the killing of predators is a long established game bird management technique practiced in europe for hundreds of years...it works there...why not here?
Ed, that's because in Europe, they've traditionally employed game keepers (sometimes even with assistants to help them) who shoot or trap anything that might kill a game bird. (Raptors are now protected . . . but as a Scottish keeper once told me: "Aye, they are . . . but they often meet with terrible accidents!") Traditionally, this was to provide the highest quality sport on His Lordship's estate. Today, with driven shooting being a business, it's to provide the highest quality sport to the paying customers. Previously, His Lordship paid the cost of predator control. Today, those who shoot driven birds pay for predator control.
I haven't hunted northern MN so can't comment on turkey numbers. But they're all over the place in northern WI. It's my understanding that the WI DNR thought the state would never have turkeys north of Highway 8. I live north of Highway 8 and I have a flock that wanders through my yard frequently. For that matter, they're quite common in Michigan's UP. Part of the reason, I think, is people who put out corn and other food for deer in the winter. I'm sure the turkeys also take advantage of that.
In the USA, we were fortunate for a long time to get predator control for free, courtesy of trappers and furbearer hunters. Currently, as suggested elsewhere, it's become politically incorrect to value one species above another--even though it's the game species rather than the predators that pay the bill where wildlife is concerned. Which means, to me, that game species are clearly "more valuable" than the critters that kill them or destroy their nests.
Last edited by L. Brown; 02/26/20 07:35 AM.
