Fewer turkeys every year

[Speedwell-Hunter]

One of the things i cant believe that hasnt been mentioned is the fall turkey hunts that allowed the harvest of hens. Around my area, Washington County was one of the last to start the fall turkey hunts. There was usually 150-180 birds that wintered on the farm including several gray phase hens. Once the fall turkey hunts started, we started noticing less and less of the color phased hens around. Of course weve noticed a rise in hunting pressure in the area that wasnt there 10 years or more ago. Were the hens being shot in the fall or was there something else that was eliminating them? I dont know but from observation they went hand in hand. Now its bearded turkeys only but is it too late to make a difference. Say 120 hens raising a poult or 2 from flock we had. Now were down to lets say 30-40(thats on the high side) raising the same amount.
As far as predators go, i think the damage has gotten worse as their numbers have went up. I grew up a coon hunter and had all kinds of buddies that did the same. I stopped years ago because it was getting too hard to find places to go. Look at all the fussing you see on here about someone getting pics of dogs or hunters on their trail cam. Not saying im for the trespassing hunters but you cant cut off a hound on foot. Ive tried, doesnt work. Most of the people i used to hunt with have given it up as well. Trapping is becoming a thing of the past since fur prices are so low. No justification for the time spent to work up furs. Raccoon population around here has exploded. I walked around my hay and pasture field one night and saw 15 coons and several possums. Add into that coyotes, foxes, bobcats, skunks, owls, hawks and feral cats that ive got running around and i dont know how any turkey poult could survive. Its up to us to try to get the numbers back up however we are able to. Weve cut ourselves back to number of birds harvested off the farm. We started trapping to remove predators off the farm. Gonna hit it alot harder next fall. Hay has to be cut when its ready and we usually lose some nests to that but have set aside areas we dont mow to make it more appealing to nest in besides just the hay field. None of it is going to be a quick fix but there is alot of little things i can do on my end to try to help out.

Wow, crazy about the loss of places to trap / hunt.

 

[Newt]

I wish I knew the answer because It makes me sick to think the turkey are going down the same path as the grouse and quail populations. We have never had the huge flocks of birds here on the plateau but more isolated pockets spread throughout the county and they seem to be stable. But it would honestly be hard to determine that due to the terrain and habitat (woods and mountain) and lack of agriculture fields and overall lack of giant flocks like most of you guys speak of.
Here is my solution and Setterman says it best and has for years and he is right in my opinion. Ban the plastic turkey s, robo decoys, gobbler on a string, b~mobile, dsd, pretty boy, fans, umbrellas fans, scoot n shoot, crazy chicken and etc etc etc.
Used to the strutter that had his harem of hens was pretty well bulletproof till he had done his job tended his hens and got lonely then we might of got lucky and killed a long spur Turkey towards the latter half of the season. Now days with those gizmos and gadgets those big boss breading gobblers are most vulnerable to be killed first week or two of season. To my knowledge that crape started really getting popular 2005 to present day?
Of course I don't think that's the only issue but I would sure like to see some changes made in that department.

 

[MickThompson]

I wish I knew the answer because It makes me sick to think the turkey are going down the same path as the grouse and quail populations. We have never had the huge flocks of birds here on the plateau but more isolated pockets spread throughout the county and they seem to be stable. But it would honestly be hard to determine that due to the terrain and habitat (woods and mountain) and lack of agriculture fields and overall lack of giant flocks like most of you guys speak of.
Here is my solution and Setterman says it best and has for years and he is right in my opinion. Ban the plastic turkey s, robo decoys, gobbler on a string, b~mobile, dsd, pretty boy, fans, umbrellas fans, scoot n shoot, crazy chicken and etc etc etc.
Used to the strutter that had his harem of hens was pretty well bulletproof till he had done his job tended his hens and got lonely then we might of got lucky and killed a long spur Turkey towards the latter half of the season. Now days with those gizmos and gadgets those big boss breading gobblers are most vulnerable to be killed first week or two of season. To my knowledge that crape started really getting popular 2005 to present day?
Of course I don't think that's the only issue but I would sure like to see some changes made in that department.

Yep. The hunter that hung in to the end was often rewarded with the best spurs of the season once the old gobbler had finally gotten lonely

 

[Speedwell-Hunter]

I wish I knew the answer because It makes me sick to think the turkey are going down the same path as the grouse and quail populations. We have never had the huge flocks of birds here on the plateau but more isolated pockets spread throughout the county and they seem to be stable. But it would honestly be hard to determine that due to the terrain and habitat (woods and mountain) and lack of agriculture fields and overall lack of giant flocks like most of you guys speak of.
Here is my solution and Setterman says it best and has for years and he is right in my opinion. Ban the plastic turkey s, robo decoys, gobbler on a string, b~mobile, dsd, pretty boy, fans, umbrellas fans, scoot n shoot, crazy chicken and etc etc etc.
Used to the strutter that had his harem of hens was pretty well bulletproof till he had done his job tended his hens and got lonely then we might of got lucky and killed a long spur Turkey towards the latter half of the season. Now days with those gizmos and gadgets those big boss breading gobblers are most vulnerable to be killed first week or two of season. To my knowledge that crape started really getting popular 2005 to present day?
Of course I don't think that's the only issue but I would sure like to see some changes made in that department.

I will say, what are historical harvest numbers? 40,000 birds taken in 2020 is ALOT

 

[Newt]

I will say, what are historical harvest numbers? 40,000 birds taken in 2020 is ALOT

Yes 40,105 kills in 2020 beating the old record set in 2010

 

[Joe2Kool]

See several comments about TWRA not doing anything. Last year the bag limit was decreased. This year, several countries have delayed opening dates by two weeks. And for the last few years, turkeys from several checking stations have been tested.

Not disputing that many people are seeing and killing fewer turkeys, but bag limits and season dates are a big change.

 

[Speedwell-Hunter]

just found the popular science article states:

The wild turkey population peaked around 2001 at around 6.7 million birds in North America. But in the years since, it has dropped by about 15 percent. The eastern wild turkey—the most abundant subspecies, which reigns east of the Mississippi River—appears to be declining across parts of the Northeast, Southeast, and Midwest.

In New York, hunters in the western part of the state were the first to notice the difference. "They were saying, there's just not as many turkeys around as there used to be," Schiavone says.

Under the right circumstances, turkeys can lay plenty of eggs and see many of their progeny survive to adulthood. But wildlife biologists in Pennsylvania are often counting only two young turkeys per hen making it to the fall, Casalena says. "They're barely replacing themselves."