills and lower elevation mountain country will be covered with high knee-high vegetation. Native grass and barley will provide plenty of cover for strutting gobblers. Not only will it be difficult to spot birds, green vegetation will likely be very wet. This would be the spring to take along a strutting seat. Not only will a chair or bench help keep your fanny dry, but it also will elevate your body high enough to make for a better shot opportunity at a gobbler. Another tip, for those who plan to turkey hunt on their own, is to do a lot of pre-season scouting to locate huntable birds. This turkey hunter relies on the expertise of a guide. No only will a guide know where to set up for a high percentage shot at a gobbler, but in the long term a guided hunt could be less expensive than spending days scouting, paying for gas, lodging and meals. Most all guided hunts offer nearly 100% success, while unguided spring turkey hunts might result in less than a 20% chance at shooting a big gobbler.
