A vote for a change in season structure

[deerchaser007]

Interesting on the chicken litter. Some of the guys I know in GA feel the same way, their birds declined after the farmers started using it.

Setterman and rockhound and others, Do y'all know if GA is still testing? At one time NWTF was working with GA DNR on this issue. BUT, I never seen results published. I am not a biologist or professional, but I wonder if its the bugs the turkey eat after they have been in the dirt with the litter. Causing some kind of digestive failure. I have seen nothing, and mean nothing published nowere, but like you setterman, its not a coincidence. IMO too.

 

[deerchaser007]

Blackhead disease (Histomoniasis) is caused by a protozoan (like giaridia, coccidia, trichomonas, etc). It infects the GI tract of poultry and causes internal bleeding, then eventually small broken blood vessels in the head area (hence the name, 'blackhead'). Chickens have some natural immunity to it, and can be infected with it and still do well. Turkeys, however, have a MUCH weaker immune system and are extremely susceptible to it. It's easy to look for in the birds you kill, as infected turkeys will also have black splotchy lesions on the liver, even a few days before they appear sick. Everyone should be checking livers on all birds they kill, and any which have lesions should be frozen and given to TWRA for definitive testing.

It is definetly spread via chicken manure, as chickens excrete the protozoan in feces and it lives in the ground (for sometimes up to 2 years), only to be ingested by another host and restarting it's life cycle. Fortunately, blackhead disease is NOT widespread in TN currently. It could certainly account for localized declines here and there, but is probably not responsible for the extensive decline in populations that a good portion of the state has seen.

Thank you brother, if I kill one from my farm this year I will certainly check the liver. Great info for us that live adjoining farms that use these practices.

 

[deerchaser007]

If you know why gobblers gobble then you're probably the only one that does. In an area that has an abundant number of hens I can see why they may be more silent because they're already surrounded by hens. There is no need to have to call to find one. On the flip side they ought to be more vocal in areas with few hens. Aside from that, on any two back to back days in either scenario under identical weather and circumstances, on one day they may gobble all day long and the very next day go totally silent. I don't even know if the turkeys themselves know why.

No sir, I'm not the only one. There is old timers that can tell you if that gobbler is by himself or with hens from a mile away. Just by the gobble! How? They been hunting and listening to birds before some of us were even born

 

[FARMTOFIELD]

I know there were 13 states doing test and Georgia was one but as for findings I've found none either. BUT, every state are testing perfectly healthy birds as opposed to anything else.

Chicken litter is absolutely not aloud to go through the necessary heat before spread, I witness my neighbor every single time they clean their houses, spread it straight to their fields.

These fields use to home several hundred birds,and now there are 0 birds

 

[FARMTOFIELD]

I like the season starting the first Saturday in April here in Tn. I believe most hens have been bred well before then. I am of the old school, and believe it is length of days, not temperature, that triggers breeding. I witness hens being bred on my property, as well as up in South Cherokee, beginning the last week of February every year, regardless of what the temperature is or has been for the month. I like the season running 6 weeks into the middle of May. I am able to get on "willing" gobblers right up until that last day. Although they gobble and breed well into and past May, I believe if they have made it to that second week cut off date, they have earned the right to finish out there breeding season in peace. As for limits, mine will remain 4. This allows me and my dad plenty of tags to keep us in the woods every day of the season. I choose to strictly hunt the heavily pressured ground of South Cherokee, which insures that I will always have at least a couple well educated gobblers to hunt each season. Honestly, I could care less what regulations the arm chair biologists choose to impose on there private land "pet" flocks. When there gone there gone.

So regardless of population, you would still kill 4? at least some have enough sense to protect their flocks...

Nobody really cares where you hunt, if you can get it done there congrats

 

[woodsman87]

I will believe in litter if it is ever proven, but until that it is all urban legend. They most definitely can get blackhead from chicken litter that doesn't go through heat cycles.

I myself, think we just had several terrible poult survival from 2006 until now, with the unusually wet springs we have had.
Predators play a role, but not a big one. I think it's comical to think that coyotes and bobcats and such are the problem. Yes they catch and eat turkeys, but have been for years. Same with coons, possums, and hawks.

I think that the poults have not been surviving.

I would only support and approve to delay start of season to ensure all hens are bred. Limit reduction will not do a thing.
I also would like to see all hens illegal, fall or spring, bearded or not. I do not want fall gobbler season to be outlawed, I really enjoy fall hunting. Not like spring, but it is still fun to split up a group of gobblers and call them back up.

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[Setterman]

Interesting on the chicken litter. Some of the guys I know in GA feel the same way, their birds declined after the farmers started using it.

