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turkey decline?

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turkeyhunter

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Our turkey numbers here in Wayne co. Have declined a lot over the last three years. I was wondering about other counties in tn. Are your numbers up down or the same. DO you have any theory on the reason numbers decline so much in short amont of time ? I think our weather has had a big impact on our turkeys here.
 
I don't know about your area, but I know around Franklin Co. I have seen many more skunks out and about in the last couple of years than I ever did growing up. I wounder how much of an effect they would have concerning predation of turkey nests?
 
Sevier County is good. In my neck of the woods, we have been taking out as many skunks as we can. I have noticed large flocks this year and last.
 
west tn is booming. turkey declines are natural and part of the whole picture of the state. some areas will see declines because of bad weather, etc.
 
Turkeys in Trousdale, Smith and Sumner county's vary on your part of the county. Some of the lands i hunt seem to be declining yet others are booming. From my research in those areas they seem to go in these cycles. The area in Smith co for example had a very large population about 5-6 years ago, then that large population (all about the same approx age) begins to die off of natural causes resulting in a declining population. The low numbers then causes some of the predators in the area to move on due to limited food. This in turn allow the population to rebound and the cycle starts over.

add in other natural environment changes like weather and farming along with tree loss and food source changes and it will continue to rise and fall in most places.

I just really hope this thread does not turn into the regulations are the cause of population declines. A lot of people base those "declines" off the property they hunt rather then the county as a whole.
 
Most of the counties have seen a decrease in numbers the last few years and a few seem to stil be on the rise. This is mother nature cycle of keeping things in balance.I have seen a decrease in numbers in my bottomland areas in west tn for the last couple years. I feel this is due to multiple floodings during nesting time. On the other side of things I have hill ground farm within 2 miles of the bottomland that has never had turkeys until last year and is now booming in population. I feel that a lot of areas have reached the plateau point in the population and will have normal rise and fall from that point.
 
I dont think man or hunters have that much of an effect on the turkey pop. I think the hatch is the most important factor. I blame the weather and critters for our low numbers here.
 
turkeyhunter said:
I dont think man or hunters have that much of an effect on the turkey pop. I think the hatch is the most important factor. I blame the weather and critters for our low numbers here.
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agree man doesnt have affect on the POPULATION however man obviously has an affect of the # of turkeys in a given area.
 
the turkey population has been going down steady past 3-4 years in my area. i think the back to back drought and rising yote population has affected the areas i hunt the most.
 
its funny how Yotes tend to get alot of the blame for a decline in population. Depending on your area the unusual suspects are more to blame then yotes (fox, skunks, opossums and raccoons) they are the ones finding the nests and destroying the eggs.

dont get me wrong Yotes do their share of damage but dont write off the other predators that can and will have a far greater impact.
 
REN said:
its funny how Yotes tend to get alot of the blame for a decline in population. Depending on your area the unusual suspects are more to blame then yotes (fox, skunks, opossums and raccoons) they are the ones finding the nests and destroying the eggs.

dont get me wrong Yotes do their share of damage but dont write off the other predators that can and will have a far greater impact.
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Weve got tons of yotes at my place but Ive also seen skunks 4 different times this year.
:eek:
 
Cyclic boys, cyclic. Up and down like an elevator on my place for the past 20 years. Bad hatches, good hatches, wet springs, dry springs. And the beat goes on.
 
Im ready for the cycle to go back up here in wayne co.lol A few years ago here in wayne co you could pull up to just about any spot and hear multiple birds gobble. Plus it was no trouble to see flocks in just about all fields.To the counties that still have alot of birds please give me a call if you need a hunting partner.lol
 
Also, I don't give up hope for March 28th in my area(NE Decatur county). In addition to the actual numbers in an area, in my experience they move so much, that even if you don't have turkeys in February, you might well have good numbers during the nesting/gobbling season. I've read where a gobblers "home" range is about 3,500 acres, and a hen only slightly less. We had a good number of turkeys during the summer(lots of pasture), some during mid-fall, and none for the past month or so. Hopefully, they will find their way home during the warm season(insects to eat, and #6's to dodge).
 
"Gran(p)as sit in chairs and re-mo-niss..."

4onaside said:
And the beat goes on.
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My unscientific observations of my little area have led to the conclusion that the 2008 hatch was a total wipeout, probably because of the heavy rains and high water. But, as there was an abundance of turkeys already, this may turn out to be not such a bad thing. The 2007 hatch was a boom with many tom poults surviving. In, 2010, there will surely be an almost total absence of 2 year old toms, but, I predict a very good 2009 season of opportunities! :cool:
 

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