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Turkey Population

fastfreddy

fastfreddy

Member
Has anyone else noticed the decline in the Turkey population over the past 4-5 years? We used to have numerous birds gobbling in the same section we hunt and could hear just as many in the surrounding sections on a calm morning. Seems like every year there just gets to be less and less birds. This year it is down to 1 bird gobbling from the same tree on 3 different hunts but I zig and he zags every time. Should just stay in the place. Anyone else seeing declining numbers?

FF
 
Absolutely! In the area of the state that I hunt, I think the turk population is now climbing just a bit after bottoming out about 2 years ago. Going back 7 or 8 years though, there were turks everywhere it seemed. About 5 years ago things changed pretty quickly for the worse over about a 3 year period.

IMO two primary things happened...1. We had several consecutive very wet and cold springs, which hurt nesting success quite a little bit. 2. The bobcat population took off in our area too.

I feel your pain though, areas that used to be good are just fair or even poor now and where you could easily hear 6-10, or even more, birds gobbling in the AM...now just 1-3, and sometimes zippo!

A few years back...a drive into town was worth seeing at least a dozen birds out and about, and sometimes many more. Now that same drive is more likely 1 or 2 birds spotted, often zero.

I think if the rains don't hurt the nesting success then the population will continue to inch back up, but IMO, the presence of bobcats will cause there to be fewer birds around than the "good ol' days".
 
In my area (somewhat SE Iowa) it seems like there are lots of hens and fewer number of toms/jakes. I saw 4 bobcats during one sit in November so I know they are/will put the hurt on the turkey population.
 
Daver said:
IMO, the presence of bobcats will cause there to be fewer birds around than the "good ol' days".
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I'd love to see the bobcat quota of 1 per trapper gone so we could actually control them a little better. There are so many of those things around. More than people realize. It seems we never see them... until we set traps. Then they come out of the wood work! They're a very cool animal and one heck of a hunter/predator.
 
What Daver said X2.
I quit hunting turkey a couple years ago, not because the low population increased the challenge, I don't want to be the guy that kills the last tom in the area!
 
I'm actually seeing more toms in different areas, they're expanding in my area. Then again, I'm the only person that hunts them in my area.
 
Turkey season used to be cake. I'd be done two birds generally first mornings out. Now it's getting tougher. Some farms used to hold 12 birds easy now have one or two.
 
The farms i hunt in Van Buren Co took a huge nose dive in turkey numbers about 8 years ago and have never rebounded. To me it seems we had two consecutive winters with heavy freezing rain/ice accumulation when numbers started going down. I found dead turkeys under roosting trees while shed hunting, presumably from the freezing rain or just not being able to scratch for food through the ice. I also noticed quite a few kills from either bobcats or coyotes. Then the cold and wet springs were the nail in the coffin. I used to get out of the truck in the morning and hear 10-15 toms. Now it's 1-3.
 
Come to think of it, the turkeys are probably just getting eaten by all the mountain lions the dnr are putting collars on and releasing. ;-)
 
Last year was a good hatch. Several jakes this year. For sure decline the last three years before. Bad hatch do to wet and cold. DNR is going to do a study on the decline from SE Iowa to St. Louis. That is in Illinois. One of their guesses was from the buffalo gnats killing chicks. We didn't use to have them.
 
Deer Nut said:
The farms i hunt in Van Buren Co took a huge nose dive in turkey numbers about 8 years ago and have never rebounded. To me it seems we had two consecutive winters with heavy freezing rain/ice accumulation when numbers started going down. I found dead turkeys under roosting trees while shed hunting, presumably from the freezing rain or just not being able to scratch for food through the ice. I also noticed quite a few kills from either bobcats or coyotes. Then the cold and wet springs were the nail in the coffin. I used to get out of the truck in the morning and hear 10-15 toms. Now it's 1-3.
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About 4-5 years ago now, we saw exactly the same thing...as did multiple neighbors. It was not uncommon to find 3 or 4 dead adults in a given day there for a couple of years. We attributed these findings due primarily to bobcats...as we could not figure what else would be killing adult birds in any number. We also found dead adult carcasses at various times throughout the spring and summer, something that I had rarely, if ever, seen in the previous 30'ish years in the turkey timbers.

