Well, don't THAT suck ??

[Paulmyr]

Another nesting tidbit. Some hens are parasitic layers where as they lay eggs in other hens nests.

[Sir-diealot]

All the genetically modified crops can't be helping them or us.

[Scottf270]

Fellas, I'm not saying there are not multiple factors to nesting success. I worry about farm chemicals, weather, urban sprawl, mismanagement of forests etc.


But don't fall for all the "experts" excuses and double talk. A lot of Conservation Dept's are falling woefully short doing their jobs. Missouri is blessed with a decent amount of public land but the budget won't allow any real large scale and meaningful work. They parrot climate change, bird flu and other crap.

Unchecked populations of predators is a real problem. Killing them is hard to do, takes a lot of work, and is unpopular with the granola crowd. But the results I have seen in my area are undeniable. Don't get sidetracked by talking heads. Get out there and get after them!!

[Bill]

I've seen hens with poults, groups of (evidently) barren hens, and some currently active nests (based on the nesting hens behavior) this spring, which seems about normal.  There have been no gully-washer rains here locally, so nesting success should be good this spring for turkeys and quail too.

Check out this hen, she's getting with the program:

https://gardenandgun.com/articles/watch-mama-turkey-fends-off-a-big-rat-snake/?utm_source=emma&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=June2023_tots_20&utm_content=turkey

[Yoder409]

Brother texted me a picture yesterday of 6 adult hens in his yard. 

No poults.   

That makes 12, now, that we've seen in the area we hunt that are without. (Nope.  Not the same ones.)

[Farmboy27]

As a farmer I can tell you that nothing has changed in spray materials for quite a few years now. So blaming agriculture operations for the turkey decline is not going to help the cause. Predators definitely don't help but they have been around forever and turkey numbers around here are dwindling faster than any increase in predators. I don't have any idea or answer to the problem, but I do know that if we are ever going to see the glory days of turkey hunting again, something must change. I for one am all for a temporary stop of the fall season here in PA and a shorter spring season. And ending all day hunting and going back to the old days of 12:00 pm quitting time

[Paulmyr]

As a farmer I can tell you that nothing has changed in spray materials for quite a few years now. So blaming agriculture operations for the turkey decline is not going to help the cause. Predators definitely don't help but they have been around forever and turkey numbers around here are dwindling faster than any increase in predators. I don't have any idea or answer to the problem, but I do know that if we are ever going to see the glory days of turkey hunting again, something must change. I for one am all for a temporary stop of the fall season here in PA and a shorter spring season. And ending all day hunting and going back to the old days of 12:00 pm quitting time

I'm not so sure it's the spraying but rather the general practices have changed. Polt rearing cover has been greatly reduced since the the late 80's. If things are going to turn around land owners need to stop worrying so much about feeding turkeys and start providing them with the habitat they need for the 1st couple weeks out of the egg. Get them through that period and their survival rate goes up substantially.

Federal, state, and county agencies need to start providing this type of habitat as well. Instead of planting invasive species like fescue, bermuda, and other grasses there needs to be a push to plant forbes and native species which are conducive to polt rearing.

[RutnNStrutn]

I have yet to see any poults this summer, either on my place or in fields in the area. Normally by now I would have seen many. I see multiple hens several times a day.

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