There's hope

[JV]

Coming back from town early this morning, I spotted a large flock of turkeys in a corn field.  Almost home, I saw a large hawk flying low coming my way.  Getting nearer, I spotted his white head and tail.  A Bald Eagle.  I spotted one about 10 miles from here last fall.  When I was a kid, I spotted a doe in one of our fields and followed her excitedly as I had never seen one.  Now they are so common they are almost considered fluffy-tailed rats.  Large turkey flocks are common and we have had hens in our yard.  Coyotes were something you saw in a western movie, now they cross our lane in broad daylight.  I'm not fond of them, but my point is with proper stewardship, wildlife that has been absent for decades can recover.  Working in the woods last summer, I heard a lot of racket and spotted a pileated woodpecker.  This critter is the size of a crow and almost as noisy.  Ain't nature great.   

[tyb525]

Earlier this winter I saw 6 bald eagle together at the same time along the Mississenewa, it borders our property and I was out for a walk. I had no idea there were any around here.

First time I've seen a bald eagle in person

A few weeks ago, on a country road I saw 24 deer, a pack of 12 in the woods and then another pack of 12 several miles past in a cornfield. They both had a nice buck with them.

[sandhills]

Probably 20 years ago or so my dad and our neighbors who were also my landlords started some turkeys.  The neighbor couple who were my landlords have since passed on, but the turkeys are doing better than ever.  We have around 80 or so that winter on our place then spread out in the spring to nest, but every time I see them I can't help but think of  "Toots" my old landlord chasing all the turkeys down the road away from the hunter sitting in the tree calling them in.  I'm not by any means against turkey or any other kind of hunting but she kept good track of those birds and at that time there was only three toms and be DanGed if she was gonna let someone shoot one.   You had to know her I guess, I loved them dearly and think of them almost everyday.

[Norm]

That's funny sandhills as I hunt most everything that can be considered dinner except turkeys and pheasants. Every so often I'll get someone ask about hunting the flock on our south forty. I tell them they're my pets and that to shot one would be like me coming over and hunting their dog.  :D

[chain]

There was a emergency closure of Missouri's ruffed grouse season for 2010-'11, very low numbers plus the game commission is wanting to do some re-stocking. We did quite a bit of habitat work on our tree farm, diversifying our stands and developing soft-mast and understory food trees and shrubs. I only witnessed one grouse  in 25 years since the original stocking.

My neighbor said he 'shot' a grouse from out of a tree one spring day. >:( Said he didn't know what it was.] I had no comment.

[JV]

Maybe the groundhog was right and spring is near.  Walking to the shop this afternoon, I heard a raspy cry and looked up.  A flight of sandhill cranes were circling and heading north.  Probably headed for the Kankakee Reserve. 

[ely]

ive hunted quail for most of my life.... i was 13 before i knew they could fly ;D.
here in se okla, back in the early 80's the wildlife dept was trying get turkeys started, so were several well meaning stewards of the animal kingdom.
the state had a flock of near 50 birds going good when the other guys released their birds.
not long after the flock started disappearing slowly, they found out that the raised birds had taken some common barnyard disease to the wild flock that they were not immune to. the raised birds were like chickens in respect to their immune systems.

[laffs]

never used to see these, now we see them most days here

the turkeys we see to much of, i hunt deer but after season and the snow is on the ground i feed them till the snow is gone.
i like to think ive brought my small herd from 5 up to 12 in the last 2 years
hey whata ya know i learned to post pictures

[Dan_Shade]

I can often see hawks looking for their lunch flying low over a field while I'm at work looking out my window.  It's a nice break from the regular BS of the day.

We have a bald eagles in the area too, they are quite a sight to behold.

[thecfarm]

Nice picture laffs.Where in Maine are you located?
I did not see any turkeys here until about 6-7 years ago.I saw them about 45 minutes from here for a few years.Saw 2 down by my Aunts place,10 minutes from me, about a year before I saw them here.I always saw them walking.I never knew they could fly across a field into the trees until I tried to take a picture of them.Seeing 20 at a time was alot here.Now it's no big deal.

[sawguy21]

Wild turkeys have been spotted in southeastern British Columbia near the Idaho border, I had no idea they came so far north.

[laffs]

im near newport
theres 7 eagles here where im fishing this winter any pickerel i catch i leavem on the ice, come back the next day and there all cleaned up.
turkeys are fine up until you become over populated with them. they can become dangerous after that, farmers here hatem. when they decide to roost or are coming out of a roost near a road is the dangerous time, a guy i worked with would have taken one in the winshield if hadnt put the brakes on. i was in a tree stand one afternoon and one came down through the trees jumped the crap outa me, thought someone tossed a garbage bag out of an airplane

[indiaxman1]

Good pic Laffs....wildlife of all sorts appears to be thriving...maybe not grouse...used to hunt them in 80's..trapped out for turkey swap..never came back....quail down too.....turkey season coming up next month around here...should be a good harvest

[SwampDonkey]

I see timber chickens here often, but not many flocks like years ago. Used to come across 6-12 birds in a flock.



Feeding on birch catkins.

[Magicman]

Some kinda grouse?

[SwampDonkey]

ruffed grouse ;)

[Magicman]

I've eaten Blue and Spruce Grouse in Colorado.  Never Ruffed.  I'd love to see one on my smoker.   digin1

[SwampDonkey]

Ruffies are all white meat. We don't shoot spruce grouse here because we don't like the needle taste the meat takes on. Ruffies are better than chicken. 

[laffs]

cant shoot a spruce grouse in maine unless ya wanna go to the crow bar hotel

[SwampDonkey]

There not protected here. We only have them in certain habitats around here. I was in a fir spruce stand marking trails in 2004 on 150 acres. The spruce grouse were as thick as robins there. One other reason I never hunted them, was there was no sport in shooting something that would just sit there on a limb and just about let ya pet them. :D