Having watched the cicada -17 year -cycle through some other portions of the southeast , my personal observation is that the turkeys really have incredible nutrition from the bugs and the result is a real bump up in turkey populations as a result. Be interesting to see if that observation holds true in Va this year ...you wlll know it next year at this time if I am right. hope so.

I have heard the same thing.

http://www.monwtf.org/

That one study in Missouri cites a 42% increase over their 5-year avg poult survival. The cicadas really should help.

Had not seen that study. Just know what i have observed Good info

All the areas I hunt had cicadas last year and we had maybe the best hatch ever last year.
Something else that could have had an impact on he good hatch was the early spring last year in which a lot of poults hatched out before the first cutting of hay. Surely the combination of the two was ideal for a successful hatch.

Sure hope that holds true. With the rain we had this year so far and cool nights I am a little concerened. Predation is on an increase around here though. But yea those cicada's would be a great protien boost for the poults and help their survival.

It seems every 5 years they talk about the cicada hatch and poult survival in the symposium books. So must be a very positive for the turkeys.

Is it every 17 years the cicada's hatch or 14? Is it consistent in the years between each hatch?


Earl

http://www.magicicada.org/about/brood_pages/broods.php

There are multiple broods, so there isn't an easy answer to that.

http://www.magicicada.org/magicicada_ii.php

Thanks for the info, very interesting and informative.


Earl

From the number of Cicada that I watched hatch Friday and Saturday morning I would venture to guess there could be some 30 pound birds walking around in two weeks. I have never seen so many at once! Was a neat experience to watch them come out of the shell.

I just hope the untimely rains we are having doesn't off-set the positive affect of the cicada feast. One thing I wondered, if most of these cicada will not be gone before any of this year's poults are big enough to eat one....

Those things will likely still be hatching through mid june in some less intense numbers than you might be seeing right now if they are peaking now. And they hang around for several days after they hatch. IMO the KY turkey population in areas with large hatch of cicada seemed to double in some areas following the cicada hatch there about five years ago so the poult timing must have been perfect . Meantime get you fly rod out and go fishing. Likely to catch largest fish of any species on the surface that you will ever catch on surface lure. (Excluding Earl C who is a pro).

None around here this year but where I hunted in Tenn last year they would drive you nuts trying to hear a gobble!

Got so many in the woods up at the farm .... Sure we'll have 25 lb jakes next year

Friends drove from Tn over to some central NC lakes to flynfish cicada patterns for large carp and white amur (grass carp)! One caught an eight pound largemouth as well Their pictures of twenty to thirty lb fish caught on the surface were impressive. The turks will eat what the fish dont. And the deer - we have seen deer eat them off shrubs like they were candy.

GN this has got me thinking! Last year we was covered up with cicada and the turkeys gobbled good all the way till the last day and it was an extremely early spring also. Now this spring the birds seemed to slow down towards the end matter of fact some just shut up and it was a late spring. Maybe the cicada really boost up the energy of the birds last year and kept them more active. I know during deer season i ntice if the mass is good the rut usually is more visible. This is me just thinking which sometimes can be dangerous

Doug

Who knows

Spent a couple days at Smith Mountain Lake this weekend near Union Hall in Franklin Co., VA. There was a constant siren sound the whole weekend. Should be some healthy birds this summer and beyond. Also saw a mallard hen with 11 little ones in the cove and sleeping on the shore. It was an awesome picture of God's creation as momma duck made a shelter with her wings and stayed alert while all 11 broods snoozed underneath.