Will turkeys displace pheasants?

[CaptainMusky]

I heard from a couple guys that the introduction of wild turkeys is causing issues with pheasants because they are being displaced.

I don't believe they kill each other or anything like that, but I for one will be extremely [PoorWordUsage]ed off if pheasants start disappearing from the places I frequent in favor of turkeys.

Anyone with any information on this?

[Borch]

Shoot the MN DNR an email regarding it. I myself have not heard any credible evidence that this is true. Another one I here frequently was that turkeys were displacing and preying on Quail in more souothern states.

There are other issues that have far more of an impact on pheasant numbers other than whether turkeys are present or not.

But like I said, contact the MN DNR. They have always been very prompt and professional to me when I've been in contact with them.

[Scott M]

There was a back and forth in the Outdoor News about grouse and turkey in late August. The fact is turkeys, grouse, and even pheasants occupy different niches. They need different habitats, have different requirements, and won't be pushing each other out any time soon. Think about your best turkey habitats: mixed hardwood edges. Now pheasants: shrubby areas by grasslands. Now grouse, mixed age aspen.....That was just a generalization but you get the point...different habitats, different diets, different intereactions, different niches.

[Hammer Handle]

For what it's worth, there are several times, while bow hunting for deer, I have seem turkeys chasing pheasants off the field. The pheasants are still there, but give the turkeys plenty of room.

Besides, turkeys are native...pheasants aren't. The turkeys were hear first!

[Powerstroke]

The talk in Outdoor news was about the SE MN reagion and although some of there stuff might be credible you need to look at food sources and there just isn't much aspen, alder, dogwood areas with new growth any more. Nobody is logging in the bluff areas anymore.

The place I hunted turks last spring was public land for starters and had more turkeys AND pheasants than I'd seen in a long time. They may fight a bit about certain food sources (farm fields), but they mainly occupy different parts of the outdoors.

[fishroger]

Dont see that happening. The posters are right. Turkeys prefer open parklike woods areas with grass areas or a grain source nearby. I'm sure there ar areas where they are intermingled. Turkeys will eat acorns, grain, insects, fuit. Pheasants prefer grassland, marshes and woodland edges and like grain or seeds and insects. Dont see therm hurting grouse either. Grouse prefer the thicker, brushy woodlands and are very adaptable. They will eat just about anything they can fit in their mouth. Todd county is becoming a turkey motherlode. Have seen many nice flocks of turkeys among the farm woodlands along with quite a few pheasants.