Hey "older folks", do you remember a time when we could free range without loss?

[centrarchid]

We've always had predators, but numbers have shifted. Especially raccoons! Hunting raccoon pelts is about over, and they don't have many other predators here. There are more dogs, because of increased numbers of houses, people moving 'to the country' and allowing free roaming. Raptor numbers have rebounded after DDT was banned too.
I don't really want a wolf pack here, or grizzly bears!
We may have cougars occasionally appearing, and black bears have been seen not so far away. Fewer deer would be nice!
Our local environment has changed, from all farmstead to mixed suburban, woodlots, and some farming. Bigger farm fields and suburban grass monoculture give less wildlife habitat too. It's just different, not always in good ways.
Mary

The dog number here is extremely important for all the wrong reasons. Myself and a too farmers with sheep are the only ones in a two mile radius with farm dogs. No one in a much larger radius has to my knowledge any hunting dogs that are actually used. There is close to 50 dogs in a 1 mile radius and almost all are simply pets. A neighbor next store has guard dogs to keep people away. Too many dogs.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I am very curious to see if different parts of US have experienced a massive predator shift over the decades like my area has...[?]

I am a good bit over 70 and I have often mentioned how the predator population has lost respect for and the fear of man.

The real thing that happens when Man moves in is that humans modify the environment to suit the purposes of human beings and these changes suit the purposes of most chicken predators mostly because man and chicken predators both like to eat chicken eggs as well as the chickens themselves.

Large areas of un-touched wild land is not the predator paradise that some of you may think. One reason for this is that wild prey species wax and wane in response to the seasons while your chickens, ducks, guineas, etc. are on hand (or on the menu) year round.

I don't know how reliable the figures are but Wildlife Professionals tell me that there are more white tailed deer in America today than when Columbus first touched the islands of the Caribbean.

For instance wild flocks of starlings, grackles, Brewer Blackbirds, and red wing blackbirds were once common in my home area. They would often pass a single point in an uninterrupted stream for 2 or 3 hours while going to roost every evening. At this time there was many small cow feed lots scattered around the Tennessee Valley and these millions of birds had a easy life or a easy time finding all the spilled grain that they needed to live the good life.

The same thing happened on the Great Plains when humans first began abandoning farm buildings, planting trees, or scrapping cars, trucks, and farm machinery. All of these things made great escape and nursery sights for raccoons, and crows, which were once scarce. The upstart was increased duck nest predation and increased chicken flock predation on the Great Plains.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I have raised fowl since the early 50's.... I live in W Central NJ and it is still rural here although our dirt road is now paved. When I was a kid every farm had a gamecock 'visitor' for the summer that would be collected in the autumn along with any get as @centrarchid has mentioned.

I know of some men from the 40s and 50s who made a good living
"Farm Walking" the gamecock 'visitor' that sourland mentions. Rich game fowl enthusiasts from the North East and mid West states shipped their roosters to these men via Railroad Express Agency and for a small fee they in turn found these roosters 100% free range homes on farms like sourland mentioned. There was little true knowledge then about how to keep hens and roosters strong and healthy in a wire pen. I see the same thing happening in reverse today in regards to the opinions of many novice chicken keepers.

Sorry folks but I calls them likes I sees them.

 

[Trish1974]

Natural pheasant production no longer exists.

This statement reminds me... I have not seen a pheasant in probably 10-15 years. When I was a teenager we had a pair nest in the fenceline between fields. Every evening my mom would call me out to listen to the male pheasant make his call (and there I would go in typical teenage fashion, stomping and rolling my eyes whining "whaaaattt??!!"). She thought it was so neat. I also no longer see or hear quail (or what we called bobwhites). That seemed to also stop around my teen years. I don't understand what caused the loss of the pheasants and bobwhites, since the area has not developed. On the flip side though, we now have wild turkeys coming out the wazoo. When I was a kid and teen seeing a turkey was as rare as seeing a bald eagle. Now both are a dime a dozen.

