Have you noticed?

[Turkeytider]

What does it do to them long term ie, bad corn eaten in the Fall. Does it cause damage that may kill them months later or is it only a fast result?

Lots of folks say "I don't keep feeding in the Spring" and seem to think that means they are not hurting the turkey population, but is that really preventing the toxins from doing the damage anyway?

Aflatoxin in doses of as little as 100 ppb can adversely impact the livers of turkeys , with symptoms within two weeks of ingestion. Aflatoxin poisoning is acute, not a chronic condition lasting for a long time. This is potent stuff.

 

[44magpastor]

I'm commented in another thread, but my .02

I'm originally from Central Georgia, and my family owns a farm in the area. Back in the late 90's-early 2000's, turkeys were everywhere. Starting in February, you would see them strutting in the fields. It was extremely rare to spend a morning in the woods, without hearing a bird gobble. I can't remember the last gobbler I saw on our place, and haven't killed a bird there since 2004. Occasionally, we will see a hen with poults in the early summer. They are here today, gone tomorrow.

We moved to North Georgia in 2007. For several years, I've hunted in Elbert, Wilkes, and Lincoln counties. I killed one bird in 2019. Can't remember the last time I heard one gobble. I've seen a few gobblers during deer season, but its not like they hang around. Its kind of an accidental thing. The other hunters in the club aren't killing them either.

The decline in population isn't because of hunter harvest, in my opinion.



I

 

[44magpastor]

I want to make another post, about Wildlife Management in general.

In my opinion, there is a reluctance to deviate from the entrenched beliefs of experts and professors in the field.

30 years ago, at ABAC, we were taught
1. Baiting is bad, it will result in CWD, etc.
2. Coyotes don't prey on deer. Dogs are more of a threat than coyotes.


I knew both ideas were not true, but I was learning from some of the most influential people in the state, when it comes to that field. Do you think I was going to submit a research paper contradicting what a guy has been preaching to me, for 2 years?

Likewise, I find it hard to believe any proposal, to improve the wild turkey population is going to be vastly different from the standard techniques that I learned in the 90's.

 

[Resica]

We(Pennsylvania) have seen a decline in population as well. The only baiting permitted is on private land in southeastern Pa. during deer season with certain restrictions. The rest of the state , no baiting allowed. Just like Georgia there are counties that folks say it's great and other places where folks see a decline. Best years I remember were late 90's to mid 2000's.

 

[Long Cut]

How many of y’all utilized prescribed fire, Timber stand improvement and or trapped nest predators in the past 2 years?

Until more people take initiative to manage THEIR lands & leases, nothing’s going to change for the better.

 

[Long Cut]

wHErE dId aLl ThE tuRkEyS gOo?!?

If your property doesn’t look like this, that’s possibly why.

 

[WOODIE13]

View attachment 1217922View attachment 1217923


wHErE dId aLl ThE tuRkEyS gOo?!?

If your property doesn’t look like this, that’s possibly why.

Talk to the NPS about that

 

[Nicodemus]

View attachment 1217922View attachment 1217923


wHErE dId aLl ThE tuRkEyS gOo?!?

If your property doesn’t look like this, that’s possibly why.

Where I do most of my turkey hunting it`s so wet that most of the mature birds have webbed feet.

 

[WOODIE13]

Where I do most of my turkey hunting it`s so wet that most of the mature birds have webbed feet.

They have one leg shorter than the other walking these hills