Lawrence, wayne and surrounding counties

I like it. Too bad there aren't any in my Giles county places to shoot and bring to them to study...
Or my Lawrence and Wayne County places. All south of Highway 64. I might could bring them one (hopefully if I kill any this year) from Lincoln County. I wonder if they will take them from North Alabama to study.
I bet I don't kill any in Wayne, Lawrence, or Giles this season.
 
Ive said to yall, and been saying it since 2006 or 2007. Southern portions of the counties have been going down, and northern portions of the counties have been stable. I am not able to hunt anywhere North of 64 except for the place in Summertown, and then North of Fayetteville in Lincoln Co.

I don't know if it is settling down to normal, disease, weather, over harvest, or what. We have had this discussion before. I do not know why 10-15 miles north of my home and home land is record breaking turkey kills numbers, and here at my place I haven't seen a turkey since June, which was 6 hens without poults. This has been every year since 2006. They break up winter flocks, we might have a gobbler wonder through here or there on 900 acres. Been getting worse every season. Birds should be busting up for spring/summer by now, but aint seen a feather no where. Used to be a gobbler in every pasture, on every ridge. It would have been easy to kill your limit in the first two weeks. Now I could hunt every second of the season in my southern TN spots and if I shot one i'd be mighty lucky.
 
I am not asking or wishing for it to be like it was in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. I just want to be able to a few turkeys gobble, and kill one or two knowing that there will be some next year and for many years to come. I do my part in habitat managment, plant food plots with a variety of things for turkeys, I don't bush hog until August/September, I kill predators and kill every armidillo I see.
 
Our Giles county farm was one of our best farms now it isn't even worth going down there. We only deer hunt it now. I hope they figure it out and get it taken care of.
 
I heard from a guy the other day that they found a dead turkey on his farm about two and a half weeks ago and they took it for testing. He said it tested positive for blackleg. Makes you wonder if since the price of fertilizer got so high years ago and farmers started using chicken litter more if that ain't the problem. Not exactly sure where the farm is, but I think it's in southwest Giles.
 
I used to be able to hear 10-15 birds off my back porch, now your lucky to hear one
 
darn2ten said:
I heard from a guy the other day that they found a dead turkey on his farm about two and a half weeks ago and they took it for testing. He said it tested positive for blackleg. Makes you wonder if since the price of fertilizer got so high years ago and farmers started using chicken litter more if that ain't the problem. Not exactly sure where the farm is, but I think it's in southwest Giles.
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Winner, Winner, chicken dinner. I was told this is what is going on. TWRA getting paper work together. Chicken farmers will not like changes that will cost $.
 
Poultry litter as a possible cause...no surprise. I've been fortunate to hunt in lots of states over the years and there are several data points I recall of decreasing turkey populations with increased use of manure on ag fields from chicken/turkey houses.

Sure there could be many, many other variables that result in population declines from bad hatches to predators but I can recall micro-regional events in NC, MO, and GA...all saw increased use of poultry manure in common.

A friend sent a pic of a gobbler he'd killed one season and the head/neck was all swollen and puss-filled and gross. I recall he said it also stunk to high heaven (so much so he was concerned about dressing/eating it). Big increase in Tyson contracts, new chicken houses, manure use in that area within the years prior.
 
At the Loretto meeting some of the big wig chicken men were there, they told us that it wasn't chicken crap because it was treated but that's a pile of crap in itself!

There's a barn within 1/2 mile of my house and they haul out and spread on the same day. And you all know that chicken crap 6" deep can't all be treated of you dont prep it
 
Farmers are spreading chicken manure in Fayette and Hardeman County so I guess we have the same problem to look forward to here.
 
They use chicken litter because fertilizer is so expensive right now. I really can't blame them, it is their life and money. But it sure does put a hurt on turkeys (I believe) but still may not be the only problem.
 
I can certainly understand that but if it is determined that the chicken manure is the culprit then it needs to be made illegal to use and strictly enforced!!
 
SKFOOTER said:
I can certainly understand that but if it is determined that the chicken manure is the culprit then it needs to be made illegal to use and strictly enforced!!
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I agree with you but I don't think that will ever happen.
 
I certainly don't know the details of the process but sometimes those biosolids from animal waste can be treated to minimize harmful bacteria. Maybe that's an option.
 

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