Turkeys in your area

I drive truck here in NH and I dont go a day without seeing turkeys..plural. They are everywhere and just multiplying every year. I dont think there is that much hunting pressure on them here either, I know I have yet to give em a try.
 
The were planted here around 30 years ago and they've gone nuts. However Oregon hunting laws require that they only be hunted with a shotgun. From what I've heard around, they're very hard to hunt. The price of a turkey tag here made me loose interest a long time ago...

Tony
 
According to the state, our turkey numbers are slightly down, but still above their "target number."

In my area, based on my observations, they are more numerous than I have ever seen around my hunting grounds.
 
here

Judging by harvest on our local wma, and my own seasons, the past 3 years have been very upscale, with lots of birds and lots of gobbling activity in the spring. Priorr that, say 5-6 years, success was much slimmer and the wma nor me did very well, or at least as well as recently. It seems togo in cycles.

Much depends, I think, on the hatch from the spring 2 yrs prior. If it is wet, cold and lots of flooding, many nests and poults do not survive, and the number of youg turkeys going on to adulthood falls. the result is fewer gobblers to gobble at 2 yrs of age, which are typically the most vocal and abundant.

Other factors too, of course. A run of disease on predators, say coyotes certainly, that would thin their numbers, would correspond a bit to more birds surviving as well.

I hunt same area past 25 yr+, 20 plus days out of a 30 day season, limit of 5 birds!!!!!!!!
 
They were pretty much wiped out here in Maine. Several decades ago a flock or two was introduced. Now they're everywhere, at least here in the southern part of the state. It's unusual when I don't see several on my commute.
 
I agree with Mainah, but I haven't seen the large flocks that we saw a few years ago, here in Central Maine. When bird hunting the past two Octobers, my son and I have seen a few singles as far North as the Allagash Wilderness Waterway.
 
I live in central Wisconsin on average I would say up...but you can see the numbers go up and down by how hard the winters have been. This year we had a lot of snow and cold weather all winter, I seen quite a few in the woods that did not make it.
 
When I started hunting back in the 70's a turkey was a rare sight. By the 1990's they were plentiful. Numbers are still very good, but remaining steady. I don't think there are as many hunters as in the past, but coyote's are keeping the numbers steady.
 
There are several within 100 yards of my office right now, they are literally everywhere in my neck of the woods. Sadly, I just don't have time to hunt right now.
 
JMR40, you're spot on about turkeys being scare in Ga in the 70's. I spent my boyhood in Pelham and I still remember the first turkey I ever saw. A hen showed up in our rural neighborhood and was spotted from time-to-time for several weeks before a neighborhood dog killed it. The first time I saw it I was wondering what kind of giant quail it was.
 
Like this one?

I'm not sure that the population is changing much, I think they have been pretty well established in the Northern Kentucky area for some time.

But... I put in a deck last year and put up a bird feeder. This turkey approves:

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Here in MN their population has gone up substantially. Especially in the bottom half of the State. Problem is. MN turkeys are smart. You hardly ever see them in the woods where their hunters are. But you could have a close encounter with them walking around in town and/ or believe it or not roosting on someone's roof peak is not a rare occasion. Funny bird. Big bird. SMART bird
 
Here in NC the Turkey Pop has increased over the last ten years. The Pop has increased dramatically over the last 30-40 years. I used to hunt alot back in the 70s and 80s and I never saw a wild turkey back then and now I see them all the time.
 
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