TPWD's turkey project has shown mixed results

By MATT WILLIAMS

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Special to The Eagle

A group of eastern wild turkeys take flight as part of intensive research project currently underway in Anderson County. Biologists hope to use data from the research project to help unravel some of the mysteries as to why wild turkey populations have fared good in some East Texas counties but fizzled out in others.

For years, the eastern wild turkey restoration project that was completed in the early 2000s in dozens of counties across East Texas was regarded as one of the greatest wildlife management success stories ever carried out in this part of the world.

Interestingly, some biologists, landowners and spring turkey hunters alike have begun changing their opinions. A few are saying it may be time to revisit the drawing board or drop back and punt altogether.

In fact, temporary spring gobbler season closures may be on the horizon for some counties in the Pineywoods and Post Oak regions in the near future.

What went wrong?

Let's start with a refresher.

Between 1988 and 2000, more than 7,000 wild trapped eastern turkeys were released on 321 sites in 57 East Texas counties. Birds were purchased from other states for $525 each. The restocking project, which cost about $4 million, was jointly funded using money from the National Wild Turkey Federation Super Fund, sales of state turkey stamps and public hunting land permits, and private donations.

The idea was for the adult turkeys to make lots of young turkeys then reach a population level high enough to sustain hunting pressure in a region of the state where the birds thrived before early settlers wiped them out a century ago.

Initially, the plan seemed to work relatively well. The first spring season opened in Red River County in 1995. Others were added in subsequent years. More than 40 East Texas counties will be open for hunting during the month-long spring gobbler season that opens across the state in less than a month.

The spring season in East Texas runs April 1-30. Hunters are allowed one eastern gobbler per season using shotgun, crossbow or archery gear. Hunting over bait or with rifles is prohibited in East Texas counties.

Successful hunters are required to take their bird to a designated check-in station within 24 hours of the harvest. The task is relatively painless. It involves jotting down your hunting license number and documenting the weight, beard length and spur length of the bird.

Scientists rely on the check-in data to keep tabs on hunter participation and annual harvest trends from one county to the next. To date, East Texas hunters have shot 4,047 turkeys since the first season was opened 15 years ago.

While some counties continually enjoy decent results, current numbers indicate the harvest rates in other counties have fizzled out. A few counties have never produced much.

And that is why changes could be coming down the pike.

Truth in numbers

TWPD harvest data show that Jasper, Newton Angelina, Marion, Panola and Bowie counties have consistently kicked out the best results of the 27 Pineywoods counties with a spring turkey season. Jasper County is the leading producer with 221 birds overall. Marion is second with 184, Newton 173.

At the opposite end of the spectrum are Gregg, Cherokee, Rusk, Montogomery and Hardin counties.

Gregg County hunters have checked in just one bird in 13 seasons. In Cherokee County, there hasn't been a gobbler checked in since 2001. Only one bird has been documented in Hardin County since 2005, zero in the last four seasons. Montgomery and Rusk county hunters have not registered a single gobbler since 2005.

Houston County has yielded only five birds in eight seasons but none in the last four. Other Pineywoods counties where the harvest has seemingly dwindled to nothing include Walker, Tyler, San Jacinto and Liberty. Things don't appear much brighter in Shelby County, where hunters registered a season high 13 birds in 2001 but only three gobblers since 2005.

In the Post Oak region, Red River, Lamar, Grayson and Fannin counties are the leading counties with total overall harvests of 1109, 373, 445 and 217 birds, respectively.

Farther south, there has not been a single gobbler checked in by Smith County hunters since the season opened there in 2002. The remaining Post Oak counties with a spring season have experienced some harvest, but it has been relatively light in comparison to the big four.

Solving the puzzle

There are a number of theories as to why eastern wild turkey populations seem to be fizzling out in some of the core stocking areas. One thing is for sure: Excessive harvest is not among them.

Many experts will agree that changing land use practices since the initial restocking effort may have played a vital role in declining numbers, especially in the Pineywoods.

Eastern turkeys are extremely sensitive to habitat manipulation.They don't do well in sweetgum/briar thickets left behind by chainsaws and log skidders. However, they do respond well in areas where there is a good mix of bottomland and upland forests with an open understory created and maintained using prescribed burning or herbicides. It also helps to have scattered openings throughout the forest to provide critical brood habitat.

Biologists say another possible reason for declining numbers may be linked to the initial stocking rates. The original "block-stocking" plan called for 15-20 birds per 5,000 acres. Some experts contend the ratio may not have been sufficient enough for turkeys to get a foothold in their new surroundings.

Predation by coyotes, bobcats and other critters is another suspect problem.

Where from here?

Intensive research projects are currently underway to closely examine those issues and other potential problem areas. In the meantime, there has been some discussion among wild turkey leaders about what steps might be taken in the future to help turn things around on a county-by-county basis.

According to Jason Hardin, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department wild turkey program leader, it could be that some counties with low harvest numbers might need to start from scratch with a restocking approach much different from the first go-around. That could lead to temporary season closures but only in counties with plentiful habitat that is deemed suitable for a "super stocking" effort using 80 birds (60 hens/20 gobblers) instead of 15.

"I need to point out that this is all preliminary right now," said Hardin. "We don't want people to get the idea that we are about to start closing down counties to spring turkey hunting in East Texas. We are not."

According to Hardin, a county would have to meet certain criteria in order to be a candidate for a super-stocking effort. Low harvest numbers are only part of that equation.

A trio of research projects are currently underway on private property encompassing more than 150,000 acres in Anderson, Nacogdoches and Houston counties. The birds were released at super-stocking rates on core areas spanning about 10,000 acres. Co-op agreements were secured ahead of time with surrounding landowners who are dedicated to the cause. It is likely that a similar criteria will be required to put any future super-stocking efforts in motion in other counties.

"If we were to close a county to turkey hunting, it would only be because we feel like it has the potential for forming co-ops and performing the necessary habitat work to make the super stocking work," Hardin said. "We're not going to close a county to hunting and then walk away from it."

It should be noted that counties with low harvest numbers and marginal wild turkey habitat will not rank very high on the super-stocking project hit list.

"We probably wouldn't opt to close a season in a county like that, either," said TPWD wildlife biologist Gary Calkins of Jasper. "There really wouldn't be much sense in protecting what little brood stock is left, because the population is never going to expand as the result of a lack of available habitat.

"Those are the types of things we are discussing right now."We're also going to be looking at a lot of GIS [geographic information system] mapping data to determine those counties with suitable amounts of quality habitat and consulting extensively with our field staff to determine the best ways to proceed."

The individual super-stocking projects will cost about $45,000 apiece, funded primarily with money generated by Upland Game Bird Stamp sales. The department wants to be sure all of its ducks are in a row before launching such an expensive project.

Hardin said it will be 2012 at the earliest before the department will be able to take steps towards putting any future super-stocking plans in motion.

Matt Williams' e-mail address is mattwilliams@netdot.com.

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