Article about Arkansas Turkey Decline

[HogBiologist]

Talking turkey with the AGFC

by Kevin Tuckfield

12:45 PM, Monday, March 23 2015

I caught up with Jason Honey, statewide turkey coordinator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) and a certified wildlife biologist. He has his pulse on what's happening in the turkey woods.

Honey was the Central Arkansas Private Lands biologist until 2011, a position he held for five years. He has also worked as a technician on various Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) after he graduated from Arkansas Tech University with a degree in wildlife biology in 2004.

Jason and I discussed the controversy on "growing season" prescribed burns. He said "dormant season" burns are predominately used, but sometimes growing season burns are beneficial and necessary for certain management strategies.

This is the time turkey hunters are in the woods, and sometimes they show up to their "favorite spot" to find it has been burned. Although this is an inconvenience, Honey said the benefits outweigh the negatives.

"The removal of undesirable woody vegetation and proliferation of quality nesting, foraging and brood rearing habitat in the coming years outweigh the short-term negative impacts," he said.

The AGFC has field work on two recent research projects that will attempt to determine the impacts of Early Growing Season Prescribed Fire on Eastern Wild Turkey Nesting Ecology in the Ozark Highlands and Ouachita Mountains. The results for the Ozark Highlands should be available late 2015, while the Ouachita Mountain project will be available during 2016.

According to a similar research at Fort Bragg Military Reservation in North Carolina, the type of quality habitat growing season burns produce are consistent with nest sites selected by females and attributed to greater nest survival.

Next we talked about numbers and areas. The "best ranking" list: Ozarks, Ouachitas, Gulf Coastal Plain and the Delta.

The Ozarks and Ouachitas are comprised of some large areas of cooperatively managed lands with some type of management, such as timber harvest or prescribed fire, which enhance the overall landscape for turkeys. In heavily forested environments, turkey brood habitat is generally lacking. Drought conductions during the summer can limit mast production causing hens to enter the breeding cycle in poor condition which can translate to lower reproduction.

Research has shown hen health is a limiting factor during spring breeding and nesting activities. At times the Gulf Coastal Plain has an abundance of early successional habitat, essential for nesting success and poult survival. However, this area of the state is dominated by pine plantations which grow up to provide little in the way of quality turkey habitat. Shorter rotations and increased herbicide use will negatively affect overall turkey production.

Although the Delta may offer the best in soil fertility and potential, the land use there is predominately row crop fields with interspersed fragmented bottomland hardwood forests. Extensive flooding for wintering duck habitat reduces food availability during late fall and winter.

With extensive spring flooding, hens have a difficult time hatching and raising poults, or flooding postpones nesting and brood rearing until a point quality succulent vegetation is not available which leads to low poult survival. Thousands of acres in the Delta have been enrolled in the Wetland Reserve Program and Conservation Reserve Program.

Honey said the primary reason for the decline in turkey numbers and turkey harvest is poor statewide turkey reproduction for nine years. Between 1983-1999, when the spring season was fairly stable at 24-28 days, there existed an almost "hand-in-glove" fit between brood production and spring harvest in subsequent years. If poult production went up, harvest went up the next year or two; if poult production went down, so did harvest. Nine years in a row of poor reproduction from 2002-11 is the major factor in declining spring turkey harvest, according to the AGFC.

Also, during 2001-04, multiple days were added to spring turkey season bringing it to 39 days, and harvest began to dramatically decline during 2004, decreasing by approximately 2,500 birds that spring. The AGFC shortened the season by seven days in 2005 and 2006, but harvest continued to fall.

The harvest had been reduced by approximately 1,100 birds, but by 2006, that still left a decline of over 5,000 birds to account for. In 2007, AGFC shortened the season an additional seven days, so now harvests were reduced by approximately 2,700 total turkeys. But the season reduction did not account for the decline of over 6,200 birds.

In 2010, the commission reduced the season by an additional three days, which reduced harvest by about 3,600 birds. This still leaves a reduction of about 6,600 turkeys to other reasons. So, season reduction by more than two weeks probably reduced the harvest somewhat, perhaps about 30 percent, but other factors are primarily responsible for the dramatic reduction in spring harvest we have seen since 2003.

