Adjust season start date?

[Shooter77]

Now that I've got some more time I'll elaborate on some of the issues facing turkeys here and elsewhere in my opinion.

1. Decoys, they allow hunters who normally wouldn't kill squat to have success and lots of it.
2. Decoys make harvesting the toughest birds possible. Birds that would normally survive and breed lots of hens are dead quickly.
3. Long range shooters, how many birds are being killed that back before HTL were given a pass because of range?
4. In states that allow deer baiting those states are also seeing a rapid decline in turkey populations.
5. Gross mismanagement in TN. Absolutely no logic used in our regulations

All of those factors can be controlled. Yet none are. Want to address the turkey decline address those first and formost.

Doesn't KY allow baiting? Seems their population is blowing up.

I agree with lot of the others. Also allowing 4 birds a season plus "X" per county in the fall isn't a good strategy. Something else you can't forget is the increase in predators such as coyotes, possums, coons & dillos in middle/west tn areas as trapping isn't done as much these days.

 

[Shooter77]

I would support moving the dates back some. A issue I don't see discussed much is habit loss. I read a article a few years back about the decline of turkeys in SC because of much of the clearing of the land had stopped because of demand for wood product and environmental issues. Said the paper companies had stopped a lot of clear cutting that was used by the turkeys for nesting and bugs. I've seen this with deer and turkey on National Forest lands. I remember it also talking about how great of a impact Hurricane Hugo was for the coastal & middle parts of SC as it knocked down lots of trees and opened up the Forrest floor.

I think habitat is the key issue that no one talks about. Turkeys benefit from clear and select cut, as well as burns. This creates optimal nesting and/or breeding habitat.

Besides residential/commercial land, the worst land for turkeys is big ag fields. No turkey is benefitting one bit from a big desolate ag field, except maybe right after harvest and right at planting.


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To much clearing and burning in the same areas has negative effects on good nesting areas, and I disagree with the ag fields look at Kansas if you've never been there they have a booming population and little to no timber much less clear cuts. I know prescribed burns,thinning and clearing are needed and good when done in moderation but alot of our National Forests in Alabama are reburning same areas over and over and not letting any cover to get established for nesting areas.

I agree you can't clearing/burning the same areas. Growing up in the late 80's/early 90's in VA hunting National Forest lands, they were doing a great job rotating areas for clear cuts and doing prescribed burns. produced some of the best hunting. Heck I've had days I've seen 25-48 deer on a sit on NF lands. now you can do a week and see 1-2 deer is all. Turkeys were the same way, we could go to a ridge line and hear 5-10 through the valley. Lucky now to hear 1-2 any time you hunt. Big Ag fields aren't a problem till they clear edge to edge to use every inch of dirt for crops. need that buffer along the edges.

 

[Setterman]

Now that I've got some more time I'll elaborate on some of the issues facing turkeys here and elsewhere in my opinion.

1. Decoys, they allow hunters who normally wouldn't kill squat to have success and lots of it.
2. Decoys make harvesting the toughest birds possible. Birds that would normally survive and breed lots of hens are dead quickly.
3. Long range shooters, how many birds are being killed that back before HTL were given a pass because of range?
4. In states that allow deer baiting those states are also seeing a rapid decline in turkey populations.
5. Gross mismanagement in TN. Absolutely no logic used in our regulations

All of those factors can be controlled. Yet none are. Want to address the turkey decline address those first and formost.

Doesn't KY allow baiting? Seems their population is blowing up.

I agree with lot of the others. Also allowing 4 birds a season plus "X" per county in the fall isn't a good strategy. Something else you can't forget is the increase in predators such as coyotes, possums, coons & dillos in middle/west tn areas as trapping isn't done as much these days.

http://www.kentuckyhunting.net/threads/ ... rd.159700/

 

[Shooter77]

Now that I've got some more time I'll elaborate on some of the issues facing turkeys here and elsewhere in my opinion.

