Turkey management
 

I know most of the talk is on food plots/management for whitetails. The info is awesome, because i deer hunt also. But id like to do some land improvement for turkeys also. Hoping to get them to frequent my property a little more, what should i plant as far as trees? Ive heard American Sycamore trees are really good. Any other ideas that would help improve the land for turkeys? Thanks for any help you have!

RE: Turkey management
 

Food, cover, and waterare important. Crab apples are good as far as trees go. There many different types. Also, oaks, hickory, walnuts,.. and soft mast grapes, cherries,persimmons, etc.. there's a ton of other plants/nuts/fruits turkeys will eat.
Non-tree foods...chufas, roots, tubers, corn, oats,and clover.They like clover and the insects that live in clover.

As far as nesting habitat, you could create brush piles or cut some tree tops. Blackberry thickets are good too.

I've been trying to do same thing you are. I planted some crab apples and other thingslast year. I plan to plant alotmore crab apples.

Good luck to you

RE: Turkey management
 

Awesome, thanks! Ive been reading a little about the Sycamore trees and i think im gonna be planting some of those. They look like GREAT roosting trees. Ill probably take your advice and plant some crabapples too.

RE: Turkey management
 

Here I don't make the first cut on the pasture until May. In Spring they are nesting in the tall fescue. Chufas are a good plot as well. Warm season here they usually have grasshoppers and fescue seed in their craw. Cool season. Sumac leaves, honesuckle leaves, chufa beans, brasicas, clover and pin oaks. Cattle pasture and deer plots are both perfect for turkey. As the gentleman above said they forage for the bugs. Cooler season they eat the vegetation. Cattle pasture same thing and they scratch the cow pies to eat the red worms that come out of the ground to eat the manure. A good creak or pond is essential as well.
Blessings

RE: Turkey management
 

I would like to suggest a couple places to purchase products and for additional ideas.

1. National Wild Turkey Federation

2.Your nearby Dept of Conservation

RE: Turkey management
 

I would plant some Gobbler Sawtooth Oaks, cloverand chufas. I don't know what the positive of planting Sycamores would be, maybe good roosting, but more beneficial mast trees would be my preference. The Sycamores are not even a good lumber tree. Cutting some of the cedars and other trash trees and leaving them for nesting cover would be a good idea also.

RE: Turkey management
 

Everyone added some real good info. I'm learning too, thanks folks.

I forgot to say before, but as bugflipper is getting at, it is important to have good food and cover for both the warm seasons as well as winter. Birds will move good distances if there is not ample winter food around, and a lot of people will tell you a turkey's winter home range can be drastically different from their spring/summer home range. About a month ago, I saw what seemed like every dang bird in the county (exageration obviously.. butno lie, there were a coupleHUNDRED turkeys)in a single corn field. Ive seen birds yard up like this in the past, but never to this extreme.A lot of the surrounding area has insufficient winter food available, so these birds yard up and hang out at the foodto survive. It was cool to see though, it looked like a giant field of winged-bowling balls:D

RE: Turkey management
 

As mentioned they will like clover that greens up early in spring and nearby brush piles can help for nesting. Also as mentioned and seeing as how you are in snow country, thinking long term and winter survival maybe shrubs that mature and carry fruit late (even into or through winter) and are tall enough to be above snow line would help. Googling winter wild turkey habitat should give you lots of ideas