TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
In most areas of TN, I do not think it is even any part of the issue.
Is some areas of TN, it may be.
For the most part, the biggest turkey declines have been in counties, or portions of counties, that HAD good turkey populations the farthest time back (like decades ago). Many these areas are non-agricultural, no chicken houses within miles, no chicken litter being spread. Such areas include vast contiguous acreages like large WMAs, as well as a lot of privately owned large-acreage timberlands all over middle & east TN.
Whenever turkey declines have happened near chicken houses or where chicken litter had been spread, hunters were quick to blame the declines on the chicken connections. But the same declines had & have been happening where any connections to chickens can be ruled out.
The statewide decline has been somewhat camouflaged to both non-hunters and game-law regulators, as during much of the decline, the annual statewide turkey harvest continued to increase annually, while turkeys seemed to become more "visible" to more people.
This was in part because as turkeys declined in some longer established populations, turkeys were expanding into counties (and parts of counties) previously void of turkeys. Turkeys have also (like deer & other critters) been becoming more "urbanized" in tolerating homes & people more (making the turkeys more "visible" to many people). Also, it appears hunters were steadily becoming more proficient and killing a higher percentage of the living birds each year.
In most areas of TN, the decline is not being caused by any one thing, but rather a bit of everything simultaneously. In certain areas, certain things like agricultural practices may be larger factors; while in non-agricultural areas, those things may not be any factor at all.
The one factor that seems to be a big one statewide has been increased raptor predation, this increase fueled by both an increase in raptors, as well as the evolution of their hunting skills in becoming more efficient in killing turkeys.
The small Cooper's hawk seems to have shifted its great skills for killing bobwhite quail to young turkey poults (until those poults surpass the size of a bobwhite quail). Then there are the larger hawks coming into play by preying more on older poults and adult hens. Of course, then the owls, which prey on roosted turkeys of all ages. I've also witnessed owls daylight hunting young poults. Lastly, the bald eagle has evolved to spend more time hunting adult turkeys, and strutting Toms in a field are particularly vulnerable to bald eagle predation.
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