Increasing your turkey populations?
07-22-2008, 01:12 PM
#1
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Texas
Posts: 2,363
Increasing your turkey populations?
I have not posted here in thisforum before butI have a turkey question that I wanted to throw out to you guys. The part of Texas that I hunt West Texas)we have turkey's but not too many, our state regulations allows for us to hunt them in the fall and spring. However we (the guys onmy lease) have chosen not to hunt them at all till we can get the numbers up, we have been doing this for two years now. This is where my question comes to play, I am looking formethod or ideas to increase the population of turkey on our ranch. It seems the turkey come and go quite often throughout the year, what can we do to create a perfect turkey habitat that will hold them in our area and increase the numbers?If any.....
07-22-2008, 04:16 PM
#2
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: WC FL
Posts: 26,323
RE: Increasing your turkey populations?
ORIGINAL: TexasBowHunter
I have not posted here in thisforum before butI have a turkey question that I wanted to throw out to you guys. The part of Texas that I hunt West Texas)we have turkey's but not too many, our state regulations allows for us to hunt them in the fall and spring. However we (the guys onmy lease) have chosen not to hunt them at all till we can get the numbers up, we have been doing this for two years now. This is where my question comes to play, I am looking formethod or ideas to increase the population of turkey on our ranch. It seems the turkey come and go quite often throughout the year, what can we do to create a perfect turkey habitat that will hold them in our area and increase the numbers?If any.....
I have not posted here in thisforum before butI have a turkey question that I wanted to throw out to you guys. The part of Texas that I hunt West Texas)we have turkey's but not too many, our state regulations allows for us to hunt them in the fall and spring. However we (the guys onmy lease) have chosen not to hunt them at all till we can get the numbers up, we have been doing this for two years now. This is where my question comes to play, I am looking formethod or ideas to increase the population of turkey on our ranch. It seems the turkey come and go quite often throughout the year, what can we do to create a perfect turkey habitat that will hold them in our area and increase the numbers?If any.....
07-22-2008, 05:31 PM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Texas
Posts: 2,363
RE: Increasing your turkey populations?
I guess I should have mentioned this, we do a bunch of varmint hunting in the off season. We do night hunting of the varmints, we use carcasses for bait for varmints. About once a month we are doing some type of organized varmint irradication...
07-23-2008, 02:20 PM
#4
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Kansas
Posts: 451
RE: Increasing your turkey populations?
sounds like they need habitat. certian grasses, tall enough grasses to hide poults and large enough grass fields to hide them in. in kansas our numbers are almost uncontrolable because their habitat is so good. they have an abundance of food, the right grasses in the right times of the year, and having roost trees where they don't get picked off once they drop down to the ground. killing coyotes is good but if the habitat favors the coyotes they will always keep an edge on your turkeys.
i could be wrong, i would have to see a photo of the land, it may be that you don't have enough food for the carying capacity that you want too.
i could be wrong, i would have to see a photo of the land, it may be that you don't have enough food for the carying capacity that you want too.
07-23-2008, 06:42 PM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Texas
Posts: 2,363
RE: Increasing your turkey populations?
vmartin,I hear ya....Unfortunately putting new ground under my turkeys that do come and go isn't an option. I really like hunting that region as all the exotics that run around free range. I suppose I am looking more for ideas to hold the turkeys on our piece of property. I may just have to do without the turkeys,I have been thinking of setting up some ground style feeders centrally located throughout the ranch and keeping them full of maze...I guess we will see, I have a couple of these type feeders and will put them out next month to try and keep them around.....
07-23-2008, 06:56 PM
#6
Super Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 7,443
RE: Increasing your turkey populations?
Contact the NWTF or any NWTF chapters in your area and ask. I do know the NWTF chapter in my area of Wisconsin did offer seed to be planted to improve habitat.
Contact your local county DNR ask the same question and /or ask the regional biologist.
I would think either above would have ideas and or methods to help you manange your property.
How is the water supply on your lease?
I do think feeders is a good idea.
Plant trees to help improve roost areas.
JW
Contact your local county DNR ask the same question and /or ask the regional biologist.
I would think either above would have ideas and or methods to help you manange your property.
How is the water supply on your lease?
I do think feeders is a good idea.
Plant trees to help improve roost areas.
JW
07-23-2008, 07:35 PM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Texas
Posts: 2,363
RE: Increasing your turkey populations?
Thanks JW, that will be my next move...Thought I would give it a shot here first, unfortunately the property (region)that I am hunting is 99.9% rocks and hills, so planting is virtually impossible...We do have some live springs and really thick cedar breaks thatI think helps but they seem to come and go, I guess I will start with the feeders and put them in areas of the ranch that we don't hunt to keep from disturbing the areas...Again, thanks for all the recommendations, I guess it is just a tough region to help too much!!!
