NE GA Mtn Decline

[Nicodemus]

I’m sure it’s more than one thing but listen carefully y’all, hogs eat turkey eggs. Some people don’t want to hear that because they still see hogs as a novel thing and are excited by the idea of being able to hunt them. We felt that way down here back in the late nineties. Now most folks down here would get rid of every last one of those nasty things in a second. They are nothing but trouble and they will ruin your deer and turkey hunting. That’s the truth.

Yep, and that nose that`s good enough to sniff out truffles underground can and does easily find turkey and quail nests.

 

[jbogg]

I’ll be the first to admit I am not much of a turkey hunter, but I do spend a lot of time in the mountains year round. I have not seen a bird while hunting or scouting since last March, and I am up there walking/scouting most weekends.

Glad to see that the DNR took the first step in helping the deer population by suspending the doe harvest, but the pitiful turkey numbers require action as well. Clearly the status quo is not working. Why must population numbers for deer and turkey reach critical lows before those tasked with managing the species step in and manage. Too little, too late.

 

[Danuwoa]

Yep, and that nose that`s good enough to sniff out truffles underground can and does easily find turkey and quail nests.

Tell ‘em, Nic. They are going to wish they had never heard of those things. If y’all don’t believe me maybe y’all will listen to an old woodsman like Nic.

 

[bfriendly]

I’ve been seeing so many turkeys in northern Cherokee and bartow counties over the last 10 years I couldn’t figure out what all the fuss was about........then came this past deer season and I barely saw any.
This is the first time I have been concerned at all. I’ve had many chances over the last 5 years, but have Done nothing but educate the birds I have encountered........guess I’ll take some of the blame for their disappearing act too. I pray my concern is for not, but it looms largely as I haven’t seen tracks or poop or a bird 1, where I always do........instead I found a bear track, really!?!
Season hasn’t started yet and I am still hopeful they’ll return. They always do, just like the hogs do.....I pray.

as far as our DNR in GA, I think we are very lucky to have the folks we got and they do a tremendous job with what they have. Maybe instead of slamming them we can post links to help us novice activists send a message to the ones at the top, who do make decisions.
Ever been to a meeting? I did and had my turn to voice my thoughts. I wanted more time to chase hogs and yotes. I didn’t hunt deer like most folks at the meeting, but they were sure in agreement and other folks at other meetings brought up a similar desire. The following year we got an additional 21 days to do just that! We still have it and y’all know it well. I just feel like we are very fortunate to have the DNR we have here and some of these threads make it sound like the guys in green trucks are at fault.

 

[herb mcclure]

Sounds like y'all need a wall at S.C. and need to be hunting pigs.

Here's the board. https://gadnr.org/board . Looks like most are from the N. Ga. mountains.

Thanks, XIronheadx for the board member's information, wounder how many know anything about NE Georgia's turkeys reguardless of where they are from.

Sounds like y'all need a wall at S.C. and need to be hunting pigs.

Here's the board. https://gadnr.org/board . Looks like most are from the N. Ga. mountains.

 

[XIronheadX]

Limiting a 2 month predator from 2 months of hunting time won't have any effect on turkeys when there are 1000 fold much more efficient predators hunting 12 months of the year. And hunting all of them from the nest to the tree tops. One nest raider will do more damage than 1 turkey hunter will in a few seasons.

Improve the habitat for turkeys, eradicate some fire ants, lose the moldy supplemental feed practices, remove feral pigs, control the other predators. The DNR can't save us. Better yet talk to a biologist. We aren't entitled to anything while sitting on our rear.

 

[XIronheadX]

Thanks, XIronheadx for the board member's information, wounder how many know anything about NE Georgia's turkeys reguardless of where they are from.

You're welcome, Herb. Here's the link to the meetings minutes. https://gadnr.org/minutes. Maybe they'll add some wildlife biologist to the board.

