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Wild Turkey's/Chickens #7305893 07/14/21 02:22 PM 07/14/21 02:22 PM
Joined: Jan 2018 Posts: 4,573 MN D Donnersurvivor OP trapper
Donnersurvivor OP trapper D Joined: Jan 2018 Posts: 4,573 MN	I just had a random thought and I am probably wrong but could it be possible the decline of wild Turkeys has followed the popularity of backyard chickens? Could Chickens be a vector of disease that harms Turkeys and by having more contact between the species are we seeing less Wild Turkeys?

Re: Wild Turkey's/Chickens [Re: Donnersurvivor] #7305895 07/14/21 02:25 PM 07/14/21 02:25 PM
Joined: May 2009 Posts: 15,629 Champaign County, Ohio. K KeithC trapper
KeithC trapper K Joined: May 2009 Posts: 15,629 Champaign County, Ohio.	Chickens can carry a fair number of diseases that kill turkeys, blackhead probably being the worst. I am sure some tamer wild turkeys pick up diseases from domestic birds and pass them on to more wild, wild turkeys. Keith

Re: Wild Turkey's/Chickens [Re: Donnersurvivor] #7305897 07/14/21 02:27 PM 07/14/21 02:27 PM
Joined: Sep 2019 Posts: 254 IN B blankenship trapper
blankenship trapper B Joined: Sep 2019 Posts: 254 IN	In my area in blaming predation. I'm one of maybe 3 ppl I no that trap in my area. We are over run with nest eating predators. I set 2 trail cams this year over turkey nest I found while mushrooming. 1 was demolished by coons the other I seen a bobcat a fox and coon on it

Re: Wild Turkey's/Chickens [Re: blankenship] #7305901 07/14/21 02:32 PM 07/14/21 02:32 PM
Joined: Jan 2018 Posts: 4,573 MN D Donnersurvivor OP trapper
Donnersurvivor OP trapper D Joined: Jan 2018 Posts: 4,573 MN	Originally Posted by blankenship In my area in blaming predation. I'm one of maybe 3 ppl I no that trap in my area. We are over run with nest eating predators. I set 2 trail cams this year over turkey nest I found while mushrooming. 1 was demolished by coons the other I seen a bobcat a fox and coon on it No doubt predators make an impact but in my area almost no one traps, there is never a significant amount of predators taken, I think it is probably that way in many areas. Several members in another thread posted that even with an increase in trapping Turkey numbers went down.

Re: Wild Turkey's/Chickens [Re: Donnersurvivor] #7305907 07/14/21 02:38 PM 07/14/21 02:38 PM
Joined: Jan 2007 Posts: 25,593 Georgia warrior trapper
warrior trapper Joined: Jan 2007 Posts: 25,593 Georgia	That and commercial chicken litter might be bit players in the deal. I suspect the decline is more of a syndrome of many contributing factors that a single element event.

Re: Wild Turkey's/Chickens [Re: Donnersurvivor] #7305909 07/14/21 02:39 PM 07/14/21 02:39 PM
Joined: Oct 2009 Posts: 6,407 east central WI K k snow trapper
k snow trapper K Joined: Oct 2009 Posts: 6,407 east central WI	Reason 1-98: habitat Reason 99 and 100: weather and predation

Re: Wild Turkey's/Chickens [Re: Donnersurvivor] #7305923 07/14/21 02:58 PM 07/14/21 02:58 PM
Joined: Jan 2007 Posts: 2,686 S.E. Ohio M M.Magis trapper
M.Magis trapper M Joined: Jan 2007 Posts: 2,686 S.E. Ohio	I have no idea why some people keep parroting the "habitat" excuse. I guess maybe it's just easy or fuels their so called narrative. And it could certainly be a part of the problem in some areas. But in many or most, it has nothing to do with it. These decreases are in the exact same habitats that held plenty of birds just 10 years ago. Some of these places are right in the middle of tens of thousands of acres of public land. Public land that has selective logging and prescribed burning done every year. Places that are the very definition of ideal wild turkey habitat. I look out my windows and see hundreds of acres of perfect habitat. And I haven't seen a hen hatch a clutch of eggs for several years now. By late May they're getting back into their little hen flocks, not a poult in sight. Year after year.

