Hunting Washington Forum

Other Hunting => Turkey Hunting => Topic started by: pjb3 on April 01, 2015, 06:59:24 PM

Title: is it true??????
Post by: pjb3 on April 01, 2015, 06:59:24 PM: Turkey only live 2-4 years? Can't believe that
Just saw that on the Pursuit channel from a biologist
INPUT PLEASE???? :dunno:
Title: Re: is it true??????
Post by: bowhunterforever on April 01, 2015, 07:03:57 PM: Tag :dunno:
Title: Re: is it true??????
Post by: Wacenturion on April 01, 2015, 07:28:56 PM: Generally upland birds have relatively short lives on the average. That's why nature builds in a high reproduction rate. However depending on habitat quality and lots of other influences, good or bad, that lifespan can ether be shorter or longer.

Obviously the most critical time in the case of a turkey, is from hatching till being able to fly up into lower branches and roost with the hen. That is around the two week plus stage. The older they get their ability to survive increases.

I had a friend, a turkey biologist from Missouri years ago that expessed that if a mature turkey was taken by a predator, there was something wrong with that bird. That is obviously an over simplication, as predators take turkeys. What he meant was that generally speaking mature turkeys are more than a match for most predators, including avian, which probaly have a slightly upper hand. Over the years I have personally witnessed the ability of turkeys to frustrate predators in several ways.

On the turkey's upper end there is documentation of many that live beyond what one would reasonably expect. Two cases I'll share.

1. We had a banded hen in Klickitat that was recovered dead after 11 years, if I still recall correctly. She was an adult when the banded. Therefore the estimated age was at least 13.

2. Another friend, a biologist from Pennsylvania, once related a story about a mature gobble, probably 2 years of age, that was removed from a leg hold trap on a wildlife area in Pa. They had to remove part of one leg. Although they never saw the bird again, there was evidence off and on of a one legged turkey during winters for the next 10 years. Thus it lived until 12 or perhaps 13.

Unusual yes, but probably more common than one would think. Hunting probably influences the age gobblers attain more than anything else. It also has the same effect on hens during either sex fall seasons.

Hope that helps somewhat.
Title: Re: is it true??????
Post by: Seahawk12 on April 01, 2015, 07:39:09 PM: Google says:
Quote
The average life expectancy of a wild turkey is about three years. Some turkeys live much longer, but most wild turkeys die young. The record for a banded hen in the wild is about 13 years; one gobbler in Massachusetts lived to be 15.
So it must be true. :chuckle:
Title: Re: is it true??????
Post by: The Gobble-stopper on April 01, 2015, 09:23:24 PM: Know personally of an adult eastern tom living to 9, I believe in the wild they only make it to 3 or 4 because of all the predators,hunters etc. But given the prime habitat, lots of friends, and few predators that time period extends emmensely
Title: Re: is it true??????
Post by: HUNTINCOUPLE on April 02, 2015, 09:51:54 AM: Very interesting?
Title: Re: is it true??????
Post by: sneakyjake on April 04, 2015, 09:21:13 PM: They only live til they have a visible beard around my hunting partner.
Title: Re: is it true??????
Post by: MuleySniper on April 05, 2015, 07:09:26 AM: Quote from: sneakyjake on April 04, 2015, 09:21:13 PM
They only live til they have a visible beard around my hunting partner.

Haha thats awesome. :chuckle: