We are now 18 days into the season and my personal sightings and birds heard is down at least 75% from the last 4 years even compared to last year. When you include scouting before the season, I have been at least looking and listening every day since March 15th. Like I said I'm not ready to sound the alarm, but right now it is looking bleak. I'll still be out every day to listen at at least one of my spots to keep tabs on them. SW Hickman county.
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Not ready to sound the alarm, buuut...
- Thread starter poorhunter
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TheLBLman
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I hope our failure to advance recognize more cause/effect of declining populations
doesn't greatly contribute to TN's turkeys ultimately going the way of TN's bobwhite quail.
Turkey populations are no where near as fragile as quail,
but we should not overlook the similarities.
If we had only realized many years ago how harmful to quail were the things we do know about now
I suspect we might have at least "decent" sustaining quail populations statewide.
I'm sure in many areas it wouldn't have mattered, as "clean" farming, housing development,
even fescue continuing to be the more profitable pasture grass,
many would choose more $ over more quail.
Considering what we've learned about quail (and haven't)
I suspect we're missing a lot on what's going on with our turkey populations.
doesn't greatly contribute to TN's turkeys ultimately going the way of TN's bobwhite quail.
Turkey populations are no where near as fragile as quail,
but we should not overlook the similarities.
If we had only realized many years ago how harmful to quail were the things we do know about now
I suspect we might have at least "decent" sustaining quail populations statewide.
I'm sure in many areas it wouldn't have mattered, as "clean" farming, housing development,
even fescue continuing to be the more profitable pasture grass,
many would choose more $ over more quail.
Considering what we've learned about quail (and haven't)
I suspect we're missing a lot on what's going on with our turkey populations.
Wrangler95
Well-Known Member
Good assumptions,turkey population is definently getting smaller each year,not just in Tennessee but the whole southeastern region!!
PickettSFHunter
Well-Known Member
This has been occurring for years now, the TWRA has just failed at addressing it.
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The thing that really has me concerned is that this happened overnight...if indeed it stays like this the rest of the spring. On Thanksgiving morning I saw a flock of gobblers that had at least 30 in it and a flock of hens closer to 50. Another concern is that I have still only seen 6-8 hens total this spring. All the landowners that I talk to say the same thing, even though they don't really pay a lot of attention to them...not seeing many turkeys. Could be they are keeping themselves hidden in the woods, but I would think they'd still gobble in the roost.
FARMTOFIELD
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But for the last few years people from Lawrence county were just uneducated fools who knew nothing about Turkey's and there were plenty, we just didn't know how to find them. Now I see several people posting on these threads that tried to make a fool out of me years back... how's that dam crow taste?
FARMTOFIELD
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poorhunter":32bnbu5b said:
Yep happened overnight here 12 yrs ago and we still don't have birds...
bjohnson
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Rockhound":14pag53p said:
Doesn't help with the TWRA netting and tagging them during that time. I wonder how many died during the process? I'm sure it's still being done. Then add in all the chicken houses that have popped up in the last 12 years, not saying it's the cause but could increase exposure to disease.
Setterman
Well-Known Member
It's really tough here to find a bird to work and until a few years ago I could find one whenever I wanted within reason.
Twra has been so deaf to this coming problem that it is infuriating. They raised the limits and kept the hen killing despite poor hatches. Finally they adjusted the hen killing but it was too late.
Twra has been so deaf to this coming problem that it is infuriating. They raised the limits and kept the hen killing despite poor hatches. Finally they adjusted the hen killing but it was too late.
I haven't seen a male bird while scouting or hunting this year. I also have not heard the first gobble.
Bgoodman30
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bjohnson":34nv3h76 said:
The chicken factor is interesting. My neighbor said we lost all the turkeys in our bottom due to the farmer using chicken crap as fertilizer and turkeys getting chicken lice?
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Bgoodman30
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Setterman":2chw2icm said:
I doubt this is the problem. I wonder how many hens are actually harvested in the fall? I would imagine it's not a factor.
I think the problem is clearly predation the predator and raptor population seems to be flourishing as well as the nest raiders. I am seeing and hearing 1 gobbler for every four there used to be. The populations that seem to be doing great are the urban yard birds around me. There was a group of 10 plus strutters in a front yard surrounded by subdivisions on the way to my sons school this morning.. It has to be due to the lack of predators and hunters in these areas....
I hate to change the limit but it's not looking good... I have only seen one jake all season....
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Bgoodman30":3tp9kpl3 said:
I ran the numbers. During the liberal fall limit years statewide these were the results:
2011 = 1731
2012 = 1593
2013 = 1133
2014 = 1061
2015 = 1109
So, in 5 years 6,627 hens were killed. How many more hens would they have produced? How many more hens would they have produced?
While reading all these threads about lower numbers I came across a similar theme. Everyone with a personal agenda (the hen killers, the guys that do not want to give up their 4 birds a year, the decoy guys, etc.) all want to point to predators or nesting habitat or weather or whatever to defend their position. Well, the fact is we can't control the weather. We can only have a minimal effect on predators and nesting. We should control what we absolutely can. TWRA needs to stop this ridiculous practice of killing hens, PERIOD. No hen should be killed ever. This won't solve all our problems overnight but it is something we can control.
Bgoodman30
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Spurhunter":95xtbhw6 said:
I still don't think it will make a difference but I'm all for it....
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Bgoodman30":1ymamxvo said:
If you don't agree that more hens will make more turkeys that will make more turkeys and on and on and on won't make a difference I don't know what else to say. That's about as simple as it gets.
Bgoodman30
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Spurhunter":158q161s said:
Yes but it will be an insignificant number a drop in the bucket IMHO, again I'm all for it every little bit helps...
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Bgoodman30":8r68o5c6 said:
Absolutely. That's all I'm saying. We need to do everything we can and every lit bit helps.
Setterman
Well-Known Member
I dare someone to post a pic of bearded hen they've killed this spring. I normally don't attack individual kills but I'll come in guns blazing. My suggestion with the current population decline lay off the ladies
megalomaniac
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Can I get an "AMEN!"PickettSFHunter":1vm81a1y said:
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catman529
Well-Known Member
killing a small percentage of hens and getting a big percentage drop in population points to another problem. Especially when you lose entire flocks over the course of one season. Thankfully that hasn't happened anywhere I hunt, at least not yet. They don't allow fall hunting in counties with lower populations.Spurhunter":1vgk9hck said:
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