What’s happening to our precious Turkey’s

[Tom007]

If tightening of regulations and cutting bag limits would bring the population back, I am 100% for it. No questions there.....

[Archivist13]

I have hunted the same 650-acre WMU for years now. This year I hunted it 15 times and was unsuccessful. During April, you could hear multiple gobblers on the roost, then nothing after fly down. Once May hit, even the roost gobbling stopped. I heard one gobble during the entire month of May. Each day I was there, according to the sign in sheet at the gate there were another 4-5 hunters working the property as well. I ran into a few of them in the woods or parking lot and had the same experience. I heard no shots the entire season and nobody checked that they shot one on the sign-in sheet. Of course that doesn't really mean anything. There was a lot of sign in scratching so it was obvious they were there, just not vocal at all. Very strange as many have also mentioned. How do these animal collectively decide to shut up across their entire range? Nature is fascinating. I have noticed an overall drop in the population despite seeing the sign of them being there. Of course this is all antidotal and not scientific.

In my opinion, the increase predator population and number of hunters that joined the ranks during Covid have shut the remaining turkeys right up. I do think a lot of the new hunters will give it up over the next couple seasons due to loss of interest from getting back to normal and lack of success. Who knows though.

[WV Ridge Reaper]

Well I'll say my peace on this once I usually stay out of it...Where are the turkeys you ask? Well we kill them..I really don't know what is so hard to understand on that.

Since some people just had to recruit more hunters because that's what we needed..right!! So take the thousands of those people,put them with the die hard guys..now go hop on what ever social media platform you use or want to.."if you don't god bless you!!!!"..Take a look at the amount of kids/youth killing birds now with the tss and 410..I'm all for the kids so don't take it that way..But these little rascals are stacking some birds and good for them...

But at the end of the day that's my out look on things change the seasons all you want and trap all you can because it will take years to get things back if they ever do come back


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[sswv]

wage war on the ground predators. I'm doing my part in my neck of the woods. I have quite an impressive bone yard and it's growing weekly. I have 3 hens here at my house daily and I'm just waiting to see the little ones so everything that's a threat to them is a target.

[WV Flopper]

 As far as the youth kill in WV you should look and study the numbers before commenting on them. There was a day added to that hunt making it a two day hunt recently. Keep that in your mind while calculating, there is no stacking.

[Dtrkyman]

A big issue in Illinois and other Midwest states is bush honey suckle is taking over!  You get in that mess and there is nothing at turkey level!

No good, no nesting cover, just honey suckle and mature hardwood trees!

Farms I managed that had it had very few turkeys, farms without had birds generally speaking.

Spent a lot of hours cutting it down and spraying stumps with glyph, puts a hurt on it but you have to go back and deal with saplings in a couple years.


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[Paulmyr]

As far as the youth kill in WV you should look and study the numbers before commenting on them. There was a day added to that hunt making it a two day hunt recently. Keep that in your mind while calculating, there is no stacking.

Are we to assume youth hunters don't hunt during the regular season? If that's the case than just using youth season numbers would be a good marker. If not, the numbers don't correlate to over all youth harvest.

[BDeal]

We certainly don't need more hunters anywhere that I hunt in WI for turkeys or deer. We could use about 90% less.

[quavers59]

    I am thinking that perhaps there are just too many of us. Too many experienced Turkey Killers- myself included.
     How many 3 + 4 year old Gobblers are there to hunt on your State's  opening day compared to 20 years back?
   I hunt NY + NJ. North Jersey has very few Turkeys. My area of NY just 15 miles to the North of the border has plenty of Turkeys.
     Perhaps all States should open their Spring Seasons just a few days later to ensure that 3 + 4 year old Tom has had enough time to breed as many Hens as possible.
  One Youth day is enough. States that have 2 Youth days need to cut that back to 1 Day. That Youth has all the regular Season to hunt.
   

[Cottonmouth]

Yes , there are more nest predators than ever , habitat gets less and less .
But we are over looking the most obvious! 
OURSELVES!!!!   

I believe this is the majority of the problems.
Over Hunting
Nest predators no longer trapped for furs
Habitat loss


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I agree 100%. I wouldnt mind at all if MS went down to a 2 bird limit and maybe start the season a couple of weeks later. Wouldnt hurt to try it for a couple of years. The same outlaws would still go over the limit but it should help.

[WV Ridge Reaper]

As far as the youth kill in WV you should look and study the numbers before commenting on them. There was a day added to that hunt making it a two day hunt recently. Keep that in your mind while calculating, there is no stacking.

I travel always have and always will...not talking just WV..People come here once kill or not they usually never come back you know and I know why and I'll leave that...

I'm talking youth period states don't matter..Come to WV bring your fans,you walking boots,vest with built in water pouches and your fancy camera gear...Day 2 you leave that at the truck and leave your feelings in Alabama...

WV is one of the only few states that allow rifle..Never ever in a million years would I though I'm against cause I'm not and still not really..But it hit to close to home for me this year for personal reasons...But good for the state of WV,if you look into the regs rifles are not allowed for youth day...further more I don't need to look at the number because the numbers lie...first and foremost do you realize how many states don't require a call in or game check..all just let us know after season on our survey we send out...Ok well now look at the amount of those hunters we just had to recruit you think they give two cares....Nope because they ain't going back..so that goes in the trash...so now you have any state including Alaska with a number that could be off by a thousand plus or minus..Numbers lie the gov lies if you for one min believe any of the little pitty stuff that these states let alone WV does for a wild turkey well then..We know who you vote for in Nov

Old man once told me you wanna know your turkeys well you gotta lay with em..firm believer in that saying....I'm still trying to figure out where all these dead turkeys are that the predators kill..bones feathers meh don't see many and I don't know about you but the last time I check there is enough feathers on a turkey to make a pillow...would think if they are getting eating would be some feather blowing threw the woods..kinda makes sense if you don't think about it yea !?!?!

[Ihuntoldschool]

Timber Harvest is happening. (primarily the Southeastern states where the population declines have been most significant).  Look at the lumber prices, this will only get worse not better.  The habitat is gone, the carrying capacity cannot possibly be what it once was when the turkey population was booming.
Second to that is disease, there never was much diversity in the gene pool when turkeys were trapped and transplanted from one area to another.

[redleg06]

1.  Has the number of turkey hunters increased?    Yes.
2.  Has the number of predators (both nest predators as well as all others) increased?  Yes.
3.  Has the Habitat improved?    No.
4.  Do we have more ground to disperse/offset the number of new hunters?   No.
5.  Is reproduction adequate to meet increased harvest?   No.
6.  Have weather patterns been beneficial at a broad scale (exceptionally dry in the west and wet in the east)?  No

The things we can control are predators to an extent, over-harvest (most don't want to embrace that), and a push for habitat improvement by individuals and groups/agencies that control the lands.

[Shiloh]

I agree 100% with Eggshell.  Very wise and accurate post.

[mikejd]

I was recently listening to a podcast. There was a gentlemen on there that said they put cameras on 228 ground nests in an area. This included grouse,Qual and turkey. The number of nests that survived from 228 was "0". Most where eaten by nest predators,skunk,possum and racoon. A few where taken by coyotes and a few of the hens also where taken by coyotes.

If this does not sound like a problem then nothing will.
Be interesting to see how many trapping licenses sell in your state compared to 20yrs ago when turkeys where booming.