Are turkeys going the way of the quail

[coconut]

I remember years ago hearing old men talk about how many quail there were. I haven’t jumped a wild covey in 15 years. Never did really get a for sure answer of what happened to them. With the decline in turkey populations in many areas I wonder if the same will happen to turkeys?

[guesswho]

Growing up in central Florida in the 60's and 70's we had a lot of quail. Now they are almost nonexistent. Not sure if it's true but folks claim fireants are mostly to blame.

I hope the turkeys don't follow the same path. But their numbers have certainly been declining.

[ccleroy]

I damn sure don’t want to find out. Numbers aren’t what they used to be and it’s very concerning/troubling to me.

[redarrow]

Haven't seen or heard a quail here in Michigan in years. Some say deep snows,ice, farming practices ,drop in fur prices causing a population explosion in predators. Our turkeys are doing great in most areas. Even overflowing into residential areas where you never seen a turkey. I don't know what happened to the quail,but I sure do miss them.

[Hoobilly]

Actually seen a quail down in either Ky or Tn.. I can't remember which state lol

as turkeys were reintroduced here in Indiana in the late 80's I don't see any decline in turkey populations

[Turkinator]

We lost our quail in Ohio in the late 70s. We lost our grouse sometime in the late 90s. Our turkey population seems to be able to adapt to conditions our quail and grouse couldn't. I heard and saw less birds in Alabama this year than all the years I've hunted there. May have just been a couple bad hatches in that area I don't know. The Ohio dnr merrily twiddle their thumbs as our grouse numbers plummeted, but turkeys have tags like deer, so Ohio does pay some attention to the coins. I wish coon fur prices would skyrocket.

[Southern Sportsman]

I dont think turkey populations are as fragile as quail. And there are a lot more resources pumped into turkeys. So no, I domt think turkeys will disappear like quail did. But they are declining in many areas, including mine. And TWRA hasn’t changed any regulations at all to address it. They are spending money on studies, but they haven’t done anything of substance. So that’s concerning.

[howl]

The confusing thing is other birds are doing well. Raptors are doing well. Whip-poor-will is behind every tree. Doves are deafening. I've heard more of Mr. Bob White this year than I have in the past. That's only three versus one, but with small numbers the percentage is huge.

Our numbers are low most places around here. (And a big bird to NWTF for recommending my area this year. I've been having flashbacks to hunting public land in FL.) But, they're up versus two years ago. I think there seem to be fewer gobblers than there are because they're spread out thin and aren't gobbling as much. And there have been an unusual number of mornings with bad gobbling weather.

Here's one for ya. Up until a few years ago, and that was when we started having a few turkeys raised around here, the timber business was at a standstill. Now they're shipping pine lumber off to FL as fast as they can cut it. Cutting and thinning is making better habitat. I'm for sure seeing many more deer.

[jryser]

We lost our quail in Ohio in the late 70s. We lost our grouse sometime in the late 90s. Our turkey population seems to be able to adapt to conditions our quail and grouse couldn't. I heard and saw less birds in Alabama this year than all the years I've hunted there. May have just been a couple bad hatches in that area I don't know. The Ohio dnr merrily twiddle their thumbs as our grouse numbers plummeted, but turkeys have tags like deer, so Ohio does pay some attention to the coins. I wish coon fur prices would skyrocket.

My truck tires and my rifles find all coon furs to be particularly valuable.


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[coconut]

We lost our quail in Ohio in the late 70s. We lost our grouse sometime in the late 90s. Our turkey population seems to be able to adapt to conditions our quail and grouse couldn't. I heard and saw less birds in Alabama this year than all the years I've hunted there. May have just been a couple bad hatches in that area I don't know. The Ohio dnr merrily twiddle their thumbs as our grouse numbers plummeted, but turkeys have tags like deer, so Ohio does pay some attention to the coins. I wish coon fur prices would skyrocket.

My truck tires and my rifles find all coon furs to be particularly valuable. I remember getting good money for coon, Fox , bobcats and the like. Women would actually wear fur coats. Then peta people started throwing paint on people with fur on. Messed us all up. Now they show that little scared one eyed dog and ask you to send money. Some of that money may go to the dog but a lot goes to campaign against meat and hunting.


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[Grumpy]

Seems to me everyone had a wet kind of summer and spring last year and plenty of nasty storms that can't be good on chicks or adult turkeys

[SwampDrummin]

If they did part of me would die. Can’t imagine how the old time quail hunters took it.

[Cut N Run]

I see way more turkeys than there used to be in the 70s & 80s around here. They're definitely more wide spread and randomly located than they used to be. That said, there's fewer in central NC than there used to be in the 90s and early 2000s. With all the clear cuts there's more habitat, but there's also much higher population density and habitat loss due to subdivisions and infrastructure than there was.

