[Bruin]

If I learned one thing from working in the Wildlife Management field for half my life, its this: Biologist who sit in offices, dont know as much as you guys out there in the field everyday do.

In you fellows opinions, how is this years flooding gonna effect the Turkey population next year??

Iv'e heard Mike Widners opinion, now I want yours!

It's gonna be bad isnt it?

 

[reggie-2-guns]

It probabally won't hurt the population unless it continues into May and June. It should have made the youth hunt in Zone 17 pretty exciting this weekend.

 

[4hunting]

It is really going to depend upon 2 things, 1- How long does the water stay up for nesting purposes, and 2- How hard of a hammering does the hunters and other predators put on the turkey's and their nest with little land dry during the season.

The turkey's in the riverbottoms are in a terrible shape right at the moment. Allmost 99% of the lowerbottoms have water on them & if it fell out today, food sources would not be available for several weeks. The birds have been forced to higher land, along with all the predators. Having them concentrated in these smaller area's gives both types of predators, animals & hunters alike, easier pickings. With the coyote's, coons, bobcats, ect. getting what they want & having a long season with a 2 bird limits in these area's is going to take it's toll.

I might be wrong, but I think this event will put the turkey population in about as bad a shape as the Ivorybill Woodpecker! Maybe not that bad, but I am old enough to remember when seeing a turkey track was a rare event & I am afraid it may become a rare event again!

 

[Bruin]

The turkey's in the riverbottoms are in a terrible shape right at the moment. Allmost 99% of the lowerbottoms have water on them & if it fell out today, food sources would not be available for several weeks.

That's what Im worried about. That plus the concentration of birds in small areas due to water levels.

I have heard that turkeys can live over the water, in trees, for a long time eating buds till the water goes down. But dont know if that is true or just hearsay.

 

[hogfan x]

That's what Im worried about. That plus the concentration of birds in small areas due to water levels.

I have heard that turkeys can live over the water, in trees, for a long time eating buds till the water goes down. But dont know if that is true or just hearsay.

Thats true but that cannot help out the struggling turkey population here in the White River bottoms. I am with 4Hunting on this. Might be lucky to have a turkey in a year or 2.

Hopefully this water will get out of here soon, but thats just optimistic thinking. This water is going to be here awhile.

 

[duckhunter2-2007]

A couple of weeks ago my buddy was out boat riding in the flooded river bottoms. He and his friend saw something swimming in the water that looked like two big geese that sat very low in the water. When they got closer it was two turkies. They were just swimming along with the closest dry ground being a quarter to half mile away. He said one climbed up on a log and shook off and flapped it's wings and it was a huge gobbler. Then the turkey slipped back into the water and swam on along his way. Has anyone ever heard of this before? I have seen turkies swim across a slough mabe 20 yards but never just swimming along through flooded timber.