NJ Fish and Wildlife asking for help

[Tier1]

Collaboration for Turkey Conservation!

Kudos to the wildlife agencies of NJ, PA, and OH for joining forces in a collaborative effort to identify the impacts on turkey populations and implement effective management practices.

If you happen to have a sizable turkey flock (5 or more birds) frequenting your property, here's a fantastic opportunity to contribute to conservation efforts! The NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife is looking for willing participants to allow access for trapping, tagging, and affixing GPS transmitters for monitoring and study.

Reach out to NJTurkey@dep.nj.gov to provide leads. Specifically if your leads are in Sussex or Warren Counties, send information directly to joe.burke@dep.nj.gov Birds will be trapped using rocket nets, biological samples taken, tagged, fitted with GPS transmitters, and then released on-site.

 

 

 

https://dep.nj.gov/njfw/wildlife/turkey-hen-research/?fbclid=IwAR0-2ukH-V8rOLl4naZeyLqrTTcNbrYkwrxLG5DyoRXcd1mwRnEoai821S0

 

https://www.pgc.pa.gov/.../Docum.../HenStudyFlyer_091423.pdf

[JHbowhunter]

I used to see a lot of Turkeys close to home.   Nice mature gobblers too. I don't hunt them but if I ever decided to - "had" a great spot.    Over the past 20 years I see a direct correlation between the rise in Bobcat population, and decline in turkeys to the point they no longer exist in this area. Bobcats are a regular sighting though and they are reproducing regularly as I see the kittens too. 

[electric10162]

5 minutes ago, JHbowhunter said:

I used to see a lot of Turkeys close to home.   Nice mature gobblers too. I don't hunt them but if I ever decided to - "had" a great spot.    Over the past 20 years I see a direct correlation between the rise in Bobcat population, and decline in turkeys to the point they no longer exist in this area. Bobcats are a regular sighting though and they are reproducing regularly as I see the kittens too. 

I used to have 40+ turkeys on my farm. Now I'm lucky if I see 5 all year. I see bobcats at least once every week. 

[JHbowhunter]

1 minute ago, electric10162 said:

I used to have 40+ turkeys on my farm. Now I'm lucky if I see 5 all year. I see bobcats at least once every week. 

No point in discussing helping turkey population if their biggest predator is not addressed.    

[electric10162]

10 minutes ago, JHbowhunter said:

No point in discussing helping turkey population if their biggest predator is not addressed.    

In my 47+ years of hunting, the first time I actually saw a bobcat in the wild was in 2019. It's crazy how many of them there are now. I'm amazed that I still have plenty of rabbits though.

[Jcol6268]

2 hours ago, JHbowhunter said:

No point in discussing helping turkey population if their biggest predator is not addressed.    

Yeah @gobblegetter does put em down!! Love his stories too. 

[Woodsman416]

I think raccoons, possums and skunk raiding turkey nests is a bigger  problem than bobcat predation.  Shortly after the reintroduction of the bobcat is also when the fur markets crashed. Small predator populations have been out of control ever since. 

[Lungsonlvs]

Raccoons are crazy😩

[Jcol6268]

It does seem like Dr. Chamberlain’s studies so far are pointing to hunting being one of the contributors to decline in numbers. I am certainly interested to see how info shakes out in more northern states. 

[fish_hunter]

I am overwhelmed with turkeys in zone 35. No matter how many we take out they keep coming. 

[Gobblengrunt]

The overwhelming amount of raccoons, possums, and skunks have the largest negative affect on wild turkeys

[electric10162]

9 minutes ago, Gobblengrunt said:

The overwhelming amount of raccoons, possums, and skunks have the largest negative affect on wild turkeys

I've always had all those and lots of turkey. Something has changed.

[1957Buck]

Once rare even Zero in most of NJ after the fist Turkeys were reintrodused in NJ they went from a Rare ocourance to Terroizing Neghborhoods In Monmouth ans ocean county, I had Flocks from 5 to 25 I had posted many photos years past of them and of nesting in my yard to watching them hatch and than to dissaper mysteriosly in the Night as the Hen ran arond searcing for them. It was a blast sitting up on my deck when i did not see any and play turkey calls on my lap top soon my yard would be full of them and a few PO Tomes .  They felt they had the righ of way crossing any Roadways as vehicals swirverd to avoid them, 

Then some 5-6 years ago the state began to Trap distroy nests becaues residents com[plained about them as ageesive  They went down over time to now I do not see any but have seen one or 2 in the spring, The NGDFAG reasoning was they were not true breeds but mixed and did not want the to intter breed with the Wild ones. And today taht failed,  IMO NJDFAG has been a Failure in many areas of managment not just turkeys, They are Licence Money Grabbers on the DEER & Bears . and Brilaint on Stocking Preditors Coyotes - Bobcats  I will leave out Eagals   Now they ask for residets to open thier lands that have become Sanctuarys for lack of a better word,   Thank god I have the deer & stray Fox  to watch in my yard for Now.  

[1957Buck]

18 hours ago, Jcol6268 said:

It does seem like Dr. Chamberlain’s studies so far are pointing to hunting being one of the contributors to decline in numbers. 

 But where 1000s of Turkeys once roamed in Monmouth and Ocen county hunting is Not Allowed Privite Lands inclouded,  Where huntings is allowed it may be a point but the Preditors out number Hunters look no further, And he got paid to come up with that 

Edited February 2 by 1957Buck

[Bucksnbows]

25 minutes ago, electric10162 said:

I've always had all those and lots of turkey. Something has changed.

Avian flu.