Just asking

[thunderchicken09]

Do any of you guys or gals on here think that there were more turkeys around about 5 or 6 years ago then now. I know that where i hunt at in Lewis county there are way less then there used to be. I dont know if they spread out er what.

[Feedman]

We had more turkeys 5 to 6 yrs ago. Several bad hatches in a row have hurt the population in our area.

[thunderchicken09]

I didnt know if it was just a problem around here or what. I think the coyotes is the problem. They seem to be everywhere but i cant call one in haha.

[notimlmit]

Don't think I could say that--I saw more while deer hunting than normal with several toms

[mudhole crossing]

i started hunting in '96. then there wasnt as many as they are now. one thing though, then when u managed to here one, u had a good chance of working him in. now u may here 10 and never get one to budge. anyone else experience this?

[thunderchicken09]

O yea i guess its just the hunting pressure. Another thing i have noticed is the farms i hunt the turkeys dont seem to strut in the fields as much as they used to. They stay in the creek bottoms usualy or the hard woods.

[turk2di]

Had more fun hunting turkeys in the early-mid 90's than today. Wasn't near the number of birds then, but way less hunters. Now there several hunters on every farm.

[shaman]

I do not know about this year yet, but the numbers I saw last year were very encouraging-- best ever. My little piece of heaven has seen turkey numbers go up and down over the past seven years; however, I believe the county as a whole has seen steady growth.

[buckfever]

I've been seeing marginally fewer turkeys than 5 years ago, but we still have plenty in Shelby County.

I think that Feedman's comments about poor recent hatches is pretty much the reason for any recent declines.

. . . .either that or the expansion of the xbow season. :D

[Valley Station]

In many areas, the advent of the "guillotine" has got them afraid to raizse their heads or make a peep.

[JDMiller]

. . . .either that or the expansion of the xbow season. :D

Yep.... crossbow hunters are really putting a dent in harvest numbers.:rolleyes:

Combining the 06 & 07 seasons... crossbows accounted for only 256 birds total over two years... bows = 1524 & guns = 6429.



As for the question... I started turkey hunting in the early 80's. No disrespect intended but many dont realize what fewer turkeys means as compared to then. Populations in any certain area will vary for many reasons and experiences will vary from hunting location to hunting location within the same county.

My assumption for the last 5-6 years... poor hatches & mast has made things tougher but populations of birds are holding their own. I'm also a little like Turk2di... we've had a steady increase of turkey hunters. Not saying this is bad... just more people competing for a bird and years ago... there really werent that many that hunted turkeys. More hunting pressure will equate to wary toms. After a two year old gets educated ..the stakes get higher ... figure in a poor hatch year.. less vocal two year olds willing to come to the call... things get tough for a couple seasons.

Early bushhogging destroying nest is another factor... probably not a great one but I expect it claims its percentage. Increase of predator populations such as bobcats around our area... skunks ..coons ..coyotes takes their portions as well.

Personally.. I expect the 08 season to be a noisy one in my area. The season is also bumped a little earlier this year by a few days. Hitting the right phase of the breeding is just as important. Henned up toms will make a difference as well.

[redneck1377]

do the toms destroy the nests so that the hens will mate again ?

[nwest]

We did not see birds all season long on one of the farmsI hunt. We noticed a few less last spring but we normally have 70-80 birds wintering on that farm. I don't know what has caused it but I hope they are back this spring.

[JDMiller]

do the toms destroy the nests so that the hens will mate again ?


Never heard of Toms doing it but it was suggested last season when we had the late hard freeze.. that the possibillity of the eggs being damaged... the hens might possibly breed again. Just dont know if that is completly true.

[Valley Station]

With all the nest predators, fire, hay production -If it wasn't for persistant renesting by the hens, there wouldn't be many turkeys.

[wildman]

In the last 10-15 years the turkeys have really developed around here. Before then I had never heard of a turkey,;) besides at thanksgiving. The numbers seem to be increasing and we still have several.

[quackrstackr]

It doesn't take a whole lot of habitat change to move turkeys completely out of an area. I have seen it happen twice. That can be timber cutting or conversely letting an area grow up thicker.

Hunting pressure tends to move them around as well.

[slickhead slayer]

I didnt know if it was just a problem around here or what. I think the coyotes is the problem. They seem to be everywhere but i cant call one in haha.

Studies show that coyotes actually are beneficial to turkey populations, not detrimental.

