Turkey Population Decline?

[trkehunr93]

That is true as well, forgot about that piece. 


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[Happy]

Well until theory becomes gospel we could do away with tss shells, blinds, decoys and fans. I bet the gobbler population would increase dramatically and the whining about a lack of turkeys would decrease as well.

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Add corn piles and chufa fields to the list as well.  Blinds, decoys, and fans are things that really swing the advantage to the shooter though.   I think pop up blinds may contribute to the death of gobblers more than anything else mentioned above.  And I guarantee you, blinds are almost always used in combination with bait and decoys.  Take away blinds and most guys couldn't sit motionless and comfortably long enough to kill a turkey.  But newer blinds can almost conceal a recliner and movement is never an issue.  It's a huge advantage


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If this is true, then hunting harvest is too high. One way to reduce harvest is to reduce success rates via the methods you suggest. But another way would be to reduce bag limits.

That would help as well. Point is most dont get it. We should be stewards first and foremost. Biologists and studies are all well and good. However they are a small drop in the bucket and could use all of the help they can get. But we as people are happiest when we can blame anything but ourselves and have other people fix it for us. Heaven forbid we show some restraint and maybe give back to what we claim means so much to us. Heaven forbid we kill a few less turkeys this year.
The fact of the matter is we are the single biggest threat to the wild turkey. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that maybe some changes in that department would help things a bit.
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[HunterS5]

I'm only allowed one. I would hate to have my limit reduced! 

[Happy]

I'm only allowed one. I would hate to have my limit reduced! 

And you probably have a decent population. You probably are a little more picky before you pull the trigger as well.

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[Turkeytider]

Well until theory becomes gospel we could do away with tss shells, blinds, decoys and fans. I bet the gobbler population would increase dramatically and the whining about a lack of turkeys would decrease as well.

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Add corn piles and chufa fields to the list as well.  Blinds, decoys, and fans are things that really swing the advantage to the shooter though.   I think pop up blinds may contribute to the death of gobblers more than anything else mentioned above.  And I guarantee you, blinds are almost always used in combination with bait and decoys.  Take away blinds and most guys couldn't sit motionless and comfortably long enough to kill a turkey.  But newer blinds can almost conceal a recliner and movement is never an issue.  It's a huge advantage


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If this is true, then hunting harvest is too high. One way to reduce harvest is to reduce success rates via the methods you suggest. But another way would be to reduce bag limits.

That would help as well. Point is most dont get it. We should be stewards first and foremost. Biologists and studies are all well and good. However they are a small drop in the bucket and could use all of the help they can get. But we as people are happiest when we can blame anything but ourselves and have other people fix it for us. Heaven forbid we show some restraint and maybe give back to what we claim means so much to us. Heaven forbid we kill a few less turkeys this year.
The fact of the matter is we are the single biggest threat to the wild turkey. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that maybe some changes in that department would help things a bit.
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No way that I could agree more with this. For far too many of us, everything`s fine with any changes or "restraint", right up to the point that it inconveniences "Me" or somehow goes against my preconceived notion of reality ( which is usually based on what benefits " Me " ). Dr. Mike Chamberlain, an avid turkey hunter as well as wildlife biologist specializing in turkey biology and population dynamics, has said that the single biggest threat to the wild turkey gobbler in the Spring walks on two legs. I believe that personally.

We self-impose a one turkey/hunter/season limit on the almost 600 acres that four of us hunt here in Georgia that has a three bird/season limit.

[HunterS5]

Agreed. We have to include ourselves in the group of predators and not just try to kill all the predators that are non-human.

We have crazy number of turkey thriving in major metro areas. It's not because the habitat is better! It's the reduced number of predators (hunters included) that's allowing the population to grow. Even in the most sub par habitat.

We need to remember that hunting is a privilege. And just like the wild life, we too have to adapt as populations change.

[quavers59]

   The New York Turkey Population  definitely  is increasing  in my area.

[MO_HUNTER]

AR has had a steady decline for several years, getting worse as time goes by. There are pockets of birds as mentioned previously, and those folks are lucky! MO has seen a steady decline as well... on one of our farms we used to see 300-500 birds wintering, the last few years the numbers have dropped drastically, like 150-200 birds. You could hear 5-10 gobblers at select locations, and now 1-3 is the norm. Leks are broken in many of our areas and there isn't a lot of competition between toms or hens for that matter. I'm no biologist but I do understand the factors in play here...reading the reports and looking at our specific areas it makes sense. I wish there was a more scientific way of dealing with it, and there might be... but I am not the person to figure it out. I will do my part as a conservationist to assist this great birds survival for the next generations to hunt. If you have better ideas than your local biologist, don't be scared to let them know. Worst they can do is take credit for your advice... which you would be happy with and it helps out the birds. Win win! Don't just sit on forums and complain, be the catalyst for change!

