Where did you get the data to back up this view point?
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Alabama Tightening the Screws
- Thread starter Andy S.
- Start date
brushcreek7
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- Aug 1, 2019
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those seem like very minor changes. Season still opens pretty early
KevinC
Well-Known Member
4 years ago here in NW Bradley County, TN I could wake up practically every morning and see 30+ Turkey in my yard and the neighbors yards! Since then I rarely even see a Turkey anymore! Don't know what happened to them. I never hear any shotguns during Spring Turkey Season. Bought all I ever see now is a couple hens and occasionally I see a Tom or Jake! I'm guessing predator? 
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
For Alabama residents, yes, minor changes.
But for non-residents, who mainly hunt the 1st 9 days of the Alabama season (because it opens so much earlier than most states)
being limited to a 1-bird limit becomes a MAJOR change for most non-resident hunters coming to Alabama.
For many would-be non-resident hunters, the Alabama turkey limit just went from 5 in 2021 to 1 in 2022.
For non-residents hunting Alabama, but residing near Alabama's borders, this will not have as much effect, since it's convenient for them to still hunt in Alabama later in the turkey season.
On another hand, they likely could have saved just as many turkeys by simply opening their season a week or two later (without the 1-bird limit the 1st 10 days), which would better coincide with season openings in many other states.
I like to see the regs made as "simple" as possible to achieve necessary goals.
** THIS**
You can't blame em. They're protecting their resource and giving other hunters a chance to potentially harvest a bird that someone else might've killed already if such changes hadn't happened Example. I seen of Facebook this spring some guy from either Mississippi or Arkansas bragging bout him and his 2 buddies all tagging out on public like 4-5 days into our season. People wonder why they don't see or hear any birds when they go. Heck if they don't go in the first handful of days they're probably dead lol.
Big change coming to Georgia too.
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
Meanwhile in Tennessee, I'm afraid the ongoing "turkey research" has become more an excuse to protect financial resources rather than wildlife resources.
When our turkey season opens a week or two earlier than some nearby and/or neighboring states, this brings in big bucks from non-resident license sales. IMO, fear of losing too much of that is why Alabama didn't delay their season opening. And it's why TN most probably will not change our season opening as well.
Sure, it's a legitimate concern; TWRA really does need operating funds.
But such thinking protecting the money on one hand, may be killing the geese laying the golden eggs on the other hand.
When our turkey season opens a week or two earlier than some nearby and/or neighboring states, this brings in big bucks from non-resident license sales. IMO, fear of losing too much of that is why Alabama didn't delay their season opening. And it's why TN most probably will not change our season opening as well.
Sure, it's a legitimate concern; TWRA really does need operating funds.
But such thinking protecting the money on one hand, may be killing the geese laying the golden eggs on the other hand.
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It looks like it.
Changes recommended for Georgia turkey hunting – Albany Herald
By Tom Seegmueller [email protected] – Georgia turkey hunters who have been in the woods for a little over a month now should have a
www.albanyherald.com
catman529
Well-Known Member
The opening week pressure has been high for sure, but those birds ain't that easy to kill all the time. If two guys tagged out in 5 days, they did something. The majority of hunters won't kill anything in the first week, a few will kill 1 or 2, very few will tag out in the first week. One thing I've noticed is the birds are usually much more vocal in the early season, and completely quiet and uninterested in the late season. I'm assuming it has some to do with the dumber vocal birds being killed early, but could be something else as well. I've hunted places in bama that have good healthy turkey populations and places that have been logged to death and pushed all the birds out. The new regs may not be the best, but I think they'll help some, since I don't see any end to the timber harvest any time soon. Pines are a big cash crop in bama, and many of the WMAs have been logged very heavily recently, which the turkeys don't seem to take well to.
Rakkin6
Well-Known Member
Just a few thoughts on what I think could help.
1. Week later start of season.
2. Two bird limit
3. Draw hunt or points for non residents
Don't think it's necessary to do it if they lowered the limit but I could get behind only one bird the first 10 days. If they kept the limit at three then I say only one bird the first 10 days.
1. Week later start of season.
2. Two bird limit
3. Draw hunt or points for non residents
Don't think it's necessary to do it if they lowered the limit but I could get behind only one bird the first 10 days. If they kept the limit at three then I say only one bird the first 10 days.
