# Winter Kill Took A Toll??



## Paperboy 1 (Aug 7, 2008)

I have seen maybe 10% of the birds that I usually have seen for the last 12 years on and around my property. I live in the NE lower and REALLY feel there was one H... of a winter kill. 

Anyone else feel the same?? I did get a bird, but I feel that was a flook.


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## multibeard (Mar 3, 2002)

I agree totally. 

I am seeing far less birds. Snow belt birds took a beating especially with so many people afraid to feed them with the deer feeding ban.

The worst part was so many birds got caught way back in away from a winter food source by the early snow fall.


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## beer and nuts (Jan 2, 2001)

No question...we lost alot birds away from winter feeders and people feeding them.


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## 1turkeyfan (Apr 19, 2009)

This year we have found more dead turkeys then we have in the last 10 years combined, if are DNR was doing their job they would have know this.


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## fisherdon (Jan 27, 2009)

I have place in Frederic and normally have flock near cabin every day and never seen that flock once this year.


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## ridgewalker (Jun 24, 2008)

Far fewer birds seen and heard this year. Deer count is also way down. Our decision makers should name the buzzard our new state bird.


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## DANIEL MARK ZAPOLSKI (Sep 23, 2002)

we also had a major winter kill off over at lost lake woods (alcona county) i personally know of 4 flocks that have turned into coyote lolli pops totally gone !!!!! i saw maybe 5 percent of the birds i should have seen and only heard about 6 toms/jakes gobble the entire first season. this is on over 14,000 acres of land which is generally loaded with birds. it's going to take about 3-4 years to get back close to what the land should have, thats if we don't have another killer winter which could wipe them out all together. just a sad situation. on a plus note i have seen lots of deer out and about they didn't get hit that hard. i did find about 6 deer that turned into dog food.


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## Molson (Apr 18, 2003)

after a full week in the NE MI woods its easy to see the emptiness.

birds took a beating this year.

got on some gobbling, nothing near years past.


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## Redjay (Apr 9, 2008)

Between my father camping and myself hunting from the 27th to the 3rd .. not one gobble heard, not one gunshot heard - found one nest and quite a few coyote kills...lots of deer too!!

On a good note, there was trout in the Pigeon, the beer was cold and the mushroom picking really picked up later in the week:lol:


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## obeRON (Dec 15, 2007)

I disagree. We have seen good #'s of birds all year long. My buddy and I had hunt 234 and both tagged out early on Saturday (first day out for us) and then Sunday. Total huting time for the two days was less than 3 hours.


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## TSS Caddis (Mar 15, 2002)

obeRON said:


> I disagree. We have seen good #'s of birds all year long. My buddy and I had hunt 234 and both tagged out early on Saturday (first day out for us) and then Sunday. Total huting time for the two days was less than 3 hours.


Same here. 2 down right off the bat on Sat and the last one we needed by 11am, and that was with a long breakfast thrown in.

By Noon we had seen at least 12 long beards on property we could hunt and somewhere between 15-20 jakes on the same property.


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## Molson (Apr 18, 2003)

obeRON said:


> I disagree. We have seen good #'s of birds all year long. My buddy and I had hunt 234 and both tagged out early on Saturday (first day out for us) and then Sunday. Total huting time for the two days was less than 3 hours.





TSS Caddis said:


> Same here. 2 down right off the bat on Sat and the last one we needed by 11am, and that was with a long breakfast thrown in.
> 
> By Noon we had seen at least 12 long beards on property we could hunt and somewhere between 15-20 jakes on the same property.



as in north of M55 and east of I75?

my guess is if you guys had good activity you also had a "turkey survival program"


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## DRHUNTER (Sep 15, 2002)

I spent a couple of weeks at the cottage just before Turkey season. We have a place on the Ausable river north west of Mio. Most years there are several flocks that frequent the fields to the north of us. This year not one bird. My wife and I just returned this Saturday evening from spending several days up there. I made the same comment as we were driving past the fields on our way home. Where are the birds? I spent a lot of time driving back trails and walking my deer hunting areas and saw only two turkeys the entire time. A jake and a hen. Talked with some friends up there and they said everyone is saying the same thing. There is no doubt the winter took a huge toll in that area. My son and I hunted St Clair county this year and we saw/heard plenty of birds. Goes to show you how much supplemental feeding benefits turkeys and other wildlife as well. I have always loved hunting deer and turkeys in that area but anymore it is getting discouraging to spend my time hunting there for either.


