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turkey decline?

but with no DATA to back up the decline proposal then it is more a decline in SIGHT AND SOUND on the days you are there..

I do not agree at all with the BOOM and never again. I too hunt in multiple states and have hunted in Alabama my entire life. Yes the population rises and falls but there is no BOOM and never again happening on that 2000acres.

the ever changing landscape of todays world will have an affect yes but IF a region can hold X number of birds then that are "CAN" hold it again given the same biological factors.

I cannot speak for TN at this point that is more of an opinion but while in college studying wildlife I can assure you a lot of areas in Alabama are not that way especially Birmingham and south.


for the average hunter or even steady hunter (not pointing at anyone particular on here) the "population" they talk about is what they see or hear. Just because you do not see them or hear them doesn't mean they are not there.


again all the research I have done in Alabama was on areas where the landscape stayed basically the same. it is completely understandable for the "never again" attitude if the landscape has changed or even the surrounding landscape has changed or been altered.
 
In my areas I hunt they seem to be on the increase. One property I hunt had ZERO birds or sign 5 years ago. Now, they were in areas less than one mile away. Guess what, that population is spreading out my way. Each spring I'm getting more and more trail cam pics of hens, and just last year during archery(after I had sown seed)ran up on 11 birds in my food plot. I think either your have preferred habitat or you don't. I wonder as flocks increase do they naturally increase their range?
 
captain hook said:
Huntaholic said:
No "scientific data" to back my ideas up, just years of personal experience. captain hook, you arent the only one who hunts multiple states. ;) Over the last several years Ive hunted anywhere from 5 to 8 states a spring. With KY being as close as it is, its just like home to me and yes Ive seen the same thing happen there as well. I hope you are right though! Ive got a group of 8 going to NE with me this spring and thats 24 birds if we can fill all our tags! Ive already sen it happen in KS though. 4 or 5 years ago on my first trip there, there were birds EVERYWHERE and its been a steady decline ever since. :(
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Maybe you boys are just too dang good at killing them all off ;)

In all seriousness maybe you have just had bad luck or maybe I have been abnormally lucky. Maybe the habitat changed, maybe predator populations spiked.

I do think that areas where there are heavy jake harvests and fall harvests that a decline in spring harvests are inevitable. I know you don't shoot jakes (I think) but others around you could be as well as heavy fall harvests.
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LOL we do kill one or two every once in a blue moon!
You're right, I dont shoot jakes (not in several years) and I DO NOT fall hunt. It aint worth the time trying to argue it back and forth with some of the posts on here. (not talking to you in particular captain hook, you and I are usually on the same page about most things!) Ive seen it happen on public ground that hasnt had any habitat change in 70 years or more, and once they boom and take the dive, they dont ever come back as strong as they once were. Believe me or dont, it doesnt matter to me, and I will hold out hope (but not hold my breath) that yall are right and Im wrong!
 
So when does one get concern? I mean the number of harvested birds seem to be increasing but yet all of you are saying your not seeing any birds.
 
Cuttin Caller said:
So when does one get concern? I mean the number of harvested birds seem to be increasing but yet all of you are saying your not seeing any birds.
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the last two years we have seen a drop in harvested birds by about 4000 birds or so. BUT in my opinion, i think the weather had a lot to do with this as a lot of hunters i know did not start hunting until the 2nd week into the season.
 
Unless I am a TWRA turkey biologist, my real interest in the population cycles up, down or sideways is where I hunt. While I would like everyone to enjoy the sport and have ample birds, first and foremost in my interest is NE Decatur county and Natchez Trace WMA. And, as I said, unless you are charged with overseeing the entire state, I would think that everyone else would also be keyed primarily to their deal.
 
The best thing we can hope for here in wayne co. is to have a good summer hatch. Then have another next year. Two years in a row would be good for our county. Three bad years in a row have hurt us.
 
Turkeyhunter,

I know full well what you are saying. Although this year may be the best in several for numbers of gobbling age birds for us, it still isn't what it was in the late 90's up until about 2003 or so.

I know of a property that I grew up dog deer hunting in Alabama that was slap full of turkeys for 20 years. 4000 acres and dozens of gobbling birds. You go there now, you won't even see a track. The whole 4000 acres is void of turkeys, even though habitat is much better you would think.

Captain Hook, I know hunters didn't have anything to do with our decline. There ain't enough good turkey hunters around here to hurt the population. I don't mean that in a bad way but it's the truth. I've killed more birds on our place in the last 10 years than all the other members combined and I don't average but probably 1.5 a year off our place.
 
captain hook said:
I talked with some buddies of mine who are in bama, and it has been dead silent thus far. The weather was bad for the first day but since it has been fine.

Maybe this decline is something that is effecting the entire south, and not just isolated to TN. The problem is there is no way to tell, as only TN and KY have decent turkey harvest data, so it is hard to compare.

I am still hoping our harvests rebound this year and we do not have to relive this conversation again.
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again i think it depends on the area. Bama being an example, I own about 1700 acres in Macon Co (near Union Springs Bullock Co) and the turkey pop there seems to be higher now then a few years ago again on a cycle type however we did alot of tree farm work over the past few years that may be a cause of that.

Also a few buddies that hunt in Mongomery, Lee and Lowndes co all have killed birds so far and said they have seen alot up to this point which was a suprise considering what it was last year.


Now add to that i have seen more birds around my house this year then EVER before, i mean i have seen groups of 10-20 almost every morning out in fields and strutting.
 
In the past 2 years the statewide harvest is down 20 percent. I would like to know what it is down in the past 5 years but the data is not available. In southern Bedford county, there is a HUGE decline in turkey population. Poor hatchings and net trapping are the two culprits. We have been trading Texas bass for our turkeys. Not a good trade in my opinion.
 
Saw 175 turkeys this morning on my hunting lease. Yesterday saw a group of 18 longbeards without a single hen... Cant wait to blast em... But in my county they are everywhere.
 
Swamper, I would appreciate that very much. May be we can go again this season. We are one for one so far on turkeys. Only it took me two shots.lol
 
question is does harvest numbers give a true estimate of the overall population. In some ways yes but in many ways NO.

what about the populations on the rise in areas that do not allow hunting like suburban areas? Turkeys are not the smartest things in the world but if a flock finds a safe place that can provide shelter and food they will stay and flourish. And again not seeing some or hearing them does not mean they are not there.

again i have no idea as a state what the population is but i definitely do not buy into the BOOM and never again theory. IF an area can hold X birds in any given year it can hold X birds in the same area under the same conditions at any given time. Weather, hunters, predators,farmers and disease as well as alot of other factors will play a role of course. Now I have no population numbers to go by but from a biological stand point the boom and never again logic just doesnt make any sense.

over the past 10 years of me hunting the same areas in TN I have seen some years the population was down on those areas and other times it was up.

Are they on a decline STATEWIDE no data to really say yes or no but how is the current harvest report system a true aspect of the overall population?
 
steven stone said:
TN Deer Slayer said:
Coach said:
They are like skeeters at my place in Fentress...overruning the place..
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same out this way.
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I dont know what it is about my area of Fentress but it is WAY down. I use to see 20-30 turkeys everyday hunting, hear 10-15 gobblers every morning. Now Im lucky to see 5 birds and hear 1 or 2.
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it seems to be the same way down at my house, used to hear alot a couple years ago and i only heard 2 this morning guess i'll just have to cross my fingers
 

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