Did the Turkeys Make It

niehenke · 03-01-2009, 06:17 PM

I got a call from my dad tonight and he said that is spoke to a guy in somerset co. PA and he found ~20 dead birds beneath a tree on his property. Guessing that they froze and fell from the tree. I cannot verify that this was the case, but I am only seeing 1/3 of the birds in the fields here in MI. I guess I better get out there and see the damage. I did speak to a guy to the south of me and he did see several that were lame (i.e. frozen legs).

Rob/PA Bowyer · 03-01-2009, 07:15 PM

I feel we've had worse winters and they were fine.

If there were indeed 10 dead under a tree, I don't believe they froze to death. Could have been lightning perhaps? There has to be more to it.

wingchaser_labs · 03-01-2009, 08:37 PM

Its a winter kill but can't remember the term for it in this case. Not all turkeys in the area died but those did due to this..... The kill like that in the winter is from basically dehydration and freezing. When it gets super cold they roost like that and huddle up to keep warm and will stay in a "hybernation"like state to conserve energy cuz flying down and up and digging for food, eating snow for water, and regulating their body temp takes more energy than they can take in in super low temps. Until it warms enough for them to start feeding, and eating snow, and such again they will stay in this state and if it lasts to long for their body condition, eventually they will all tip over dead at relatively the same time. Once they start to go the rest follow as they lose body heat from the other who have died and fell. It happens quite often and usually doesnt kill all the birds in an area. I've heard of some pretty large numbers of kills like these before. Heardlast winter of3 trees within about40 yards of eachother withabout 50 birds layin dead. Seems like it happens more common in highly populated areas prolly cuz food is an issue when winter gets tough on them. Another one of natures lil ways of population control I guess. WCL

niehenke · 03-02-2009, 05:13 PM

Man that really really sucks. I need to get out in the woods and walk around this weekend near where I hunt birds. Another hunter suggested that the birds are grouped up, away from these fields, and will return when the grass comes up.

MeanV2 · 03-03-2009, 08:43 AM

I hunted Turkeys this past December in 24 degrees below zero. They seemed fine.

How cold has it been there?

Dan

wingchaser_labs · 03-03-2009, 09:15 AM

When it happend by us last year I think it was late in January sometime and it was below zero for like over a week and we had alot of snow and ice layers last year and the birds were really conditioned down from itI think by that time in Januarywhen the long cold hit em hard. The farm I do most of my hunting on the birds get the daily hot lunch program

so they are usually in pretty good shape. Over all winter last year was tough on the birds in WI as kill numbers were way down from the previous years. We still have great numbers of birds and nothing to complain about but theharvest was down. WCL