The Gopher Tortoise

I know you can find turkeys in almost any natural habitat in Georgia, but there is something special to me about turkey hunting in sandy soil. I can’t really define it, but those south Georgia sandy pines just make me think of longbeards. Maybe because I have a long string of relatives making a life on the sandy banks of the Alapaha River. That sandy soil is inside my soul.

There is something else I think about in that sand. For many people, there is a critter that goes largely unnoticed despite its popularity in conservation. It’s the gopher tortoise.

When I find a tortoise burrow in the turkey woods, I can’t help but get excited. I just know there are turkeys nearby. The gopher tortoise has become my good luck charm for so many spring hunts. It can be a strong indication that the habitat is how it should be, the way God intended. It shows good balance in the environment, often revealing positive information about other animal species that inhabit the land, like my prized Eastern turkeys.

This Georgia state reptile is one of immense importance, being labeled as a keystone species. A keystone species is one that has an extremely high impact on its environment relative to its population and plays a definitive role in preserving the ecological community structure. Over 350 animal species use gopher tortoise burrows, and many rely solely on these subterranean “apartments” for survival. The sandy woods of Georgia would be vastly different if not for the mild-mannered gopher tortoise.

When you see an adult tortoise in nature, you are nearly witnessing a miracle. Only about 25% of the eggs hatch in the wild, and of those that hatch, only about 10% survive the first year (because of natural predators that eat the eggs and baby tortoises… yet another good reason to trap varmints). It is estimated that only 3-5% of those that hatch actually make it to maturity. Maturity can take 10 to 15 years on average with some tortoises reaching maturity as late as 20 years. Another factor to consider is it takes six or seven years for their shells to harden, making their first few years very susceptible to predation.

However, even after a tortoise’s shell hardens, it is still no match for cars and machinery, and habitat destruction can wipe out even the healthiest adult gopher tortoise, who can otherwise live 40 to 60 years in the wild (and up to 100 years in captivity). Because of all the dangers that await, gopher tortoises are protected at the state level in every state they exist, but this meaning varies between states. In Georgia, they are listed as “Threatened” under Georgia’s Endangered Wildlife Act. Threatened means they are likely to become endangered. Once endangered, they are at risk of extinction.

When I see a cricket, grasshopper, or any other bug crawl out of a burrow, I smile just thinking of the turkey food those holes harbor. No wonder I have success seeing turkeys milling around tortoise homes.

If you have the privilege of hunting in gopher tortoise country, take some time to give these incredible reptiles some thought and appreciation. The animals we hunt in tortoise regions owe a lot more than we realize to these essential habitat builders.

I am working on a gopher tortoise education project to teach kids about the longleaf pine ecosystem. One main point I want to make is that hunters are some of the most important conservationists in the world. Follow on Instagram @sheeldthegophertortoise.