Oconee National Forest

[livingofftheland]

I hunt Jasper and Putnam County, the population seems to be shrinking, every year! Does the DNR have any idea why? I personally don’t think it’s over hunting, which apparently they do. With the changes in the season length and reduced limits.

 

[antharper]

Good question

 

[BASS1FUN]

I’ve killed a good amount of turkeys down there haven’t been this year though but I have come to the conclusion that for every turkey that gobbles 4-5 don’t , I know in one spot that I hunt the pine beetles have decimated the pines

 

[turkeykirk]

Know a couple of guys who camped and hunted for a week. Didn’t do any good.

 

[Sixes]

I’ve killed a good amount of turkeys down there haven’t been this year though but I have come to the conclusion that for every turkey that gobbles 4-5 don’t , I know in one spot that I hunt the pine beetles have decimated the pines

What about the hens? They are missing too.

I've seen it in every part of the state that I hunt. No more fields with flocks in them. No big groups of hens. No big groups of jakes terrorizing the woods. Woods not scratched all up.

It's not hunting pressure or overkilling making the hens disappear

 

[kmckinnie]

Nest predator maybe. Habit change ?

Good question.

 

[livingofftheland]

What about the hens? They are missing too.

I've seen it in every part of the state that I hunt. No more fields with flocks in them. No big groups of hens. No big groups of jakes terrorizing the woods. Woods not scratched all up.

It's not hunting pressure or overkilling making the hens disappear

Agreed! It’s back to finding an occasional track or feather. Like it was in the beginning, late 70’s early 80’s.

 

[Sixes]

Nest predator maybe. Habit change ?

Good question.

I have no idea, but I used to hunt a 10K acre quail plantation that was heavily trapped and was kept perfect for bird species. I watched it go from huge groups of turkeys (100+ in some of the fields in winter) to virtually 0 birds in a matter of 3 years. Last time I hunted it, we could not even find a track around any AG fields or on any of the sandy roads.

I'm not talking about gobblers missing, I'm talking the whole flock.

West Georgia still had good numbers up until the last 2-3 years and they have quickly been going down hill. Same in Butts county where the last several years had several birds, last year the numbers were down an this year, almost non existent.

 

[furtaker]

Coons, cats, and coyotes have been here as long as the turkeys have. Something else is going on.

 

[Rebel 3]

I'm at the point that I think it is some type of disease that is getting them. Whether it is killing living birds or affecting eggs.

 

[kmckinnie]

I seen a better hatch last year and seemed to be a increase a little in the numbers. I’m waiting to see the hatch birds here this year.
I don’t see the quail numbers here like a few years ago and no one hunts them here. Just predators.

 

[furtaker]

I'm at the point that I think it is some type of disease that is getting them. Whether it is killing living birds or affecting eggs.

I think habitat change and loss has a lot to do with it too.

 

[Rebel 3]

In some counties that are rural they have experienced little habitat change, but the numbers have dropped significantly. I know of places with 1000s of acres where nothing has seemingly changed, but there are few turkey now. There is definitely something going on. I fear that turkey in GA are heading in the same direction as quail. We use to have high numbers all across the state. I do think habitat change greatly affected quail.

 

[sportsman94]

I think people are all trying to point to one reason for the decline when it’s probably a multitude of factors. Probably a mix of disease, heavier predator loads, habitat change, chemicals, weather, and other stuff that isn’t coming to mind right now. If the birds are having good hatches then the other factors dont cause as noticeable of an effect. It’s the bad hatch years that the other factors compound. Control the parts that you can control and that’s really all we can do

 

[livingofftheland]

In some counties that are rural they have experienced little habitat change, but the numbers have dropped significantly. I know of places with 1000s of acres where nothing has seemingly changed, but there are few turkey now. There is definitely something going on. I fear that turkey in GA are heading in the same direction as quail. We use to have high numbers all across the state. I do think habitat change greatly affected quail.

The decline in quail populations is attributed to fire ants, I’m beginning to wonder if that could be the reason for the decline in turkey population too.

 

[across the river]

The same thing that happened to quail is happening to turkeys. It doesn’t matter what you do with the regulations. The mixed habitat, fence rows, early succession habitat that existed years ago no longer exists and what it has been replaced with is not conducive to a large turkey population from a reproduction standpoint. 30 years ago you could ride through piedmont areas and see broom sedge fields, blackberry bushes everywhere, stop on the side of the road and pick wild plums, etc…. Turkeys need white and yellow flower habitat in the spring. Blackberry, partridge pea, wildflowers, wild plum, etc…. If you ride through an area a there are a pile small white and yellow flowers typically you have good nesting habitat and often a pretty good turkey population. If you ride through and see planted pine for miles, few grown up fields, no fence rows, etc… then turkey population will not be good in most cases. When there is no nesting cover and then no where for poults to hide and eat bugs if they do hatch, the population goes down. Look at poult counts over the years. It shouldn’t be surprising.

 

[BASS1FUN]

My experience on ONF is that they’re breeding earlier so that means they’re sitting earlier and that’s one reason we’re only seeing a hen here and there, I’ve seen poults in April when you didn’t see them till after the season ended, they have so much going against them it’s a wonder if there’s any left