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Washington Wild Turkey Management Plan

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[Hunt4Elk85]

I think its time something be done in western Washington to manage the eastern turkeys. I see all this emphasis on eastern Washington. You have two extremes in Washington State. You go over to eastern Washington and you have turkey populations getting out of control and too many turkeys running around. You come to western Washington and you have the other extreme, not enough turkeys, and a struggling population that is lacking in genectic diversity and is refusing to spread itself out. Most people don't even know we have turkeys in western Washington.

[bigbucks8]

I agree with you. I live in western washington near capitol forest. Several weeks ago I took my first big gobbler In eastern washington near keller ferry. I was there for three days, and every corner i turned We saw a turkey. I went hunting this last weekend near my house were I had scouted a couple of turkeys two weekends before. I did not see a single track or trace of sign, let alone a turkey.I now I'll have alot more chances i'm only 14, but for this way of life I care so dearly for I wish for a healthy population throughout this state for generations to come to enjoy.

[billythekidrock]

I also live near Capitol Forest and have only seen a few turkeys on the other side of the freeway. We went to Eastern WA for our turkeys as well.

According to a biologist that I spoke to, one of the problems with the west side is the rain. Turkeys suffer from depredation every where, but here they also suffer from wet springs. This is one reason they are not planting turkeys on the Olympic Peninsula anymore.

[Hunt4Elk85]

I talked to a guy in the turkey club and he told me that their are a lot more turkeys in western washington than people give credit for. He said they are just more spread out. As for the rain, a wet spring effects the turkeys very little, if at all. I know of a flock of turkeys that I hunted this year outside of bucoda, and I have watched this flock triple in size in the past two years, the rain played a big part in me not bagging a turkey over here this year, it caused the turkeys to go quite and spread out to higher grounds, I could only get them to gobble two out of the ten days I went out. The reason the rain or predation doesn't really effect them, is that I was told that a hen turkey will keep coming back into estrus if her nest gets destroyed or washed out, until she has a successfull hatching of poults.

[RidgeRunner_07]

Being some one who lives in EA Washington..........I have concocked a turkey plan for you......................................KILL ALL OF THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Turkeys are a pin in the arse here in Eastern Washington. I huted two tays and killed two turkeys.We are over run with birds.

[billythekidrock]

Just let me know where they are and I will try to remove a few for ya.

[RidgeRunner_07]

Colville National forest..............There is literally 100s of them during the fall season and it's any bird. It 's not bad hunting during the spring hunt but there is a few people but prolly nothing like the Western Washington pumpkin farms.