USDA Forest Service Burning Turkeys

[Strick9]

If anyone hasn't noticed the USDA Forest Service is actively burning again as they did last year in the months of April and May..

I understand the importance of control burns for timber management and wildlife but come on guys.. There were a ton of perfect burn days in January and Febuary in this area.

Having stumbled on 2 more burnt nests this year and 3 last year I stopped in yesterday and spoke with the Forest Service Burn Director, Paul Churchhill, and he told me without concern and to point that yes the USDA Forest Service is aware that they are burning Turkey Eggs, but that their biologist Danny Carlson says its not a big concern.

After this awakening I contacted Tom Huges at the NWTF in Edgefield, he is aware and also concerned not only with the timing of these burns but also the tract size..

Now maybe its just common sense to me not to reverse the good direction that proper management has insured for the Eastern Wild Turkey population but also that it is moronic to toss out the window the millions of dollars spent surrounding Wild Turkey management by burning their nests but as usual the Gubment ain't quite sure..

But rest assured the fines and penalties for poaching a Eastern Wild Turkey are the most severe in the books however the USDA Forest Service may burn them at will... Hmmmm...

If you are concerned contact Paul Churchhill email : PChurchill@FS.fed.us

[santee11]

That is a hard one. They have a lot of land to burn and a short window to do it all. They also need to be burning this time of year to make the burn count or have any real affect other than making the woods black. I would say the positive effect the burn will have on the turkey population in the long run far out weighs the negative affect it will have in the short run. Burning should be the Forest services highest priority.

[Quackhead22]

That is a hard one. They have a lot of land to burn and a short window to do it all. They also need to be burning this time of year to make the burn count or have any real affect other than making the woods black. I would say the positive effect the burn will have on the turkey population in the long run far out weighs the negative affect it will have in the short run. Burning should be the Forest services highest priority.

Exactly! I hate seeing burnt up eggs as much as anyone but I know that the long term affects are out weighing the immediate nest damage. Controlling the hardwoods and promoting the desired understory by late season burning does more for the woods as a whole...


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[Sportin' Woodies]

If you wanna kill big sweet gums you gotta burn em when they're green. Benefits to wildlife > the negatives. Now stop bitching.

[Slaya]

Roll it.

[Strick9]

As mentioned I understand the necessity for burning. However I am not on board with the necessity to burn during the nesting season and in especially in high Turkey population density areas during the nesting season and annually in areas that have a great understory, maybe every other year or so for those upon observation..

I think it has to do with a burn quoto so they burn what is easiest not necessarily what needs to be burnt.. BTW Sportin Wood, you may know this fact but as you mentioned controlled burns rarely kill a big sweet gum. Big Sweet gums are more effectively killed with the feet on the ground approach axe and needle in hand.. However the small ones are easily killed with an early march burn thus not effecting the nesting. I am sure there are those on here that have prescribed burnt more often and managed bigger tracts than I but very few.

[JABIII]

Reason number a billion that the Feds should own zero land outside of DC and military installations.

[Quercus Alba]

Glad to hear they are doing something more than putting a little stress on some hardwoods during the winter.

[Strick9]

Reason number a billion that the Feds should own zero land outside of DC and military installations.

A huge AMEN to that brother !!

[quackaddict]

Turkeys are low on the totem pole because numbers are so high. They're trying to control HW species. Small burn window. They're thoughts are long term benefits outweigh short term. If enough people speak up though and/or get NWTF involved, the FS has to listen.

[Zephyr]

I don't work with the state or the feds, but I work with some scientists who have been doing some herpetology research down there for the last two years. The FS actually tries to get started with the burning much earlier but fight weather-related things.

The research is very much facilitated by fresh burns, though our group has zero say-so nor do the area biologists seem to have much say-so on what is burned when. This year, every time they were slated to burn certain compartments in the research area, the damn wind would blow for days on end or it would rain forty days and forty nights.

We are always in the field there in May and never see a shortage of hens with age-appropriate poults. In fact, they are among the most common species we see.

[BigBrother]

We are always in the field there in May and never see a shortage of hens with age-appropriate poults. In fact, they are among the most common species we see.

Yet we bemoan no recent coo counts...

Herps counting snakes.

Herps seeing poults, but cant put a legitimate number on it because they arent Charles Ruth.

[Quackhead22]

We are always in the field there in May and never see a shortage of hens with age-appropriate poults. In fact, they are among the most common species we see.

This^^


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[CAMO SNOB]

I am going to start buring some of my uSFS WMA spots in January. Fuck the feral government in the asshole. Lets just burn the whole son of a bitch.... In Dec-Jan.

Last year I was on a hot bird and had to leave... Got there two days later and the place was toast.... Little fires still buring in the woods, I said fuck it... There is only 40,000 more acres to hunt but they sure as hell ain't trying to manage for turkeys

[Tater]

I am going to start buring some of my uSFS WMA spots in January. Fuck the feral government in the asshole. Lets just burn the whole son of a bitch.... In Dec-Jan.

Last year I was on a hot bird and had to leave... Got there two days later and the place was toast.... Little fires still buring in the woods, I said fuck it... There is only 40,000 more acres to hunt but they sure as hell ain't trying to manage for turkeys

That's better than having them drop flaming ping pong balls on your ass while you're set up, trust me.

[Tuffy]

I'll leave the burning topic to those that understand it better. I made my phone call; they talked to me. They are still burning.

The poults thing is interesting. To the extent that the poults are there in May and don't appear to be there in the later Summer, it would be nice to understand what happened. Post-nest predators? Coyotes? Disease? Maybe this magic research that we're going to have done will enlighten us on something about poult mortality.

[quackaddict]

[Tater]

[Gone South]

So... the turkeys are plentiful enough not to be affected by burning nests, but they wanted to cut us down to 3 tags next year?

[Calibogue]

The timing of the burn could have to do with a threatened or endangered plant.
Timing is everything but I don't know what possible species.
Ha, they'll be burning wiregrass in July!