Re: Wild Turkey's/Chickens [Re: Donnersurvivor] #7305946 07/14/21 03:24 PM 07/14/21 03:24 PM
Joined: Oct 2017 Posts: 645 Southern Indiana H Hoosier71 trapper
Hoosier71 trapper H Joined: Oct 2017 Posts: 645 Southern Indiana	It's not habitat here. The exact same fields and farms that I hunted in the 90's now hold far less birds. No change in use, no new houses, just less turkeys.

Re: Wild Turkey's/Chickens [Re: Donnersurvivor] #7305947 07/14/21 03:24 PM 07/14/21 03:24 PM
Joined: May 2009 Posts: 15,629 Champaign County, Ohio. K KeithC trapper
KeithC trapper K Joined: May 2009 Posts: 15,629 Champaign County, Ohio.	I believe birds of prey are the main cause for the decline of small game in the US in areas with good habitat. Hawks, falcons and owls easily take young pheasants, quail, turkeys, grouse, rabbits, squirrels, muskrats and other small, vulnerable game. There should be a legal harvest of all common birds of prey, like there is for other predators. Keith

Re: Wild Turkey's/Chickens [Re: Donnersurvivor] #7305975 07/14/21 03:55 PM 07/14/21 03:55 PM
Joined: Feb 2014 Posts: 13,132 Ky J jbyrd63 trapper
jbyrd63 trapper J Joined: Feb 2014 Posts: 13,132 Ky	Lot of rain right after the chicks hatch kills more than most things. Hypothermia . Biologist claim if it rains 2 days in a row within the first week of hatching 65% of the chicks die.

Re: Wild Turkey's/Chickens [Re: Donnersurvivor] #7305977 07/14/21 03:57 PM 07/14/21 03:57 PM
Joined: Feb 2014 Posts: 13,132 Ky J jbyrd63 trapper
jbyrd63 trapper J Joined: Feb 2014 Posts: 13,132 Ky	Covid is killing the turkeys!! NOT from the disease but because no one was working last season and EVERY turkey hunter I know filled all their tags !!

Re: Wild Turkey's/Chickens [Re: jbyrd63] #7306008 07/14/21 04:30 PM 07/14/21 04:30 PM
Joined: Dec 2013 Posts: 14,861 Greene County,Virginia R run trapper
run trapper R Joined: Dec 2013 Posts: 14,861 Greene County,Virginia	Originally Posted by jbyrd63 Covid is killing the turkeys!! NOT from the disease but because no one was working last season and EVERY turkey hunter I know filled all their tags !! You got it. That's everyone's problem these days. wanna be goat farmer.

Re: Wild Turkey's/Chickens [Re: M.Magis] #7306026 07/14/21 04:55 PM 07/14/21 04:55 PM
Joined: Oct 2009 Posts: 6,407 east central WI K k snow trapper
k snow trapper K Joined: Oct 2009 Posts: 6,407 east central WI	Originally Posted by M.Magis I have no idea why some people keep parroting the "habitat" excuse. I guess maybe it's just easy or fuels their so called narrative. And it could certainly be a part of the problem in some areas. But in many or most, it has nothing to do with it. These decreases are in the exact same habitats that held plenty of birds just 10 years ago. Some of these places are right in the middle of tens of thousands of acres of public land. Public land that has selective logging and prescribed burning done every year. Places that are the very definition of ideal wild turkey habitat. I look out my windows and see hundreds of acres of perfect habitat. And I haven't seen a hen hatch a clutch of eggs for several years now. By late May they're getting back into their little hen flocks, not a poult in sight. Year after year. So what do you believe is causing it in your area?