Current season structure allows hunters to harvest turkeys during the middle of the second peak of gobbling, allows hens more time to breed and begin nest initiation, reduces accidental hen harvest, and aides in gobbler carryover the following year.

Honey explained since 1982, AGFC staff, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service along with other agencies and timber consultants assisted with collecting brood survey information during June, July and August. The survey form consists of questions such as location, number of gobblers, hens with and without poults, number of poults, and number of broods observed. This and harvest information is used to determine recruitment and estimate the number of turkeys in Arkansas.

Arkansas turkey hunters can participate in the Turkey Hunter Survey. Roughly 200 individuals fill out the information booklet. The collected information over the past seven years comprises hundreds of thousands of reported observations from nearly a hundred different parameters.

More information about the report generated by all of this information can be found on the AGFC Website (www.agfc.com) under the resources tab in publications.

[Gumby]

Thanks for sharing

[mgm1955]

Good info. Thanks.

[ouachitamtnman]

Not a single mention of predators or the complete and utter disregard for bag limits or season limits for that matter of a huge population of AR turkey hunters.  Most are too lazy to trap but will hunt for 90 days straight and kill 10+ gobblers a year in these slim conditions and killed upwards of 30 a year through the 70s, 80's and 90s. Makes me sick how many folks readily admit to this who hunted in those times.

[Spurs]

Poaching in the mid 90s was a huge problem. I know several individuals that still brag about killing 15 birds a year and more than a few were accidental hens. 

I trap a little around my house too.  Anything helps I guess...or at least it makes me feel better.

[Tony Harris]

What gets me is the hunters who know the outlaws but refuse to turn them in. The outlaws best friend is silent turkey hunters.

Not sure how much the predators are doing but I do know the numbers of pigs in Winona is increasing greatly each year. The only ones thankful I have seen so far are the bears. Found bear tracks in three different places where pigs were rooting Saturday. Looked like it was following a sow and a bunch of little ones over a quarter mile area. Saw cat tracks and of course coyote tracks as well. I don't see very many coon tracks in there and do not have the opportunity to trap even though it is close to home. 10-12 hour days don't leave much time.

[Prohunter3509]

And a number of them now travel out of state
Hunt just about all season in ether states killing whatever
And for turkey hunters keeping silent you cant catch them all.  when you go in large groups like some do, a warden just cant catch them.They keep coolers in ground while 1 of the party brings bird back to camp ,ethics is what a good hunter needs
And that few I am referring to hurts everyone.they try and kill
everthing that walks,and that hurts the out of state hunter who wants to do right.
I have talked to wardens about this problem , need to make the
Fine heavy enough to help discourage the problem and hire more wardens
Turkey hunting is a passion for me, I hunt a lot,
When I harvest my limit, I put my gun up
my honest opinion

[GobbleNut]

There are some fundamental principles of biology involved in hunting gobblers in the spring.  Turkeys are polygamous,...a few gobblers can do all of the breeding necessary for all hens to be bred.  Since an equal number of hens and gobblers are going to be hatched, that means that there are many "surplus gobblers" around that can be harvested.  Hence, a properly-timed spring gobbler season,...one that starts after the onset of breeding and allows most or all of the hens in a population to be bred before the shooting starts,...will have no impact on the population, regardless of how many gobblers are killed. 

The only time gobbler harvest can become an issue is if there is no successful reproduction/recruitment into the population for several years in a row, and the number of gobblers declines so much that there is a lack of successful breeding.  However, the chances of that occurring in any turkey population as a result of sport hunting is minimal. 

Thus, the real culprit in decreased populations is almost never associated with sport hunting for gobblers in the spring.  Excessive poaching certainly could be a problem, as others have already pointed out, but based on biology alone, managers should never have to focus their attention on reducing harvest of gobblers in the spring season.  They should instead be diligently trying to determine what are the real limiting factors which are causing the lack of reproductive success.  Focusing on reducing spring gobbler harvest will almost never help. 