The 90/10 "view point" for me stems from hunting Western states. Take a look at general/over the counter units and success rates hoover around 10%+\-, especially with archery. It's usually the same hunters year over year having the success too. It's more of a generality but harvest stats back it up pretty dang close.
Take a look here, hunters like DA kill way more deer than I do and Picketstateforest blows my Turkey average out of the water.
I did find this article which states that Nationwide, hunters were 48% successful at killing one deer then dropped to 27% for killing at least 2. So you can use your imagination and see that very few hunters make up a huge portion of the stats.
Which State Has the Most Successful Hunters? - NDA
Which region and state have the most successful deer hunters? In 2017, the Southeast took top honors with South Carolina leading the way. We determined this by surveying every state and provincial wildlife agency on the percentage of hunters who harvested at least one deer and the percentage who...
www.deerassociation.com
Like I said, it's a general rule and specific to my experiences but it's probably not that too far fetched.
Yes, because you know MS won't do anything to hurt license revenue. I've all but written off being drawn for the WMA's here and I'm a resident lifetime license holder. I doubt this will help my chances.
DoubleRidge
Well-Known Member
The 90/10 "view point" for me stems from hunting Western states. Take a look at general/over the counter units and success rates hoover around 10%+\-, especially with archery. It's usually the same hunters year over year having the success too. It's more of a generality but harvest stats back it up pretty dang close.
Take a look here, hunters like DA kill way more deer than I do and Picketstateforest blows my Turkey average out of the water.
I did find this article which states that Nationwide, hunters were 48% successful at killing one deer then dropped to 27% for killing at least 2. So you can use your imagination and see that very few hunters make up a huge portion of the stats.
Which State Has the Most Successful Hunters? - NDA
Which region and state have the most successful deer hunters? In 2017, the Southeast took top honors with South Carolina leading the way. We determined this by surveying every state and provincial wildlife agency on the percentage of hunters who harvested at least one deer and the percentage who...
Like I said, it's a general rule and specific to my experiences but it's probably not that too far fetched.
The 90/10 view point mentioned reminds me of the Pareto Principal...Pareto defined a rule that is known as the 80/20 rule, which states 80% of results are produced by 20% of causes. So a Pareto 80/20 rule example used often is 20% of employees are responsible for 80% of the work...a Pareto analysis of license sales or number of hunters verses deer harvested would be interesting.
You can thank the YouTubers for not having a chance in heck at drawing a certain forest's WMAs this past spring. Applications were up nearly 40% for that area after they hunted it last spring!
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
So... is there any discussion with MDWFP folks about the potential impact to our turkeys with the earliest season opening in the country (besides South FL)?
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE to be able to start hunting Mar 15th... but I have real fears there wont be anything left to hunt on most public lands in MS in a couple years if the rest of the US starts here.
Well, I'm 2 for 12 since the 2017 draws, with 2 of the not drawn being archery deer. As for this past turkey season, I applied for 4 draws (went 0 for 4) and only 1 WMA was in the NF you speak of. I've applied for one WMA (not in any NF) for either the 3rd or 4th time and have YET to been drawn for it. Personally, I take issue with the state's system based on years of issues, not just this past season.
If it's a problem with too many non-res putting in for draws, I'm sure MDWFP can make adjustments such as: A. reduce the % of of non-res that get drawn OR B. if no adjustments are going to be made to that %, make them buy more than a $15 license in order to be eligible to apply. The MDWFP shows no loyalty to residents.
As for Youtube, I'm not exhausting energy toward an entity that can't be controlled. Say what you want but people recklessly posting on forums and Facebook started this. Youtube has only exacerbated the problem. Carry on with the hatred toward Youtube if you want, but what do you really expect that to accomplish?
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You should sponsor YouTube as much as you talk about it. Heck, you give them as much popularity as the ones posting the videos. Buy some land and manage it how you want, and then you wouldn't have to worry about it.
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
You know what's really crazy? None of the WMA draw hunts are just incredible places to hunt. Yes, decent number of birds with a little less pressure, but I would guess only 1 out of 10 drawn actually gets a bird.
Its not just non-residents causing the increase in applications. Although those apps were at an all-time high. There is a massive influx of resident apps since public land turkey hunting is now the cool thing to do. I know for a fact that applications have nearly tripled for one popular WMA since 2014. Fact is, there is a limited resource and this massive influx of public land hunters is doing us no favors.
Thanks to the power of information requests, I've gathered draw hunt data from a multitude of states. Pretty eye-opening what has happened in a few over the past couple years!
