Turkey Numbers

[Doewhacker]

Here is some info from the Dec on mortality rates and a hunters impact on Turkey numbers. Turkeys are a year to year bird dependent on habitat and nesting grounds. 

http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/wildlife_pdf/turkeyplan.pdf

[growalot]

Wow those stats are  bit scary...We have taken a hit here, but Allegheny county where camp is was slammed...I know the weather and terrain are bad there, and coyotes have moved in big time...bear are plentiful and now bob cats are hunt-able so their population is up....but over a 1100 bird difference is a lot. Then again....I will assume that the reporting rate on turkey is about as good as deer or worse especially when a fall leg is required...people are lazy...

[growalot]

The DEC hasn't done anything in the last 12 years to update that report?

 

[Hookhunter20]

16 hours ago, Doewhacker said:

I don't think managing Turkeys is anything like deer, nesting and winter kill are huge with birds. The season structure and what birds you can take show us that. 

More hens means more jakes and then more flocks to break up and draw in Toms. 

Agree, as much as hens piss me off in the spring they are absolutely necessary. My property for instance, I have 3 different all hen flocks of 15- 20 birds each that pass by my deer sets in the fall. Last spring I had, no exaggeration 7 different jakes, a countless number of fired up two year olds and a few old guys I couldn't get into range. This fall all three of my hen flocks had at least two new jakes mixed in each and I had a flock of 18 males 9 of which had 10+ inch beards. My buddy hunted opening day with me and told me about them, I wouldn't have believed it but I saw them for myself the next week. They can be a major pain but the more hens you have the better off you are in my opinion. 

[LET EM GROW]

I don't think managing Turkeys is anything like deer, nesting and winter kill are huge with birds. The season structure and what birds you can take show us that. 

More hens means more jakes and then more flocks to break up and draw in Toms. 

I agree, but the same goes for a doe in the white tail woods, she makes a fawn doe just as easy or hard as she makes a buck fawn. Very critical for repopulation purposes. For the 6 jakes a hen raises, she can have 6 hens or 3 jakes to 9 hens.. there still has to be some sort of managment or culling of hens. One male whether deer or turkey can breed as many females as necessary.

Managing is like deer, because it's used differently everywhere you go.. I watched 2 longbeards strutting with 13 hens Saturday in my field. I have plenty of cam pics to prove it too. Yea it sounds like next year looks even better than this year, but when you only take longbeards and you have a heavy amount of guys chasing longbeards the ratio numbers get out of whack. Tom numbers drop where hen numbers always get higher from not being hunted....

Not arguing .. just curious

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[Doewhacker]

Grow and let em grow, here is some more good info.

 

http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/wildlife_pdf/nyturkeyresearch.pdf

[Doewhacker]

"Finally, hen survival is the major driving force behind turkey population changes. To

better understand what is happening in NY, we will be conducting a large scale

study where we band hens, radio-collaring some, to determine seasonal and annual

hen survival and mortality. This should provide insight into the role of predation on

hens, as well as the possible impacts of hunting mortality during the fall."

[Buckmaster7600]

Unless numbers get too high is there a problem with having too many hens? Or is it just huntability issues? I don't think there is an issue with hens not being bred.


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[Doewhacker]

14 minutes ago, Buckmaster7600 said:

Unless numbers get too high is there a problem with having too many hens? Or is it just huntability issues? I don't think there is an issue with hens not being bred.


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I don't feel there are any negative effects of "too many hens", it all can change in a year, wet spring and too much snow wiped birds out around my house. That and an increase of predation, Raccoons and Fisher mainly.

[Doewhacker]

I should add that killing hens will have a very small impact on over all numbers too, I just choose not too.

[turkeyfeathers]

Got to thinking about what would turkey numbers be like if trappers hit the fur like they used too. When I was in HS there were dozens of us who trapped. Setting for coon and fox you'd also catch a bunch of opossums. With fur prices down for years not too many still trap or hunt coons with dogs like they used too. Biggest demise for eggs and poults is predatation. How many nests get raided every spring? I imagine a lot. Even if just a few of these critters were trapped/hunted like they used to be I'm sure turkey numbers would be even higher. Granted I understand it's a food chain but just making an observation.