I think some birds are being super tight lipped this year. Was in a spot last weekend, heard a bunch of hens in a holler and no gobbles all morning. Can hear for miles in that spot. At 10:00 I drove out past that holler again and there was a gobbler with hens on side of Rd. I've listened a couple mornings and heard no gobbles but I've seen gobbler tracts in the road each morning so I know some are around.
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Please read and help. Turkey have vanished
- Thread starter GCO
- Start date
AliBubba
Senior Member
In the March GON magazine I think it noted that turkey population was down by 30%.
spurrs and racks
Banned
I hope
every turkey hunter I know quits and takes up bass fishing.
s&r
every turkey hunter I know quits and takes up bass fishing.
s&r
mossyoakpro
Senior Member
There's a nice shooting facility in Egdefield for those of us who used to have turkeys to hunt.
That seems to be the focus for that group now.....
That seems to be the focus for that group now.....
fountain
Senior Member
This is what I want to know. I want to know how to get some brought in and released on my place
Dinosaur
Senior Member
I have a friend that is a biologist for NWTF here in south georgia. He told me sunday that he wouldn't be suprised to see the limit cut to two birds soon. Said the data from the turkey harvest records is pretty telling.
That makes little sense, just like a higher limit on bucks will not change the recruitment rates of the females.
Dinosaur
Senior Member
Might not be the solution to the problem as a whole, but if the population is in as big of a decline as the biologists are thinking, leaving the limit at 3 doesn't make sense either. We gotta do all we can to fix it. Sticking our heads in the sand continuing on as if nothing is wrong won't solve a thing.
XIronheadX
PF Trump Cam Operator !20/20
Very true. Those that care about it would understand. Maybe outlaw decoys and fans and leave it at 3. That works too.
bdavisbdavis727
Senior Member
Decoys and hunters are not the reason for the decline. When you take away the habitat and push all of the animals into small blocks of woods the predators multiply while the game they eat declines.
XIronheadX
PF Trump Cam Operator !20/20
Everything that decreases the number of turkeys is the reason. Of course its habitat and predators, hunters, methods of hunters. Bad weather at hatch. Is there a difference in a predator eating a turkey and a hunter shooting one? If you can't fix the habitat or the predators in a short amount of time, you have to try a fix in an area you can control before the population is too low . I'd rather have the opportunity to go out there and call a turkey within shooting range, than to worry about pulling the trigger to take a picture. I know where the adrenaline rush is, and its before the trigger is pulled. Self gratification comes after the fact. You do what is necessary for the resource. If it meant a year or two with 2 chances instead of 3. I'd live with it.
Dinosaur
Senior Member
I'd be fine with that. Be a bunch of turkey hunters taking up golf or bass fishing though.
southGAlefty
Senior Member
I'd be fine with that. Be a bunch of turkey hunters taking up golf or bass fishing though.
Which wouldn't hurt my feelings at all and probably yours either! Strutting decoys have made the game about 50% easier in my opinion.
There's definitely been a decline in one of the places I hunt. I have seen early season flocks in the 30s-40s there in years past with 5-6 gobblers in the bunch. Thats been 6-7 years ago but the point is that on the same tract of ground this year I've seen 2 gobblers and 2 hens all season. There's been a pretty steady decline too. Habitat has changed very little and the change has been for the good so I'm not sure what's going on.
This is in extreme south GA.
bdavisbdavis727
Senior Member
The difference in Georgia at-least is hunters dont shoot hens or poults and most dont shoot jakes. The majority of turkeys get killed when they are poults, so there is your difference.
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spurrs and racks
Banned
changing the gobbler limit...
will make ZERO difference in the turkey population.
The folks who don't understand that, need to study the bird more and write less.
By March 25th almost all ...if not all the hens are already bred. She can store active sperm form 60 to 90 days.
Gobblers don't raise poults......hens do. It is already illegal to shoot hen turkeys and here in Georgia there is no fall season.
The gobbler limit could be 1 or 5 or any other number....it will not affect the turkey population one bit.
You want to do something about your deer and turkey population, don't let another Yote, fox, bobcat, coon, or possum walk......ever.
or pig.....ever
s&r
will make ZERO difference in the turkey population.
The folks who don't understand that, need to study the bird more and write less.
By March 25th almost all ...if not all the hens are already bred. She can store active sperm form 60 to 90 days.
Gobblers don't raise poults......hens do. It is already illegal to shoot hen turkeys and here in Georgia there is no fall season.
The gobbler limit could be 1 or 5 or any other number....it will not affect the turkey population one bit.
You want to do something about your deer and turkey population, don't let another Yote, fox, bobcat, coon, or possum walk......ever.
or pig.....ever
s&r
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I assure you that my head is not in the sand, I'm just stating the fact that lowering a limit on males will not increase the population. From what I have seen this spring, the population in Troup county has decreased a small amount from the last few years. The population in Laurens/ Bleckley county area has decreased substantially in a predominately agricultural area. North Cherokee county seems to be on an upswing and I've seen more birds this spring than in the last few years and some some really big flocks during this past winter.
If the limit is moved to 2, then so be it, but the population is not going to increase without hens having more poults that survive and this will need to happen for a few consecutive years to really increase the population.
GLS
Classic Southern Gentleman
Louisiana has conducted a study wherein 135 hens were radio collared. The average nesting time for these hens was April 9th. The season started two weeks earlier and it is estimated that 80% of the kill occurred in the first week. It might be more complex than a mated hen can lay fertilized eggs throughout the season after being impregnated with sperm. The 80% seasonal kill before nesting starts may have something to do with reduced population.
I wonder if the use of chicken litter spread on fields has anything to do with the spread of disease that might affect turkeys and quail. Good possibility of it.
OleRed15
Senior Member
While I still kill atleast 2 birds a year for as long as I can remember, there is a huge decline in the numbers of turkeys in middle ga on both public and private land.. 4-5 years ago it was no problem going to a couple private spots I have and hear 4-6 gobblers a morning and even more on public land. Now I'm lucky to hear one of those some pieces of property. Well I still kill 2, I chase the same bird around for a week or more before he finally messes up or looses hens.
But I honestly think the increase in predators such as yotes, bobcats, coons, opossums and hogs and the lack of killing or trapping of previously said species, has a huge impact in the population decline.
DNR has said poult per hen numbers are up to around 1.3-1.5 poults per hen in 2016 which I feel is way to low to maintain or even increase the population to a level of the 90's. I think we need to see poult numbers in the 2.5-3.5 range to see numbers increase to where they use to be.
But I honestly think the increase in predators such as yotes, bobcats, coons, opossums and hogs and the lack of killing or trapping of previously said species, has a huge impact in the population decline.
DNR has said poult per hen numbers are up to around 1.3-1.5 poults per hen in 2016 which I feel is way to low to maintain or even increase the population to a level of the 90's. I think we need to see poult numbers in the 2.5-3.5 range to see numbers increase to where they use to be.
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