Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk ALTurkey Talk -- Beards and Spurs Dr. Chamberlain

I am on board with what Troy said as well. Turkeys aren't super complicated animals, but they require more specific habitat than deer. They need:

-Trees to fly up in and roost (mature timber, usually hardwood or large pines near water)
-Hardwoods to scratch in for food (have to be mature to offer a good amount of food between all the animals in the woods)
-Pines with open understory to loaf/breed/scratch/breed/strut in. Usually with pines come roads as well, and we all know how much turkey love roads
-Consistent water source
-They need all of this in a relatively concentrated area

If they get all of that then they are good. I know I have seen multiple people here say (not in this thread, but over the years) "turkey love a clear cut" and that has not been my experience at all. They may use a clear cut if forced to, but they sure don't appear to like it where I hunt. When given the choice they won't come back to a clear cut area if there are other places to go.

You take away much of the listed above habitat over a few weeks period from logging and what the hell are the turkeys gonna do? They have to move off and figure out a way to survive in a new area, competing with other turkeys, figuring out how to fit in and the lay of the land. I imagine there are huge turkey losses after extensive clear cutting because some simply won't figure it out and will die from predation or other causes.

I think timing of timber harvest also plays a role. A fall cut probably has less deleterious effects on turkeys than a spring cut. I imagine timber being cut in March or April really screws with turkeys and their breeding habits, probably darn near ruining the breeding season for entire flocks in some instances.