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General Discussion => General Forum => Topic started by: wchadw on May 23, 2020, 01:04:34 PM

Title: Fruit and nut trees for turkeys
Post by: wchadw on May 23, 2020, 01:04:34 PM
I'm in charge of property management at our land. We are looking a fruit and nut trees for deer and turkey.
Planning on some Japanese persimmon and pecans but looking for turkey specific (bonus if deer will eat)

Thinking about mulberries and chinkapin.

Any other suggestions? Like to have something that fruits spring and fall


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Title: Re: Fruit and nut trees for turkeys
Post by: tlh2865 on May 23, 2020, 01:12:20 PM
Sawtooth oaks will give you the quickest high-volume acorn production, which wildlife will love. Not sure I have ever heard of anything eating pecans other than squirrels and hogs, but they're great people fare. Mulberry and elderberry are great choices but you'll have to keep the deer off of them with cages. American hazelnut is also a popular choice
Title: Re: Fruit and nut trees for turkeys
Post by: wchadw on May 23, 2020, 01:20:46 PM
Quote from: tlh2865 on May 23, 2020, 01:12:20 PM
Sawtooth oaks will give you the quickest high-volume acorn production, which wildlife will love. Not sure I have ever heard of anything eating pecans other than squirrels and hogs, but they're great people fare. Mulberry and elderberry are great choices but you'll have to keep the deer off of them with cages. American hazelnut is also a popular choice
We have a a lot of red and white oaks. So we produce a lot of fall acorn mast. So looking for other options. The pecans are paper shell pecans. Not really for the turkeys.


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Title: Re: Fruit and nut trees for turkeys
Post by: TauntoHawk on May 23, 2020, 02:54:56 PM
Wild plum, raspberry thickets, buckwheat and sorghum/millet if you have extra field space.

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Title: Re: Fruit and nut trees for turkeys
Post by: wchadw on May 23, 2020, 02:59:26 PM
Quote from: TauntoHawk on May 23, 2020, 02:54:56 PM
Wild plum, raspberry thickets, buckwheat and sorghum/millet if you have extra field space.

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Going to do some plum. We have tons of blackberry and plant millet yearly


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Title: Re: Fruit and nut trees for turkeys
Post by: wchadw on May 23, 2020, 03:03:42 PM
Think I'm going to do (deer and turkeys)

Japanese persimmon
Plum
Mulberry
Elderberry
Honey locust
Chinkapen

These are supplemental to clover/winter wheat fields in fall and millet sunflower in summer


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Title: Re: Fruit and nut trees for turkeys
Post by: TauntoHawk on May 23, 2020, 03:19:00 PM
Quote from: wchadw on May 23, 2020, 02:59:26 PM
Quote from: TauntoHawk on May 23, 2020, 02:54:56 PM
Wild plum, raspberry thickets, buckwheat and sorghum/millet if you have extra field space.

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Going to do some plum. We have tons of blackberry and plant millet yearly


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I nice benefit of plum is coyote and foxes will eat them up, any time you are feeding the predators something other then your game animals it's a win.

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Title: Re: Fruit and nut trees for turkeys
Post by: Greg Massey on May 23, 2020, 06:08:38 PM
Other than food plots , the only thing we have planted is sawtooth oaks .. With fruit tree's you have to keep on top of them , they are really easy to catch diseases and the beetle's will hammer them also.. So we just let nature take care of whatever , they can find to eat deer and turkey ... Clover is our main food plots... and before deer season we put in some fall plots of winter greens, chicory and wheat ... We do have wild blackberries and honeysuckle in the spring/start of summer...
Title: Re: Fruit and nut trees for turkeys
Post by: nativeks on May 23, 2020, 06:19:42 PM
I would go Native persimmons. They actually fall to the ground where wildlife can utilize them. I have several native fruiting trees on my place. Asian persimmon varieties hang on. Good thread detailing it.
http://habitat-talk.com/index.php?threads/japanese-persimmon.4462/
I have been planting American plum, persimmon, choke cherry, golden currants, black cherry and buffalo berry. For hard mast Pin, shumard, burr, swamp white, swamp chesnut, sawtooth, shu/water hybrid, and pecans.
Title: Re: Fruit and nut trees for turkeys
Post by: CrankyTom on May 23, 2020, 06:27:34 PM

Attracting Wild Turkeys With Mast-Producing Trees and Shrubs

http://www.mast-producing-trees.org/2009/11/attracting-wild-turkeys-with-mast-producing-trees-and-shrubs/
Title: Re: Fruit and nut trees for turkeys
Post by: wchadw on May 23, 2020, 06:37:36 PM
Quote from: CrankyTom on May 23, 2020, 06:27:34 PM

Attracting Wild Turkeys With Mast-Producing Trees and Shrubs

http://www.mast-producing-trees.org/2009/11/attracting-wild-turkeys-with-mast-producing-trees-and-shrubs/
Thanks


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Title: Re: Fruit and nut trees for turkeys
Post by: silvestris on May 24, 2020, 04:11:43 AM
Dewberries and other like plants planted along edges are great for poult development.  Also planting the remainder of the field with plants that encourage grasshopper development are great for poult development.  Unfortunately most plots are designed for antler development,  not turkeys.
Title: Re: Fruit and nut trees for turkeys
Post by: Dtrkyman on May 24, 2020, 07:24:07 AM
I would look into creating nesting and bugging habitats for hens.

We have quite a bit of warm season grass on a property, hens definitely nest in there but it's not much good for bugging I don't think?

I burn it in sections so there is some standing every year.

If you have hardwoods controlled burns are great in them as well.


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Title: Fruit and nut trees for turkeys
Post by: wchadw on May 24, 2020, 09:50:20 AM
Quote from: Dtrkyman on May 24, 2020, 07:24:07 AM
I would look into creating nesting and bugging habitats for hens.

We have quite a bit of warm season grass on a property, hens definitely nest in there but it's not much good for bugging I don't think?

I burn it in sections so there is some standing every year.

If you have hardwoods controlled burns are great in them as well.


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I think we are good on this. We are just supplementing for deer and want to plant something turkey will utilize as well. There's cow pasture around us and we plant clover fields. The bug in both. We also plant a large millet and sunflower patch in summer that gets lots action


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Title: Re: Fruit and nut trees for turkeys
Post by: slicksbeagles1 on May 24, 2020, 08:37:22 PM
Don't plant honey locust if you get them started they will get out of control then it's a job to eradicate them