Meeting in Orangeburg Tuesday

[JimmyD714]

You probably know more people that ODed than you’ve killed turkeys..

Like 7?

Haha you've asked that a few times and it's killing you that you don't know.

Your guess is low, that's all you get.

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[2thDoc]

I bet you lose.

[Calibogue]

This is copied from Chamberlain's "Turkey Tuesday" today.....
It really is hard to refute this kind of data.
And keep in mind, Mike is as ardent a hunter as anyone on this site.... He's not just another research biologist, he's one of us.

As a Certified Wildlife Biologist, Low Country Landowner, land manager, Gamekeeper, and conservationist, I'm 100% behind moving our season back to better align with breeding biology.
It's not rocket science....

This Turkey Tuesday is about that saying “what a difference a day makes” – in this case, what a difference 6 days make. Wild turkeys ramp up breeding activities each spring, and research has shown that in all but the most unusual years, the timing of breeding activity is consistent from one year to the next. But ongoing research is showing that within a given nesting season, when a hen initiates her nest matters – in other words, the day she starts laying eggs is important. What this looks like is shown in the 2nd and 3rd images, which show data from ~1000 nests monitored using GPS-marked hens across the southeast. The 2nd image shows a graph of failed nests relative to when laying began – the median being April 14. The 3rd image shows a graph of successful nests – the median being April 8. Why would a week matter? Well, for one, earlier nests are often initiated by dominant hens who breed first, and those hens are logically more fit than other hens. Two, for hens to be able to initiate nests early in the breeding season, they must be in good condition and have adequate fat reserves to withstand the rigors of nest incubation. Three, in populations where hunting seasons open at times that correspond with the onset of laying and nesting, hens who breed early and start laying have access to more toms than hens who breed later, after some males have been removed. Research on many species has shown that having access to more breeding males can be important to the productivity of the population in general. Collectively, these points are one reason why agencies make tweaks to the timing of hunting seasons, to ensure that when males are removed is timed appropriately for when laying or incubation are occurring. The take home is, timing matters in the turkey world, being able to breed and begin laying eggs a week earlier than not influences whether those eggs will hatch and contribute to our populations. Photo of wild turkeys by Stephen Spurlock.

[Catdaddy]

Like I said the other day. After the restockings, the populations boomed. We have the same predators today we had back then. The main thing that has changed is human pressure at the wrong times. I remember canceling mowing clover plots after seeing hens with 5-10 old poults in them.

Today we have better habitat. Food plots and bugging areas are even more common now as wildlife managers have learned and adjusted.
I personally gathered all the signatures for two different restocking projects in Lee County.

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[Calibogue]

We have the same predators yes, but far more of them today than three decades ago.
We do have better habitat where it is managed but less of it due to development and the clearcutting of river bottoms.

[2thDoc]

and now the standard is NOT to mow clover plots, anyway.
Science is fluid.

my point I was trying to subtly make so as not to ruffle feathers was that coyote trapping is not the answer.....(at least for now)

[turbo]

and now the standard is NOT to mow clover plots, anyway.
Science is fluid.

my point I was trying to subtly make so as not to ruffle feathers was that coyote trapping is not the answer.....(at least for now)

My point on the coyote/predator front is this: It can't hurt.

[TheVisorGuy]

Buddy of mine up near Raleigh sent me this picture today. Pretty strong hatch
Image-1.jpeg

[joshua2]

Way better than what I've seen around here VG.
I did see something that has me perplexed the other day. 1 full grown hen with 4 poults. The perplexing part was 1 of the poults was nowhere near big enough to be full grown but was 2-3 times bigger than the other 3. I'm talking the other 3 were slightly bigger than fist size and the 1 looked like the ones in the pic above.
Multiple clutches or just a straggler that took up with the grown hen? I didn't see another turkey anywhere near these as they were standing in the middle of the road.

[aquaman]

So if these changes are so drastically needed why isn’t DNR pushing these to be implemented for the 2024 season. Turkey dates for 2024 are listed in the new regulations brochure. Another year on the downslope won’t help. Duck Tape?

[JimmyD714]

So if these changes are so drastically needed why isn’t DNR pushing these to be implemented for the 2024 season. Turkey dates for 2024 are listed in the new regulations brochure. Another year on the downslope won’t help. Duck Tape?

I believe because the next legislative session won't start until late this year. So if new regs are adopted as a result, changes couldn't take effect until 2025 season.

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[JBtflo]

Next legislative session won't start until January. The sausage making takes time and nothing will be done before the 2024 season starts.

[Duckman#1]

Like I said the other day. After the restockings, the populations boomed. We have the same predators today we had back then. The main thing that has changed is human pressure at the wrong times. I remember canceling mowing clover plots after seeing hens with 5-10 old poults in them.

Today we have better habitat. Food plots and bugging areas are even more common now as wildlife managers have learned and adjusted.
I personally gathered all the signatures for two different restocking projects in Lee County.

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Same predators and more of them. Most land isn’t managed and to be honest most tracts of timber are going down hill. Less burning and every time an oak tree is blow down by a storm a none mast producing tree, mainly sweet gum is replacing it. Small change with long term effects