Opening Morning Longbeard + Lessons from a Dry Spring on the Farm

Hey folks,

Hope this finds you somewhere between the blind and the tractor seat.

We kicked off turkey season with a bang on our family farm in Kentucky. Opening morning, my dad connected on a beautiful longbeard that made for one of those mornings you replay in your head for weeks. If you haven’t seen the video yet, here it is:

Nothing beats watching family put a tag on a bird you’ve watched grow up on the ground you manage.

While we were chasing gobblers, I was also putting our new PH Outdoors G5 no-till drill through its paces on the farm. Last week, I planted soybeans and Nitroboost from Vitalize Seed in different parts of the place. Then last weekend, I used the drill’s dividers to plant corn in every other row for roughly 15" spacing.

The soybeans and Nitroboost are already coming up beautifully and uniformly… but they’re definitely looking a little thirsty after this stretch of bone-dry weather. We only got about a quarter-inch of rain the night I planted, and it’s been dry ever since. I know I’m not the only one—everyone around here is glued to the forecast and whispering prayers for rain. It’s about time we break out the rain dance.

Here’s what really stands out to me: I’m confident the no-till approach is saving our rump this year. With the poor timing of precipitation at this crucial emergence stage, if I had planted these same beans using our old conventional tillage method, those seedlings would likely be wilted and dead by now. The residue and undisturbed soil structure from the G5 are holding onto what little moisture we had. I’ll follow up in the coming weeks with some photos so you can see the progress for yourself.

Landowners, the rain will catch up with us eventually—it always does. I was reminded of that while out scouting this week. Monday evening, I ran into 16 jakes. That’s a strong sign of solid poult recruitment last year. We had good early precipitation, then a timely dry spell after spring green-up while the hens were rearing poults—conditions that tend to favor the little ones.

This year feels different. If the drought breaks hard after most hens have already hatched (which is what I’m expecting), we could see a weaker cohort this spring. There’s nothing we can do to control the weather, but it’s something worth keeping an eye on when you’re planning habitat work and thinking about next season’s turkey numbers.

That’s exactly why I do what I do. Whether it’s helping you set up no-till food plots with equipment like the PH G5, dialing in timber stand improvements, invasive control, or building a full habitat management plan, my goal is to give your ground every possible edge—even when Mother Nature throws curveballs.

If you own land in Tennessee and want to make it work harder for deer, turkeys, and upland birds—or if you’re in the market to buy or sell a serious hunting property—let’s talk. I’d be happy to put together a professional habitat management plan tailored to your goals, your soil, and the realities of our unpredictable weather.

And if you’re looking for a turn-key turkey property, my Longbeard Legacy tract in Marshall County just hit the market. 110 acres of prime Tennessee ground with serious longbeard potential (plus deer, trails, fields, and even a functional cabin).

→ Check out the Longbeard Legacy listing here: Listing

Shoot me an email at [email protected] or [email protected], and we’ll get something on the calendar.

Until next week, keep the faith (and maybe do a little rain dance with me).

Tight lines and gobbling thunder,
Zack Vucurevich
Certified Wildlife Biologist
Whetstone Habitat LLC
Land Agent – Tutt Land Company
www.whetstonehabitat.com | www.tuttland.com