Drought affect turkeys

[ddturkeyhunter]

I live in MN and all I heard last year was how dry it was in Texas and Oklahoma last year. I am planning on trying a hunt this spring in Oklahoma was just wondering if you think the drought kill any turkey or not. Do you think you state had any weather related mortality on turkeys. As far as MN, it got dry last fall but that shouldn't have hurt them at all. And for this winter; it has been a non event winter so far, winter hasn't started as far as I'm concerned.

[zeke632]

I live in SE Ok and unlike most of Oklahoma we have Easterns here. Our season, in SE Ok, has been shortend from a month down to two weeks.  We have had a steady decline in turkeys here for several years. I have spoken to the states biologist on several occasions and dry summers are one of several factors that he says contributes to the decline. He says that turkeys get protien from insects during the summer months. Very dry weather cause bugs to die, turkeys get less protien due to less bugs and a lot of the young turkeys dont make it through the summer.

A buddy of mine who spends time in western Ok during each fall told me that the large number of turkeys that he usually sees every fall were gone this past Oct-Nov. He saw very few turkeys. I
I dont know if it was due to the drought or not. May have been turkeys just moved out of the area he was in , but IMO it certainly didnt help!

[Neill_Prater]

I've hunted western OK a few times. The first year I went, birds were everywhere. The day I left, in early April, it was 97 degrees, and they had an extremely dry and hot summer. Two years later, I went back, and didn't see a single adult tom in 3 days of hunting. A friend of mine quail hunts in the same area, and he said the quail hunting was horrible the same year it was so hot. He was told it was so hot and dry, that most eggs never even hatched, so I'm guessing that, yes, a severe drought can adversely effect the turkey population.

[Sherrell]

Drought has a major impact on insects and in turn effects the poults with much needed protein missing in their diet.

[Gamblinman]

My contacts in the panhandle of Texas and western OK tell me that this should be a good year, based on the jakes left over from last year, and the birds they are seeing this winter. Next year will be a different story


Gman

[ddturkeyhunter]

Thanks Gman for the encouraging up date as to what the condition of the flock might be like this year; and for everyone else's replies.

[Tail Feathers]

Hunted Western OK the last two springs.  LORDY what a bumper crop of jakes they had is 2011.  If only half survived they should be chock full  :funnyturkey:of hard gobbling 2 year olds.

[Gamblinman]

Hunted Western OK the last two springs.  LORDY what a bumper crop of jakes they had is 2011.  If only half survived they should be chock full  :funnyturkey:of hard gobbling 2 year olds.

I agree..seems like every tom had 4 or 5 jakes with him last spring, sometimes more. Later in the season, it seems we called in several groups of jakes a day before we could seal the deal on a tom. Late season should be a blast this year with all the 2 year olds around.

Gman