Turkeys and Bobcats

[Ghost]

I have been in contact with Todd Gosselink who is our Forest Wildlife Research Biologist that is conducting the Bobcat study across Southern Iowa. I shared some of the cat photos with him and told him I thought turkey numbers were down in my area.

Thought you might be interested in his reply:

Kent, Those are some great photos. Thanks for sharing. I doubt if bobcats will ever considerably affect turkey numbers. They eat them, but the area a bobcat uses (25 sq mi for females, 50 sq miles for males), would not even begin to reduce turkey numbers in that large of an area. This past Spring was a poor poult reproduction year for turkeys (down 10% this year). Likely you are seeing the effects of the weather more than predators. Also, turkeys tend to rotate throughout the landscape based on food availability.

Todd

 

[blake]

I will be attending a DNR meeting at 2:00 p.m. here in Clarinda on Saturday 01-22-05 on the Bobcat status here in Iowa. Hopefullu I will have more information to share with everyone after the meeting.

 

[Daver]

I am unsure about the effects of bobcats on turkey nesting success, but apart from that I believe I had a phenomenal turkey hatch on my farm. Although I have not personally seen a bobcat on my farm, I know they are "in the area" as I have talked to others that have seen them and seen pictures taken by someone about a mile away.

Although I cannot say for sure, I attribute the "extra" turkey nesting success to the fact that I have created so far about 75 brushpiles all over my farm. I purposed to build them to give wildlife more habitat and it appears to me to be working. I did find a nest that had been destroyed, apparently by a furbearer of some sort, last year that was under one of the brushpiles. I also found a nest that appeared to be a successful hatch under a deliberately constructed brushpile too. At any rate, it appears to me that the hens found them and used them and I know from personal observations last fall that I have two or three separate broods that I saw almost every time I was there, probably about 100 turkeys in all. They are very nomadic, especially in the winter, but I can't help but think the many brushpiles helped.