Looks like a good year for wildlife.

[owejia]

Finished mowing a couple hundred acres of crp land. Saw a lot of does with fawns, more than I've seen mowing crp in the last five or six years. A lot of quail, the birds were all less than half grown. More rabbits than I've seen since back in the 90's. Should be a good year for hunting. The hawks were catching someof the rabbits and shrew that ran from the bushhog. Saw more hawks than the last few years also.

[ShaunM]

Ive been seeing a lot of deer as well.

[Guest Bonedaddy]

Yep. Turkey, too. Now, if that dagnabbit beaver will just show his ornery head that's been cloggin' up the local creek.......

[mike243]

yep the critters will have it good this year, acorns & nut tree's have a good crop on them,all the rain has helped the hay farmers except for  getting it cut & rolled lol

[Sidinman]

Yea, ridin horses this weekend, saw a lot of deer. Saw one bachelor herd of seven, two really nice ones in the mix.

[KahrMan]

I saw two really nice bucks this morning in an area I rarely see bucks.  Hope that is a good sign of things to come.

[Guest Ceolas]

I was harvesting honey from 2 beehives yesterday on my farm and had a 50 lb box of frames in my hands.

 

Turned around and almost got run down by two fawns.

 

They both froze about 5 feet away and then split off in two different directions.

 

We seem to have double the rabbits this year too.

[whiskey]

I have seen a lot of young rabbits this summer. Seems to be a healthy crop of doves this year too. Hopefully we have a good migration for the opening weekend. 

[Dennis1209]

Yep, bumper crop of rabbits, turkey and deer around here too. In the five years I've lived here in Henry County, I've only seen one pair of quail.

 

I take it there is still hunt able populations of quail some places in Tennessee?

[1pointofview]

Last few weeks there has been a family of deer rooming in the wooded area in front of my work in cool springs. About 6 deer in total. We have seen turkey and i saw a bobcat as well. All between our bld and i65


It has been a pretty active time from what i have seen this summer

[whiskey]

Yep, bumper crop of rabbits, turkey and deer around here too. In the five years I've lived here in Henry County, I've only seen one pair of quail.

 

I take it there is still hunt able populations of quail some places in Tennessee?

 

There are limited areas with huntable populations of quail. Fort Campbell has a decent population. I believe that in most areas of the country the population is steadily declining with little hope of fully reestablishing meaningful populations every again. 

[Sidinman]

 I believe that in most areas of the country the population is steadily declining with little hope of fully reestablishing meaningful populations every again. 

Why is that? Habitat? Coyotes?

[whiskey]

Habitat is the biggest issue. The lack of good habitat leads to higher predation also.

In the early 1900's Americans were small plot farming and there was more timber between fields. Populations grew well and reached new heights in the 1940's. Then mechanized farming and pasture grazing lead to increased areas of cleared land. Fewer fence row, wind rows, and far less burned over pine forests lead to reduced populations. Johnson grass is not good for quail and that stuff has about taken over in the south.

I believe that increases in coyotes and turkeys also have led to the declining population, but that's just a hunch. A lot of rabbit hunters and quail hunters believe both turkey and coyotes have reduced their game populations. Not many people trap anymore, so there are probably increased populations of fox, bobcats, raccoons and possums.

[Sidinman]

I've heard that the turkeys would destroy the quails eggs. Yea and the lack of trapping of the predators, didn't think of that.

[EastHipster]

I was just fishing in Alabama and heard a constant choir of "BOB WHITE" for 2 days.

Hadn't heard that in a while.

 

RE: Foxes

I see TONS of them on my Trailcam.

More than Coyote.

[Guest Riciticky]

Lots of deer and cotton tails

[Climber]

I agree and have seen more wildlife this year on my 20acre farm than in the past 3 years combined.  Saw a flock of 15 turkeys in my back pasture day before yesterday and 7 of them had at least 6" beards.  The deer have been hammering my salt licks as well.  

[Dennis1209]

Trail cams are a great idea! When the night shift takes over I wouldn't even realize we had a good population of coyotes around here if it were not for their occasional yelping and feces in the road.

 

Same way with skunks, raccoons, opossums, bobcats, and foxes. Me thinks we have them around but only see them dead on the road, cepten the occasional rabid one every couple / few years during the daylight.

 

We're getting a nasty population of those armadillo's established around here in NW Tennessee too. I've yet to see one during the day but starting to see more of them dead on the road than opossums.

 

Waiting for the feral pigs to make their way here for some good eaten! As the TWR doesn't seem to care if they spread throughout the state.

Edited August 7, 2013 by Dennis1209

[jbum]

I haven't seen this many rabbits in ages. They destroyed my garden this year.

[Guest TankerHC]

I wasn't going to bother posting this unit I read this thread, going up Waldens Ridge in Rhea county there are deer all over the place and it would seem they aren't a bit shy of humans. Same with the rabbits and more squirrels than i have seen here in the twelve years coming here, but that's not the oddest thing i have seen. Last two weeks twice i stepped out in the morning to see wild turkeys walking right down the street. Once there were three boys that live up the street playing with a dog..turkeys just moseyed down the street right past them hung a left and walked on into the woods

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[Guest Bassman17SC]

I've seen deer, wild turkeys, a red fox, a great horned owl (plus other owl species), hawks, tons of rabbits, snakes, turtles, etc.  

 

Plus I've heard, but not seen, coyotes.  And I live in Davidson County.

 

The deer are the main reason I no longer have a rose garden in the back yard.  They would eat the buds before they opened.  Every.  Single.  Bloom cycle.

[Sidinman]

Riding horses again this morn, saw quite a few deer. One of my buddys saw about two dozen turkey or more he said, on his way over to meet up with us. Saw an owl also and a couple guail. I've seen more rabbits this year than I've seen in a few years.  

[whiskey]

Had 2 hens and 20ish poults come through the yard at work this morning. Seems like a solid hatch this year.

[owejia]

Finished mowing crp this year.Quail population way down, rabbits about like last year, a lot of fawns also,several still have their spots,one spike buck also. Saw no turkeys,coyotes and no snakes. Hawks follow around the fields trying to catch shrew and rabbits. Rabbits were really thick where the johnson grass was thick and taller than my tractor. Farm is in east Weakley county and west Henry county.

[bersaguy]

They had the deer issue on the news the other night. They were saying that the deer situation in Hendersonville Tennessee is totally out of control and they are looking at different solutions to deal with the problem. I live in the city of Gallatin and I have deer in my back yard a couple times in the last week and that is a first for me and I have lived here 16 years in November. I have a really think fence row between me and my neighbor behind me and it is very tall so deer can hide in is pretty easy. If I continue to see them I will buy some food and feed them this winter just as I do all the other critters I have. I feed rabbits pellets and apples I get from Krogers that have gone bad and they are throwing out. Deer will eat those also. I have 5 squirrel feeders up that I buy whole Kernel corn for and I will mix it with raw unsalted peanuts and acorns that i collect at a buddy's house with my shop vac. he has two big Oaks in his back yard and his patio, walkways and driveway are full of acorns. I can fill a 5 gallon shop vac twice and it will last the Winter. If the deer stay I might fill it 3 times because deer like acorns too. I go through about 80 lbs of bird seed a Winter also but they are so enjoyable to sit and watch in winter on the feeders....................jmho