Re: Turkeys in winter
2014/02/24 07:39:36
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If you want to feed them you can either use ear corn , cracked corn, or whole kernel corn, which ever is less expensive in your area.
If you use ear corn or whole corn you may have deer to contend with. Not so much with cracked corn.
If you use ear corn you should put it in a wire basket if you can find one or build a basket out of a wire spool and wood slats about 1-1/2 " apart on the spool. The PGC used to give out wire baskets but I doubt they do anymore since they quit feeding them.
I have bird feeders they come around so just spread a mixture of whole corn and cracked corn around it (don't pile it as it creates problems with them fighting over it).
I keep a large area or a number of small areas free of snow which also allows them to get some grass and grit.
If you need them to find your feeding area buy a bag of oats( it stays on top of the snow better) and make several long trails leading to your feed. Once one or two find it the word spreads quickly and you will have all the birds within a mile or so.
Try not to start feeding the deer this late in the winter as it really does screw up their system if they get too much corn all of a sudden. A bite or two is ok but a full belly of anything new can cause more problems than being hungry. I also feed them but start as soon as I am done hunting and don't quit until it starts to green up.
As far as what they are eating now, in deep fluffy snow they can survive for quite awhile staying in the trees and eating the buds. In harder crusty snow they can move around and find farms, bird feeders, open spring seeps, etc. The wildlife seems in decent shape now but if this weather lasts well into March they could be in trouble. It's dumping some serious snow in Warren Country right now.