There’s a few……not overrun with them or anything. Maybe it was just coincidence but the most I’ve ever seen was in the following year after I made a major trapping effort taking out close to 40 coons and possums during nesting season. I forgot the exact number…. I trapped them all in one drainage over a 2 ½ month period in the spring. The following year there were two groups this size that hatched out in the same area.

See..if there is a source like that..and trapping made that much of a difference..imagine what large scale positive manipulation will do. Trapping is a tool..one more thing available to help…if everything your seein has been the same for 23 years..maybe something needs to change..stagnant mediocre habitat is just as bad as predators…not saying you have that..but to what extent can you make a difference..little?…big..? I dknt even have a source population to manage for..nor do i have the land or rescources..id make a difference if i could…and i think thats the problem..the ones who care..and would do..are powerless..accept for tools like trapping..its the only thing they can do..and they feel like it does more than it really does in the big picture..but like i said..do everything you can if it matters to you..because nothing is..nothing.

I say all this..im the least among you..i dont do anything..i have no right to comment really..or any formal educaton..i used to work for biologists..but im not one..so i pobly dont have a clue what im talkin about🤷🏻

I totally understand habitat is most important but when you can’t do anything to manipulate it you do what you can and so many experts act like it’s not really doing any good without the habitat management.

Man..it really helps in places..in some places they cant see a difference because there are other limiting factors at play. In my above posts, i said that doing what you can is much better than doing nothing at all..ive seen the pictures you post..your doin somethin right..maybe…the property you hunt falls under the category of land that really has decent habitat and you also attract alot of predators..you can create a buffet by having to little diversity..they touched on that..my point being..if what you got is good enough..predators may be a major limiting factor for your property..cnc too..your helping..absolutely..dont stop🤠…they are not saying it doesnt help..but in the grand scheme of wildlife management any one thing is not a cure all..unless that specific property is lacking in that one thing..you a smart dude..an a killin machine(i got eyes🤣)..you know all this.. dont think what your doing does not have merit..but theres more work to do..than just trapping…see my above posts tho for my understanding of the predicament we are all in when it comes to the control of, and what you are allowed to do on a property…i know..but it is what it is. Also..i know alot of biologists..and highly educated people in the wildlife management field..i aint one..an some will throw a paper or a study at you to prove or disprove something..and that is exactly where proof comes from when backing up an argument..or a first hand account..maybe..but thisbis something that they are looking into..have been looking into..and will continue to do so..you want answers..i do too..you wanna know every angle you can hit to make as many turkeys as possible..i wanna know why entire populations disappear for no good reason..that’s actually rare..especially with no obvious reason..but it happens..the area i grew up in went from 90 to nothinnin about 3 years..gone…just…gone…an i aint ever got a straight answer cause we cant find a way to stop disproportionately sampling data in the same dang places every time..an thats another thing to discuss..but im done for now🤠

I agree with ya carbon, gotta have em to help em but too many of em seem to wanna say trapping alone doesn’t do much but like I said before if that’s all you can do then they shouldn’t downgrade it like they do. I enjoy it and have no intent of stopping so whether it really makes much of a difference or not I’ll stick with it. It’s work but my youngins enjoy it too! Even get my wife to go from time to time

They dance around it some - but turkey populations in the south increased at times when habitat is similar, if not worse than it is today. I get the habitat is king argument. But let’s not turn a blind eye to what this bird has done before - and how resilient and adaptable they are.

The bottom line in all these studies and talk, is that you can't increase the population of the wild turkey if the hens aren't successfully hatching and raising a clutch. Nearly all the studies point back to nest failure!! There are numerous firsthand accounts from people all across the country that have experienced declining populations, with little to no change in habitat. Predator populations are an issue even if the educated folks will not fully get behind it. Nearly all the recent data shows failed nest due to predation. It doesn't take a rocket scientist in my personal opinion to see the writing on the wall.

I am of the belief if you help one single hen successfully hatch a clutch that's an increase in birds. If those birds go on to hatch a clutch that's more birds added to the population. I'm just a simple-minded country boy that has spent a night or two in a Holiday Inn Express over the years. I can tell you all, that question the efforts of trapping, is does make a difference even on a small scale!! If you have birds and want more birds you need to be aggressively trapping now and through nesting!! If you can manipulate your habitat to increase nesting in brooding habitat by all means you need to do that as well. If your hands are tied and are limited to what you can do, at a minimum you need to be trapping.

I feel like the scenario in this video is close to what many face across the country. If these two videos do not open your eyes to what is out there actively seeking out turkey eggs, nothing else will. If you haven't watched this video I highly recommend you do so. It opened my eyes and I doubled down on my efforts this year.

https://youtu.be/TsOryCueCuE

https://youtu.be/G8XzAzXJH9c

How about this. A wildlife biologist does a study - on wild turkey - and concludes that other wildlife needs to be killed to help wild turkey - knowing they are going to turn around and keep asking for research money. Anybody catching on?

Those guys at The Management Advantage don’t have a clue….. or so I’ve heard

Looks like all of that agriculture produces a mighty high coon density........Wonder if feeding tons of corn does the same thing??

If we're gonna inflate the coon population with corn.......Why not use some of the money to incentivize trapping in some form or fashion to help offset some of the impact??

Because Chucky lives on a One-Way street.

Howard if your comment was directed at me and I assume it was since you quoted my post. I think some of the work you guys do deserve credit, as noted above. Where we disagree is on our states DNR leadership. Chuck is and has been a miserable failure at leading our states game and fish department!! My opinion of him will not change until he proves otherwise.

Ok
But my comment was meant as a joke. Nothing more nothing less. I’ve never commented on any opinions regarding leadership at the DNR. - and never will.

If ize rich..id have a full time trapper on payroll..an wed try to eradicate every last furry thing that looks sideways at a turkey..an id make places to nest an raise a baby turkey…right now..im just to po..one day tho..when i get my next latest invention patond…its a genetic criket miltiplicator…garonteed..to make any sactuary great agin🇺🇸

……and that’s just it…….All of this stuff is so political and agenda driven from every angle that is doesn’t even make sense to try and approach the discussion from any true wildlife management perspective…….I mean, lets make videos and talk about how bad nest predators are on the turkey population but just conveniently avoid the fact that we passed baiting laws that are likely creating a boom of such………C’mon man. It’s like that with all of this stuff...deer and turkey. Its just lip service to even try and talk about actual wildlife management when the decisions are being made for other reasons.

Understood and thanks for the clarification

When I hear folks say or ask me if trapping is the answer or will it help with turkey and fawn recruitments, my answer is always it depends. The timing of the trapping for the goals you are trying to accomplish is the biggest determining factors. If they do it at the proper times it can be very beneficial. If they do it at the wrong times, then they just think they’re doing something positive.

Correct 👍 if they conclude that nest predation is the problem the funds stop . If we continue to beat around the bush (dominant gobbler theory , move season back , reduce limits ) then there is a continual cash flow for studies year after year .

They do studies and show nearly 100 nest failure and no hunting or human factor involved . Their conclusion is that moving season back for hunters is the answer . Maybe my simple mind doesn’t grasp how moving the season back (for humans) is going to stop coons from eating eggs