Early Fawns

[Allen]

Yep, I have a hen turkey at my place with about 8-10 young'uns. I ran across her and her brood while out spraying weeds the other day. They were just barely capable of taking to the air for about 20 yards. They looked out of control every millisecond they were airborne.

I haven't seen any pheasant chicks yet, but I am sure there are a few around.

I have run across a couple of bedded down fawns, so that's a good thing.

I had about 12 goslings in the yard yesterday with 4 adults, they were chilling with the odd mallard crosses and a newcomer that I don't recognize. What I haven't seen for a while are the various ducklings. They tend to disappear at times, but this is a longer than normal time for them to be gone.

 

[KDM]

Turkeys are predatory on pheasant, duck, and other game bird young. Just google the battle between the wild turkey boys and the quail boys. It's very akin to the hatfields and mccoys.

 

[Jiffy]

Was just across the border into SD last weekend (elm lake…SW of Ellendale) and the amount of pheasant chicks I saw JUST across the boarder was almost comical.

Only place better this year is Pembina.

How do they know SD is better!?!?

 

[Allen]

Turkeys are predatory on pheasant, duck, and other game bird young. Just google the battle between the wild turkey boys and the quail boys. It's very akin to the hatfields and mccoys.

That's interesting as I had never heard of turkeys being a problem to other upland birds before now. I went looking for sources of info on the topic and most of what I found were people referencing this as primarily untrue as there's only one documented case of a wild turkey intentionally predating other upland bird young. For example, from the Univ of Tennessee: https://fwf.tennessee.edu/wp-conten...eys-influence-quail-or-grouse-populations.pdf

Mostly they suggest turkeys, quail, grouse and pheasants have interactions, but of these birds the turkeys are the least picky when it comes to habitat and population declines in the other upland birds are related to changes in the landscape.

 

[KDM]

Might be a southern thing. My experience with the wild turkey federation and quail unlimited members is mostly unfavorable between the two. I don't think science was of much consequence.