Setterman and rockhound and others, Do y'all know if GA is still testing? At one time NWTF was working with GA DNR on this issue. BUT, I never seen results published. I am not a biologist or professional, but I wonder if its the bugs the turkey eat after they have been in the dirt with the litter. Causing some kind of digestive failure. I have seen nothing, and mean nothing published nowere, but like you setterman, its not a coincidence. IMO too.

I have no clue, but in the places they hunt the populations have tanked. My place is loaded, but I don't have any ag anywhere close to me

 

[catman529]

Honestly, I could care less what regulations the arm chair biologists choose to impose on there private land "pet" flocks. When there gone there gone.

are you poking fun or being serious?


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[ZachMarkus]

^^im sure he's being serious, he thinks everyone in the state hunts pet turkeys except him. He's the greatest turkey hunter in America

 

[woodsman87]

Cowman is setterman on his period plus steroids.

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[darn2ten]

Interesting on the chicken litter. Some of the guys I know in GA feel the same way, their birds declined after the farmers started using it.

Setterman and rockhound and others, Do y'all know if GA is still testing? At one time NWTF was working with GA DNR on this issue. BUT, I never seen results published. I am not a biologist or professional, but I wonder if its the bugs the turkey eat after they have been in the dirt with the litter. Causing some kind of digestive failure. I have seen nothing, and mean nothing published nowere, but like you setterman, its not a coincidence. IMO too.

I have no clue, but in the places they hunt the populations have tanked. My place is loaded, but I don't have any ag anywhere close to me

Exactly, I'm not claiming to know everything. However this is exactly what I have noticed. The counties that have less ag and more timber seem to be fairing better. Also seem to be spreading from the southern middle counties to the east, west and creeping north a little more each year. Another thing I've stated in the past is coons. Couple places I used to hunt 10 to 15 years ago were heavily coon hunted at those times. Most haven't heard a coon dog in 7 to 8 years and the coon population has exploded. I feel it's almost like the perfect storm of a few forces. I guarantee you I've seen unprocessed chicken litter spread on fields, and even if that is not the cause it's a very dangerous gamble.

 

[FARMTOFIELD]

I will believe in litter if it is ever proven, but until that it is all urban legend. They most definitely can get blackhead from chicken litter that doesn't go through heat cycles.

I myself, think we just had several terrible poult survival from 2006 until now, with the unusually wet springs we have had.
Predators play a role, but not a big one. I think it's comical to think that coyotes and bobcats and such are the problem. Yes they catch and eat turkeys, but have been for years. Same with coons, possums, and hawks.

I think that the poults have not been surviving.

I would only support and approve to delay start of season to ensure all hens are bred. Limit reduction will not do a thing.
I also would like to see all hens illegal, fall or spring, bearded or not. I do not want fall gobbler season to be outlawed, I really enjoy fall hunting. Not like spring, but it is still fun to split up a group of gobblers and call them back up.

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I'm not disagreeing with your whole statement, and we are close together but I'm not sure how it occurred in your area. But there's no possible way the hundreds of birds we had here disappeared in a years time because of bad hatches.

When you don't have many turkey eggs to go around, coons and such are a huge problem.

 

[woodsman87]

I will believe in litter if it is ever proven, but until that it is all urban legend. They most definitely can get blackhead from chicken litter that doesn't go through heat cycles.

I myself, think we just had several terrible poult survival from 2006 until now, with the unusually wet springs we have had.
Predators play a role, but not a big one. I think it's comical to think that coyotes and bobcats and such are the problem. Yes they catch and eat turkeys, but have been for years. Same with coons, possums, and hawks.

I think that the poults have not been surviving.

I would only support and approve to delay start of season to ensure all hens are bred. Limit reduction will not do a thing.
I also would like to see all hens illegal, fall or spring, bearded or not. I do not want fall gobbler season to be outlawed, I really enjoy fall hunting. Not like spring, but it is still fun to split up a group of gobblers and call them back up.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Tapatalk

I'm not disagreeing with your whole statement, and we are close together but I'm not sure how it occurred in your area. But there's no possible way the hundreds of birds we had here disappeared in a years time because of bad hatches.

When you don't have many turkey eggs to go around, coons and such are a huge problem.

I see what your saying and agree with it. But turkeys live short lives. It only takes a couple of bad hatches to decimate the population. If we could get two good hatches in a row, it would work wonders.

All people like me and you can do is promote habitat

 

[FARMTOFIELD]

I like the season starting the first Saturday in April here in Tn. I believe most hens have been bred well before then. I am of the old school, and believe it is length of days, not temperature, that triggers breeding. I witness hens being bred on my property, as well as up in South Cherokee, beginning the last week of February every year, regardless of what the temperature is or has been for the month. I like the season running 6 weeks into the middle of May. I am able to get on "willing" gobblers right up until that last day. Although they gobble and breed well into and past May, I believe if they have made it to that second week cut off date, they have earned the right to finish out there breeding season in peace. As for limits, mine will remain 4. This allows me and my dad plenty of tags to keep us in the woods every day of the season. I choose to strictly hunt the heavily pressured ground of South Cherokee, which insures that I will always have at least a couple well educated gobblers to hunt each season. Honestly, I could care less what regulations the arm chair biologists choose to impose on there private land "pet" flocks. When there gone there gone.

