It took me 50 years to learn ...

[John-W-WI]

A couple thoughts of my own:

1) Anything worth doing is worth doing well.
2) Don't work so hard at something that you take the fun out of it. Slow down and enjoy it.
3) Put "cookies in the cookie jar" before hunting season. The season is no fun if momma isn't happy.
4) Working alone can be enjoyable. But know when to ask for help.
5) Introduce kids and old farts to the sport. You'll find you have just as much fun watching them as you do doing it yourself.


-John

 

[Nova]

A couple thoughts of my own:

1) Anything worth doing is worth doing well.
2) Don't work so hard at something that you take the fun out of it. Slow down and enjoy it.
3) Put "cookies in the cookie jar" before hunting season. The season is no fun if momma isn't happy.
4) Working alone can be enjoyable. But know when to ask for help.
5) Introduce kids and old farts to the sport. You'll find you have just as much fun watching them as you do doing it yourself.


-John

#4 hits the nail right on the head for me. Most of the time I want to do it myself so it's done right and I don't have to redo it, but man it can wear a guy out.

 

[Nova]

I guess I don't see the negative to having turkeys that most of you are seeing. The population at our farm has grown considerably in the last 10 years and I see no adverse affects on the deer.

 

[Kooch]

I guess I don't see the negative to having turkeys that most of you are seeing. The population at our farm has grown considerably in the last 10 years and I see no adverse affects on the deer.

Grouse are my concern, not deer.

 

[sandbur]

When I hunt very thick cover where Deer can not see any distance, if turkeys are present I don’t see any deer. My theory is the skittish Deer do not like the racket and do not feel safe.

I also fear turkeys suppress pheasant and grouse populations.

Get Mom enthused about deer hunting and the season goes much better! Not as many browny points are needed.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[WTNUT]

A couple thoughts of my own:

1) Anything worth doing is worth doing well.
2) Don't work so hard at something that you take the fun out of it. Slow down and enjoy it.
3) Put "cookies in the cookie jar" before hunting season. The season is no fun if momma isn't happy.
4) Working alone can be enjoyable. But know when to ask for help.
5) Introduce kids and old farts to the sport. You'll find you have just as much fun watching them as you do doing it yourself.


-John

Numbers 2 and 4 should have been on my original list. Spot on with me. Number 2 in particular. I use to go 100 mph daylight to dark and then things were a mess in the shop (the farm shop). I would let it go and go and go until I had to spend two days cleaning the place up. Now, if I start to get tired and it is approaching the not so fun point I stop immediately and that give me enough time to put everything away and fuel the equipment, grease or do whatever minor things need done for the next time. So much more enjoyable to walk into a clean shop at the beginning of the day.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[WTNUT]

I guess I don't see the negative to having turkeys that most of you are seeing. The population at our farm has grown considerably in the last 10 years and I see no adverse affects on the deer.

Grouse are my concern, not deer.

I would prefer to have grouse too. When I was in high school I could take a walk in the woods and get 7-8 grouse to flush without a dog. The limit was four and many days I could get 4. Now, you could not have found a turkey to save your rear back then. Fast forward today ( 32 years later ) we have close to 12,345 turkeys at my farm if I counted correctly, and I don’t know where I would have to go in my home state or the state in which the farm is located to find a grouse and I have three darn good dogs today.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Telemark]

Can you shoot and eat the turkeys?

 

[j-bird]

Can you shoot and eat the turkeys?

Either your question is far simpler than I am reading or I am missing something.....
Turkey hunting is probably only second to hunting whitetailed deer in this country as far as popularity is concerned. Typically hunted in the spring and possibly the fall with use of calling and decoys via a shotgun or some sort or archery equipment depending on regulations. So to answer a simple question....yes, you can hunt and eat wild turkeys. Many folks cook and eat a wild turkey in a similar fashion as you would as if you bought a Butterball turkey from the grocery store!

 

[rocksnstumps]

Grouse are my concern, not deer.

Is there any documented studies on this or a gut opinion. Just wondering...

 

[Kooch]

This paper says there is no correlation between wild turkey and grouse decline. (I just read the summary :))
https://ag.tennessee.edu/fwf/craigh...eys-influence-quail-or-grouse-populations.pdf

I don't know either way. I don' think turkey are native to my far North area, grouse are. If I had to choose between the two, I'd choose grouse. I don't know if there is a problem or not. It seems they don't often share the same habitat. All I do know is I sure like grouse.

I think the very severe winters we have up there would keep the turkey population in check.

 

[Kooch]

More research that seems to contradict my non-fact based opinion that turkey impact grouse.

"The decline of ruffed grouse populations in southeastern Minnesota also appeared to coincide with increases in the density of wild turkeys. Some stakeholders have expressed concern that turkeys may have caused the grouse decline and may be responsible for preventing an increase in grouse populations. However, there is little evidence of direct interactions between turkeys and grouse, and there likely was not a substantial decline in turkey densities during the 1960s and 1970s that would explain the increase in grouse populations at that time. It is much more likely, therefore, that correlations between the densities or trends of grouse and turkey populations in an area are related to land cover and habitat."
http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/recreation/hunting/grouse/rgmp.pdf

And, with that I'll stop the thread hijack and redirect and let it go. This thread is about what WTNUT learned in 50 years of hunting. :)

 

[Telemark]

If my property had a brazillion turkeys, I would shoot and eat turkeys.

 

[Nova]

It took me a good 45 years to learn that listening to others who have done it for years is a lot more helpful than trying it 700 ways myself only to realize I should have just listened. I don't know, maybe I am stubborn

 

[H20fwler]

On the grouse turkey debate... grouse need newer regenerating forest, turkeys are more open mature forest. If what has happened up your way is anything like here I would say it's a habitat change thing not a competition thing.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

^^^^^ X-2 on the habitat preferences. Grouse like thick, brushy, briars & grapevine-infested cover. Turkeys depend on eyesight for safety, so they prefer open, more mature forest. We have both turkeys and grouse here. More likely to find either bird in those preferred respective habitats.

 

[jsasker007]

I would not put any faith in what the Minnesota dnr says----not too long ago they wouldn't admit we have wolves. That is just one clear example and there are MANY more. Where I live the dnr re-introduced turkeys several years ago and 20 of them were hens, 2 were jakes(not old enough to reproduce), and 2 were toms. This was in the dead of winter in Minnesota with very limited food available. If the toms didn't survive there was no reproduction for atleast a year----they are about worthless in my opinion. There is more but I've typed enough.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

I have noticed a few more grouse in my area of S.E. MN. this year while checking my snare line. I flush a few every time im walking the line. Three more fawn eaters this morning in my snares with a double on a deer carcass. I've never been much of a trapper but I sure did get into it this year. I just wish I had the time and a fur shed to put them up properly.

Getting away from the hijack and back on topic:

I learned this year that it is a complete waste of time and money to till up ground to plant brassicas. Just spray, seed, and mow. My throw and mow came in great. To bad my deer don't seem to feed on them in hunting season.

I also will be upping the rate of radishes and lowering the rate of turnips and rape because the radish greens do get SOME use during season.

 

[WTNUT]

Hey you turkey grouse folks hijacked my thread :)




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Telemark]

Hey you turkey grouse folks hijacked my thread :)

Sorry, bro. It took me 35 years to learn I know SFA.