So my uncle did a controlled burn about 2 weeks ago on 60 acres (about 170 acre property). It's almost all wildflowers and grassland. The turkeys will roost on neighbors property and fly down onto his to strut and feed in morning and afternoon.
So I'm just curious how this might affect they turkeys behavior. (I know it's impossible to predict turkey behavior) it'll be about a month between the burn and when I'll be there
I've always had good luck after a burn.
Turkeys absolutley love burns. I love scouting National Forest and finding them. I have killed gobblers in them with places still smoldering. They love all those burnt crispy critters thats in there.
Like it was mentioned,I have seen Turkeys on burns that were still smoldering.
It uncovers lots of forage like acorns,grubs,worms and other insects.
Only issue with trying to hunt them is there's usually not much cover left and the soot will cover everything it touches.
Greg
Controlled burns are Great for all wildlife. When the forest floor is burned, it removes dead litter and burns small trees and brush thus opening up the floor for NEW growth. In my area, controlled burns are common in early spring. When the burns are done, the forest service will burn areas ahead of spring rains to have mother nature utilize these rains to help control any hotspots. Within a week, these areas will have new YOUNG growth and the wildlife will flock to these areas for this growth. You may see a few days of uncertain movement but as soon as the area starts to green up the wildlife will FLOCK to the area. Hunt it and hunt it hard!
As long as you don't burn while hens are nesting it's good. New growth will attract turkey deer etc to browse. Turkeys don't like a lot of undergrowth that can hide predators(except hens nesting to hide) But deer will move out if there were bedding areas because they prefer dense under growth deer will come in to browse on new growth
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Quote from: wchadw on May 04, 2020, 05:54:06 PM
As long as you don't burn while hens are nesting it's good. New growth will attract turkey deer etc to browse. Turkeys don't like a lot of undergrowth that can hide predators(except hens nesting to hide) But deer will move out if there were bedding areas because they prefer dense under growth deer will come in to browse on new growth
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I always think of all the nests that get destroyed from this practice unless they burn early enough in the spring.
I hunted a burn hard in a NF last week and was absolutely shocked to see zero turkey. Saw more deer than I've ever seen though
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You're in luck!
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Turkeys love burned areas. They find all kinds of stuff to eat, especially once the plants start to bud and regrow. Definitely hunt there.
Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.
Turkeys love burn like fat kids love icecream. Your uncle did you a favor.