Duplin County

csmacken

Four Pointer
533 registered killed as of this am! Thats incredible. I remember the days when Caswell hit the 400 mark at the end of the season and no other county was even close.
 

Buxndiverdux

Old Mossy Horns
One thing I've noticed in the last 10-15 years with the "release" bird re-populations. All of the "experts" from back in the day said that turkeys wouldn't do well in typical thick undergrowth tree farm habitat. We even had biologists come in and look at our 10,000 acre club for a possible restocking program in the early 90's and they told us the habitat wouldn't support turkeys.

Boy were they wrong. They never got restocked in many areas of pine plantations and even as far back as 2000, many experts said if you don't have turkeys now, you probably won't ever have them. Boy were they WRONG on all accounts. There are tons of turkeys thriving in these pine thickets in numbers that easily rival some of the best Roanoke River low grounds there has ever been. Granted pine plantations don't hunt the same as the Tupelo swamps, but the turkeys don't care.
 

41magnum

Twelve Pointer
You're welcome!
It was so cool helping Mike Seamster, in '90-'94, on Caswell Game Lands, cannon net them and box em up to relocate all over our state, and some were traded to Northern states to expand the gene poole and get winter hardy birds. We even traded some for Ruffed Grouse for release in our mtns.
He also got many from Biltmore Estate properties too.
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
You're welcome!
It was so cool helping Mike Seamster, in '90-'94, on Caswell Game Lands, cannon net them and box em up to relocate all over our state, and some were traded to Northern states to expand the gene poole and get winter hardy birds. We even traded some for Ruffed Grouse for release in our mtns.
He also got many from Biltmore Estate properties too.
Thank you a whole lot. :)
 

Buxndiverdux

Old Mossy Horns
You're welcome!
It was so cool helping Mike Seamster, in '90-'94, on Caswell Game Lands, cannon net them and box em up to relocate all over our state, and some were traded to Northern states to expand the gene poole and get winter hardy birds. We even traded some for Ruffed Grouse for release in our mtns.
He also got many from Biltmore Estate properties too.

We gave up some on the Roanoke as well. Baited them up good on gamelands and netted them to go elsewhere. Kinda quiet at times in those areas for a few springs here and there, but worth it in the end.
 

MJ74

Old Mossy Horns
Not a turkey hunter so forgive my ignorance, but I would have never thought 500 was a big number by the amount you see just riding around.

Sent from my LG-US996 using Tapatalk
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
Not a turkey hunter so forgive my ignorance, but I would have never thought 500 was a big number by the amount you see just riding around.

Sent from my LG-US996 using Tapatalk
you better try it MJ74. while we still have huntable populations.
 

MJ74

Old Mossy Horns
you better try it MJ74. while we still have huntable populations.
I've tried it and just wasn't my thing. So are the populations dropping due to over hunting, predators, habitat or all three?
From what I see while deer hunting I haven't noticed a difference here.

Sent from my LG-US996 using Tapatalk
 

Helium

Old Mossy Horns
One thing I've noticed in the last 10-15 years with the "release" bird re-populations. All of the "experts" from back in the day said that turkeys wouldn't do well in typical thick undergrowth tree farm habitat. We even had biologists come in and look at our 10,000 acre club for a possible restocking program in the early 90's and they told us the habitat wouldn't support turkeys.

Boy were they wrong. They never got restocked in many areas of pine plantations and even as far back as 2000, many experts said if you don't have turkeys now, you probably won't ever have them. Boy were they WRONG on all accounts. There are tons of turkeys thriving in these pine thickets in numbers that easily rival some of the best Roanoke River low grounds there has ever been. Granted pine plantations don't hunt the same as the Tupelo swamps, but the turkeys don't care.
I was one of those wrong believers also... only started to change my mind when a buddy had a hunt club in Mt Gilead with the thickest cutovers and 5-7yr old pines across the club BUT was slam full of turkeys.

I hated hunting them there... no way to get on them except hunt the roads and even then you had to be careful approaching on roost (which were a few tall pines)
 

Buxndiverdux

Old Mossy Horns
I was one of those wrong believers also... only started to change my mind when a buddy had a hunt club in Mt Gilead with the thickest cutovers and 5-7yr old pines across the club BUT was slam full of turkeys.

I hated hunting them there... no way to get on them except hunt the roads and even then you had to be careful approaching on roost (which were a few tall pines)

Exactly why I said the pine thickets don't hunt like Tupelo swamps. And I'm with you 100% on hating to hunt them there. Not anything like the traditional ways I grew up hunting them. But I've learned to hunt them mainly because I get to sleep and extra hour in the mornings, and get to work an hour earlier after the hunt. :)
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
I've tried it and just wasn't my thing. So are the populations dropping due to over hunting, predators, habitat or all three?
From what I see while deer hunting I haven't noticed a difference here.

Sent from my LG-US996 using Tapatalk
the populations arent dropping except thru death by hunting this season.

inside joke running here is that we will shoot them out like we did decades ago. they can only make so many turkeys and we have skills and tools better than their replacement abilities. In theory anywhere and in fact in most other southeastern states.

NC is unique at this point in time. Your area is amazing turkey wise.
 

Lucky Clucker

Old Mossy Horns
Bring some to Montgomery co.game lands I bet there will not be over 20 killed on them.It had tons of pressure.I killed one of only 3 I found on them and that's alot of land.Not saying that's all of them but it's bad.It went down hill when they caught some in a field on Uwharrie for the nwtf banquet and released in Randolph co. Otherwise of seagrove. Almost got every turkey in that block at one time. Eastern parts have them now keep killing them like that and go through some bad hatches and you'll be crying.
 

jug

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Duplin county has great brood range and grain fields and alot of it. I always knew they would be a top county one day.
 

dc bigdaddy

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I just looked it up. Damn if they didn't lay them out around here. Just think if I actually hunted them. :)

I think alot has to do with the kids being out of school and a lot of work from home gave free time to some.
 

Woods and water

Ten Pointer
I just looked it up. Damn if they didn't lay them out around here. Just think if I actually hunted them. :)

I think alot has to do with the kids being out of school and a lot of work from home gave free time to some.
Stick with the brim fishing, it's much more pleasurable
 
Top