Turkey Population Decline - F&S Magazine

[mallardsx2]

I have been complaining about the turkey population in the east for a long time. Finally somebody has put it in writing to bring it to light.

Pick up the latest copy of field and stream and take a look.

I though it was a great read.

Limit the gobbler tags in Georgia to one per person per season NOW.

 

[XIronheadX]

Just tell us what it said. Cliff notes. We can take that money for the magazine, and donate it to habitat improvement and predator removal. Fire ant stomping. Decoy burning. Not calling one in for ya buddy. Turkey body guards. Nest stake outs.

Seriously though, hope everyone knows what they have available, before they create feathered death.

 

[Mark K]

Keep “tags” the same and only shoot one if you don’t have any turkeys or shoot none.

 

[mguthrie]

There's plenty of turkeys where I hunt. No need to limit me any more than what it is now. If you don't have turkeys were you hunt then hunt where there are more turkeys

 

[Swamprat]

There's plenty of turkeys where I hunt. No need to limit me any more than what it is now. If you don't have turkeys were you hunt then hunt where there are more turkeys

Disagree with that...places that had good population 10 years ago are now either gone or just a few here and there.

Reduce the length of season, reduce bag limit to 2 birds, one bird in hard hit areas. Don't believe me, look up what Florida did with Holmes County, Fl. Almost zero birds to a sustainable population. Still has county restrictions but is a success story.

Was on a lease in that county for several years, no birds. was shut down for 5-6 years as the state restocked, first year it opened it was I think for a week and one bird limit for maybe 3 years, now is still one bird but is open all season.

 

[XIronheadX]

I would limit myself before anyone would need to. I just want the joy of playing the game and know I got him in range. The harder he is to hunt, the better too. Those that take a few mornings to figure out. That's all adrenaline to me.

 

[XIronheadX]

I used to have no problem covering a 1000 acres a day 20 yrs ago. Sometimes I could set up on 2 or 3 different birds a day.

The 4 guys hunting 200 acres won't ever have any turkeys more than likely. Especially if its a pine thicket and they are all itching to have their picture taken with one. I guess you know how it goes on public land-long and far.

Turkey hunting works great on large tracts with people who manage and pay attention to the population. Not sure how to make it work on the smaller stuff or the public places. Just hope one doesn't have to pay the price for the other, but seems that's where it's headed.

 

[NCHillbilly]

No problems with turkey populations here-I see flocks of 50+ frequently. I can sit on my porch in the spring and hear two or three gobbling. I see several almost every evening on my way home from work. They stand in the road. They're starving the other game out here. We have turkeys running everywhere. Not so much deer, though.

 

[XIronheadX]

No problems with turkey populations here-I see flocks of 50+ frequently. I can sit on my porch in the spring and hear two or three gobbling. I see several almost every evening on my way home from work. They stand in the road. They're starving the other game out here. We have turkeys running everywhere. Not so much deer, though.

Lots of hardwoods, and less pressure, NCHB?

 

[mguthrie]

Lots of hardwoods, and less pressure, NCHB?

My lease is 3000 acres of timber company land. Over 2000 acres in different rotations of pines. Most of the hardwoods we have are in the river bottom and they're flooded right now. Nesting habitat is what turkeys need to reproduce. Not a bunch of open hardwoods

 

[XIronheadX]

My lease is 3000 acres of timber company land. Over 2000 acres in different rotations of pines. Most of the hardwoods we have are in the river bottom and they're flooded right now. Nesting habitat is what turkeys need to reproduce. Not a bunch of open hardwoods

I think we know that much. They need open hardwoods, flood plains and river bottoms work well. Select pines with low growth works well for nesting.Thicker habitat gets them ambushed, if its even walkable. Diverse habitat. That's why big tracts work well. Some place on it at different stages of growth is prime.

 

[mguthrie]

I think we know that much. They need open hardwoods, flood plains and river bottoms work well. Select pines with low growth works well for nesting.Thicker habitat gets them ambushed, if its even walkable. Diverse habitat. That's why big tracts work well. Some place on it at different stages of growth is prime.

They 5th row cut several hundred acres 4 years ago then sprayed it to kill everything but the pines. The loggers are in there now cutting every 4 th row on several hundred more acres. Makes great habitat for our turkeys.

 

[XIronheadX]

They 5th row cut several hundred acres 4 years ago then sprayed it to kill everything but the pines. The loggers are in there now cutting every 4 th row on several hundred more acres. Makes great habitat for our turkeys.

Where i started hunting turkeys 30 yrs ago was a mix of hardwood and pine. The pine was huge long leaf mixed in with about 90 percent hardwoods. Mostly untouched. That mat of straw and leaves was turkey heaven. They would nest right up beside those big pines and adjoining young pine forests. Those days are gone, though. Was covered in turkeys. Different ball game these days with pine production.

 

[DRBugman85]

F&S sales Magazine's for advertising THEY ARE Not the biologist in Georgia.AFTER hunting turkeys in Georgia for over 50 years I've seen the population of turkeys rise and fall periodically, I have seen and heard more Turkeys in the last 3 years than in a LONG time in GEORGIA, reducing the number of mature gobbler harvested IMO will NOT make a difference in the population of the wild turkey in Georgia. Predators are the problem.I work on the road and drive a 1200-1500 miles weekly all over this state and see more Coyote's, raccoons, opossums,hogs ,Fox and ploecats than deer.These Predators Rob nest and kill turkey poults before they reach maturity,Add the HUMAN FACTOR IN that swarm most public lands and DON'T hear are see a turkey that are full of these predators and so dropping the limit is NOT the ANSWER . Thinning the Predators down will bring back the turkey populations. We do predator control on our leases and our population is fine and that's with 90% pine Plantation and 10% Hardwood the WMA'S in South Georgia have a lot of turkeys and just as many HUNTERS that put pressure on all the turkeys from 2 months before the season till open morning that crow call,Hoot tubed and turkey calling 7 mornings a week scouting to hear a gobble then swarms show up opening day and complain there's no turkeys.Turkey hunting is the NEWEST game in hunting and the pressure is phenomenal. Just my $.02 cents

 

[XIronheadX]

I read somewhere that quail hatches were 38% ruined by fire ants. Wondering how big of a role they are playing on turkey hatches? Seems to be more mounds these days.

 

[Swamprat]

I am sure fire ants play a role but you also have late burning, to much rain, predators, wild hogs, human intrusion, etc that play a role.

 

[XIronheadX]

I am sure fire ants play a role but you also have late burning, to much rain, predators, wild hogs, human intrusion, etc that play a role.

Yep, a whole lot of things just to get one a few weeks along to have a shot at making it.

 

[Swamprat]

Heck even past a few weeks it is tough....was working on a large ranch in Central Florida, come driving around a corner to a pasture and spooked a hen with 4-5 poults maybe 8-12 weeks old.

Poults tried to take to the sky like momma and out of nowhere a hawk snatches one out of the air. Figured hawk was watching them the whole time waiting for a oppurtunity, I just sped up that oppurtunity.

 

[Buckman18]

There is a certain segment of turkey hunters that complain about as much as that certain segment of trout fisherman who complain about catch and keep. I wonder if they’re the same people?

If I believed everything I read on this and the deer hunting forum, I’d have to stop hunting before deer and turkeys get put on the endangered species list.

 

[NCHillbilly]

We don't have fire ants here.