By far the majority of comprehensive turkey and bobwhite quail research shows the DIRECT cause for he decline in both species is lack of nest success (nest destroyed) and low poult/chick survival. By far, the more recent research has found he direct cause is predation. The neonicotinoid seed theory doesnt hold water in areas where there are millions of contiguous acres with no agricultural plantings. There may be pesticide usage in those areas that contribute indirectly. However, it is not neonicotinoids that are destroying the nest

Florida has historically had very high feral hog populations and great turkey numbers, especially central and south Florida...lived in palm-oak hammock/pasture habitat together for decades....still do.

Florida outlawed the use of steel traps in 1973. So, I assume predator control took a hit then.

Turkey populations are still great down there. But, north Florida (which is similar habitat as here) is experiencing decreasing numbers.

What I don't understand is what happened here in Georgia about 2000 to 2005?

And it is still occurring...whatever it is.

SW Sheboygan county, can't say the same thing. There are birds, but nowhere near the numbers there were 10-15 years ago.

I've read some recent info that pockets in the upper midwest and New England that still have good numbers are beginning to show signs of declining numbers.

Texas has been covered up with turkeys and hogs for years, but even tx is starting to see a turkey decline.

I’ve been noticing coyotes stalking the roost trees waiting for fly down in several places, hens still roosting with the gobblers in the Black Hills just a few days ago you would think they should be on the nests. The harvest is down but the numbers seem solid here some places are loaded with birds.

Pheasant numbers are way down , Hungarian partridge about gone still seeing sharp tails.

A couple of interesting articles on this same debate on another turkey hunting forum.

Swamp, particularly interested in your thoughts on the harvest numbers before and after check in was required. Also, what was the timeline for voluntary and mandatory check in in GA on public and private land? And was kill data collected on WMAs before check in was required on private land?

https://gradynewsource.uga.edu/the-fading-gobble-of-georgias-wild-turkey/

https://georgiawildlife.com/sites/d...y%20Harvest%20Annual%20Report%202023.pdf

Can vision a new best seller by Greta Carson called Silent Spring that says global warming and Round Up responsible for thin shells on turkey eggs.

X2....Ive never been too excited about hunting them. Thankfully, my son has started hunting them because there are simply too many in our area. Nothing chaps me more that having a group of turkeys fly up to their roost at witching hour during the rut. If that isnt bad enough, they then spend the next 10 minutes jumping from branch to branch making a racket the whole time.
I wish they were on a bit more of a decline in my neighborhood

I got more quail and rabbits around this year but less
Turkeys..

Having your favorite mushroom patch turned upside down is a disappointment.

In notill soybeans they will turn up new seedlings while looking for bugs which is a good thing just bad timing. We still have them easy over 100 droves. And of course the deer love to pasture beans as they are coming thru the ground and the deers belong to the state but if one hits you on the road its not the states but yours.

I believe predators have a large effect on tukey. And there may be chemical effects from agriculture as well.
However, many years ago I read an over 400 page book titled "The Wild Turkey Biology and Management" by James. G. Dickson.
I learned more to hunt turkeys from that book and it wasn't about hunting.
In one chapter it covered the effects of frequent spring rains and cool/cold weather on poult survival. Lots of rain and cool to cold temps on poults during their first 2 weeks of life causes high mortality.
When poults are born they only have downy feathers and cannot fly. Also these downy feathers offer no protection from getting wet and cold and dying of hypothermia. When it rains the hen protects the poults from becoming wet by spreading her wings over them. However after the first week the poults have grown so fast that she can no longer protect but a couple of the poults as they have become to big for her to offer shelter to. Basically lots of rain during the time when poults are hatching is very bad for poult survival. After 2 weeks the downy feathers are replaced and they are not bothered by rain and can roost in trees. All is takes is several 2-3 days of rain and colder temps scattered throughout that time of poults hatching and you have a poult crash.
Since reading that over 30 years ago I monitored the rains during the time poults are hatching. In years of dry warm springs there was a dramatic increase of poult survival that year. Years with lots of rain there were few poults.
It's not cold temps, but rain and cold temps.
Where I live now there are very few turkeys in these mountains. In fact in the last 8 years directly behind my house I had no huntable turkey population. All mature forest and no openings or agriculture. I traveled 30+ miles to hunt them. Until the springs of 2022 and 2023 brought dry warm weather. My population exploded and for the first time I killed turkeys behind my house.
In that same book it covers a year in which a warm dry spring resulted in over a 300% increase in poult survival that year.

Kyle I have hunted 5 miles north of Plymouth the last decade or a bit more. I have been fortunate to get 7 Toms from my son-in-laws 35 acres of mixe woods and crops. Turkey numbers are good but there are higher numbers closer to my home in south central Manitwoc County that I don't hav permissions for. As to gobbles. The last 4 toms I have shot including this year never gobbled once. I don't know how many turkeys there are as I typically have my bird by the 3rd day. Two years ago it took until the last day. I always take the season that includes the last days of April and first days of May that can be 2nd or 3rd season depending on how the calendar fits. Around us this winter I feel I saw fewer flocks but larger groups. Lots of 30-60 size flocks. I don't know if that is a weather or habitat thing or not.

Bryce

It was a SWAG (scientific wild a** guess) how many gobblers were harvested each spring prior to mandatory game check here in Georgia. The totals were higher than what was actually occurring.

Today, it is my opinion that we are only getting about 75% of the total gobblers harvested game checked.....may be even lower than 75% with today's attitude of a lot of hunters.

As for timeline...are you asking if game check was required for public before it was for private? If so that is no. Started same year, but most public lands required sign in/out and voluntary info on any bird taken prior to game check being implemented. It was not accurate and was strictly an honor system thing. About like game check now...lol....even though it is a law now.

Game check started here in 2016 (I think). Many years of the WMA harvest data on the georgiawildlife.com link was compiled b4 legal game check.

Iowa just had a record harvest of turkeys, over 16,000. There were birds killed in every county. We have mandatory reporting, over the phone or computer so it should be fairly accurate.

I've noticed a decline in the Ozarks since around 2005.

Ours are cycling back up saw a hen in a bean field Saturday had 13 with her could have been another hen but not that I saw

I have no doubt that insecticides and herbicides have an effect on the bird population.
Also hunt clubs that turn loose medicated birds, that carry a disease that will kill wild birds.

Meanwhile Iowa and Minnesota have had a record harvest year here in 2024 (so far). They are everywhere around here. Becoming pests where the USDA is now shooting them due to complaints.

I counted an even 100 in my field a couple years ago. I had 23 of them under my deer stand every day last deer season.

I'm sure we are using the same seed corn/beans and have plenty of coyotes and coon running around so I'm not sure, either. No hogs here, though....yet.