So regardless of population, you would still kill 4? at least some have enough sense to protect their flocks...

Nobody really cares where you hunt, if you can get it done there congrats

We spread them out over close to 75,000 acres of rugged East Tennessee mountains. No one is more of a steward to the truly "wild" turkey than I. Truly wild, native turkeys have been in those mountains for centuries. Although populations may fluctuate from time to time, no one, not even mother nature, has been able to wipe them out

And I hope nothing does, but please protect what ya got because even if they have been there for centuries, they could dissappear real quick.

But this also backs up my argument, places where human interaction doesn't exist, aren't affected like ag areas, that should hold as many if not more birds.

 

[FARMTOFIELD]

I will believe in litter if it is ever proven, but until that it is all urban legend. They most definitely can get blackhead from chicken litter that doesn't go through heat cycles.

I myself, think we just had several terrible poult survival from 2006 until now, with the unusually wet springs we have had.
Predators play a role, but not a big one. I think it's comical to think that coyotes and bobcats and such are the problem. Yes they catch and eat turkeys, but have been for years. Same with coons, possums, and hawks.

I think that the poults have not been surviving.

I would only support and approve to delay start of season to ensure all hens are bred. Limit reduction will not do a thing.
I also would like to see all hens illegal, fall or spring, bearded or not. I do not want fall gobbler season to be outlawed, I really enjoy fall hunting. Not like spring, but it is still fun to split up a group of gobblers and call them back up.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Tapatalk

I'm not disagreeing with your whole statement, and we are close together but I'm not sure how it occurred in your area. But there's no possible way the hundreds of birds we had here disappeared in a years time because of bad hatches.

When you don't have many turkey eggs to go around, coons and such are a huge problem.

I see what your saying and agree with it. But turkeys live short lives. It only takes a couple of bad hatches to decimate the population. If we could get two good hatches in a row, it would work wonders.

All people like me and you can do is promote habitat

Yep and I'm doing my dangdest

 

[Setterman]

Cowman is setterman on his period plus steroids.

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Why in the f*** are you attacking me?

 

[woodsman87]

Cowman is setterman on his period plus steroids.

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Why in the f*** are you attacking me?

Not meant to be an attack, just having fun.
I like your views of hunting and agree with almost all of your opinions.





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[megalomaniac]

... Now being of ranching blood, I could see where a land owners choice of pesticides or cattle wormer might have a negative affect on health.

??? what are you talking about??? The exact same wormer used for cattle is also used for poultry. In fact, I just dosed all my chickens night before last with Valbazen (a common cattle wormer)... 1/2- 3/4cc straight down thier throat. Can't get any more direct than that. 4 months ago, I dewormed them with Safegard (a goat and cattle dewormer). I would have no reservations about dosing my turkeys as well, but don't feel like getting the crap beat out of me by the gobblers in the process.

Oh, and ivermectin is also safe for poultry (of course you only need 1 drop under the wing) to rid them of any mites, ticks, etc. Just like any pesticide, pour the whole bottle (on a cow or chicken) and it will kill them.

It's not the cattle farmers hurting the population.

 

[Roost 1]

If you know why gobblers gobble then you're probably the only one that does. In an area that has an abundant number of hens I can see why they may be more silent because they're already surrounded by hens. There is no need to have to call to find one. On the flip side they ought to be more vocal in areas with few hens. Aside from that, on any two back to back days in either scenario under identical weather and circumstances, on one day they may gobble all day long and the very next day go totally silent. I don't even know if the turkeys themselves know why.

No sir, I'm not the only one. There is old timers that can tell you if that gobbler is by himself or with hens from a mile away. Just by the gobble! How? They been hunting and listening to birds before some of us were even born

Turkeys do gobble to gather hens but that's not their main purpose. A gobbler can drum up a hen just as easily. Pay attention on a good gobblin day and you will notice they are gobblin at each other, most likely to show dominance. The older the gobbler gets the less they gobble....Have you ever busted a flock up and wondered how they get back together but you haven't heard a gobble......drumming....Hens can hear it along ways off...

 

[catman529]

Cowman what you say doesn't line up at all. Some of the best turkey places I've seen, whether or not I can hunt them, have been cattle farms. Birds aren't dying there, they are thriving. But I know several people who come from chicken crap country in the southern middle TN counties who say they watched the population disappear within a couple years, right after they started spreading chicken crap for fertilizer. You really think it's the cow pies?


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