EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
Turkey Update,
Yesterday, Steph and I spent the day in a workshop put on by the Texas Department of Fish and Game, along with Texas A&M, Texas Parks and Wildlife and Stephen F. Austin University. It was an all day workshop that covered just about every aspect of managing wildlife on your land and how to improve the land to benifit the wildlife.
One of the speakers is Doctor, and professor who is in charge of the Turkey restoration efforts in East Texas. He explained the history of the Eastern Turkey here, and he told us about the efforts to re-stock the Eastern Turkey. He said that in every other state, the process was to put out three male turkeys and 9 females in a dozen different areas, but all fairly close to each other. Then they would sort of mix in with each other and start their own populations. The following year, they would add more birds, but in smaller numbers and a few less locations. This is the proven method that has worked everywhere but here. In every attempt, that method has failed. With over 7,000 birds transplanted here, most have disapeared.
The last two years, they have come up with a new method. They call it super stocking , and instead of putting out a dozen birds in each group, they are putting out 70 birds. This way, if half die off, there are still enough left over to breed. There is a two year cylce that is where they either disapear, or start to increase their numbers. This has gone on two yeas now, with half the birds having radio transmitters on them. They are doing great in four areas that they are doing this.
After listening to the experts and what they are doing, I've come to the conclusion that any efforts on my part will be foolhardy and a waste of time and money. Another thing that has me convinced that this is a bad idea for me to try on my own is that the Eastern Turkey covers about 1,200 acres of range. I have 68 acres and I'm working on it all the time.
With the efforts that are underway, and the success that they are finally now starting to document, it's just a matter of time for them to transplant birds to my county.
I have now given up all thought of raising any turkey's.
Eddie
Yesterday, Steph and I spent the day in a workshop put on by the Texas Department of Fish and Game, along with Texas A&M, Texas Parks and Wildlife and Stephen F. Austin University. It was an all day workshop that covered just about every aspect of managing wildlife on your land and how to improve the land to benifit the wildlife.
One of the speakers is Doctor, and professor who is in charge of the Turkey restoration efforts in East Texas. He explained the history of the Eastern Turkey here, and he told us about the efforts to re-stock the Eastern Turkey. He said that in every other state, the process was to put out three male turkeys and 9 females in a dozen different areas, but all fairly close to each other. Then they would sort of mix in with each other and start their own populations. The following year, they would add more birds, but in smaller numbers and a few less locations. This is the proven method that has worked everywhere but here. In every attempt, that method has failed. With over 7,000 birds transplanted here, most have disapeared.
The last two years, they have come up with a new method. They call it super stocking , and instead of putting out a dozen birds in each group, they are putting out 70 birds. This way, if half die off, there are still enough left over to breed. There is a two year cylce that is where they either disapear, or start to increase their numbers. This has gone on two yeas now, with half the birds having radio transmitters on them. They are doing great in four areas that they are doing this.
After listening to the experts and what they are doing, I've come to the conclusion that any efforts on my part will be foolhardy and a waste of time and money. Another thing that has me convinced that this is a bad idea for me to try on my own is that the Eastern Turkey covers about 1,200 acres of range. I have 68 acres and I'm working on it all the time.
With the efforts that are underway, and the success that they are finally now starting to document, it's just a matter of time for them to transplant birds to my county.
I have now given up all thought of raising any turkey's.
Eddie