How much harm do u think hawks do to the turkey population. Here in the last ten years I have noticed a lot more hawks flying around and seeing not as much turkeys as I would have ten years ago in my area. I've also notice ed there is alot less rabbits and grouse. I think the hawks are putting a hurting on the turkey and small game. It used to be that people would shoot every chicken hawk they saw but now no one is shooting them. If it were legal I would be busting them things left and right. So what do u guys think.
i agree i think with the growing predator population it definetly takes an effect on the turkeys and everything
I personanly think hawks and owls do more harm to the turkey population then coyotes do.
The last 2 springs in SC we've noticed coyotes stalking our gobbling turkeys. My hunting partner was able to shoot one this season. It came in to their calling, with a gobbler answering the calls, and was 10 yards to the right of my friend, staring at his decoy. My buddy was able to grab the gun and blast the yote, a big male!!
And our gobblers seem to have noticed the pressure too. They are gobbling a lot less.
I agree. We have a lot of bald eagles in the area and I have seen them clear a field a turkeys real quick. When they fly over, the birds run like crazy.
I haven't saw any yotes stalking my decoy yet. But I'm positive they do kill turkeys. But I've noticed that hawks prey in in area till there is hardly anything left then move on. Usually I will see hawks in the same place for a couple of weeks or so then all of a sudden u don't see any hawks there. Then in areas were u didn't see hawks u start seeing hawks. I no hawks kill poults I've witnessed it one time. I was watching a hen and some of her young ones one day in a field then all of a sudden two hawks I believe they were red tailed hawks swooped down and killed 2 of the poults. Boy was I mad at those hawks I started running at the hawks hopeing I could scare them before they killed the poults but it was too late. My buddy said he had a hawk swoop down at his decoy and grabbed it by the neck with its claws. He shot his gun in the air to scare the hawk away. He said there is no doubt that wasnt the first time that hawk has done that. He knew what he was doing.
I had a bald eagle swoop down and grab one of my old foam dekes years ago in FLA. As soon as he realized he'd been fooled, he dropped it. ;D
Also had a cow walk up and grab my deke in its mouth and walk off. Had to chase her down yelling before she dropped it. :lol:
I can always tell when im making good yelps cuz ill have a hawk circle over top of me. Every off season i try to improve on some aspect of my turkey hunting. Last year upto this spring it was a tube call. A week or so ago i wasnt geeting any response so i thought id try my tube call. A few yelps and the hawks were circling me, so i knew i was yelping pretty good.
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Hawks!?! You mean they weren't all brown and white speckled crows? ;D
Hahaha
I have been told the owls lead the way, by far, but that won't stop me from shooting every coyote possible....
mudhen
Yea, you need to shoot al the lawyers, sorry i mean coyotes you can.
Personally I think the nest raiders like opossums, raccoons and skunks are a bigger problem for turkey populations than traditional predators. ...but I bet coyotes and probably foxes both nest raid and kill live birds.
Quote from: BamaProud on May 11, 2013, 06:10:01 PM
Personally I think the nest raiders like opossums, raccoons and skunks are a bigger problem for turkey populations than traditional predators. ...but I bet coyotes and probably foxes both nest raid and kill live birds.
:agreed: I've seen a recent influx in guys starting to trap around here again, hopefully that will take some of the pressure off of em
while setting up my decoy on a gobbling bird earlier this year I saw a yote int he field below me booking it towards the gobbling bird.... a cousin in mississippi killed a coyote after setting up on a roosted bird earlier this year after he shot the gobbler shut up so he moved 100 yards down the ridge he was on and called in another coyote! couldnt get a shot on the second one but Im seeing way more coyotes in the last few years than I used to...
Different areas will have different predators - I would focus in on nest raiders
If I were to try to help out , I would say hit up the coons with trapping just prior and during nesting season - this will give you a small time frame before surrounding coons fill in any vacancies of job position's you just made available
I know I would shoot a coyote in a hearbeat but when you sit back and think about it how many coons , possums , and other nest raiders does a Eagle or Coyote eat in a year ?
Quote from: Old Gobbler on May 11, 2013, 08:47:56 PM
Different areas will have different predators - I would focus in on nest raiders
If I were to try to help out , I would say hit up the coons with trapping just prior and during nesting season - this will give you a small time frame before surrounding coons fill in any vacancies of job position's you just made available
I know I would shoot a coyote in a hearbeat but when you sit back and think about it how many coons , possums , and other nest raiders does a Eagle or Coyote eat in a year ?
:agreed: I read somewhere that the coons, possums, skunks, porcupine & foxes are some of the biggest nest raiders.......
I've put a hurting on the opposums on my property this year I've lost count of how many I got. Most of them were shot off bait piles. Some trapped. I've took a few coons less then 20 this year on my property also. 1 bobcat and a couple yotes. A lot of people don't think possums hurt the turkey population. U would be surprised of some of the arguments I've gotten into about why i shoot opposums lol. Im lucky i got a few buddies that love to coon hunt they help thin them coons out also. And I would also shoot a yote without thinking twice about. Them yotes are sure fun to call in. This march I called one one In with a rabbit distress it could of reached around and grabbed it it was that close for about 10 seconds then it took off I threw some 00 buckshot its way but don't think I hit it. But I really do think they need to have a time of the year were u could shoot atleast hawks. There is going to be one in every tree if they don't do something about it in the future. And I also killed my first skunk a day before turkey season this year first one I have ever saw in the wild.
I have Called coyotes in many times. They come in looking up into the trees. I think it has played a significant roll in the gobbleing activity were I hunt. Birds rarely if ever gobble after they fly down.