Goodtimekiller":1l7qw32g said:
How about a higher jake harvest because there are so many freaking jakes running around from a booming hatch?
Ive seen more jakes this year than i have in 10 years, so has everyone ive talked to.
Not being a debbie downer, but because you, who sees more turkeys than any hunter I know or any hunter on social media, and your few buddies have seen a bumper hatch of jakes in your immediate area, tells us NOTHING biologically about the 2019 statewide hatch covering 95 counties and 27 million acres. Open your eyes, think big picture and realize the
STATE is far bigger than your neck of the woods and the primo land you access. For my localized observations in middle and west TN, I have a FEW properties that appear to be better than the last five year average, but there are several other areas I frequent that are struggling bad. These areas were good to great 7-10 years ago, are not close in proximity to chicken litter operations, not prone to spring flooding, and are not hunted all that hard, probably average hunting pressure through the spring season and zero pressure in fall season. We all need to look at the big picture covering 95 counties, that is how
STATEWIDE turkey management should be conducted.
For the record, I have hunted and took others hunting the majority of the days season has been open in middle and west TN, have witnessed plenty of success in the woods, and I have yet to see a single jake for certain, either hunting or riding down the road. I've heard a few jake gobbles and I have seen bigger black male birds while driving that were not strutting that could've been jakes, but I have only seen a few of them in my travels. Definitely male birds, but could not tell details with naked the eye at 300 yards and 60 mph. Generally speaking, this year seems to be above average in some of my areas for opportunity, but nothing to write home about. This is my localized observation and means nothing statewide.
As others have mentioned, early spring, record number of license sales, good/great weather across the state, tons of folks off work so in the woods more, and it is no surprise we're at 87% (
27,187/31,264) of last year kill total after 14 days of regular season and 2 days of juvenile (
36% of season gone by). I am tickled for the apparent bumper hatch in SOME areas last year, and the success we have had this year, but if poult production this summer/fall is no better than the last decade average, I will have serious concerns for the less than primo areas that make up the majority of the state. Sustainable huntable turkey populations and quality hunting throughout the state should be everyone's goal.