[MO_HUNTER]

Also note: I'm not saying anyone here is complaining, just a generalized statement.

[WVBeagleMan]

WV has declined from its hey day in the mid 80's.  We have more predators now in the form of coyotes and way higher numbers of avian predators (hawks, eagles and owls).  The weather seems to be our biggest factor though, we have had several cold wet springs which hurts nesting hens because they give off more scent when they are wet.  The poults are also very susceptible to cold and wet conditions.

A friend of mine from WV used to go to one of the Carolinas, I believe South Carolina, every Spring and kill several birds in a week.  His sister married a fella there that was an outfitter.  He retired and moved there and says they have way fewer birds now, he blames it on the wild pigs destroying the nest.

[owlhoot]

I know it's been said but listen to Dr. Michael Chamberlain, he references research conducted by Billy Healey in the 70's-80's.  Dr. Healey was advising later season start dates decades ago, fortunately northeastern states heeded his advice and aren't seeing the declines the southeastern part of the US is seeing.  Kinda eye opening when he talks about how long it takes for pecking order to be reestablished once the dominant gobbler is removed.  The wild turkey is the only game bird outside of the sooty grouse that's hunted during it's breeding season, as far as I know.  We may have to come to terms with season structure changes, starting later in April or beginning of May.  I know this will be a difficult pill to swallow for some but if it benefits turkey populations as a whole then I'm all for it.  Also we as turkey hunters can spend about $15-$20 bucks on dog proof foot traps and help reduce nest predators where we hunt.  I for one get regular pics of racoons in my area and plan to set out a few, trapping is a dying art and we need to do all we can to keep coons, possums, skunks, etc in check.

I don't see the difference in the season starting times. Spring down south comes earlier than up north.
Heck here in MO north to south can be a good week or two apart as far as gobbling and greenup.
Late April for Florida turkey season??

[simpzenith]

I don't see the difference in the season starting times. Spring down south comes earlier than up north.
Heck here in MO north to south can be a good week or two apart as far as gobbling and greenup.
Late April for Florida turkey season??

Surprising enough, the breeding seems to kick off up here in MN and WI starts about the same time it does in places like SC. It's not uncommon to see hens being bred in March up in these parts.

[owlhoot]

I don't see the difference in the season starting times. Spring down south comes earlier than up north.
Heck here in MO north to south can be a good week or two apart as far as gobbling and greenup.
Late April for Florida turkey season??

Surprising enough, the breeding seems to kick off up here in MN and WI starts about the same time it does in places like SC. It's not uncommon to see hens being bred in March up in these parts.

Interesting. Bred in march in wi, mn. Seen it here in Mo before due to warm early spring and those years by the time mid April hit was a slow gobbling season.  But a few years I experienced that exact thing for sure.  Could have been all weather related I guess or henned up toms in the south and up north they were not. Just have seen the difference from north to south Mo.
Many years  I thought the season started to early here . Based off their activity and the fact of wearing deer hunting clothes to turkey hunt, lol

[Turkeytider]

WV has declined from its hey day in the mid 80's.  We have more predators now in the form of coyotes and way higher numbers of avian predators (hawks, eagles and owls).  The weather seems to be our biggest factor though, we have had several cold wet springs which hurts nesting hens because they give off more scent when they are wet.  The poults are also very susceptible to cold and wet conditions.

A friend of mine from WV used to go to one of the Carolinas, I believe South Carolina, every Spring and kill several birds in a week.  His sister married a fella there that was an outfitter.  He retired and moved there and says they have way fewer birds now, he blames it on the wild pigs destroying the nest.

To my knowledge there have been no studies indicating that hogs are a significant nest destroyer, certainly not in the same league as coons, skunks , snakes. One of the most interesting things I`ve learned is that studies have shown that coyotes, while they`ll certainly take an adult turkey , are not a major predator of adult turkeys. Bobcats, great horned owls , and, of course, us, different story.

[owlhoot]

WV has declined from its hey day in the mid 80's.  We have more predators now in the form of coyotes and way higher numbers of avian predators (hawks, eagles and owls).  The weather seems to be our biggest factor though, we have had several cold wet springs which hurts nesting hens because they give off more scent when they are wet.  The poults are also very susceptible to cold and wet conditions.

A friend of mine from WV used to go to one of the Carolinas, I believe South Carolina, every Spring and kill several birds in a week.  His sister married a fella there that was an outfitter.  He retired and moved there and says they have way fewer birds now, he blames it on the wild pigs destroying the nest.

To my knowledge there have been no studies indicating that hogs are a significant nest destroyer, certainly not in the same league as coons, skunks , snakes. One of the most interesting things I`ve learned is that studies have shown that coyotes, while they`ll certainly take an adult turkey , are not a major predator of adult turkeys. Bobcats, great horned owls , and, of course, us, different story.

So a hog wont eat anything dang near that it comes across.