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## TSS Caddis (Mar 15, 2002)

Molson said:


> as in north of M55 and east of I75?
> 
> my guess is if you guys had good activity you also had a "turkey survival program"


North of 55, but west of I75


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## Quack Wacker (Dec 20, 2006)

I live in West Michigan and hunt here as well, but a little north of Muskegon. Usually I see tons of birds on the property I hunt and with steady sucess. usually I can find sign and actually birds at ease on three different sections on the property. I have gone out twice and during scouting, saw little to no sign.... First we got nailed with heavy lake effect snow and bone chilling temps. Then I was out Saturday morning in the rain and I found 9 deer carcasses and three turkey carcasses in one of the heavily populated areas. As I was walking I came accross three coyotes, that looked well fed. :rant::yikes:

I believe the winter and these coyotes, which I bet there are more than three have been well fed and have decimated the turkey population on my property. I have two more weeks to hunt, but I am thinking about not harvesting a bird out of the existing flock, for furture hunts and to take up coyote hunting when it opens back up.


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## Bwilson (Feb 22, 2008)

Last spring I seen two flocks that were around 30-50 birds dending on the day... But this year i have seen about 10 birds total. Granted I havent got to go out as much this year to scout as i did last year. But The signs are far less then last years.


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## wolfgang510 (Feb 15, 2001)

Hard for me to say since I don't live up North but here is my experinece from hunting the Northern part of Area K.
2 people hunted all seven days on state land. Here is the summary. Found at least some sign in all but 1 of the remote areas I hunted. However, I did not hear gobbles much at all, even with good weather and in places with tons of fresh sign. Other hunters were abundant with shots heard at least half the mornings. Two active gobblers were located. One of them moved to another location 1/2 mile away in the direction of another hunter and I heard shots that morning after hearing the gobbles feintly twice. The other gobbler my partner called into range but he got busted. Between all the other hunters and the birds being very quiet the week was quite frustrating. Spent the last two mornings in a great looking area with no other hunters, fresh drooppings found and two hens seen but no gobblers heard at all.


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## Linda G. (Mar 28, 2002)

I am now hearing from lots of hunters, both for turkey and for mushrooms, who are finding carcasses of both deer and turkeys. Most of the deer found are fawns or younger deer. Turkeys found are just a pile of feathers and some bones. 

And this year I am not hearing of turkeys ANYWHERE where we're not sure if they were fed or not. They obviously weren't fed in those areas. There are entire areas completely devoid of birds. 

I would say our numbers are down by an easy 25-30% overall in northern lower Michigan, maybe more. 

And yes, the weather has not been cooperative. High barometers, dry weather, and cold makes for poor turkey chasing. 27 degrees here Sunday, 28 yesterday, 29 today. Yucch. 

I've only heard of a handful of birds taken compared to the people I've heard from who are hunting.


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## aquanator (Dec 1, 2005)

Our property in Montcalm has far less birds this year, but I did shoot a beautiful 9.5" bearded tom behind my niece's house in West MI.

If everyone is right about the rough winter kill, how many years to bounce back? 2-3 years? (Obviously depending on the next couple of winters..)


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## kcjablin (Sep 25, 2007)

I've thought a lot lately about setting up some kind of predator hunting and/or trapping competition in the off season to help the turkey populations. What I was thinking of was some kind of three way cooperation between NWTF, DU, and the MTA (Michigan Trappers Association). Waterfowlers are most interested in seeing egg eaters reduced and obviously so are turkey hunters with the addition of coyote, bobcat, and fox being a little more of a concern for turkey hunters than waterfowlers.

You could have a set time period (say anywhere from a week to a month) before which participants would have to register. There would be a point schedule for each species trapped or shot and the person with the highest point total at the end wins. If you had prizes you would have to have a check in to confirm counts and methods, maybe coinciding with a combined DU/NWTF Banquet? Or you could run it just for fun (and of course the benefit to the birds) like our competion here with no prize and the honor system.

Any NWTF and/or DU committee members out there want to comment on this idea? I've just thought the three organizations have some goals in common and why not join forces instead of staying isolated in our separate camps?


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