Why Hunting Thanksgiving’s Popular Birds Will Be Even More Difficult

UGA researchers tag wild turkeys for tracking. Credit: University of Georgia
Turkey may be the centerpiece of the Thanksgiving table right now, but the upcoming holidays could make harvesting this iconic holiday bird even more difficult.
Harvesting turkeys could become more difficult in the future if hunters follow their current strategies and their prey continue with the same routines, according to a new study from the University of Georgia published in the Royal Society Open Science journal. There is.
“Turkeys have adapted as well, so hunters should be willing to adapt. If we continue to hunt individuals close to areas of danger associated with hunters, turkeys will adjust their behavior and become harder to detect.” This could make harvesting difficult.” Nickolas Gulotta is the study’s lead author and a doctoral student in the UGA Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources.
Gulotta studied the risk-taking and exploration behavior of 109 wild male turkeys from across Georgia Wildlife Management Areas and how they responded to both hunters and predators. He and other researchers found that turkeys’ behavioral choices and associated levels of risk are directly influenced by hunters and natural enemies.
Bold birds don’t always profit
Most of the male turkeys tracked frequently exhibited bold behavior.
They traveled near where hunters parked their cars, popular trails and roads, and even wide open areas. While this is good news for hunters, it’s not so good news for turkeys.
“The closer turkeys are to these open areas, the easier it is for hunters and predators to spot them. At both study sites, turkeys that took more risk were generally more likely to be captured.” said Grotta.
This bodes well for the first wave of hunters. But when future turkeys see what happened to their predecessors, they are unlikely to make the same choice.
That means hunters may have to be more creative and more patient in finding birds.
“Turkeys are clearly adapting and learning that if they approach dangerous areas, they can be captured. So some birds have adopted low-risk behaviors that basically prevent detection. “It’s becoming harder and harder to do that,” Gulotta said. “Turkey hunting can become even more difficult because if hunters take more dangerous and easier-to-detect birds, they may be left with large numbers of individuals that are difficult to detect.”
Predators versus poultry poses new challenges for turkeys
Turkeys that avoided areas favorable to hunters often stayed stationary or in areas with more cover to survive.
A big treat for hunters is when the turkeys gobble. So the fact that birds no longer move around or sing in open spaces makes things even more difficult for humans.
But turkeys don’t follow a calendar, so predators can move in when hunters leave and their daily lives relax.
“There are certain characteristics associated with a longer hunting season, such as hiding in more cover or traveling shorter distances per day. But the flip side is that turkeys tend to stay in the same place and move less. If you don’t, your turkeys won’t do well.” They’re more likely to be spotted by predators,” Gulotta said.
“It’s kind of a Catch-22, if they can survive the hunting season, they’ll probably be OK. But at the same time, if they don’t move as fast and are predictable, they’ll be OK” to predators. There is a possibility of being killed. ”
Future birds and humans can learn from each other
Of course, individual turkey behavior can vary, and overall survival skills are something that can be inherited.
This study demonstrates the need for customized hunting strategies based on local conditions. If an area is patterned with habitual hunter behavior, harvesting turkeys can become difficult over time. Gulotta said it could also have a long-term impact on hunting license sales and overall hunter satisfaction.
“Turkeys are harvested close to areas used by hunters,” Gulotta said. “Therefore, if we continue to harvest turkeys in this way throughout the Southeast, the behavioral strategies of wild turkeys may change, making harvesting more difficult.”
Further information: Nick A. Gulotta et al, ‘The role of human hunters and natural predators in shaping behavioral type selection in male wild turkeys’, Royal Society Open Science (2024). DOI: 10.1098/rsos.240788
Provided by University of Georgia
Quote: Why Thanksgiving Favorite Bird Hunting May Be Tough (November 27, 2024) https://phys.org/news/2024-11- thanksgiving-favorite- Retrieved November 27, 2024 from bird-tougher.html
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