Not scientific but interesting

[casjoker]

Does Trapping Help Turkey Populations? The Proof Is in the Poults

Does trapping help turkey populations? According to the author, the proof is in the number of poults he's seeing on his farm.

www.fieldandstream.com

 

[megalomaniac]

It's definitely anecdotal, but the explosion of corn feeders (and raccoons) has coincided with the decline in turkeys where I hunt in south MS.

It pisses off the others in my lease, but when they fill a feeder up, I set coon traps a week later. I've killed a PILE down here. Can't really say it's helped a lot, but it just isn't natural to have a coon population as high as we have down here

I run traps each time I come back to TN (I'm only trapping nuisance raccoons, so I'm legal), but we just didn't hatch out any poults this year for whatever reason. Sill makes me feel better.

 

[Popcorn]

Trapping certainly has a positive result but is no more important than habitat. None of the neighbors on the farms I oversee trap. On the other hand we make a large effort seasonally. One neighbor to our west and south is nothing but habitat and is always over run with turkeys, we are a lot of food an expanding habitat annually and our flock improves accordingly. Another neighbor to our west and north has no habitat, (cattle) and few turkeys without the feeders running. JMHO

 

[Grnwing]

I focused trapping predators pretty heavily on my little farm this year and this also happened to be the first year that I have seen poults. I have always had good habitat and always had nest but would often only find broken egg shells from nest that had been raided. I took coyotes, fox, bobcats, skunks, and raccoons off my farm and I believe it has helped a few poults hatch.

 

[Benelli 4 Life]

We've caught 135 turkey and/or nest predators in past 4 years. Poult population has exploded this year. Usually see 6-10 poults and this year there's probably 30

 

[Weegee]

It pisses off the others in my lease, but when they fill a feeder up, I set coon traps a week later. I've killed a PILE down here. Can't really say it's helped a lot, but it just isn't natural to have a coon population as high as we have down here

Why would they be mad about that?

 

[megalomaniac]

They think they are going to shoot a big buck in daylight off a club feeder in a club plot. They don't want me running coon traps on the club feeders they fill. Sometimes they blame my killing coons for their inability to kill a deer. Gotta blame someone other than yourself when you eat tag soup.

 

[Planking]

I just can't say for sure on the turkey. I will get at least 30 skunks, coons and possums off each year but its just seems like a revolving door after trapping season is over. I wish we could hit them right at nesting season.

The deer, yes for sure. I can't believe how many fawns are here this year. Trapping does work for that.

 

[DeerCamp]

It's definitely anecdotal, but the explosion of corn feeders (and raccoons) has coincided with the decline in turkeys where I hunt in south MS.

It pisses off the others in my lease, but when they fill a feeder up, I set coon traps a week later. I've killed a PILE down here. Can't really say it's helped a lot, but it just isn't natural to have a coon population as high as we have down here

I run traps each time I come back to TN (I'm only trapping nuisance raccoons, so I'm legal), but we just didn't hatch out any poults this year for whatever reason. Sill makes me feel better.

You could be lucky like me and find out that your neighbor (who is now a good buddy) had been trapping and releasing raccoons on the neighboring property for the better part of a decade for the purpose of training dogs.

I had a corn feeder out once with a camera over it. I had 9 raccoons in one picture, two hangings from the feeder with their hands up in the funnel.

It looked like a Elementary School playground for trash pandas.

 

[casjoker]

Trash pandas...I am stealing that one for sure.

 

[megalomaniac]

You could be lucky like me and find out that your neighbor (who is now a good buddy) had been trapping and releasing raccoons on the neighboring property for the better part of a decade for the purpose of training dogs.

I had a corn feeder out once with a camera over it. I had 9 raccoons in one picture, two hangings from the feeder with their hands up in the funnel.

It looked like a Elementary School playground for trash pandas.

4 to 6 is average per feeder.. I dont blink an eye till it gets 8 to 10. I kinda feel bad about killing so many, but it is not natural to have 30 or 40 coons per square mile

 

[muddyboots]

I've declared war on them

 

[Wrangler95]

Caught a coon in my garage a few weeks ago

 

[JR2]

Coons are everywhere…trap whenever legal!

 

[ROVERBOY]

I need to trap coons and possums around here.

 

[Andy S.]

You could be lucky like me and find out that your neighbor (who is now a good buddy) had been trapping and releasing raccoons on the neighboring property for the better part of a decade for the purpose of training dogs.

Not to be a horses arse, but he needs to read the regs. If this is happening in TN, it is illegal (the relocating and releasing part). Trap, dispatch, dispose of.