Re: Wild Turkey's/Chickens [Re: Donnersurvivor] #7306031 07/14/21 05:06 PM 07/14/21 05:06 PM
Joined: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,165 Pa. B Bigbrownie trapper
Bigbrownie trapper B Joined: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,165 Pa.	Here is Pa, it seems like wet springs are blamed. The PGC is also looking at West Nile Virus, which they blame on the grouse number crash.

Re: Wild Turkey's/Chickens [Re: Bigbrownie] #7306161 07/14/21 07:47 PM 07/14/21 07:47 PM
Joined: Jan 2018 Posts: 4,573 MN D Donnersurvivor OP trapper
Donnersurvivor OP trapper D Joined: Jan 2018 Posts: 4,573 MN	Originally Posted by Bigbrownie Here is Pa, it seems like wet springs are blamed. The PGC is also looking at West Nile Virus, which they blame on the grouse number crash. I think we are going to find many populations such as Turkey are hinging more on disease than Habitat.

Re: Wild Turkey's/Chickens [Re: Donnersurvivor] #7306167 07/14/21 07:54 PM 07/14/21 07:54 PM
Joined: Jan 2020 Posts: 4,946 Aliceville, Kansas 43 Yukon John trapper
Yukon John trapper Joined: Jan 2020 Posts: 4,946 Aliceville, Kansas 43	I also just had a thought...round here there are more, and more farmers trucking in, and broadcasting chicken manure on their farm ground. Idk if it could be a factor, but would be interesting to know for sure. Act like a blank, get treated like a blank. Insert your own blank!

Re: Wild Turkey's/Chickens [Re: Donnersurvivor] #7306176 07/14/21 08:07 PM 07/14/21 08:07 PM
Joined: Jan 2007 Posts: 25,593 Georgia warrior trapper
warrior trapper Joined: Jan 2007 Posts: 25,593 Georgia	I'm wondering if it might be something like what we're dealing with in beekeeping. In the last thirty years we've imported two different mites, one of which isn't even a natural parasite of our bees, a parasite beetle, over a dozen different viruses some which are natural to our bees and ordinarily harmless some that aren't. The mite by itself is a nuisance but is now vectoring viruses that have become pathogenic. Not just one thing but several and each by itself merely an annoyance but in combination effects a synergistic contagion.

Re: Wild Turkey's/Chickens [Re: Donnersurvivor] #7306243 07/14/21 09:19 PM 07/14/21 09:19 PM
Joined: Dec 2010 Posts: 34,872 Central, SD Law Dog trapper
Law Dog trapper Joined: Dec 2010 Posts: 34,872 Central, SD	Look around lots of slash and burn going on in places in the Midwest at least. Was born in a Big City Will die in the Country OK with that! Jerry Herbst

Re: Wild Turkey's/Chickens [Re: Donnersurvivor] #7306314 07/14/21 10:18 PM 07/14/21 10:18 PM
Joined: Aug 2008 Posts: 5,538 fayette,al. G grisseldog trapper
grisseldog trapper G Joined: Aug 2008 Posts: 5,538 fayette,al.	When I moved to this house in 1990, I had Wild turkeys walk thru the yard on a regular basis I wud go out early in the mornings headed to work 3 am-5 am and wud hear toms gobble The biggest change here is packs of coyotes, in the dirt road going by my house Iv seen bobcat ,Fox,coyote, possum,coon tracks. Havnt saw or heard a turkey here, in at least 15 years. So my guess, the predators have thinned them out

Re: Wild Turkey's/Chickens [Re: Donnersurvivor] #7306425 07/15/21 06:11 AM 07/15/21 06:11 AM
Joined: Dec 2010 Posts: 717 Georgia sportsman94 trapper
sportsman94 trapper Joined: Dec 2010 Posts: 717 Georgia	Grant Woods of growing deer tv has a theory that the use of neonicotoids being used as seed coatings could play a factor in agricultural areas. He has a video on it that was put out about a week ago. From what I saw those came on the scene in the 90s. I am on the boat that it is a perfect storm of many different issues compounding to drive the population down. Disease, habitat, weather, predators, etc. All we can do is control the parts we can control and hope solutions are found before it’s too late

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