Turkey population

[Kelljp]

Corn on the ground in warm, humid weather and turkey don't mix. And it's not just young birds that are killed by aflatoxin. Aflatoxin rates of only 50 Parts Per Billion (PPB) can be fatal to adult turkey and 50 PPB of aflatoxin would not be noticeable to the human eye (you would not see mold on the corn).

On several occasions I have found dead turkey near corn feeders on clients' properties. No way to prove it was aflatoxin poisoning, but highly likely. In addition, predators key in on these feeding stations, waiting in ambush for turkey to come feed in that one spot.

Makes sense, never knew about aflatoxins. But do know from corn for domestic animals once it has moisture applied you don't want to feed it. Also remember when the property near where I use to deer hunt was leased they ran feeders year round, we started seeing more predators during daylight. Probably not needing to hunt prey as hard when ambush spots were predictable.

 

[MidTennFisher]

It's interesting the completely different response I got here when discussing aflatoxin in corn vs on a South Carolina forum I'm no longer a member of. Those guys, for one, couldn't kill anything without a pile of corn dumped on the ground. And, for two, want to hear absolutely nothing about how their bait piles could be contributing, at some level, to the decline of turkeys in South Carolina for several reasons. The whole forum attacked me like a hornets nest, hurling insults and foul language, and really just acting like a bunch of children.

Seems like the folks here are not only smarter, but more willing to have a discussion about these sorts of topics even if there is disagreement. I've noticed this in here on other subjects as well.

We truly miss living in Tennessee and are hoping to get back if/when it's affordable to buy a house again. Hopefully your turkey population has rebounded by then!

 

[kaizen leader]

It's interesting the completely different response I got here when discussing aflatoxin in corn vs on a South Carolina forum I'm no longer a member of. Those guys, for one, couldn't kill anything without a pile of corn dumped on the ground. And, for two, want to hear absolutely nothing about how their bait piles could be contributing, at some level, to the decline of turkeys in South Carolina for several reasons. The whole forum attacked me like a hornets nest, hurling insults and foul language, and really just acting like a bunch of children.

Seems like the folks here are not only smarter, but more willing to have a discussion about these sorts of topics even if there is disagreement. I've noticed this in here on other subjects as well.

We truly miss living in Tennessee and are hoping to get back if/when it's affordable to buy a house again. Hopefully your turkey population has rebounded by then!

Great bunch of guys on this forum. Good luck getting back here. We need more good people.