A state biologist for the region told me years ago that the worst was racoons. That was some years back before the bobcats got so thick. Doesn't really matter. If you want to hunt game animals and game birds you need to be actively involved in predator control or enable somebody that can
I've killed a lot of coyotes over the years spring gobbler hunting, got 2 coyotes this spring, I hunt a big farm in Braxton County West Virginia that I get both gobblers and coyotes there usually every year
At one time, it was coons that were the main problem here. Just guessing, I'd say it's the bobcats now since sighting is way more frequent. Either way, hunters need to be involved with predator control
One year there was a bob kitty around the farm seen it a few times and there was turkey feathers every place you looked last time i seen that cat he was never sen again and the next year the turkey fearhers werent laying every place
My dog wants to be, he is pissed at the two hens that have turned his yard into their turkey highway, lol. My area is loaded with every kind of predator North America has and turkeys are absolutely thick here, I guess its abundant food because the predators sure are not making a dent in the population.
In the live free or die state where I live, we have found that raccoons go in cycles. When their numbers are in the up cycles domestic chickens are attacked and eaten, and turkey eggs are eaten alot and drastically limit the number of turkey chick's that are born in early summer. The When the racoon numbers reach a high enough limit, nature takes over, the raccoons come down with rabies and die out, then the cycle starts all over again. For years there's lots of turkeys.
In Wisconsin its raccoon. Opossum. But fisher showed up with bobcats and a couple brutal winters and our bird population fell drastically. They coming back a little now but they need luck to get back to sustainable Numbers. Dnr could not care less. Scumbags.
I used to have flock's of turkeys all the time on my property , now they're pretty much gone . I saw two areas of feathers torn from them . Don't know what is killing them . Would domestic cats dare attack turkeys or would racoons?
@@bruceb5481 I have acres but the feathers were in two small areas . I didn't think a cat could do that . Any ideas what could ? I have had no signs of coyotes or Bob cats , did have some red fox but something scared them off ! Alot of hawks ,a few Eagles and vaulchers.
I despise wild turkeys. They decimated the quail population on a half section of farm I hunted for years when their population exploded on it. They find a newly hatched nest and gulp those baby quail down like grasshoppers. And the amount of money my state wants for a tag is ridiculous. I hunt a different piece of ground now. Just me on 60 acres. Woods, soybeans and pasture. Very few quail. Very few. Turkeys galore.
Adult mortality has little effect on overall population compared to nesting success and poult survivability.
Exactly
A state biologist for the region
told me years ago that the worst was racoons. That was
some years back before the
bobcats got so thick.
Doesn't really matter.
If you want to hunt game animals and game birds you
need to be actively involved
in predator control or enable
somebody that can
People used to make some extra money trapping the predators for their pelts. Now almost no one does since prices are so low.
“A turkeys hearing works in conjunction with its eyes to detect danger” WOW,who would have ever imagined that. This guy needs a raise
I've killed a lot of coyotes over the years spring gobbler hunting, got 2 coyotes this spring, I hunt a big farm in Braxton County West Virginia that I get both gobblers and coyotes there usually every year
It seems since the bobcats came the turkeys diminished. We used to have turkeys in the yard year round and haven't had any for quit a few years now.
At one time, it was coons that were the main problem here.
Just guessing, I'd say it's the
bobcats now since sighting
is way more frequent.
Either way, hunters need to
be involved with predator control
In Texas, fire ants.
One year there was a bob kitty around the farm seen it a few times and there was turkey feathers every place you looked last time i seen that cat he was never sen again and the next year the turkey fearhers werent laying every place
My dog wants to be, he is pissed at the two hens that have turned his yard into their turkey highway, lol. My area is loaded with every kind of predator North America has and turkeys are absolutely thick here, I guess its abundant food because the predators sure are not making a dent in the population.
Last fall I watched a young black bear chase a flock of turkeys out of a meadow. He almost got one but they got away.
In the live free or die state where I live, we have found that raccoons go in cycles. When their numbers are in the up cycles domestic chickens are attacked and eaten, and turkey eggs are eaten alot and drastically limit the number of turkey chick's that are born in early summer. The When the racoon numbers reach a high enough limit, nature takes over, the raccoons come down with rabies and die out, then the cycle starts all over again. For years there's lots of turkeys.
In WY winters killed them, they would get going and a bad winter would decimate them.
In Wisconsin its raccoon. Opossum. But fisher showed up with bobcats and a couple brutal winters and our bird population fell drastically. They coming back a little now but they need luck to get back to sustainable Numbers. Dnr could not care less. Scumbags.
Racoons at night also.
I used to have flock's of turkeys all the time on my property , now they're pretty much gone . I saw two areas of feathers torn from them . Don't know what is killing them . Would domestic cats dare attack turkeys or would racoons?
Not likely. You'd need a lot of kitty's to create acres of feathers. Plus an adult turkey can easily defend itself against a cat dumb enough to try.
@@bruceb5481 I have acres but the feathers were in two small areas . I didn't think a cat could do that . Any ideas what could ? I have had no signs of coyotes or Bob cats , did have some red fox but something scared them off ! Alot of hawks ,a few Eagles and vaulchers.
I despise wild turkeys. They decimated the quail population on a half section of farm I hunted for years when their population exploded on it. They find a newly hatched nest and gulp those baby quail down like grasshoppers.
And the amount of money my state wants for a tag is ridiculous. I hunt a different piece of ground now. Just me on 60 acres. Woods, soybeans and pasture. Very few quail. Very few.
Turkeys galore.
More likely bad quail habitat, like most farmland nowadays.
Humans