Weather can obviously be a factor, but several years in a row of adverse weather conditions that affect reproductive success would be unlikely. An abundance of nest-raiding predators certainly can play a role.  Managers should be looking at trends in those predator numbers, for sure.  Another thing to consider is the commercial poultry industry and its introduction of disease into wild turkey populations.  Is it a coincidence that there seems to be a lot of domestic poultry industry in that region?  And what is the relationship in that to the wild turkey decline?  And what about increasing feral hog populations?

If wildlife managers are not diligently looking into each of these possibilities, rather than focusing on sport hunting for gobblers,....well, in my opinion, they are not doing their jobs intelligently.  Decreasing sport hunting for gobblers,...which has absolutely nothing to do with wild turkey population declines,... is nothing more than a Band-Aid fix and a waste of time. 

[nativeks]

And a number of them now travel out of state
Hunt just about all season in ether states killing whatever
And for turkey hunters keeping silent you cant catch them all.  when you go in large groups like some do, a warden just cant catch them.They keep coolers in ground while 1 of the party brings bird back to camp ,ethics is what a good hunter needs
And that few I am referring to hurts everyone.they try and kill
everthing that walks,and that hurts the out of state hunter who wants to do right.
I have talked to wardens about this problem , need to make the
Fine heavy enough to help discourage the problem and hire more wardens
Turkey hunting is a passion for me, I hunt a lot,
When I harvest my limit, I put my gun up
my honest opinion

Guys from AR told me they love hunting Kansas because they can print off as many tags as they want. Only have to buy one as well. I turned there tag into the warden but don't know whatever became of it. Also talked to the KDWPT about changing the way tags are issued but they don't seem to care.

[arkrem870]

The arkansas game and fish has biologists that make suggestions to the "commissioners". The commissioners are millionaire donor / political folks that are appointed by the governor. The "commissioners" make the calls at the end of the day yet none of the commissioners are biologists.....

[Spurs]

The arkansas game and fish has biologists that make suggestions to the "commissioners". The commissioners are millionaire donor / political folks that are appointed by the governor. The "commissioners" make the calls at the end of the day yet none of the commissioners are biologists.....

I have spoken to several commissioners over a duck regulation recently.  They do almost nothing....Their position is strictly there because some politician, a long time ago, needed to get several $$$ friends a job.

I personally think that the way the season/bag limit is now.  I would like to see it extended to one week earlier, but it will take several more years at the way it is now. 

[J. Adams]

There are some fundamental principles of biology involved in hunting gobblers in the spring.  Turkeys are polygamous,...a few gobblers can do all of the breeding necessary for all hens to be bred.  Since an equal number of hens and gobblers are going to be hatched, that means that there are many "surplus gobblers" around that can be harvested.  Hence, a properly-timed spring gobbler season,...one that starts after the onset of breeding and allows most or all of the hens in a population to be bred before the shooting starts,...will have no impact on the population, regardless of how many gobblers are killed. 

The only time gobbler harvest can become an issue is if there is no successful reproduction/recruitment into the population for several years in a row, and the number of gobblers declines so much that there is a lack of successful breeding.  However, the chances of that occurring in any turkey population as a result of sport hunting is minimal. 

Thus, the real culprit in decreased populations is almost never associated with sport hunting for gobblers in the spring.  Excessive poaching certainly could be a problem, as others have already pointed out, but based on biology alone, managers should never have to focus their attention on reducing harvest of gobblers in the spring season.  They should instead be diligently trying to determine what are the real limiting factors which are causing the lack of reproductive success.  Focusing on reducing spring gobbler harvest will almost never help. 

Weather can obviously be a factor, but several years in a row of adverse weather conditions that affect reproductive success would be unlikely. An abundance of nest-raiding predators certainly can play a role.  Managers should be looking at trends in those predator numbers, for sure.  Another thing to consider is the commercial poultry industry and its introduction of disease into wild turkey populations.  Is it a coincidence that there seems to be a lot of domestic poultry industry in that region?  And what is the relationship in that to the wild turkey decline?  And what about increasing feral hog populations?

