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TPWD turkey study... #9176010 01/24/25 11:45 PM
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Creekrunner Online Content OP
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at the ranch. Capture this morning. 'Tracking travel and diseases. Banded and blood samples.

A little nervous in the box.
[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

They even let an old bird help! (My apologies for the "plethora" of camo. It was 15 degrees before the sun came up! I've even got camo fleece jammies on underneath. blush)
[Linked Image]

Adiós gallina.
[Linked Image]


18 birds trapped and banded. (I asked them if they could take some with them. They declined. frown )

Many thanks to TPWD staff!


...and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Gen. 1:28
Re: TPWD turkey study... [Re: Creekrunner] #9176015 01/24/25 11:57 PM
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Outstanding job!


Distance is not the issue, but the winds can make it interesting!
Re: TPWD turkey study... [Re: Creekrunner] #9176019 01/25/25 12:04 AM
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ntxtrapper Online Content
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They netted hundreds, maybe a thousand of them from a lease I was on because they didn’t think they could figure out a way to not drown when Lake Ivie was being built. They traded them to Hawaii for some worthless tropical fish. I was not impressed with their decision making. You can now go hunt Texas turkeys in Hawaii for whatever that’s worth.

Re: TPWD turkey study... [Re: Creekrunner] #9176023 01/25/25 12:16 AM
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Good stuff!

Re: TPWD turkey study... [Re: Creekrunner] #9176031 01/25/25 12:35 AM
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Stompy Online Content
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Turkey's around here have slowly been disappearing over the last 25 years. I don't have a huntable population anymore. They seem to be going the way of the Quail around here.


www.jaranchhunting.com
Cabin Rentals on the ranch for Hubbard Creek Lake
Re: TPWD turkey study... [Re: Stompy] #9176039 01/25/25 12:43 AM
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Originally Posted by Stompy
Turkey's around here have slowly been disappearing over the last 25 years. I don't have a huntable population anymore. They seem to be going the way of the Quail around here.


I had that here too. After aggressively trapping coons they have bounced back well.

Re: TPWD turkey study... [Re: ntxtrapper] #9176098 01/25/25 02:34 AM
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Originally Posted by ntxtrapper
Originally Posted by Stompy
Turkey's around here have slowly been disappearing over the last 25 years. I don't have a huntable population anymore. They seem to be going the way of the Quail around here.


I had that here too. After aggressively trapping coons they have bounced back well.

I don't think coons are the problem, at least the main problem, here anyway. I was thinking hogs destroying nests.

Last edited by Stompy; 01/25/25 02:35 AM.

www.jaranchhunting.com
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Re: TPWD turkey study... [Re: Creekrunner] #9176120 01/25/25 02:58 AM
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Our place in Callahan county has declined in past 20 years, and that's when hogs moved in.

Re: TPWD turkey study... [Re: skinnerback] #9176125 01/25/25 03:00 AM
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Originally Posted by skinnerback
Good stuff!


[Linked Image] [Linked Image]
Re: TPWD turkey study... [Re: Stompy] #9176139 01/25/25 03:43 AM
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Originally Posted by Stompy
Originally Posted by ntxtrapper
Originally Posted by Stompy
Turkey's around here have slowly been disappearing over the last 25 years. I don't have a huntable population anymore. They seem to be going the way of the Quail around here.


I had that here too. After aggressively trapping coons they have bounced back well.

I don't think coons are the problem, at least the main problem, here anyway. I was thinking hogs destroying nests.


I have a ton of hogs and it doesn’t seem to affect the turkey population. The hens will start out with a lot of chicks and then they are lucky to have one or two make it. I see hawks get a lot of them during the day. The coons wear them out at night.

Re: TPWD turkey study... [Re: Creekrunner] #9176173 01/25/25 05:49 AM
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Trenton Offline
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What are y’all’s thoughts on fire ants detrimental impact on turkey populations in north tx?
I hunted Throckmorton in the late 90s through the early 2000s for 11 years and it was nothing to see 40 to 60 turkeys between a few flocks in one hunt in the fall. I then hunted Baylor County on a large ranch and certain areas of the ranch had turkeys year in and year out without fail. Both of those ranches had little to no, fire ants.
Three years on a new lease and Throckmorton currently and there are fire ants everywhere on this ranch across 2000+ acres and turkeys are pretty much nonexistent even though the habitat on this ranch and surrounding seems like it would be perfect. Don’t have an answer for my own question. Just curious because I would think we would be covered up with turkeys with the amount of feed we throw year round.

Re: TPWD turkey study... [Re: Trenton] #9176186 01/25/25 08:11 AM
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Originally Posted by Trenton
What are y’all’s thoughts on fire ants detrimental impact on turkey populations in north tx?
I hunted Throckmorton in the late 90s through the early 2000s for 11 years and it was nothing to see 40 to 60 turkeys between a few flocks in one hunt in the fall. I then hunted Baylor County on a large ranch and certain areas of the ranch had turkeys year in and year out without fail. Both of those ranches had little to no, fire ants.
Three years on a new lease and Throckmorton currently and there are fire ants everywhere on this ranch across 2000+ acres and turkeys are pretty much nonexistent even though the habitat on this ranch and surrounding seems like it would be perfect. Don’t have an answer for my own question. Just curious because I would think we would be covered up with turkeys with the amount of feed we throw year round.


I was living here when the fire ants showed up. Quail and meadow larks disappeared in two years. Turkeys didn’t appear to be affected. Zero development in the area during that time and the only change was the fire ants. The fur trade tanking has reduced the number of people trapping significantly. In turn the predators have increased.

Re: TPWD turkey study... [Re: Creekrunner] #9176252 01/25/25 02:24 PM
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Thanks for sharing. What an experience to see!

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