Very interesting. As someone who takes wildlife habitat very seriously on their propert, I can assure you that nothing is planting shortly before a season starts. I’m sure you already know that, but it doesn’t fit your narrative.Just got home from an afternoon on the water. To answer Cz's question: I am willing to fish improved water and have worked on such projects in the past. Some of the projects have allowed trout to flourish where they could not prior to the projects. Some projects, however, get washed out by floods. The streamside plantings, though, at least on the projects I helped with, are almost universally helpful in shading streams. These are long-term projects that help the trout all year long -- for years.
I do not think these projects are like most food plots I hear/read about: Most/many of them are done shortly before a season, even along crop fields. Then a blind is set up, and on the day of a hunt, decoys are set out in front of the blind in the baited area. All of this negates the turkey's best defense mechanism: his eyesight. My son calls this murder (of gobblers). However, it is advocated and promoted by the game commission and detracts from respect for wild turkeys.
I do not think stream rehab and the construction of "food plots" (baited areas) are remotely similar.
That being said, I hope for your own high ethical standards, that you never fish when the water is off color, or in low light conditions, as not to capitalize on the trout’s diminished ability to see your fly.
I also hope that you don’t ever use fluorocarbon tippet, because of…… well ethical stuff.
I assume then that you don’t use camouflage, gloves or a face mask when you’re calling in your spring bird. Wouldn’t want to remain hidden in anyway.
I’m used to seeing this type of gatekeeping, and holier than thou attitude from upland bird hunters and fly fisherman, but this is got to be the first from a turkey hunter.