If wildlife managers are not diligently looking into each of these possibilities, rather than focusing on sport hunting for gobblers,....well, in my opinion, they are not doing their jobs intelligently.  Decreasing sport hunting for gobblers,...which has absolutely nothing to do with wild turkey population declines,... is nothing more than a Band-Aid fix and a waste of time.

We have a winner, what's worse is they think "they" are the reason for it getting better. So what you're telling me is Arkansas is in the only state in the country doing it correctly? What in the wide world of sports..."gobbler to hen ratio" is the latest terms they have came up with.

It has been proven time and time again via gobbler banding and now radio/gps that hunter's are not the problem, we aren't killing enough of them to matter, hunt the sombs when they are gobbling, it doesn't matter.

it's all about the hatch.....and who controls the hatch? Us??? Them? Mother ByGod Nature....more habitat, more turkeys, kill some predators, other than that they just over complicate it and in true democrat fashion spend tons of money and man hours trying to figure it out, there's nothing to figure out....

Regulations and late short seasons don't create turkeys.

[ouachitamtnman]

I agree with both of you but still hate the greedy sobs that hunt from March 1 to May 31.  What I can and will do is invest in some dog proof traps and try to check the egg eaters and also take up crow hunting. 

There are some fundamental principles of biology involved in hunting gobblers in the spring.  Turkeys are polygamous,...a few gobblers can do all of the breeding necessary for all hens to be bred.  Since an equal number of hens and gobblers are going to be hatched, that means that there are many "surplus gobblers" around that can be harvested.  Hence, a properly-timed spring gobbler season,...one that starts after the onset of breeding and allows most or all of the hens in a population to be bred before the shooting starts,...will have no impact on the population, regardless of how many gobblers are killed. 

The only time gobbler harvest can become an issue is if there is no successful reproduction/recruitment into the population for several years in a row, and the number of gobblers declines so much that there is a lack of successful breeding.  However, the chances of that occurring in any turkey population as a result of sport hunting is minimal. 

Thus, the real culprit in decreased populations is almost never associated with sport hunting for gobblers in the spring.  Excessive poaching certainly could be a problem, as others have already pointed out, but based on biology alone, managers should never have to focus their attention on reducing harvest of gobblers in the spring season.  They should instead be diligently trying to determine what are the real limiting factors which are causing the lack of reproductive success.  Focusing on reducing spring gobbler harvest will almost never help. 

Weather can obviously be a factor, but several years in a row of adverse weather conditions that affect reproductive success would be unlikely. An abundance of nest-raiding predators certainly can play a role.  Managers should be looking at trends in those predator numbers, for sure.  Another thing to consider is the commercial poultry industry and its introduction of disease into wild turkey populations.  Is it a coincidence that there seems to be a lot of domestic poultry industry in that region?  And what is the relationship in that to the wild turkey decline?  And what about increasing feral hog populations?

If wildlife managers are not diligently looking into each of these possibilities, rather than focusing on sport hunting for gobblers,....well, in my opinion, they are not doing their jobs intelligently.  Decreasing sport hunting for gobblers,...which has absolutely nothing to do with wild turkey population declines,... is nothing more than a Band-Aid fix and a waste of time.

We have a winner, what's worse is they think "they" are the reason for it getting better. So what you're telling me is Arkansas is in the only state in the country doing it correctly? What in the world wide of sports..."gobbler to hen ratio" is the latest terms they have came up with.

It has been proven time and time again via gobbler banding and now radio/gps that hunter's are not the problem, we aren't killing enough of them to matter, hunt the sombs when they are gobbling, it doesn't matter.

it's all about the hatch.....and who controls the hatch? Us??? Them? Mother ByGod Nature....more habitat, more turkeys, kill some predators, other than that they just over complicate it and in true democrat fashion spend tons of money and man hours trying to figure it out, there's nothing to figure out....

Regulations and late short seasons don't create turkeys.

[Full strut]

Id love too see a good turkey season here in arkansas again, but we are still many years away from getting a longer season. Forces us to go out of state really