 

[herb mcclure]

Y'all dont have a clue what low turkey numbers are. I hunted the N. Ga. mtns. prior to the restocking efforts. The season was 1 week long and the limit was 1 gobbler. The same for Tennessee area around Ocoee. If you heard a bird gobble it was considered a successful hunt. We usually managed to kill a few out of a hunting party of 4 or 5 seasoned turkey hunters. I was far from seasoned back then. I was mostly tolerated cause I could fetch water and didn't eat much food. Plus I was family and they could poke fun at me and teach me at the same time. We had our honey holes just like Herb and his high mountain birds of the blue ridge. Those places play out and you go find the birds where they move to. Hunting a place for nostalgia and memories is fine if that's what you want to do. Me, I'd rather carry a gobbler out slung over my shoulder.

Yes, honey holes do play out and going somewhere else to hunt is OK, but the ongoing problem of turkey decline is still left in those woods, which concerns me.
There never were many gobblers to hunt on the Blue Ridge or other WMAs in NE Georgia. Even in the mid-seventies, I wrote three chapters (#16,#17, and #18) in my book about how difficult it was to locate a second gobbler for a hunting partner who had exceptional hearing.

 

[Buckman18]

Make this observation gents. Any place to hunt these birds that is a reasonable distance from a large hunter population is seeing one heck of a decrease looks like to me. More hunters, lot's more in other words. You can blame it on all the other predatory animals you want. But in the rest of the state it just doesn't fly that theory. South Ga has tons of birds and it is crawling with every type of animal that is predatory to turkeys. Maybe,except hunters,.,........

The mountains have very few turkey hunters when compared to the amount of open land. Last year, I hunted every week in the mountains, except opening weekend, and saw exactly 1 turkey hunter. And he was only 100 ft off the road.

 

[Sautee Ridgerunner]

Basically every study done in the last few years has shown that hunting seasons starting before hens are impregnated is bad for recruitment. It was the basis for SC’s season change

 

[Sautee Ridgerunner]

The biggest issue in recent years has been devastating spring rains. We have had some very good hatches in recent years but soon after, we would get many days of rain and cold in a row. Suddenly, hens who had twelve poults the week before had zero. Been seeing this the last three years. I just think that seasons and bag limits should change to help compensate

 

[Timber1]

If they cancelled turkey season for about 3 or 4 years your turkeys would be back. Look at areas where hunting isnt allowed. State Parks, places like Cades Cove. Plenty turkeys in those places. And all your typical predators except one.

 

[High road]

If hunting pressure was the reason Dawson Forest would be void of turkeys.
You have bring your own tree on the week ends!

 

[natureman]

I drive/hike all over the Chattahoochee National Forest for the past 40 years and have recently seen more turkey and black bear than ever.

 

[XIronheadX]

Cades Cove is at the edge of fire ant range. Give it time. They haven't started shooting at the eggs during the season in Georgia yet. Up to 24 hours to pip out of that shell. Watch how fast a fire ant gets on deer blood.

 

[Timber1]

West Point WMA had fire ant hills knee high all over the place when I hunted there and Big Lazer Creek too. Birds galore.

 

[Timber1]

Some of the best hunting on WMA's is the private and leased land bordering them. All the birds are lured off the wma with corn and clover. ?

 

[strothershwacker]

Y'all got a NWTF chapter out there?

 

[twoheartedale]

I have a DNR biologist in our club and she has been saying this for years, I don't think you can blame the DNR.

 

[buckpasser]

I suppose like everyone else, I’m somewhat biased. However, there have been quite a few wildly inaccurate statements posted in this thread. South GA is crawling with turkey hunters. I’ve hunted the mountains some and I will have to agree with those that are actually killing turkeys up there year after year. I can show you some spots around here that were once overrun with turkeys. They would leave you sad and lonely now. I can show you some others that are exactly converse. The LAW can’t and won’t make our dreams come true. We are not shooting hens and that’s about all we can do with the law to protect our numbers. Weather and disease is out of our control.

Can someone actually show me a study that proves that hens are going unbred based on overhunting or early hunting? If the mountains are so shotty, how on earth are the big bad greedy turkey hunters able to overkill these Toms in the first place? I think most of these threads are pushed by people who once had some gravy hunting spots that are for various reasons now not so good. Push through! Hunt new areas! Ride the cycle and enjoy the good times more when they return. For those who won’t live to see the good times again, I’m truly sorry.