Beware the Turkeys

[Preston1]

Well, I see what most of you are saying, and certainly, if hunting Merriams in the foothills was as easy as shooting them in a feedlot, I surely wouldn't bother. Obviously it's a different story in CO and the Black Hills where I hunt. I was just very surprised by the vehemence of the comments against turkeys here. While I had heard complaints before, I thought they were limited to farmers - clearly it's a bigger problem (perceived or real) "back east" than I realized! And just as certainly, if I were convinced turkeys were going to seriously impact phez populations, I'd be getting on board with you! That said - keep in mind, turkeys are indigenous in most states, phez aren't in
any.

Just because an animal is indigenous doesn't have anything to do with it being obnoxious in the eyes of the public.
The Armadillo and the Roadrunner are both indigenous to the south, southwest and Texas.
But if these animals hurt or harm quail or pheasant their native status takes a back seat in the eyes of the general public.
On the other hand, state wildlife officials have to approach this from the political and environmentally correct stand.

People simple enjoy wild pheasants, they enjoy looking at them and having them around and hunting them.

Two of our founding fathers stocked pheasants trying to get them started, George Washington at Mt. Vernon and pheasants from England in 1791 by Benjamin Franklin's son-in law in New Jersey.

 

[henhenROOSTER!!!]

@DwntnBang...Has nothing at all to do with this thread, but thanks for the comic relief - your signature quote has me ROFLMAO under my current ongoing circumstances!!! :cheers:

 

[jmac]

My family owns around 300 acres of mixed ag land in Southern Indiana. Thirty-five years ago we had quite a few covey's of quail on our property and really no Turkeys. Today we have plenty of Turkeys and no quail.

The quail are gone because what little ground isn't tilled or pastured is choked full of mature fescue and other cool season grasses. There are hardly any fence rows left and what is usually gets sprayed yearly. No one maintains woodlots, fallow fields, waterway drainages in there crop fields, small patches of sweet corn, blackberry canes or any other little untilled, unkempt corners that might harbor weeds, bare ground, insect life and other important brood rearing\protective cover.

Almost every pasture has the maximum number of cattle possible running on it and everything inside that pasture is pretty much an ecological wasteland because of it. Every possible tillable acre is going to be farmed. Those acres are nothing more than lifeless corn or soybean monocultures.

Turkeys have thrived because they can live in the one type of semi wild places that have been left alone. Those small patches of mature hard wood forest that are either too steep or too wet to farm.

It's pretty of sad because now when I go back home I see four types of wildlife. Whitetail Deer, Turkey, Crows & Doves. Five if you count barn pigeons.

HHR, I am a little confused on on how downtown bangs post is not relevant? Seems to add to this theard perfectly. ????????? are u just posting about his ending? Doesnt seem like you to attack someone for their post. just asking. confused????

 

[henhenROOSTER!!!]

@jmac - I was not attacking anyone!!! "Nothing to do with this thread" was in direct reference to my own comment & yes I was only talking about his "signature" quote (in blue) at the end -funny as H#!! to me right now while I am living a seemingly endless loop of the song "I get knocked down, but I get back up again"...

Like I said, "has nothing at all to do with this thread" - I just ran across his wry sign-off & it hit me right between the eyes! It's in instances like this when I really do HATE internet communications (too brief to really explain oneself, but nobody will listen if you do take the time to thoroughly explain)!!! It was a simple kudo directed at dwntn, not really meant for anyone else! :thumbsup:

 

[pheasantaddict]

No turkey in the area, yet pheasant #'s are down and quail are about nonexistant. Lots of brome grass, intensive farming, and bulldozing of creeks and brush.

 

[Win97]

Here in Ohio the quial have been gone for 30 years or more, and the pheasants are very few. Up until about 10 or 12 years ago we did have a few good pockets of pheasants, but then the first round of crp ended and very little new land was put back in. The dnr said that there was little intrest in the general sign up for crp this year so things are not looking up. The one thing that we do have now to hunt is turkeys. Hunting them in the hills that I hunt is not for the weak. Would I rather the quial and pheasants were back in good numbers? You bet I would but it just ain't so. But the turkeys had nothing to do with their disapperance it was habitat loss.

 

[blackcloud27]

wow lots of wild ideas out there. turkeys dont eat pheasant or quail. its loss of habitat. i also feel we have way too many predators out there. when i was a boy on the farm fox were $100 and coon would bring up to $52. quess what not many predators left and more birds, but we also had winter cover. now it is fence line to fence line and in some areas we dont even have the fences any more. coon are now maybe $10 and very few people trap anymore. friend has shot 15 coon in the crp while pheasant hunting so far this fall. i just dont buy the story that turkeys are to blame. they are not a predatory bird. if you want to blame a bird try the crow. i live in town and every spring i have watched them clean out all the song bird nest in my backyard. there population has skyrocketed. they roost in town by the thousands and people wont let them be disturbed or shot in town.

