I had to wait for the cows to get out the way to shoot the last gobbler to complete my Rio limit last spring in Texas. 3 out of the 4 turkeys I killed had cows around them.
It's hard to kiss the lips at night that chews your a$$ all day long.
It depends on what temperament your cows are, I’ve managed and hunted around cattle since I can remember. I watched a group of Brahma momma cows stomp/run a boar hog out of a pasture one morning, they would do the same to a group of turkeys. 2 miles down the road I have a group of docile angus who always have turkeys hanging around them. Horses and donkeys don’t get along with turkeys from what I’ve seen but it’s all anecdotal evidence of course. Cattle do better for the land than letting it go fallow but some herds act different in relation other animals from what I’ve seen
Some of the highest turkey populations I’ve seen were on properties with rotational grazing in prairie and forested areas. I’ve tried to promote more forbs and less grass on a few test areas with growing season fires. Dormant burning promotes grass in a big way.
Glad youve chimed in. I don't think burning is gonna get it. We burn through June/july and still, areas with good broomstraw have good broomstraw after. I would love to find a way, besides cows, to promote less grass and more forbs.
I've seen suggestions of burning in August/September for growing season burns as a way to encourage forbs. I have no personal experience with burning that time of year but it may be worth a shot. I'm going to experiment with it on some small areas.
I’ve actually done some September/October burning and got fairly good results on killing woody stems. Much better than an early growing season burn. I have converted heavy broomstraw fields to producing over 30 other species of forbs and legumes by fall discing. Eventually, usually within 2-3 growing seasons, the grass is back. Just repeat.
Would you say anything that’s good for quail is good for turkeys?
I'd say most, if not all management practices for quail are beneficial for other wildlife species.
A good friend that’s a biologist always said if you’re managing for something 4 inches tall, everything above it benefits
I remember reading an article in QDMA magazine about snakes as an indicator species. They indicated a good rodent population which indicated a good seed/feed system is present so everything above it benefits.
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