Do you have more turkeys in?

• Jan 28, 2010

• #1

ssm

Senior Member

The guys here that hunt in GA, AL, MS, SC, FL and parts of TN. Do you think you have more turkeys in the thinned pine plantations or stands of natural timber?

Most of my hunting properties are large tracts of pine plantations with SMZ's( Streamside Management Zones )running throughout. It seems that we hear more turkeys in the plantation tracts and they are slightly on average a larger turkey.

My conclusion is pine plantations have more for a turkey to eat in for the whole year, plus for nesting cover as opposed to natural timber.

Has anyone else noticed this or feel the opposite?

 

• Jan 28, 2010

• #2

striper commander

Senior Member

I have noticed the same thing as you and I hunt ga.

 

• Jan 28, 2010

• #3

mjfortner

Senior Member

The pines make ideal roosting trees. Even if there is no food they will eat elseware and still roost in the pines.

 

• Jan 28, 2010

• #4

boparks

Senior Member

I'd say the same holds true for the place I hunted around Pine Mountain Ga. They had good management practices and conducted burn offs each year

Pryor to that I only hunted in a River Swamp which had very few pines , but a good population of sizable birds

 

• Jan 28, 2010

• #5

Hawken2222

Senior Member

I hunted a club in Oglethorpe County, in the late 90's, early 2000's, that was 800 plus acres, & 90% pine, if not more. That was the best club I have ever been on as far as turkeys go. I heard more gobbling down there, tha in anywhere else I ahve hunted in GA. So I definately agree that these thinned pine plantations are exceptional places for turkeys.

 

• Jan 28, 2010

• #6

D

DaddyPaul

Senior Member

I hunted a place in Olar, SC that absolutely shouldn't have held turkeys. It was only 251 acres and about 249 of it was planted pines. It got to the point I was almost afraid to call on that place, for fear of getting run slap over.

First morning I ever turkey hunted it I killed a good bird early. Went to check in station and did my thing. Got a Pepsi and honey bun and headed back to the woods. Chilling in the truck and decided to go for a stroll. Made a call and had to dive in an old fencerow quick like and in a hurry. Three longbeards on a rope, killed another, back to the check in station. This time I didn't buy Pepsi...............

Long story short I lost the place, best turkey ground I ever had.

 

• Jan 28, 2010

• #7

ssm

Senior Member

Another thing that pine plantation turkeys will do is walk right through the middle of the nastiest thicket you have ever seen like it is not even there. But most plantations are thickets 2 years after they are thinned.

 

• Jan 28, 2010

• #8

B

BPR

Senior Member

boparks said:

I'd say the same holds true for the place I hunted around Pine Mountain Ga. They had good management practices and conducted burn offs each year
Pryor to that I only hunted in a River Swamp which had very few pines , but a good population of sizable birds

Click to expand...

I think the burns and keeping it open is key. I hunt a small tract of planted pines. There are more mature pines all around that were more open. We've been working to open the pines up and have managed to pull the turkeys into the younger pines.

The plantation tracks are generally more open than the natural pine stands.

 

Last edited: Jan 28, 2010

• Jan 29, 2010

• #9

bangbird

Senior Member

I lease a 715 acre tract of nothing but pine in various stages. It's loaded with birds.

I have food plots and some blocks have been burned so I'm sure that helps.

 

• Jan 29, 2010

• #10

B

bnew17

Senior Member

ALl of my land is here in Middle to South ga and its all timber. Some grown up clear cuts with small pines and the rest is Planted Pines. I have turkeys on all my tracts. They love to roost in those pines.

 

• Jan 29, 2010

• #11

bangbird

Senior Member

bnew17 said:

ALl of my land is here in Middle to South ga and its all timber. Some grown up clear cuts with small pines and the rest is Planted Pines. I have turkeys on all my tracts. They love to roost in those pines.

Click to expand...

That reminds me of something. One morning I was walking down a road that led to a big hardwood bottom. Before you got to the bottom the road went through a large block of maybe 10 - 12 year old pines. I couldn't believe it, but I flushed about 30 turkeys roosted in the small pines on the walk in. Nothing in the hardwoods. They chose the small pines over the big hardwoods.

 

• Jan 29, 2010

• #12

H

hawglips

Banned

Pines are good for roosting, but not much else. All else being equal, I'll take the natural hardwoods with some scattered pines every time.

 

• Jan 29, 2010

• #13

Covehnter

Senior Member

What I've found that even in the mature pines where the floor is nothing but straw that the moist ground is home to tons of worms and insects that reside just under the straw. We all know what important insects are to turkeys esp nesting hens.

 

• Jan 29, 2010

• #14

Tailstalker

Banned

The best place I ever hunted had thinned pine ridges with every other row cut and hardwood bottoms between these open ridges...Once the undergrowth caught back up the following year the turkey numbers went way down...

 

• Feb 5, 2010

• #15

TenPtr

Senior Member

Timber tracts with hardwood bottoms, branches, SMZ's , etc.. are very attractive to turkeys. I have observed much higher populations on well managed timber tracts than I have on tracts with old growth forests. The habitat that develops once pines have been thinned is text book for nesting and brood rearing. Logging crews open up loading decks as they move through the property. These areas can be planted or allowed to grow up naturally. A logging crew creates habitat diversity that did not exist prior to their arrival. Open areas, logging roads, ground cover, and ease of access become available and the wildlife will prosper as well as the hunter. I love hunting timber tracts!

 

• Feb 5, 2010

• #16

Gut_Pile

Senior Member

The best place I ever had to hunt was 75% planted pines. It had two huge fields (50 and 70 acres) and one hardwood ridge and creek bottom that ran one whole border of the property. I wish I could still hunt that place!

 

• Feb 5, 2010

• #17

Gadget

Senior Member

We have a good mixture of both pines and hardwoods, I'd say the pines hold more turkey overall if it's managed right.......ie thinned and burned at the right intervals.

 

• Feb 5, 2010

• #18

dawg2

AWOL ADMINISTRATOR

mjfortner said:

The pines make ideal roosting trees. Even if there is no food they will eat elseware and still roost in the pines.

Click to expand...

The pines are warmer. If you don't believe me, go touch an oak tree trunk and a pine tree trunk in cooler weather and see which one is colder.

Also, pines provide cover and protection from predators like owls, especially in the early season.