Jim

[jryser]

Not if my trip to Kentucky today is an indicator. Saw a ton!!


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[Reloader]

There's been a drastic decline here in North Louisiana in the past 5 years and it seemed to start around 8-10yrs back. The main differences I've seen during that decline in the places I hunt is drastic increase in hog, coon, and coyote population, but most of all a change in timber co management. One particular timber co here decided to wipe out pretty much all hdwds and only do very slim SMZs on larger creeks. They also seemed to have shortened their growth cycle on super pine stands. One of the leases I'm in is approx. 9500acres and I bet 8000 acres is nothing but a thicket. That particular co does not allow timber to mature nor do they practice control burns. The thickets are far from suitable habitat for turkey, but all of their natural enemies thrive in them. It's a shame that many large tracks of land that once thunder with toms during spring don't even have a single track in them at present time. That said, these same areas didn't even have a turkey population when I was a kid, I remember seeing the first turkey track I'd ever seen when I was 12 and in a short 5 year span the population had exploded. When they opened season the first 10 years were pretty awesome, but it's been downhill ever since as suitable habitat quickly went away. The real concerning part is that even intensely managed lands that consist of prime habitat are seeing huge declines as well. Our state biologist finally accepted the fact that the decline is real and pushed our season back two weeks this year to try to allow more breeding prior to hunter harvest. This idea has received tons of complaints, but I'm all for it. Many claim the birds were done prior to season starting etc and claiming their worst season ever etc. That seems kind of selfish to me. I didn't hear many, but still had some exciting hunts and killed a limit. I want my kids to be able to enjoy the sport, so if it takes moving the season back to increase numbers, I'm all in. I just hope it works and it's not too late. Without timber co buy in, it's still going to be a losing battle, but we've got to do something.

On another note on my way home last night one of our local timber cos that does control burns was burning some huge tracks. So much for all of those nest...

[coconut]

What reloader said is happening here in Alabama as well. I would also mention that there are lot of hunters who say there turkeys just aren’t gobbling or are gobbling some mornings and not on others. My experience suggests that is the beginning of the decline. Also , don’t fall into the trap of thinking it’s not a problem because you are hearing or seeing plenty on your hunting place. If the past the neighbors were always seeing turkeys and now they are not your spot could be next. Remember according to radio tracking data and banding turkeys will often travel 5 miles with some traveling even greater distance. Draw a line 5 miles from where you hunt and ask yourself how many other hunters maybe hunting the same turkeys.

[coconut]

I don’t want to just preach doom and gloom but I honestly think there is a serious problem developing in many areas and that we are not recognizing it fast enough. I love to hunt them but I also want them to be here for future hunters and I don’t want to put my turkey gun in the cabinet next to my great uncles quail gun.

[GLS]

A buddy this weekend opined that when turkeys were first reintroduced, they filled a vacant niche and populations bloomed. Now, things are leveling off. Habitat destruction plays into it as well. When turkeys were restocked in Georgia, the human population was less than half of what it is now. Housing and commercial enterprises have replaced habitat. As for quail populations, I've heard some blame turkeys for eating the chicks. Seriously. Who knows....

[turkeyinstrut]

Here in WV we use to have a abundance of quail and grouse but in the winter of 77-78 we had a really heavy snow (about 30") that stayed on for a couple months and after the snow the temp. plummeted to near zero for weeks on end. The grouse are slowly making a comeback but not the quail.

[norINhunter]

I'll say Indianas population has exploded and 10 yrs ago if you saw one while driving you'd stop and marvel at it. Now you see them all over. Being from the Hoosier state my knowledge is limited but I can't imagine a state like South Carolina or Georgia would let their populations go to hell as the amount of revenue it provides I would imagine has to be substantial. With that being said I feel most natural resource agencies are to reactionary they don't identify trends in a timely fashion. With turkeys they are far more resilient than a quail so I'm willing to bet they aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

[duckaholic25]

I like reloader am from north Louisiana and it is starting to get bad. Everything he said about the timber companies are true. They are totaling destroying turkey habitat. But I do not agree with the way they have pushed our season back. I saw baby turkeys 10 days into our season. That would mean that the hen was bred 6 weeks before our season opened. We still have a week of season left and the gobblers are not interested in breeding at all because there are no hens left to breed. If the state really wanted to do something about our populations they would put incentives for timber companies leave better habitat like burning and spraying.

[duckaholic25]

This will also be the first year since I started turkey hunting that I did not get a bird. Couldnt even get one to answer me.

[E72]

West Nile is killing all of Pennsylvania's grouse. Bad deal ... Hope it never effects any turkey.

[Grumpy]

Maybe this new longer range killing shot has something to do with more birds being killed than before.

