TWRA study update

[poorhunter]

Re: TWRA study update

I just want to know why they are In pockets? Places that used to hold countless birds are void, then other places that practically look identical sustain the numbers...then you have places in the middle that had huge populations but now are in a decline.

I just want to know the secret to certain places that seem to be a turkey factory.


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My first thoughts, when trying to rationalize "pockets" of turkeys, the first two things that come to my mind are 1) predators - they can't get them all, but they can roam areas that dont have very good nesting habitats (even if the habitat looks dandy from the roads - that is only 10% of the true story) and 2) corn baiters - much of the corn getting aflatoxin and killing off a big percentage of populations (more people using corn than we want to believe)

Both of these theories are scattered across the state like 12 guage bird shot, hence - "pocketed"

The corn and aflatoxin is my best guess. I posted about that awhile ago, and when I mentioned how bad baiting can be on turkeys to guys I work with they said they didn't know ANYBODY that didn't use corn to kill turkeys.

 

[ROVERBOY]

Re: TWRA study update

Well, I don't use corn for turkeys. I do know some that do though. I put out some corn before and during deer season to get pics on trailcams, and didn't get many turkeys. That concerns me.......

 

[MickThompson]

Re: TWRA study update

Aflatoxin doesn't care why you but corn out

 

[AT Hiker]

Re: TWRA study update

A couple places I know of here that are loaded with birds gets the corn pushed on them hard. I honestly think that's why they have the birds

Maybe they are single handily killing them turks but new one come in because of the corn?

Then you have KY just above me...


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[Mike Belt]

Re: TWRA study update

There were a few spots that got logged but when it was it was to gain more ag planting area. At the same time there were some areas that were just allowed to grow up and there were more fence rows and areas located between fields allowed to grow up. There were a total of almost 100 different fields on the place and there was a lot of bull dozing done around them but the edges were all allowed to grow back thicker. The land owner just liked playing with his dozer. These grown up areas became nesting sites and once all this happened our birds stayed on us during nesting.

 

[catman529]

Re: TWRA study update

There was a terrible statewide hatch last year, don't expect to see many jakes this year.

Where do you get this info? I've seen nothing short of a great hatch in several counties and had many encounters with Jake and hen poults while fall turkey hunting and deer hunting. I've also heard that Lawrence county finally had a decent hatch, at least part of it did, which hasn't been the case for years now.


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[megalomaniac]

Re: TWRA study update

There was a terrible statewide hatch last year, don't expect to see many jakes this year.

Where do you get this info? I've seen nothing short of a great hatch in several counties and had many encounters with Jake and hen poults while fall turkey hunting and deer hunting. I've also heard that Lawrence county finally had a decent hatch, at least part of it did, which hasn't been the case for years now.


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That was a paraphrase from the Turkey coordinator in the video. His words, not mine. Did you watch the video? I also had a decent hatch on several of my farms. Nothing spectacular, but not abysmal.

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[catman529]

Re: TWRA study update

There was a terrible statewide hatch last year, don't expect to see many jakes this year.

Where do you get this info? I've seen nothing short of a great hatch in several counties and had many encounters with Jake and hen poults while fall turkey hunting and deer hunting. I've also heard that Lawrence county finally had a decent hatch, at least part of it did, which hasn't been the case for years now.


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That was a paraphrase from the Turkey coordinator in the video. His words, not mine. Did you watch the video? I also had a decent hatch on several of my farms. Nothing spectacular, but not abysmal.

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nah I didn't watch the video yet, after everyone said there wasn't much to be said in it. Wonder why they think the statewide hatch was low. Do they even do surveys on hatches?


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[ROVERBOY]

Re: TWRA study update

I think we had a decent hatch last Spring. I read an article several years ago where they did a study in Florida. They monitored 100 eggs laid. 2 years later there was 2, 2 year old toms. It didnt say how many hens out of the 100 eggs.

 

[scn]

Re: TWRA study update

TN hasn't had a turkey biologist that truly cared about turkeys or turkey hunters since Jack Murrey retired. Jack would not have allowed some of the current bs to go on under his watch.

 

[AT Hiker]

Re: TWRA study update

Where do you get this info? I've seen nothing short of a great hatch in several counties and had many encounters with Jake and hen poults while fall turkey hunting and deer hunting. I've also heard that Lawrence county finally had a decent hatch, at least part of it did, which hasn't been the case for years now.


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Never mind who said it, what matters is your experience differs from someone else's. That's something to think about. Why is your experience different?

On my personal property we finally had a hatch that survived. However, some larger tracks of land toward Stewart County continue to decline for no apparent reason.



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[ROVERBOY]

Re: TWRA study update

TN hasn't had a turkey biologist that truly cared about turkeys or turkey hunters since Jack Murrey retired. Jack would not have allowed some of the current bs to go on under his watch.[/quote

I agree.

 

[AlabamaSwamper]

Re: TWRA study update

Blows my mind how we've lost 75% of the turkeys in Wayne county in the last 10 years and we hear basically nothing

CWD shows up and it's all they worry about.

 

[MickThompson]

Re: TWRA study update

Blows my mind how we've lost 75% of the turkeys in Wayne county in the last 10 years and we hear basically nothing

CWD shows up and it's all they worry about.

With CWD you at least know what you're up against. Still no clear answers as to what has turkeys declining throughout the southeastern states.

 

[volsrock]

Re: TWRA study update

Blows my mind how we've lost 75% of the turkeys in Wayne county in the last 10 years and we hear basically nothing

CWD shows up and it's all they worry about.

Amen!!! Funny thing is if u own chicken houses in southern lawerence,wayne,or hardin co u are forbid to have any thing to do with the wild turkey or u loose ur contract with said company!!!! No turkey hunting or handling wild turkey!!!!! im not a smart man BUT!!