Seen more poults this time out

[Andy S.]

Once again I went riding early Sunday morning to glass deer and any wildlife that presented itself. We saw some deer/fawns, a few fox and a lot of turkeys and more poults than any other day. All of the hens/poults were close to areas that had just been mowed/clipped.

First group we saw, 4 hens and 5 poults that I could verify. One hen and poult are in a field to the right that is out of the frame.

[youtube]8BfwIPClIkQ[/youtube]

Second group, 1 hen and 9 poults. She won the Hen of the Year award.

[youtube]wBJhNfbPLAY[/youtube]

Last group. 3 hens and 12 poults, some are out of the frame.

[youtube]y7sAwxOe9x4[/youtube]


Couple of foxes we saw.

 

[TheLBLman]

Andy, that's a little better, but still concerning to see so few young poults per hen?

Also, in times past, how often would you see foxes out hunting during the day (in July)?
As stated many times recently, I believe previously mostly nocturnal predators such as foxes, bobcats, and coyotes are "evolving" to do more daytime hunting of turkeys (which they generally cannot effectively hunt at night).

Were you doing your driving around at Ames?

 

[Andy S.]

I agree Wes, it was better odds than previous, but still not as good as we would like. The fox closest to the camera had a dead "bird" of sorts that he was munching on, really could not tell much more without getting out of the truck. All pictures and videos are from the Ames general area in Fayette county, albeit on private property, not on Ames.

 

[Boll Weevil]

That's awesome to see so many; we appear to have had a very good hatch also. The ones I saw a couple of weeks ago were about the size of your picture of 9. With the exception of cameras over mineral sites, I've honestly seen more turkeys than deer this summer while out working. Gobbler groups, jakes, and hens with little ones...they're everywhere.

 

[MickThompson]

I saw a mixed brood with 4 hens and around 30 chicken-sized poults in Warren County last week. Very encouraging!

 

[Andy S.]

MT - that is the kind of hen/poult ratio we need. It would be nice if we could sustain that ratio for about 4-5 years in a row as well.