[headoftheholler]

i started hunting in '96. then there wasnt as many as they are now. one thing though, then when u managed to here one, u had a good chance of working him in. now u may here 10 and never get one to budge. anyone else experience this?

They might be too scared to come in with all the buckshot you've been slinging at the elk.

[thunderchicken09]

How is it coyotes are benificial to them?

[slickhead slayer]

How is it coyotes are benificial to them?

Coyotes take very few adult turkeys. However, the main part of a coyotes diet is coons, skunks, possums, and snakes. Which are all the biggest predators of turkey nest. Coons and skunks and possums don't really have any natural predators outside of coyotes. Studies have shown that farms with a proper balance of coyotes increase the number of turkeys. Coyotes are the only thing keeping nest predators in check.

[naturalelite]

Coyotes take very few adult turkeys. However, the main part of a coyotes diet is coons, skunks, possums, and snakes.
I did not know this. Are you shooting from the hip on this one or is it backed up by facts? I don't know what they eat that is why I am asking.

[KY River Rat]

I haven't noticed any reduced numbers, but am concerned that I have not seen a Jake in 2 years. Anybody else seeing this?

[spurman]

Year before last I saw 2 or 3 Jakes all season. This past spring the last week of season and I saw a lot of Jakes. There were 11 running in one flock.

A few years ago someone I know cut a small field of hay and they destroyed 5 turkey nests. There were 60 eggs in those 5 nests. That was just 1 small field can't imagine what the loss would be state wide.

[slickhead slayer]

I did not know this. Are you shooting from the hip on this one or is it backed up by facts? I don't know what they eat that is why I am asking.

Its fact. There are several good studies out there, the latest most in depth is one done in Missouri. Adult turkeys are generally too slick for coyotes. Thats why coyotes take very few adult turkeys. And their main diet is small game, coons,possums, rabbits, etc.

[Pinwheel8]

It is perfectly normal for for turky populations in an area to fluctuate from one year to the next. Yet another reason I like hunting public ground and going out early and listening. I can eliminate several areas and concentrate on those that seem to hold turkey from year to year. One thing I have noticed in the last 9 or 10 years is that more areas hold birds every spring than a few years ago. I heard and documented 63 different turkey gobbling on the roost last year before youth season, but once the bad weather hit, very few of those were sounding off. Did they leave, doubt it, they just were not vocal. If I had not been out a month before season 5 morings a week and my first trip out was opening day, I would think that the population was down.

[thunderchicken09]

I dont understand why a coyote would want to eat a skunk::confused:

[Gobblergetter2.1]

I think there were more gobblers confined to my spot from 2002-2004 than there have been in the last couple of years, but im okay with it. It was nothing for me in those 3 years to go out every spring morning and hear 25-30 gobblers every day, it was like clock work. I think the birds have just spread out more because the neighbors have started planting foodplots. Im not complaining though, we still have ALOT of turkeys here in Ohio co and i dont see that changing for a long while. Population is still high around here, just not as outrageously high as it was a few years ago. I think the spring of '09 is going to be a quiet one though with the horrible hatch here last spring. I watched a group of 11 hens behind my house all summer and never saw a poult.

[MikeKy]

The population in the area I hunt seems to be down but I think that's just part of Nature's cycle for all wildlife. I used to see flocks of 40-60 birds but now they're in the 20-30 bird range. I did see several poults last year so hope that's a good sign. It seems to me like the gobblers really sound off for two to three weeks before the season opens but by opening day they have clammed up. Before season opens they might gobble for a couple of hours but by opening day they will gobble for about 15 minutes and then you don't hear a peep out of them. Anyone else noticing this?

[bigpuddin43]

over the past few years we usually have a bunch of about 200 that would frequent a few of our fields. this fall we havent seen that bunch, but i am still seeing several bunches of 40 or better birds so i just dont think they grouped up this year for some reason. ive seen 2 bunches of 12 or better gobblers so hopefully im looking at a noisy spring as long as they dont stay henned up all spring last couple years our bigger gobblers have had hens with them all day through the end of the season. I wish they would open season up on some hens in our area. tough to call a bird with 10 hens around him the last day of season.

[thunderchicken09]

I dont see where we had a bad hatch last year. Year before last was bad tho.

[pedigo]

The drought last could possibly help turkey number this year in regard to younger birds since most farmers delayed hay mowing until later in the season . This should have given the hens plenty time to hatch their broods.

[thunderchicken09]

Is it true that poults will look up when its raining and dround?