How will turkeys respond to prescribed burning?

[WNCTracker]

One of my favorite public lands is up for prescribed burning in a month. I'm not sure I understand the reasoning in WMA but I'm sure it helps in the long run. But in the short term is it Good or bad for spring food sources?

[BigGobbler]

Let's just say "burn they will come" They will thrive from burns nothing is better other than food plots. That's the place to be when the new shoots start to green up its like a magnet.

[WNCTracker]

I like the sound of that

[nativeks]

I used to work for the USFWS on a prescribed fire crew. We would be going back to check the burn the next day and turkeys would already be in there. Burning my place first week of April.

[smalls]

Turkeys love burns.  If they do it close enough to the season, I would be all over that area.  Fresh burns and clearcuts are fantastic places to look for turkeys.

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[Double B]

Killed my gobbler out of a prescribed burn last year in the HNF.  Watched them burn it in March and took him out in early May.  If they are doing a timber harvest that's not necessarily a bad thing either.

[trkehunr93]

Hunted a chunk of private land for a few years that was burned by a fire that started in an illegal tire dump, one of the best places I've ever hunted.  It had been clear cut in the 70's then caught fire in 2002, result was lots of dead gobblers for the four years I was able to hunt it.  I hunt a place now that was clear cut in 2014 and it has only gotten better in my opinion, thinning timber and prescribed burning are better than food plots IMO.

[KW Land Works]

I don't know what it is about burned land but turkeys always seem to scratch it up after we burn.  I guess it's easy gettin. 

I suspect they co-evolved with the South Eastern US's landscape.  www.kwlandworks.com/conservation check out that link for some history on fire ecology. 

[huntstat]

My hunt club has a burn rotation for the property. Works out that each segment of property gets burned every three years. Now after doing this for 15 years we have more deer, turkey, quail, and miscellaneous small game consistently from year to year. Wish I could take credit for it but we have a game biologist that does a property consult on request and makes suggestions that we pretty much follow. I have heard him say many times that fire is one of the best game management tools.

[3chunter]

I wouldn't burn after April 1.  Just my opinion. 
1.  You will mess up a hen that started laying
2. The place you burn takes out less habitat for that hen to nest

I never understand while people wait until April.  You can burn august thru March.  That's 8 months of window.

[Sasha and Abby]

I've killed birds that had to walk through smoke to come in...  they love a fresh burn...

[MK M GOBL]

Most burns here in WI are done right after the snow is out or shortly after, and a magnet for all kinds of animals. Turkeys will be on it while it's still smoking, they are picking through the ash for bugs and seeds, then the greens come in. When ever we can hunt them we do.


MK M GOBL

[ChesterCopperpot]

The burns should definitely be timed so as not to affect nesting. That said, turkeys will be in a burn the next day. Just ask Forest Service workers who monitor burn areas. I hunt burns pretty much every year. Killed plenty with feet black with ash. Honestly I think they walk around that place like a barbecue for a few days snacking on all the burned up bugs.



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