Feeding the turkeys in your back yard.

[CT Spur Collector]

In Pa, the PGC really does not like folks feeding the critters in the backyard or in the woods. Not allowed to hunt over bait here either.  This might have been beat around before, (I'm bored) but I see a local guy that has about 30/35 birds in his backyard every morning....nice toms too.  I'm not real happy about it, everyone can drive by and see em, ( close to a major roadway).

Oh well, how to you guys and girls feel about it?

[guesswho]

If I buy the land, pay the taxes, and if it breaks no laws I hate it for anyone who doesn't like it.   

[Happy]

I own 7 acres and don't hunt it. I feed the turkeys and deer during the winter after hunting season is over. Used to feed during summer and fall but the Hawks were sitting in wait for turkey pults and the neighbor boy was hunting all around the house during the fall so I quit. Never understood bait hunting. That's about as challenging as falling down. It's not uncommon for me to come home from getting my but kicked in the turkey woods and having a Tom strutting in my back yard. I appreciate the irony.

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[Greg Massey]

If I buy the land, pay the taxes, and if it breaks no laws I hate it for anyone who doesn't like it.

x2

[wvmntnhick]

If I buy the land, pay the taxes, and if it breaks no laws I hate it for anyone who doesn't like it.

x2

X3. Hunted over bait most of my younger years. Haven't so much in recent years and with the new laws, I can't in the places I hunt at all. Granted, we weren't allowed to bait bears or turkeys but there was no way to keep them out of it. State of WV says that if a site is visited by bears or turkeys, you have to remove the bait and can't hunt it for 10 days after the last piece of bait is picked up. I've never hunted bears or turkeys over bait and have never shot wither over bait. Deer was a different story and I'd probably still do it if it were legal. The additional time of watching them gave me a chance to get the jitters out of my system before shooting them with a bow and that was a nice plus. Having said that, the places I bow hunt now would be pointless to bait. How effective is corn going to be when there's 70 acres of standing corn already? It wasn't effective when the beans were on either so the new laws didn't effect me much in the end as I'd only get pics after dark anyway.

[nativeks]

Buddy is a turkey biologist and doesn't like folks feeding them at all. Also if you get corn that is contaminated you can kill them all off. Something to think about.

[Greg Massey]

Buddy is a turkey biologist and doesn't like folks feeding them at all. Also if you get corn that is contaminated you can kill them all off. Something to think about.

I've killed turkeys off old corn field with corn in them and the corn was all molded and already sprouting and i've never seen a dead turkey around any of these corn field...not saying it couldn't happen but in my 30 plus years of turkey hunting, i just haven't seen it...

[turkeyfoot]

It can be pretty crappy thing in spring we have some areas round here were the yuppie developments feed them and keep them there all through spring can sit and listen to birds gobble hundreds and hundreds of times all through season and they never leave the sanctuary of course why would they got food girls and safety

[fallhnt]

Bad idea.

[TauntoHawk]

I don't feed the birds or deer but it sure is nice when others do it for you LOL


Got a place where two sisters try to save all the animals by feeding year round to keep them away from scary hunters. Stacks the deer and turkey in the winter and keeps them well supplemented the rest of the year. Within 500yds of their places I have a total of 150 acres on two sides. Those farms have the healthiest population of hens, poults, and jakes as well as the fattest Toms. There's no need to sit fences either the nature of spring rolls around and the hens move off to find nesting cover that brings the toms, by mid may the place is some of the best hunting around.

Good or bad people are going to feed animals even if you can't bait the non hunters will still put food out for deer, turkeys, birds, or squirrels everything around will eat it.

[TalksToTurkeys]

I believe the main reason biologists and the PGC are against feeding wildlife is that it concentrates the birds and animals in one area and helps to spread disease.

[CT Spur Collector]

I believe the main reason biologists and the PGC are against feeding wildlife is that it concentrates the birds and animals in one area and helps to spread disease.

Bingo!  Hit the nail on the head.

[1iagobblergetter]

 If they couldn't get food because of weather like an ice storm or something I'd help them out. I probably would anyway a little because I love watching them..If I learned it was harming them more than helping I'd definitely not do it.

[Happy]

And that's the thing right there. I only feed in February and March and sometimes in my deer trough in the summer months. It is legal but I don't do it for hunting purposes. I just like to help get them through the winter. I don't put out much and have never had birds congregated on my property. I think there is a big difference between trying to help the critters out in the lean months and trying to congregate the animals on your property for hunting purposes. However if it's legal then there's really nothing that can be done about it. Round here turkey hunting over bait is a big no no. Though I am Sure some do it.

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