Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting Not seeing any big broods

They'll get big any place they can eat well. I live near marshes and I see them along the creek banks feasting on fiddler crabs. They can eat non-stop. The fiddler crabs here are crazy thick.

Depends on the dog. I had a Lab that would kill them. I've seen a coonhound grab one and chew on until it died, even though the coon was biting it's ears and nose off.

We have several broods around my place. The largest has a10 chicks and the birds are good size. One clutch is clearly a second hatching, the chicks are so small I fear they will not last the winter. I found one nest that was destroyed and there were lots of adult feathers around. One of the broken eggs had a chick inside. I'm thinking this was a neighbor's dog because every thing wasn't eaten. No raccoons or possum in my area and few coyotes. There is a bobcat with cubs showing up on my neighbors game camera and he likes them.

Crows move into my area with the birds start nesting. I believe they watch the hens and learn the nesting sites. It's not safe for me to shoot at birds up in trees and they have all learned to not land on my property.

Not true, we had a dog that took on a whole family of coons, I believe there were 6 total. The young ones were nearly full grown. It didn't take long for that dog to kill them all.

I kinda snickered at that, too.

But, bear in mind......... A guy sitting in a Memphis subdivision doesn't know a whole lot about country dogs and what they do to raccoons. Matter of fact, there's a whole lot he doesn't know a whole lot about.

I know one thing for sure Donny bOy you are full of crap....

Tell us again how you were paid by the turkey hunting and choke tube industry for what was it two decAdes secret agent mAn.

GlockheAd took on a knee high killer coOn and lived to tell about it....

Where did I say I took on a knee high 'coon? You like to set up strawman arguments so you can knock them down.

And while you are challenging Yoder, try not to be a hypocrite and give us some verifiable details on this claim of yours:

First off.......... If were gonna stay friends, Luther, you're gonna have to remember. It's "DonnIE". Not "Y". I told you that once. But you musta forgot. Try to get it right next time.

And, Yes. Right around two decades. You DID remember THAT right.

Who ARE the "punk turkey hunters" Luther talks about ??

You're the punk Donnie bOy.....

How much they pay you to be their punk ?

Tell ya what, Luther.................. When you've been hunting turkeys as long as I have........... THEN we'll talk about "punk".

(But, HEY !!!! You got my name right !!! Proud of ya, buddy !!!)

The elephant in the room few people talk about is poaching. There's lots of poachers out there and one poacher shooting a lot of illegal birds can put a huge dent into a local population. For every one caught, there are many more that get awayt with it. I've no use for a poacher, among the lowest life scum there is. They should serve jail time, loose their hunting priveleges for life and be banned from owning firearms at all.

Here's an article from Virginia from May, 2022.

https://www.gameandfishmag.com/editorial/game-warden-stories-serial-poaching-case-in-virginia/460359


and another


https://www.realtree.com/turkey-hunting/articles/history-s-biggest-turkey-poaching-busts


and another

https://wset.com/news/local/man-for...e-destroyed-pay-873-for-poaching-turkeys

That stuff just disgusts me.

When I started to hunt, my dad (who was 150% by the law book) told me "If you didn't do it by the rule book.......you didn't do it". His way of saying you've no right to claim any accomplishment that you didn't do completely within the rules. I have lived those words EVERY time I've gone hunting my entire life, whether it be turkeys, deer, crows or coyotes. Cheaters fire me up.

I will say I never thought about poaching, I guess because I don't and would not do it, that it never crossed my mind. That said, I could see how (in the cases stated above) that could sure put a dent in the population for sure.

One of the reasons I carry when I'm in the field in NC, and the biggest reason, is that bear poaching is a serious problem there. I'm far less concerned about bears than I am about bear poachers. And they work in groups. I saw a truck load of bear poachers on the NWR I frequent who had come over from the game land to the south. Even got photos for the law enforcement I contacted. Those guys are serious criminals and not to be trifled with.

Another thing they do is work in groups. One guy, or maybe more, in trucks but without a weapon will come onto the NWR and scout the property and locate a bear then radio his buddy who then zooms in in a separate truck and shoots it, loads it and takes off, while the original guys keep a lookout for the law. The guy that shoots is stopped for only minutes before he is gone with his bear. It's easy there. In the many years I have been going there, I have only seen USFWS law enforcemnent patroling the area once. I occassional see a refuge facilities vehicle, but almost never actual law enforcement.

I have zero use for a poacher. They are wildlife and game thieves.

Those examples of turkey poaching above from Virginia are only the some of the ones that have been caught and written about. Poaching is a a serious problem, and I suspect most of the poachers don't ever get caught. I've known people that always seem to have fresh venison. Really? How'd you re-stock your venison supply in July?

No use for a God damned poacher.

Best thing you can do............. GET INVOLVED.

Too many people that I know moan and groan about their neighbor or a friend of a friend or the Amish poaching.

Me: "What do you want ME to do about it ?? Did you call the warden ??"

Them: "No".

Me: "Why not ??"

Them: "They won't do anything about it."

Me: "Maybe not. But DEFINITELY not if they don't know about it."

Seems too many people around here would just as soon turn a blind eye and just whine about the poachers. Either DO something about it or shut up. As true sportsmen, we are OBLIGATED to get involved whenever possible and police our own ranks.

I was an IL and WI Hunter Safety Ed Instructor for a very long time, a very long time. Finally got tired enough of the politic riddled DNR's here to "retire". But in doing it for as long as I did, I got to know many of the Conservation Police Officer's and still have a couple in my phone. I too will contact them if needed, there's too few of them out in the field, they need our help against poachers! Around here, the biggest poaching are huge whitetail bucks. While not common, I've seen many over 180", some over 200"! As we all know, poachers steal from every law abiding hunter out there! Sadly, there's just too much money involved in it! I like how many of the countries in Africa handle poaching, they're shot on the spot!

It's not unheared of that a trophy whitetail is bought or killed in Michigan or Wisconsin and tranported to Virginia or some other state, possibly killed along the way, then reported as a kill in the destination state.

And I agree about too few DWR officers. East of I-95 and south of Rt 33, which is basically the southeastern quarter of the state, there are 3 on duty at any given time. I talked to one that checked my license this last spring. He was a DWR officer that has checked my license before and I've gotten to know him, kind of, and he stated they simply can't repond to all the calls they get. We have billboardshere along some of our highways advertising for jobs as DWR officers. We just don't have enough. But we have more than our share of slob hunters.

During deer season, we allow hound hunting east of the Blue Ridge. That is a "club" activity. They have no problem shooting literally anything their dogs chase out of the roads. I've seen it. Fawns, does, buck, foxes, whether they are in season or not. On a local WMA I hunt, taking does is forbidden. Yet I see them laying in the back of hunt club trucks.

Truth !!!

In this state, there are 2 wardens (at best) in each county. And that is assuming the fish & game dept. is fully staffed............which they never are. They are pretty much limited to 40 hours a week except in big game seasons.. This county is 664 square miles. The county south of here is 1036 square miles (178 square miles smaller than Rhode Island). Poachers have nearly a wide open opportunity.