Dr. Michael Chamberlain - MeatEater Podcast

Southern Sportsman

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Dr. Michael Chamberlain - Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Management at UGA - was the guest on this week's episode of the MeatEater podcast. He specializes in turkeys. It's a great listen. Especially horned owls snatching gobblers out of trees, the correlation between gobbling and pressure, and research about social hierarchies and breeding.

You can start at the 23 minute mark for the substantive discussions. 1:18 mark for the social hierarchy stuff.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t ... 0469953687
 

Andy S.

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Dr. Chamberlain is legit when it comes to pure eastern turkey research. I follow him on SM and read his Turkey Tuesday updates. He shares some enlightening data sets, albeit many are preliminary in nature.
 

Displaced_Vol

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I've missed (skipped) the last couple meat eater podcasts, will be sure to catch this one. Thanks for the heads up!
 

Southern Sportsman

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REN":3b133du4 said:
man that horned owl part is fascinating! I knew it happened but never imagined it was that frequent and to that level.

Yeah, it's unbelievable. For those who haven't listened, during his PhD research, he was working in a research area where he had GPS collars on: 4 raccoons, 1 grey fox, 1 skunk, and 2 turkeys. One breeding pair of horned owls killed ALL of them. God knows what all they killed without collars.
 

Boll Weevil

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I watched a fascinating NatGeo special on owls...for their size they're like the ultimate predator. Completely silent in flight, see/hunt at night, parabolic face directs sound and motion, doggone head can turn 270 degrees and all kinds of crazy angles! in other words just be glad they don't hunt humans...we wouldn't have a chance.
 

REN

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Man seriously that was one of the best podcasts Ive listen to in a while. The breeding selection and season start dates etc was also very cool to listen to. What happens when you remove the dominate birds to early and how they restructure. Man so cool to listen to.
 

JCDEERMAN

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REN":ievrt0b8 said:
Man seriously that was one of the best podcasts Ive listen to in a while. The breeding selection and season start dates etc was also very cool to listen to. What happens when you remove the dominate birds to early and how they restructure. Man so cool to listen to.
This is what I suggested TWRA look at when they asked for feedback to the "5 year plan". Can't wait to listen to this podcast
 

Boll Weevil

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Really, really good listen.

The research on removing the dominant tom and the impact to breeding and reshuffling of the entire hierarchy deck is pretty darn compelling. Season start date and the use of plastic strutters + fans has gotta be having a major impact. Over time it just seems nonsensical to believe a given local population wouldn't shrink.
 

TheLBLman

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Totally agree with all above.

Also, I've been thinking and saying for years
that I believe raptors (owls, hawks, and yes, even eagles) are decimating turkey populations more than the coyotes.

But even coyotes have adapted to specifically hunt more during daylight to target turkeys.
 

dgolden

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Tons of good info in the podcast! I sent it to a few buddies that are just getting started in turkey hunting. Also, it has me more motivated to trap predators.
 

Southern Sportsman

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Boll Weevil":285hi46v said:
Season start date and the use of plastic strutters + fans has gotta be having a major impact. Over time it just seems nonsensical to believe a given local population wouldn't shrink.

Strutter decoys came on the scene around 2005-2006 and have become more and more commonplace ever since. Game agencies started noticing a precipitous decline in poult success around 2008-2009. Far more pronounced in SE states where seasons start early.

Strutter decoys disproportionately target dominate males defending their hens. Especially early in the season. 4-5 weeks before peak nesting in the SE. Killing the dominant gobbler disrupts the breeding cycle of hens that had already chosen that gobbler through sexual selection - way more than anybody used to understand. I don't want to turn this into a decoy bashing forum, and decoys definitely are not the only factor. But ignoring them as A factor is just denial.
 

woodsman04

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Been reading and listening to that dude a long time. Him and Lovett Williams are/was the best turkey biologist out there.

Maybe someone in charge will take heed and make some changes to the opening dates/effective ultra realistic decoys


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Andy S.

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^^^^ Spot on SS! As I've always said, the BEST turkey hunters/killers rarely stand a chance early season against a dominant gobbler and his harem of hens. Anyone that battled with them pre-decoy days knows this. Throw in a strutter, and voila, the tables are turned and it's not even a challenge. Personally, I think it's as bad or worse for turkey conservation as shooting hens. Remember, at the end of the day/season, you, me and everyone else should want maximum number of hens bred to increase the odds of maximum poults/hen the following August.
 

Boll Weevil

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Southern Sportsman":1a8u73mb said:
But ignoring them as A factor is just denial.
When a 25 year veteran wild turkey biologist provides research-backed findings on flock hierarchy and the impact of removing a dominant bird early in the season...I'm listening for sure. Why wildlife management agencies aren't listening to this man is beyond comprehension. And I don't wanna hear any complainin' down the road from folks that continue to use strutter dekes and fans to simplify killing dominant birds even after hearing the research community weigh in.

Ignoring this factor (major factor after listening to the podcast) is denial at best. At worst, within the context of resource conservation and sustainability, it's downright negligent.
 

AT Hiker

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Excellent podcast for sure!

IMO, it should be mandatory to listen to. A lot of truths that would shatter much of popular opinion. I would share it on the Tn Turkey facebook page but Ted Nugent is the biological authority there.


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megalomaniac

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Andy S.":173dyc4n said:
^^^^ Spot on SS! As I've always said, the BEST turkey hunters/killers rarely stand a chance early season against a dominant gobbler and his harem of hens. Anyone that battled with them pre-decoy days knows this. Throw in a strutter, and voila, the tables are turned and it's not even a challenge. Personally, I think it's as bad or worse for turkey conservation as shooting hens. Remember, at the end of the day/season, you, me and everyone else should want maximum number of hens bred to increase the odds of maximum poults/hen the following August.
I'm not downplaying the devastating effects of fanning.... it IS bad...

But I really believe most of the early season kills are over or around bait.

Pop up blind over a bait pile kills just as many early season dominant Tom's as strutter decoys. Plus the bait then kills the satellites until the 4 bird limit is hit



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