 

[GSP]

@DwntnBang...Has nothing at all to do with this thread, but thanks for the comic relief - your signature quote has me ROFLMAO under my current ongoing circumstances!!! :cheers:

Wu say Sweangen is cocksucka! Man I LOVED that series. Shame it had to end before the story was finished. I digress...

And BTW, I agree it is about habitat. AND I also agree that turkeys will destroy a nest. Followed enough old salt woodcock banders around in the Spring to think otherwise. YMMV.

 

[Downtown Bang!]

@DwntnBang...Has nothing at all to do with this thread, but thanks for the comic relief - your signature quote has me ROFLMAO under my current ongoing circumstances!!! :cheers:

HHR

Just a character in a TV show but if you were to look up "gritty bad a$$ SOB" in the dictionary I'm pretty sure you would see a picture of Ian McShane as Al Swearengen.

I think grit & determination are some of the best traits a man can posses. Especially when life isn't playing fair. Hope things are looking up for you soon.

DB

 

[jmac]

@jmac - I was not attacking anyone!!! "Nothing to do with this thread" was in direct reference to my own comment & yes I was only talking about his "signature" quote (in blue) at the end -funny as H#!! to me right now while I am living a seemingly endless loop of the song "I get knocked down, but I get back up again"...

Like I said, "has nothing at all to do with this thread" - I just ran across his wry sign-off & it hit me right between the eyes! It's in instances like this when I really do HATE internet communications (too brief to really explain oneself, but nobody will listen if you do take the time to thoroughly explain)!!! It was a simple kudo directed at dwntn, not really meant for anyone else! :thumbsup:

HHR, got your point now.

 

[mnmthunting]

I've done some pheasant and turkey hunting along the Powder River and Yellowstone in SE MT. Turkeys were plentiful there before much of the country to the East had turkeys introduced. [60's]
Don't know if turkeys destroy pheasant nests. [I think likely] Pheasants still thrive. I do know the turkeys are there because of the Cottonwoods and other trees along the rivers. Pheasants are there because of excellent cover in the coulees and tall grass benchlands.
Feeding areas such as hay fields, grain stubble and cattle feeding areas are shared without problems.
Pheasants nest and rear young in the grasslands, turkeys are near the trees and crops.
For sure skunks, coons, weasels, mink, crows, magpies yotes, wandering dogs and cats are a MUCH bigger threat to the pheasant nest then turkeys.

 

[1pheas4]

J
Two of our founding fathers stocked pheasants trying to get them started, George Washington at Mt. Vernon and pheasants from England in 1791 by Benjamin Franklin's son-in law in New Jersey.

Just one more reason to thank God above for those guys!!

 

[quail hound]

Here is my 2 cents. I have personally watched a Jake gobble up a few quail chicks, and watched a pair of quail chase him into the next county. Our main quail and turkey habitat are the same and as more turkeys come in it doesn't seem to hurt quail populations.

On the other hand, one of our prime public pheasant spots is being quite hindered by a growing turkey population. Opening day of pheasant season they bagged 60 pheasants and 59 turkeys off this particular property, where they used to bag 150 plus pheasant and 0 turkeys. It seems that the turkeys out compete the pheasants for the prime nesting ground.

What size shot do you use for a flushing turkey?

 

[Fenway]

HHR

Just a character in a TV show but if you were to look up "gritty bad a$$ SOB" in the dictionary I'm pretty sure you would see a picture of Ian McShane as Al Swearengen.

I think grit & determination are some of the best traits a man can posses. Especially when life isn't playing fair. Hope things are looking up for you soon.

DB

did you see the one the Doctor went up his "Taint"

 

[henhenROOSTER!!!]

@Dwntn, jmac, GSP, Fenway - I don't know anything at all about the show or the character, I just know that particular phrase made me laugh really hard in the midst of what I'm going thru & gave me a little atta-boy to stay in the fight (I actually stole it for my current FB status of the day)! :thumbsup:

BACK ON SUBJECT - PLAIN-&-SIMPLE, "HABITAT IS WHERE IT'S AT" - & that little quip is from yours truly. Yes, turkeys, crows, magpies, skunks, possums, racoons, wolves, mountain lions, hawks, housecats, & FIRE ANTS (which is a whole nother story when it comes to traditional southern quail grounds which are now devoid of birds) - all of these take their toll on game species (including roosters & quail)...But I still ascribe with others here that it is ever-increasing loss of habitat that is the real culprit!!! And I also stand by my theory that upland gamebird habitat is the most costly & high-maintenance of all & often in direct competition with a farmer's or rancher's bottom line and/or the general public demand - thus the easy way out with the more popular and less intensive management for deer, turkey, ect...There are simply not enough people in the world with the pure goodness in their hearts to consider the sake of wildlife purely on it's own merit over self-demand!