 

[centrarchid]

This statement reminds me... I have not seen a pheasant in probably 10-15 years. When I was a teenager we had a pair nest in the fenceline between fields. Every evening my mom would call me out to listen to the male pheasant make his call (and there I would go in typical teenage fashion, stomping and rolling my eyes whining "whaaaattt??!!"). She thought it was so neat. I also no longer see or hear quail (or what we called bobwhites). That seemed to also stop around my teen years. I don't understand what caused the loss of the pheasants and bobwhites, since the area has not developed. On the flip side though, we now have wild turkeys coming out the wazoo. When I was a kid and teen seeing a turkey was as rare as seeing a bald eagle. Now both are a dime a dozen.

Bobwhite dropped in abundance in southern Indiana about time people switched over to larger fields with much cleaner fence rows. They are still abundant around my parents home where many people have bramble patches near fenced in ponds, and the fence rows are brushy with bramble patches along them and creeks. The introduction of fescue was bad news as well. My property should be perfect for Bobwhite, but they have yet to colonize it. Surrounding country side does not appear to support quail as either nearly mature woodlot or overgrazed pasture made up of very large fields. No transition zones. The predators have too easy a time getting the quail in such situations.

 

[Trish1974]

Bobwhite dropped in abundance in southern Indiana about time people switched over to larger fields with much cleaner fence rows. They are still abundant around my parents home where many people have bramble patches near fenced in ponds, and the fence rows are brushy with bramble patches along them and creeks. The introduction of fescue was bad news as well. My property should be perfect for Bobwhite, but they have yet to colonize it. Surrounding country side does not appear to support quail as either nearly mature woodlot or overgrazed pasture made up of very large fields. No transition zones. The predators have too easy a time getting the quail in such situations.

Very good point! I have noticed farmers are now cleaning up fence rows, cutting down trees and burning brush. Got to get in that extra row of crops I guess! I hadn't put the two together, but now that you mention it that makes sense.

 

[cmom]

I agree with the other posts. I'm not as old as many of you, I'm only in my early 70's but have seen a lot of changes as some have mentioned, especially areas that were once unpopulated, now there are communities. Behind our property when I was growing up was a large pasture of 100 acres where now there is a school and other development. Our property then, has now been subdivided. Lots of homes. Where we live now is still rural but several new homes have been built in the area within the last few years and as people get older they sell off parts of their properties. The property across the street has been divided into several parcels but they haven't put any of the land for sale. Behind us is a couple of 10 acre parcels that have houses that have been built in the past couple of years and the people don't have roads, but use the right-away next to us and really need a 4-wheel drive vehicle. We have pulled many people out that have gotten stuck because their GPS's say the road goes through. I don't know why people try to drive back there when there is clearly no road. My point being that probably not in my life time but this area is growing in population. When we first moved here we rarely saw a vehicle go past our place and the road was gravel which has since been paved and more traffic as people have moved in. We live on a corner of the paved road and a dead end road. The predators are loosing a lot of their natural habitat.

Edited to add, we were once the last house on a dirt road but over the years the county has extended the road and paved part of it.

 

[cmom]

We had a lot of Bobwhite's in the past and haven't seen them in quite a long time.

 

[Clucking_Crazy]

My thoughts on the issue were mentioned above. I'm from the midwest, and what I notice here is the disappearance of the fence rows or wind breaks in the fields.

I feel like those areas are/were the ideal habitats for small rodents, quail, pheasants, etc. If those small prey animals are no longer found in abundance at regular intervals, the predators come looking for meals elsewhere.

As for the shift in predator types over the decades, I maybe am not old enough to really appreciate the differences in my area. But I will report seeing coyotes extremely often. And I hear them at least a few nights a week in the warmer months.

 

[cmom]

We still have fence rows and wind breaks in the fields but the coyote and other predators have grown in population here. One of our neighbors have actually hired people who specialize in removing some of the coyotes but he says he still sees a lot of them. He lives quite a ways back in on a dirt road. He said there are some dens on his property.