Gehajake - if I were concerned about turkey (and ground nesting birds in general) I would take up trapping coons, skunks, feral cats, and yotes. A LOT of experienced habitat managers will tell you of the benefits to turkeys by removing a portion of these animals. It can happen quickly too. Increase of poult numbers the falling summer with larger flocks of birds the following yr. With that said there is a decline of turkey numbers that seems be nation wide. Even to the point that many states are considering lower tag numbers for hunters. Nobody seems to know exactly what's causing it.
Catscratch, Yer preachin to the choir, I have removed more raccoons from my place then I should probably say on this forum, Including getting in trouble for it from the wardin, not for trapping them but for not having my name on my trap, but he told me to keep trapping but not to relocate them, said they will be somebody else's problem, have since heard that in some states its against the law to relocate them. Along with those vast numbers of coons there were countless other varmints that were caught, Coons are extremely rough on Turkey populations and I have seen much better recruitment of young turkeys since I thinned the coon out. and nothing thins out rabbits like feral cats, they can get right into any hidey hole that the rabbits can, if nothing else they run them out for other varmints, hawks and such to eliminate them, I am not a fan of feral cats if you cant tell. nothing against them as pets, keep 20 if you like, just keep them at your house.
It's good to be around like minded people! It isn't always like that.
