The Predator Problem

[Ihuntoldschool]

Predators are part of the problem but they're not nearly the major reasons for the decline.  Predators are an easy target for all the blame as Game Departments make changes to address the decline and hunters get their feathers ruffled and whine like a bunch of cry babies when they lose a few days of "their" season or have to lose one of "their" tags .  It's just an easy target for blame to make hunters feel better about ignoring the Elephant in the room and the fact that Humans contribute way more to the decline than predators ever will. It's like hunters scream and whine fix this problem now! Then when the game departments take steps to address the issue, NO!!!   It's all the predators fault, it's not us!!   What a joke, LOL. 

Predators of the nest, yeah they do take out a fair few.  But it's laughable when hunters point at coyotes as the main reason for the decline.

In the Southeastern US the timber harvest is the biggest threat.  In addition to that you look at the genes, the turkeys never had much diversity in the gene pool with all the trap and transplant. 

[ConoverCustomCalls]

Here in NC, raccoon trapping season ends February 28. We need to extend the trapping season to at least May 1 or 31. Would help in catching nest robbers and young poult eaters.
I've talked to NCWRC Biologist about this idea,  but haven't seen it go anywhere yet.
Would like NWTF or TTF to throw in on this idea in every state and give it five years to work.

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

[Gooserbat]

Just throw a 22 in your rig and shoot every varmint you see. 

[RutnNStrutn]

In the Southeastern US the timber harvest is the biggest threat.

Umm, I'm not sure where you live, but to my experience, it's not timber harvest, but overdevelopment. I recently moved to Tennessee, but prior to that I spent decades in Florida. In FLA, most forests are wiped out for more development, aka. neighborhoods, shopping malls, etc. But in GA, SC, and AL, it's more rural and most timber harvests are followed by replanting of more pines.
I respectfully disagree with your assessments of the problem.

Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.

[owlhoot]

In the Southeastern US the timber harvest is the biggest threat.

Umm, I'm not sure where you live, but to my experience, it's not timber harvest, but overdevelopment. I recently moved to Tennessee, but prior to that I spent decades in Florida. In FLA, most forests are wiped out for more development, aka. neighborhoods, shopping malls, etc. But in GA, SC, and AL, it's more rural and most timber harvests are followed by replanting of more pines.
I respectfully disagree with your assessments of the problem.

Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.

I would imagine that state by state or areas of the country that conditions are different .
Over development isn't a big problem here in rural Missouri. Near the cities yes.
Timber harvest isn't a big deal here in most areas here either.
Lots of private areas don't get hunted very much or not at all , yet the turkey are disappearing.
Here the state PARKS are not hunted, yet the turkeys are disappearing. No hunter pressure , over harvest there. You go to state FORESTS where hunting pressure is intense, then it can be a problem.
The nest raider raccoon, opossums are thick as ticks everywhere, coyotes are too, but I don't think the coyotes catch and kill a lot of turkeys?

Anti's ? Don't support any form of hunting.
We already have predator-varmint hunting and trapping seasons. They are way underutilized.

[Shiloh]

I wish that I could remember the details of how this coincided, but our lowest numbers here around my house were in the early 90's.  I remember the mid to late 80's when you could hear turkeys anywhere on any given morning and then it went to almost nothing overnight.  During that period we also started having coons wander up in our yard and wander around aimlessly due to being blind from distemper.  As I understand it, distemper is one of natures ways of controlling overpopulation.  Turkey numbers started to rebound and build after that and by the mid to late 90's we were back in business and pretty much have held steady to this day.  I can't help but think that this was probably not coincidental???  It will be interesting to see what a natural die off of nest predators would do to the population.  If there are as many coons as some of you describe we can't be far off.

[MISSISSIPPI Double beard]

In the Southeastern US the timber harvest is the biggest threat.

Umm, I'm not sure where you live, but to my experience, it's not timber harvest, but overdevelopment. I recently moved to Tennessee, but prior to that I spent decades in Florida. In FLA, most forests are wiped out for more development, aka. neighborhoods, shopping malls, etc. But in GA, SC, and AL, it's more rural and most timber harvests are followed by replanting of more pines.
I respectfully disagree with your assessments of the problem.

Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.

Where I hunt it is timber harvest that effects the turkeys I hunt.

[RutnNStrutn]

In the Southeastern US the timber harvest is the biggest threat.

Umm, I'm not sure where you live, but to my experience, it's not timber harvest, but overdevelopment. I recently moved to Tennessee, but prior to that I spent decades in Florida. In FLA, most forests are wiped out for more development, aka. neighborhoods, shopping malls, etc. But in GA, SC, and AL, it's more rural and most timber harvests are followed by replanting of more pines.
I respectfully disagree with your assessments of the problem.

Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.

The nest raider raccoon, opossums are thick as ticks everywhere, coyotes are too, but I don't think the coyotes catch and kill a lot of turkeys?

Where are your hunting grounds? I know in Dixie the predators and nest raiders take their toll. Coyotes and bobcats stalk and kill turkeys, and raptors do as well. In FLA and SC I've had raptors attack my decoys, and had yotes and bobcats come stalking in to my calling and real gobblers sounding off.

Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.