1. Decoys, they allow hunters who normally wouldn't kill squat to have success and lots of it.
2. Decoys make harvesting the toughest birds possible. Birds that would normally survive and breed lots of hens are dead quickly.
3. Long range shooters, how many birds are being killed that back before HTL were given a pass because of range?
4. In states that allow deer baiting those states are also seeing a rapid decline in turkey populations.
5. Gross mismanagement in TN. Absolutely no logic used in our regulations

All of those factors can be controlled. Yet none are. Want to address the turkey decline address those first and formost.

Doesn't KY allow baiting? Seems their population is blowing up.

I agree with lot of the others. Also allowing 4 birds a season plus "X" per county in the fall isn't a good strategy. Something else you can't forget is the increase in predators such as coyotes, possums, coons & dillos in middle/west tn areas as trapping isn't done as much these days.

http://www.kentuckyhunting.net/threads/ ... rd.159700/

What was the kill numbers in KY for the PAST 5 & 10 years? I believe in looking at trends over years, not 1 season. Factors like bad weather on weekends (when most hunting happens) has a effect on single season numbers. The link you posted seems like a lot of people with opinions of less birds while others on the thread say they've seen a increase with no real evidence to back up their claims either way. it just takes 1 or 2 bad hatches for things to go bad from year to year. I'm sure they has been a decline in some areas and increase in others. Last spring in Sullivan, Hawkins, Washington & Greene counties I heard the most birds in 6 years. I seen 19 gobblers during the season and was part of 5 being killed and I actually hunted less days then years before. At the same time, I saw 4 birds (all gobblers, no hens) all fall on one of these properties when I've gotten 20-40 on cams or in person the year before. Seems like there is lots of reasons to the root cause of the problem, not just 1 issue.

I use to have 4-8 gobblers on the 60 acre woods behind my house that I would hunt. Last year, just 1 gobbler all season back there and I didn't even hunt him because of the drop in numbers. Same time I've seen a decrease in turkeys and deer both in my yard and on my cams, i've seen a huge increase in coyotes, wild dogs, coons, foxes, possums & bears. I use to see 20+ deer around my house just 2 years ago, this past fall, I seen 2 small bucks and 3 does w/a last summer fawn.

Has anyone looked at the increase in use of chemicals in farming practices?

 

[SKFOOTER]

Kentucky allows baiting for deer but not turkey.

 

[TN Whitetail Freak]

Kentucky allows baiting for deer but not turkey.

Correct it is illegal to have grain out for the turkey season in KY

 

[FARMTOFIELD]

I would think lots of breeding is done by the opener here in Tennessee, but they continue to breed all season long.

I would be pro move the date back to April 10th or so. Same with North Alabama. South Alabama from my experience doesn't have as big of a population issue as us.


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What about parts of extreme north Alabama? They have a 5 day season and still no Turkey's.

Have no idea. There have never been turkeys in Morgan county that I know of. It isn't on the state border though but has s five day season. Jackson, Madison, limestone, and lauderdale are the border states and for the most part they have a thirty day season. Jackson is a 45 day season.
Limestone and lauderdale are the two counties bordering Giles, Lawrence and Wayne, and they are in the same shape turkey number wise as southern tn


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Half of Lauderdale county has a 5 day season and very very few birds, the other half has a 30 day season and pockets of birds

 

[woodsman04]

Been like that for a long time. These counties on the state line never had the amount of turkeys or the lengthy statewide season like the southern part.
I believe 1997 was the first ever turkey season for the county of Limestone Alabama it was a 5 day season. , I don't know when any of Lauderdale opened but I'm sure it was in the same time frame.

They restocked these areas with birds from Clarke County Alabama I believe, back in the 80s, and the turkeys have lived but it's nothing like it was 10 years or 15 years ago.

I've hunted Southern middle Tennessee for a long time, but not long enough to remember when the first season was and all that.


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