Do turkey eat pheasant eggs or otherwise drive off pheasants? - Page 1

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Do turkey eat pheasant eggs or otherwise drive off pheasants?

Posted: 6/27/2011 5:36:34 PM EDT

Can turkey and pheasant coexist in peace and harmony? I heard a rumor that turkeys destroy pheasant eggs. If thats true I'l going to have to fire up my smoker this weekend......

Posted: 6/27/2011 5:42:12 PM EDT

[#1]

I've seen them hanging out together in winter where there were large amounts of feed available.

I've never seem them around each other in the spring and I'm not sure if they mess with the eggs or not. If they do I will have to hold a turkey hunting slaughter on my buddies place.

Posted: 6/27/2011 5:44:34 PM EDT

[#2]

There may be something to that.
In this area there used to be loads of ruffled grouse and very few turkey.
Now turkey is thick and it is rare to see a grouse.

Posted: 6/27/2011 5:47:08 PM EDT

[#3]

Do you have wild hogs there ?

Posted: 6/27/2011 5:48:45 PM EDT

[#4]

Bloody pheasants

Posted: 6/27/2011 5:51:19 PM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:
Do you have wild hogs there ?

Nope, why?

Posted: 6/27/2011 5:52:13 PM EDT

[#6]

The biggest culprits are crows, raccoons and opossums for nest raiding. Red tail hawks also kill adult and young birds.

Posted: 6/27/2011 5:53:00 PM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Do you have wild hogs there ?

Nope, why?

They will eat eggs.

Posted: 6/27/2011 6:08:21 PM EDT

[#8]

Quoted:
The biggest culprits are crows, raccoons and opossums for nest raiding. Red tail hawks also kill adult and young birds.

This!
Some people think that's what happened to the quail here in Missouri also.
The turkey compete for food but I've never seen any proof that they eat pheasant or quail young.

Either way I'll take the turkey on my table over the other two anyway.

Posted: 6/27/2011 6:29:50 PM EDT

[#9]

I grew up in Southwest Missouri and watched the Turkeys explode and quail shrink to a fraction of their former population. I'm seeing the same thing happen in Nebraska now only with pheasants. I have watched a Turkey pick up and eat a hatchling like an acorn. I guess I don't mind too bad since Turkeys are also a lot of fun to hunt and are good eating. I'm sure it's like everything else...plenty of factors involved in which species does well and pushes out the others, but it does seem like Turkeys always come out on top. They are eating machines and can run in large flocks.

Posted: 6/27/2011 6:53:14 PM EDT

[#10]

Yes sometimes. Turkeys are very territorial and will occasionally destroy other nests.

That said as others have mentioned your predator population is most likely to blame. Coons and skunks are the worst followed by coyotes and foxes and crows (in nearly that order).

Posted: 6/27/2011 6:57:57 PM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:
Bloody pheasants

Oh, that's a give away...

Posted: 6/27/2011 6:58:53 PM EDT

[#12]

Quoted:
Yes sometimes. Turkeys are very territorial and will occasionally destroy other nests.

That said as others have mentioned your predator population is most likely to blame. Coons and skunks are the worst followed by coyotes and foxes and crows (in nearly that order).

I deal with all of those as well as any stray cats as often as I can.

Posted: 6/27/2011 7:04:18 PM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:
Yes sometimes. Turkeys are very territorial and will occasionally destroy other nests.

That said as others have mentioned your predator population is most likely to blame. Coons and skunks are the worst followed by coyotes and foxes and crows (in nearly that order).

When the coyotes rolled in here a while back the fox, turkey, and pheasants disappeared.
They are starting to make a come-back, though. Someone or something has reduced the 'yote population recently.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Do turkey eat pheasant eggs or otherwise drive off pheasants?

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