turkey age for Wacenturion

[baldopepper]

Bearpaw you couldn't be more right on your Raven note.  I think a lot of people don't understand how hard Ravens are on all upland game birds.  I have a brother who was involved in a study of chukar nests and they found that far and away the biggest predator problem was ravens.  In some areas they virtually wiped out every nest.  This was a follow up to a study that showed the same results on pheasants. I suspect that if a similar study was done on turkeys the results might very well be the same.  Ravens are extremely smart (as birds go) and your description of them harassing hens on the nest does not surprise me at all. 
On another note, flocks in the 121 unit seem to be very healthy this winter and I'm seeing more birds by far than I did last year at this time.  If we don't get any last minute major storms it should be a good spring hunt.

[bradslam]

Ditto on the ravens.  It a bummer watching a raven make return trips to a nest and leaving with an egg in its beak every time.

[Turkeyman]

I now what Dan has done for turkeys in Washington, i was part of the eastern project. I didn't say we didn't have turkeys and its not doom and gloom, just saying it could be better. I understand that weather and predators are a big factor I've been playing this game for awhile. If this state truly cared about turkeys and managed our turkeys it could be better. We all need to pray for good weather for the nesting season and shoot all the predators we see because we wont get any help from WDFW. Will see what it looks like in 10 more years.

[JKEEN33]

I live in the middle of turkey central and it's not all doom and gloom. There are birds still out there to hunt but the population I would estimate at 20% to 60% of what it used to be depending on each local area. Sadly it is the public lands that have taken the biggest hit in population reduction.

WDFW should concentrate on holding late seasons where the damage occurs on private land only. Unfortunately hunters without private access can only hunt on public ground and that can actually push more birds onto private land where the damage occurs. So WDFW kept increasing late seasons to reduce damage. Doesn't make any sense to me.

The result is that birds are harder to find for the average joe hunter. I would like to see our birds managed to maximize opportunity for hunters while using hunting as a tool to keep turkeys off private lands where damage occurs. Late seasons on private land only could address this issue by encouraging turkeys to avoid private lands where they will get hunted. 

I have to agree with everything here. Put my foot in my mouth a few years ago disagreeing with you on the decline of birds. I was surprised at how few birds were in my areas the last few years. I talked to a lot of local farmers that said they use to have hundreds of birds on their property and now see a few now and then.

I hate to see it. It was one seasons that a new hunter that put some effort in could go home successful. I've hooked a lot of kids on hunting by calling in a gobbler for them.

[turkeydancer]

I live in the middle of turkey central and it's not all doom and gloom. There are birds still out there to hunt but the population I would estimate at 20% to 60% of what it used to be depending on each local area. Sadly it is the public lands that have taken the biggest hit in population reduction.

WDFW should concentrate on holding late seasons where the damage occurs on private land only. Unfortunately hunters without private access can only hunt on public ground and that can actually push more birds onto private land where the damage occurs. So WDFW kept increasing late seasons to reduce damage. Doesn't make any sense to me.

The result is that birds are harder to find for the average joe hunter. I would like to see our birds managed to maximize opportunity for hunters while using hunting as a tool to keep turkeys off private lands where damage occurs. Late seasons on private land only could address this issue by encouraging turkeys to avoid private lands where they will get hunted. 

I talked years ago to Mick Cope when they started increasing the fall season and made a lot of it hens only ...  what it boils down to is that he didn't want to deal with landowner complaints ... period.  Yep, good management practices.     

[bearpaw]

I just wanted to note some of our observations, nothing was directed toward anyone, just adding info to the discussion. Last summer we had a decent hatch, this winter has been pretty easy, no deep snow, season probably won't be as good as 5-10 years ago, but I think it might be better than the last 2-3 years. Fingers are crossed for a good season! 

[turkeydancer]

  Don't disagree with anything you had to say (and it doesn't affect my earning a living like it does you).

 I saw the big decline after a few years of really bad weather (25% of what it was before),  but also have seen them rebounding from those lows.  Still, I didn't have a bit of trouble filling my tags in the leaner years.  May have been a little tougher filling them, but that's what makes it more fun for me.  Don't know about anyone else, but I just have a hard time getting outsmarted by a bird with a walnut sized brain ... it made me a better hunter and caller when I had to find a (legal) way to outsmart them.

But I do have a problem with Mick and WDFW ... there job is to manage the resource even if it means they need to deal with landowner complaints such as targeting "excess" birds on private land (I don't call them "nuisances") instead of opening liberal season throughout their range (both private and public).
  
 

[PA BEN]

The numbers are on the increase. Grouse do the same thing, 9 year cycles.