Where did our turkeys go?

[DeplorableDan]

It seems that here in zone 48, all of our turkeys seem to have vanished. We've had many turkeys for years and in one year they're gone. Also in zone 27 there used to be hundreds of turkeys on our farm, and this year I saw about 20 of them one time. Is this indicative of a growing coyote problem? Disease? Where'd they go?

[GhostBear]

Bobcats, turkey can for the most part get away from coyotes and foxes, even nest raiders like coon, skunks and opossums, but the one predator that has a better than average chance at killing a turkey, is a bobcat, a turkey can out fly a fox or coyote, they can only jump so high and grab one with its mouth, but a bobcat can grab a bird much higher than a coyote can.

[JHbowhunter]

in zones 2 and 5, its been many years since I saw so many turkeys throughout fall and winter...  However - once all the various deer seasons ended 1/31, so did the bait piles all throughout the land, and the turkeys seem to have gone underground.  They will be back - there were just too many for predators to put much of a dent in them.

[hemlock]

Been seeing a lot the past week in zone 2 all hens.

[Batsto]

Mexican Landscapers will pick a few off and I am not kidding. Believe Me!

Edited February 27, 2017 by Batsto

[Bucksnbows]

I hunt a zone that is full of bobcats, fox and coyotes and we still have turkeys around every year.  They are likely still around, but may be using different habitat right now.  Some years we find birds on one side of the property and other years the other.  And sometimes both sides.  

[bill43]

I was just saying the other day that I don't see them along the roads like I used to. This is ocean and Burlington counties.

[LittleM]

I live at bobcat central.  And there remains a very healthy population in the area.  Bobcats may take a few, but they are not making the sky fall..................

[rgw]

bring in a trapper and thank him/her for their service

[Gobblengrunt]

We have had cold wet springs the last couple of years which killed a lot of poults. Plus, the out of control raccoon population puts a big dent in the unborn population raiding nests. I very rarely have found a killed turkeys remains from a predator. Coyotes, fox, and even bobcats eat very few turkeys (adult birds).

[Zipper]

Mexican Landscapers will pick a few off and I am not kidding. Believe Me!

Si senor.

[Zipper]

GG agreed, raccoons and opossums eat more turkey eggs than you can believe! Fur prices are currently so low not many trappers are afield.

[rgw]

We have had cold wet springs the last couple of years which killed a lot of poults. Plus, the out of control raccoon population puts a big dent in the unborn population raiding nests. I very rarely have found a killed turkeys remains from a predator. Coyotes, fox, and even bobcats eat very few turkeys (adult birds).

i dont agree with your last statement, i have personally seen fox wipe out a whole flock in no time, they would wait where they knew the birds flew down in the am and as soon as they hit the ground the fox would be on them and every day the first bird he would catch he would rip the wings off and let it go then go kill one, once he got the second bird he would go find and kill the first one, if i didnt whitness it i wouldnt of believed it.

[johnnyo8148]

I agree that predators do hit the turkey groups hard and my two areas are not immune to this, but in my area the birds just aren't showing any consistency right now. I'll see them in the field one morning and then not there the next two days. I would say to give it another week or two and you'll start seeing the birds again (fingers crossed).

[Tarhunt]

That's a good question. Come to think of it, I haven't seen turkeys since early Spring.