Post Spring 2022 Turkey Harvest Survey

[ChesterCopperpot]

I filled it out and joined. I would be interested in your study about deer corn in MS and mold. Seems like population started down around the time MS passed the law allowing feeders for deer
Thanks


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I think corn is hell on turkeys and I think very few people recognize or admit it. You get to reading about aflatoxins from mold and I want to say it's twenty parts per million affects turkeys, but I might be wrong on that exact figure. Anyhow, you get to reading and the corn for human consumption basically can't show any. The corn that goes to dairy cattle can't show much. The corn that goes to hogs, non dairy cattle, etc. can show slightly higher levels. But the corn sold as deer corn, wildlife corn, what's in bird feed, etc. none of that corn is even tested. The stuff sold as deer corn and wildlife corn that so many are forcing down the throats of these birds is the stuff farmers couldn't sell to any other market because of aflatoxins. Add to that the way that corn increases the carrying capacity of a landscape for nest raiders like coons and possums and serves as high concentration centers for communicable diseases, and you've got a perpetuated threat that is hard to measure.


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[Treerooster]

I filled it out and joined. I would be interested in your study about deer corn in MS and mold. Seems like population started down around the time MS passed the law allowing feeders for deer
Thanks


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think corn is hell on turkeys and I think very few people recognize or admit it. You get to reading about those spores and I want to say it's twenty parts per million affects turkeys, but I might be wrong on that exact figure. Anyhow, you get to reading and the corn for human consumption basically can't show any. The corn that goes to dairy cattle can't show much. The corn that goes to hogs, non dairy cattle, etc. can show slightly higher levels. But the corn sold as deer corn, wildlife corn, what's in bird feed, etc. none of that corn is even tested. The stuff sold as deer corn and wildlife corn that so many are forcing down the throats of these birds is the stuff farmers couldn't sell to any other market because of the spores. Add to that the way that corn increases the carrying capacity of a landscape for nest raiders like coons and possums and serves as high concentration centers for communicable diseases, and you've got a perpetuated threat that is hard to measure.


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Some good thoughts there that need to be explored.

[ChesterCopperpot]

I filled it out and joined. I would be interested in your study about deer corn in MS and mold. Seems like population started down around the time MS passed the law allowing feeders for deer
Thanks


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think corn is hell on turkeys and I think very few people recognize or admit it. You get to reading about those spores and I want to say it's twenty parts per million affects turkeys, but I might be wrong on that exact figure. Anyhow, you get to reading and the corn for human consumption basically can't show any. The corn that goes to dairy cattle can't show much. The corn that goes to hogs, non dairy cattle, etc. can show slightly higher levels. But the corn sold as deer corn, wildlife corn, what's in bird feed, etc. none of that corn is even tested. The stuff sold as deer corn and wildlife corn that so many are forcing down the throats of these birds is the stuff farmers couldn't sell to any other market because of the spores. Add to that the way that corn increases the carrying capacity of a landscape for nest raiders like coons and possums and serves as high concentration centers for communicable diseases, and you've got a perpetuated threat that is hard to measure.


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Some good thoughts there that need to be explored.

Here was one of the papers I read on aflatoxin affects on wild turkeys, particularly poults, and it was parts per billion not million. Think about that. Parts per billion. https://bioone.org/journals/journal-of-wildlife-diseases/volume-37/issue-3/0090-3558-37.3.657/Aflatoxin-Levels-in-Corn-Available-as-Wild-Turkey-Feed-in/10.7589/0090-3558-37.3.657.pdf


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[TurkeyReaper69]

Just would like to say Kudos to TFT for reaching out on the forum boards rather than just pandering to the yahoos in the Facebook groups. Seems whoever is running TFT social media/outreach is a little more in tune with the common turkey hunter than the college intern or media gal running NWTF social media.

[TurkeysForTomorrow]

The forums have always been a go-to for the most old school traditional turkey hunters, most of them aren't on Facebook bragging about great seasons, so in order to reach them we've adapted. If you do find yourself on Facebook or Instagram you'll find us there if you look, but we want to be approachable on EVERY outlet where turkey hunters are found. Thus, our push to be relevant on the hunting message boards... where most of the countries hunters are having serious discussions that they believe are contributing to the dwindling turkey populations we see nationwide.

Everyone at TFT monitors this and other hunt talk forums regularly, but we felt it was time we start posting our own threads as more and more individuals began to join our organization. We have big plans at TFT and hope everyone will join us, not only by purchasing a membership but contribute their ideas as well... it won't be long and we will have regional branches of TFT we've deemed "Roosts" and we will need people to run those.

So again, as we grow bare with us and contribute what you can, because we are just like most of you, we spend 50+ days a year in the turkey woods and we live and breathe turkey hunting. We were founded by turkey hunters and plan to listen to all of you as we grow. Thank you again to those of you who took the survey and have already signed up to support us. Your ideas are welcomed. I hope everyone is familiar with the quote "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them" by Albert Einstein... this is exactly the mentality we have when TFT says it will take all of us to turn this around. If you haven't yet I encourage everyone to go read TFT Founder, Ron Jolly's, first article "IF NOT YOU - WHO?" and pay attention to his explanation as to why he created the org that we now know as TFT.

https://turkeysfortomorrow.org/if-not-you-who/

[Jim K]

I filled out the survey. I must say I'm happy to see you on here. I joined last year, got a window decal in the mail and that was the last I heard anything from tft until now. I had no plans to send you anymore money. Now I might!