[ole5beards]

This has been a HOT topic in my area for the last decade or so. I remember hearing about it as far back as 12-15 years ago, and not really paying it much mind, at the time the hunting was awesome in my areas. I remember going back in those days and if I didn’t hear at least 5 different birds, it was a crappy day. At the same time, when I was considering the hunting to be awesome and happy about the number of birds I was hearing and or seeing, while my number was 5 at that time they were saying it should be higher, but it wasn’t. And ever since then I started paying attention and noticing the decline in the number of birds I’ve seen, heard, and or killed. Fast forward to present time, and I’m happy to hear a gobble! My number that used to be 5, is between 2-3. Realistically I should hear around 2-3 different birds(some areas it’s more and some it’s less) however I’m hoping for just one, I expect and should be hearing more and I’m not. We all have those spots that we pass by on the way to our hunting land that, be it a field, powerline, or other area, that we almost always see birds in when passing by. And over the last 10 or so years I’ve noticed a decline in those birds as well. Where as I used to pass by a field where I’d see 10 or more birds in it every single time I rode by it, I’m seeing nothing! I really started noticing the drive by birds disappearing 6 years ago, when it went from seeing birds or a bird every other trip by to today where I haven’t seen a single bird this season in spots where I always have. However, I am seeing birds in places and areas that I have never seen them in before, which is good in my book but the sightings are still rare. These same places that used to always have birds, they all have one thing in common, and that’s that all of them are now being hunted by someone. Back then when you’d see them all the time, no one was hunting them, I never saw any trucks, tracks, or people, you can not and WILL NOT drive by those places today without seeing at least one vehicle parked close by. I used to only see their trucks early mornings and they were almost always gone by 9am, now I see them at all times, which tells me they’re pretty dedicated, so I totally get why those spots have declined so much.I started turkey hunting back in 1994, I was 14 years old and had some Great Mentors. And back then when we would stop by a gas station in the early hours of the morning, the only other people we saw were those that were coming home from the night before!! We never saw any other turkey hunters, didn’t matter what store we were at and which side of town, you just didn’t see them. When I got to Auburn in the late 90’s early 2000’s, that’s when I started seeing other turkey hunters stopping at stores on their way to the woods. And since then it has gotten unreal! If I stop in the mornings during the season now, I will see at least 3 different guys/groups going hunting, some areas of town are more. Also for the last 10-12 seasons I’ve heard more shots while turkey hunting. And most of those shots are on properties where I used to hear a lot of birds and now I don’t. I remember how calm and peaceful the Turkey Woods used to be! I’ve never heard so much commotion while turkey hunting like I do now while in the woods!! Crows cawing at all hours, owls hooting all the time, hell im starting to think that there is a healthy Peacock population where I hunt now!! I love, well not really, but it makes me chuckle, hearing someone else calling while hunting, it’s non stop, sounds like garbage, and if one call isn’t working they will try everyone in their arsenal, and then go back to the Crowing and Owling!! I can remember, and this wasn’t too long ago, when hunting the late season was my favorite time to hunt birds. I might kill more early season, but the late season birds were usually older and bigger. They might not gobble as much as early season birds, but they’d gobble enough to get them in trouble!! I would love finding a late season bird that was still gobbling, and I’d make him my priority, and I would normally be successful against them. The last 3 years alone,I’ve had more late season encounters with birds gobbling on their own mid day, they are alone and gobbling, setup on him, make one call and never see or hear him again?! It’s been years since I’ve called to a bird and have him RUN for his life the other way, and those years when it happened were the early years when I was out figuring it out on my own, and even I knew then why he ran!! But I’ve had a good many hunts like that one the last few seasons or so, and it’s on birds that I haven’t called to or hunted at all that season, but someone else has been. I’ve also killed birds recently in places that I’ve never heard or seen birds before, and now those places are holding birds again. I know there are far MANY more factors that are contributing to the turkey population decline than just more Turkey Hunters, but I’ve noticed a huge jump in their numbers over the years at the same time I’ve noticed a huge drop in turkey numbers, and it’s not just a coincidence!

I still think that predators are a big if not the biggest factor in the declining numbers. I do my part in helping control predators when I can but it’s not nearly enough! I don’t have the time and or money to trap, I wished I did but I don’t. I have several good friends that do a lot of predator control and trapping on their places and while others are struggling in their area, they are NOT! They have birds, have had them, and will always have them, and it’s because they have the time and money to do more than what the Avg guy can and their hard work and dedication shows immensely.

I definitely agree that Turkey Numbers have declined a good bit from when I first stared to today. I know there are many factors that are the cause of the decline. With all things considered at least in the areas I hunt, I’ve noticed the bird numbers go down, and the Turkey Hunter numbers go up, and I know that has had a huge impact on it. Am I the only one that has noticed this?