Turkey Research From Tennessee (Six Year Study from five counties within Ten.)

[mountainhunter1]

Once again, their findings are leaning heavily to the idea that predators are a top issue. Where I live in North Georgia, while the findings are not infallible, that has been the conclusion as well. The areas where we have seen predators greatly reduced on fairly large tracts, the turkeys are flourishing with or without a lot of timber being cut and or prescribed burning. I do think that habitat is also a critical factor, but I am to the conclusion that if we can only alter one aspect in this discussion, that we need to focus solely on reducing predators. The brief overview from the six year study in Tennessee is included below:


Turkeys For Tomorrow is helping restore turkey populations in Tennessee by contributing funding to an ongoing research project in Spring 2023.

Dr. Craig Harper and Dr. David Buehler, both with the University of Tennessee, have led a comprehensive study of wild turkey ecology and management in five counties of south-middle Tennessee for the past six years. Their preliminary findings are both striking and encouraging. In brief, findings indicate low nest success and poult survival as a result of predation is limiting the population, and a two-week delay applied to the hunting season's opening has not impacted any aspect of reproductive success. By helping fund an additional year of study, Turkeys For Tomorrow will help Harper, Buehler, and their team collect another year of data that will include reproductive success, survival, habitat use, and a predator index, all of which will help provide managers and agencies with information needed to make key decisions related to the impact of predators and season-date decisions on public and private lands.

Because the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission has set the entire state's spring turkey season later by two weeks for 2023, researchers have the unique opportunity to record and analyze gobbling activity and correlate it to hunter success and satisfaction through the end of May. The opening of turkey season has been delayed by two weeks in five Tennessee counties for the past several years, but that delay did not extend the season — it just subtracted two weeks from the total available hunting time. Beginning in 2023, the season will be moved back two weeks statewide. This move leaves hunters in Tennessee with the same number of days to hunt by extending the season through the end of May. Researchers on the Harper and Buehler project are uniquely positioned to measure gobbling activity through that time and correlate it with hunter success and satisfaction.

"Support from Turkeys For Tomorrow will be critical in allowing us to conduct an additional year of our work to the level at which it should be conducted," Harper said.

"We believe it's important to understand what needs to be done, then actively do it," said Ron Jolly, co-chairman of Turkeys For Tomorrow. "This study confirms what we've long believed: predators are limiting turkey reproduction and recruitment into the fall population. Predator numbers likely are at an all-time high, and they are eating turkey eggs and turkey poults at an alarming rate. The Tennessee study is documenting just how much pressure predators are putting on turkey survival. We're honored to be part of the work Harper and Buehler are conducting."

[mountainhunter1]

One thing I hear over and over from individual hunters is the mindset that they need to take out fifty to one hundred coons, possums, skunks or other predators on their own to even begin to impact the turkeys; and they realize due to time constraints, etc. that they cannot do that and just throw their hands up and give up.

I think the mindset ought to be this - why don't each hunter just try to take out a minimum of 3-5 predators each year and we might be surprised at the results. Far better if every hunter in the state takes out five than to just have a much smaller handful across each state taking out fifty to one hundred each year. Easy to do the math and see that those three to five by EVERY hunter will add up in a hurry. And as we each hunter does it more and more, over time most will get better at it and eventually maybe each hunter will be able to take out 10 plus predators a year from where they hunt.

[ferocious calls]

Doing what I can. We need more trappers. Hunters wanting to help the birds can with little investment and time.

I ask how many birds were save from this crew?

[runngun]

If you save one nest, as far as that one turkey, it's worth it!!! And I believe that it will show too. I have read some research that says it does not help but I think they are wrong.
Thanks for doing this!!!

Have a good one, Bo

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[Paulmyr]

We need somebody to come up with and start marketing fur products to hunters at a reasonable price. If that bomber hat had real coon fur in it I might have to have one just because!

[arkrem870]

Nearly all the studies have pointed directly to nest/poult predation through the years. This is nothing new. Unfortunately reducing predators in number isn't easy, cheap or convenient . So we've looked for other solutions to our problem that are easy to change.....aka pushing seasons back etc. It can be done with the stoke of a pen. Unfortunately, the solution to our problem hasn't changed (predation). We are just looking for a easy, cheap, convenient solution and  it doesn't exist

[mountainhunter1]

Doing what I can. We need more trappers. Hunters wanting to help the birds can with little investment and time.

I ask how many birds were save from this crew?

Ferocious - I tip my hat to you sir! Thank you for what you are doing.

[dzsmith]

One thing I hear over and over from individual hunters is the mindset that they need to take out fifty to one hundred coons, possums, skunks or other predators on their own to even begin to impact the turkeys; and they realize due to time constraints, etc. that they cannot do that and just throw their hands up and give up.

I think the mindset ought to be this - why don't each hunter just try to take out a minimum of 3-5 predators each year and we might be surprised at the results. Far better if every hunter in the state takes out five than to just have a much smaller handful across each state taking out fifty to one hundred each year. Easy to do the math and see that those three to five by EVERY hunter will add up in a hurry. And as we each hunter does it more and more, over time most will get better at it and eventually maybe each hunter will be able to take out 10 plus predators a year from where they hunt.

because many trappers have done that for more than a decade on the same properties before conservation groups and youtubers told them to...to no avail in reviving their local turkey population. Im glad its worked for the folks who say it has worked for them...but when you ask why some may have thrown there hands up, perhaps its not becuase they dont think they can make a difference , it may be because they did it and are doing it and it didnt make a difference. and im not talking one year of trapping im talking years and years of it in a place that used to be covered up. The only difference in many of those areas between then and now is more hunters and less turkeys . Im not advocating to not trap, personally i love trapping for what it is alone...im just very interested to see studies played out over the next decade to see if there isnt more to this equation than predator removal

[mountainhunter1]

Dzsmith, you are correct, there are multiple variables. In our state, spreading the spreading of chicken liter over pastures for fertilizer (a big practice in our state, especially the northern half of it), has had a big impact on the health of the turkey population.

Also, the legalization of putting out corn for deer has shown to be (to those with their eyes open), a big detriment to turkeys. The corn molds while it lays on the ground and when the turkeys eat it afterwards it is not a good thing to say the least. Legalizing bait for deer in Georgia was one of the worst moves our DNR has ever made.

There are more, but those are two factors that some may not be thinking about. Still, I think based on what I have observed and from the knowledge of others in this area who have put some time and thought into the matter, that predators are the number one issue where I live. But, that may not be true for the entire country and I would almost expect it not to be the same state to state across the nation.

[dzsmith]

Predators are an issue because habitat is an issue. At least in some parts of the southeast. One of the oldest tactics in the book to killing anything is to push the target into a fatal funnel... and timber management in the southeast has successfully done this, it not only has made our hunting somewhat more simplistic given the terrain and circumstances , and number of people in the woods then vs now , but it has also , given predators a better approach. Not to mention the nesting , etc..... it is very hard for us to admit this is a man made issue when it absolutely is . But trust me I understand , there's only so much , me and you can do with our own hands and feet. Trapping is one of them as  burning isn't an option on most of the conglomerate  timber leases in the southeast.