You can imagine how easy a young turkey poult is for it to catch. Hawks will prey on small mammals and birds. Let’s look at some of the most likely poult-eating culprits. In fact, 54 percent of poults were killed in their first seven days of life. Thompson, found that only 33 percent of poults made it to four weeks of age. That’s why a study of Merriam’s turkeys by Chad P. It’s at this time that they are extremely vulnerable to predators.Ī tasty, easy meal? There is no shortage of turkey predators lining up for that. Newborn turkeys can’t fly for their first week and a half to two weeks of life. Turkeys may just move on from that area if they can’t find food. Hogs and turkeys both eat a lot of the same things. This could make them one of the worst turkey predators out there.Īnother reason you may not find turkeys in the same places as hogs could be that they compete for food sources. They can severely limit successful wild turkey nesting. This could be for several reasons.Ī Texas study in the early 90s found that hogs will eat turkey eggs. Many have noticed that areas with high wild hog populations do not usually have high turkey populations. Hardin published in the Southeastern Naturalist found that crows were the most common nest predator followed by raccoons. But if they are keeping such a good eye on the turkeys, they probably know where they are nesting at. I don’t know why crows harass turkeys (and other wildlife) as they do. If you hear a crow nearby, keep your eyes open for a turkey coming in as well. You may have seen crows stalking turkeys around the woods. They are master scavengers who won’t hesitate to eat a batch of eggs if they find them. Like the raccoon, opossums will eat about anything. While they’re not actually going to mess with a grown man sitting under a tree, they will mess with turkey eggs. I would rather a bear or a pack of wild hogs walk past me in the pre-dawn darkness when I’m waiting on the turkeys to wake me up. Opossums are freaky-looking little animals. The skunk’s keen sense of smell makes him a deadly predator on turkey eggs. Skunks spend the majority of their time wandering around looking for food. During the spring and summer, a skunk’s diet will be heavier on animals than plants. Infamous for its stench, the skunk is also an omnivore. While raccoons primarily prey on turkeys via the egg, they are also capable of eating poults and even killing a grown hen. Hens give off a stronger smell when they are wet, which is one reason that turkey populations will dip after a wet spring. They will follow a hen back to her nest to locate the eggs. They eat a lot from spring to fall to build up fat reserves for the winter when they are more dormant. They prefer food that comes easy to them such as garbage, turkey eggs, or deer from your feeder. Raccoons are omnivores that will eat almost anything. A decrease in raccoon hunting and trapping means more of these little critters roaming the woods these days. If you have a deer feeder and a trail camera, you are probably well aware of how many raccoons are out there. So who are the most guilty parties when it comes to taking turkey eggs? Raccoons are one of the worst turkey predators as they destroy turkey nests. Therefore, nest raiders play a dual role in the depredation of the turkey. Even if a hen re-nests, there is no guarantee that her second laying will fair any better.Īdditionally, more laying and incubation means more vulnerability for the adult hen herself. Older hens are more likely to re-nest than younger hens. While some hens may re-nest if their clutch is destroyed, not all hens will re-nest. These turkey predators are likely the most detrimental to the turkey population (with an honorable mention to poult killers). Nest raiding turkey predators eat the unhatched eggs of turkeys. Be sure to scroll down as my solution might be different than what you might think. We will divide them into three classes: nest raiders, poult predators, and adult predators.Īfter we look at the predators, I will go into how to protect our wild turkeys from these other animals. Many have put two and two together and assume more coyotes mean fewer turkeys.īut should coyotes get all the blame? Are they the worst of the turkey predators? Let’s take a look at the predators that kill the most turkeys. A popular one involves an increase in wild turkey predators.Īs coyote populations expand and grow, human contact with coyotes is more common. These declines have resulted in new game regulations and increased research.Įveryone has a theory for the decline. Wild turkey populations have been declining over the past several years, especially in the Southeastern parts of the United States where turkey hunting borders on religion.
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