Iconic game birds are vanishing from the landscape. SC needs help to save them

Wild turkeys are in such danger from over-hunting that South Carolina wildlife officials say it’s time to take action before the popular game birds become too scarce on the landscape.

The S.C. Department of Natural Resources wants to shorten the hunting season and reduce bag limits after documenting a more than 40% decline in wild turkey populations during the past two decades.

“We are killing more birds than we are producing,’’ said Jay Cantrell, assistant big game coordinator at the DNR. “That leads to a declining population.’’

The wildlife department’s plan to tighten turkey hunting rules is expected to be discussed in a S.C. House committee next week. Among other things, the plan would shorten the hunting season by nine days and push the start of the season back. A bill would have to be introduced to make changes.

Some politicians say the state can expect blowback from part of the hunting community but also say South Carolina should take action to keep wild turkey populations healthy.

“Something needs to be done,’’ said state Sen. Chip Campsen, a Charleston Republican who chairs the upper chamber’s Fish, Game and Forestry Committee. He said he plans to introduce a bill based on the DNR’s proposal.

“We may tweak some things, but it is something that we will address, for sure.’’

Dwindling turkey numbers are a concern because the birds, at one point, had made a dramatic comeback in South Carolina and other states — a trend that had pumped millions of dollars into the states’ hunting economies and given sportsmen new opportunities.

Starting in the 1970s, states like South Carolina began reintroducing wild turkeys to areas where they had become scarce following decades of over-hunting and habitat loss.

But the turkey population, following steady increases from the 1970s through the 1990s, peaked in 2002 before taking a downturn. The population has generally been dropping ever since.

The state’s wild turkey population reached a high in 2002 of about 176,000 birds but the number had dropped to 123,000 by 2019. Today, the number is around 100,000 birds, according to DNR estimates.

Well-known for their broad tails and colorful plumage, wild turkeys are the largest game birds in North America. Adults can weigh up to 25 pounds and stand more than three feet tall, according to the state DNR. Wild turkeys prefer forested areas, interspersed with open fields. The birds are considered crafty prey and sometimes difficult to harvest.

Hunters, like Sen. Campsen, say the meat of wild turkeys is leaner and tastier than that of domestic turkeys.

State officials say there are multiple reasons for the decline in the past 20 years, but two of the biggest may be looser game laws and too much hunting pressure.

In 2015, for instance, even as turkey numbers were showing signs of decline, the state Legislature agreed to start the spring hunting season earlier throughout much of South Carolina.

Now, the DNR is advocating cutting the hunting season from 40 days to 31 days and beginning the season at a later date.

Under the new plan, the wild turkey season would run from April 10 to May 10. Currently, the start and end to turkey hunting season varies, depending on the part of the state a hunter lives in.

Beginning the hunting season later is a key to the plan, wildlife officials say. State law now allows wild turkeys to be hunted during the peak of the mating season, typically in late March and early April.

So not only are mature turkeys being killed, but they are being taken out of the breeding population, meaning less mating occurs and fewer chicks are hatched. Waiting to start the season April 10 will reduce that pressure, Cantrell said.

Hunters and predators

The bag limit, or the number of turkeys hunters can kill in a season, also would drop from three to two birds, according to the DNR’s plan.

The wildlife agency’s proposal is likely to draw opposition from some hunters, said state Sen. Ronnie Cromer, a Newberry Republican who serves on the Fish, Game and Forestry Committee with Campsen. Cromer said some action may be needed to help turkey populations.

“That is going to require quite a bit of discussion,’’ Cromer said, noting that hunting and fishing limits often stir intense debate.

“One of the best ways to get un-elected is to go mess with a guy’s creel limit or his bag limit,” Cromer said. “That’s the honest truth — you can get some feathers ruffled real quick when you start doing that.’’

About 25% of the hunters surveyed recently by the DNR said they do not support a later start date, and 31% said they oppose a shorter turkey hunting season.

In 2019, the DNR urged tighter controls on the hunting season to help the birds recover, but the Legislature did not heed much of the advice.

There are multiple reasons for the decline of turkeys, including the loss of habitat. Predators, such as raccoons, also feast on turkey eggs, and coyotes sometimes kill mature birds.

Cromer said he’s worried that exotic species, including the Tegu lizard, are beginning to prey on turkey eggs.

But sportsmen also are using more effective methods of killing turkeys — and they have plenty of time to do it, according to the DNR.

Cantrell said he doubts wild turkeys would ever become extinct in South Carolina, but if the numbers continue to plummet, sportsmen will lose out. And that could hurt the hunting economy, he said.