Generally speaking, what town are you closest too? I am describing the Douds/Eldon/Selma area in my observations.
 
Couple years ago turkeys were popping up everywhere around here. I've noticed fewer this spring. Think the wet spring & wet early summer had a lot to do w/ it.
 
This is not my picture. A guy on archerytalk got it a few years ago. I believe it is part of the problem. I had a bobcat come stalking in one day in southern, IA that was bee lining for 3 gobbling birds. They were 40 yards behind me and he was going straight to them until it saw my decoys. It then stalked them but I intentionally spooked him hoping not to spook the gobblers. It didn't work.

982-bobcat_turkey.jpg
 
Bird numbers down damn near 75% in my hunting spot just from last year. Land owner found a random limbhanger laying dead by his grain bin a few weeks ago... dont know if that avian flu is affecting anything or not. Worst turkey population ive seen in 20 yrs so far..
 
I turkey hunt both Iowa and Northeast Missouri. About 5 years ago here at home we had a 2 year decline making three years ago horrible. On that third year though we had a really good turkey hatch producing alot of jakes two years ago but still not many toms. That year we also had a really good hatch. Last year we had a lot of two year gobblers to chase, and this year even better. Tonight while roosting turkeys I saw close to 25 gobblers on our section along with 25-40 jakes. This year while shed hunting in February we had two winter groups of over 60 turkeys each. I'm not sure what changed other than four years ago I did alot of trapping and took out 50 some coons and a hand full of oppusoms from our section. I haven't trapped the last two years but someone moved in and started trapping the ditches around the farm so hopefully that's helping.

Now in Missouri about 7 years ago the hunting was absolutely horrible that we almost quit going down. We worked on fence lines by cutting down trees and making a lot of small brush piles for better nesting. We also brought in a really good trapper that lives in the area and in one year he caught 9 bobcats off our farms, caught a lot of coons and started running dogs for coons. He's been on our farms for 5 years now and our turkey population couldn't be better.

If's there's anything I could say about the success we've had is that trapping may not pay the bills but it sure helps the turkey population more than you think. Like others said, I'd love to see Iowa drop the quota we have on bobcats. I absolutely don't want them here for any reason.
 
Don't know where you're all hunting but in sc central Iowa things are on the up rise I counted close to 25 toms on 300 acres popping off this morning counted over 35 jakes throughout today's scouting session. Future looks promising. Nobody mentions it but how does the avian flu affect wild bird populations? Just a question mind you. It has to affect it to some degree song with predators and nest robbers
 
Daver said:
About 4-5 years ago now, we saw exactly the same thing...as did multiple neighbors. It was not uncommon to find 3 or 4 dead adults in a given day there for a couple of years. We attributed these findings due primarily to bobcats...as we could not figure what else would be killing adult birds in any number. We also found dead adult carcasses at various times throughout the spring and summer, something that I had rarely, if ever, seen in the previous 30'ish years in the turkey timbers.

Generally speaking, what town are you closest too? I am describing the Douds/Eldon/Selma area in my observations.
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I hunt in the Hillsboro, Salem and Stockport area.
 
DoneRight said:
Don't know where you're all hunting but in sc central Iowa things are on the up rise I counted close to 25 toms on 300 acres popping off this morning counted over 35 jakes throughout today's scouting session. Future looks promising. Nobody mentions it but how does the avian flu affect wild bird populations? Just a question mind you. It has to affect it to some degree song with predators and nest robbers
Click to expand...

Currently H5N2 does not affect wild birds, at least this strain. They can carry it, but not contract it. Once temperatures hit 70 degrees we won't see anymore spreading of the H5N2. I raise pure bred poultry and am worried sick about it. I check my birds 4 times a day, I know breeders around here that are spreading their birds out into different states and still hoping it won't get into the backyard flocks until it hits 70 degrees. Many poultry shows (that I was signed up for) here in Iowa have been cancelled due to it.
 
It is probably the opposit on a few properties I bow hunt- birds around like crazy! Haven't been able to get out once yet to hunt - but may try one morning next week More turkeys on cameras than deer in Madison and ringgold for me
 
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