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Big changes from the meeting today

Personally, I LOVE the season delay... im going to get to hunt unpressured birds right at the time when they are the most vulnerable to calling, while not feeling guilty I've killed a bird before he had a chance to breed.

I'm just trying to figure out where to go hunting next year during the south MS 'lull' from April 1 thru April 15th until TN opens. Maybe try archery hunting for them out west (although I swore that off 2 decades ago). Gonna be somewhere that's a fun adventure (but likely tag soup) for sure!
 
REN said:
from a distance it seems to be most I see complaining about the changes are the same ones complaining about over crowded public land early season and not hearing any birds over the course of the season. Cant accommodate that crowd because even they are not sure what they really prioritize.
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I think the crowds came from the nonresidents that came here to get an early start . This will definitely keep lots of people away as there will not be a point in coming here now , it will definitely help with that. A quota would have also worked for that situation. I heard birds, no problem at all with that this season. I did have to leave one WMA Early on it was so crowded but I just went elsewhere that just part of it on public. Did the public land you hunt seem crowded this year?
 
deerfever said:
I think the crowds came from the nonresidents that came here to get an early start . This will definitely keep lots of people away as there will not be a point in coming here now , it will definitely help with that. A quota would have also worked for that situation. I heard birds, no problem at all with that this season. I did have to leave one WMA Early on it was so crowded but I just went elsewhere that just part of it on public. Did the public land you hunt seem crowded this year?
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To be clear my comment is not pointed at any one person or group of people from here. However it is a view of facebook and posts made and on here by some over the last season till now.

To answer your question, no. Granted I dont hunt public much and I for sure dont hunt them early season. I did hunt a good bit of public later in the year and never saw another hunter and was on birds each day. Granted this public lands are pretty far from Nashville and out in the boonies.

Do you want to try and rectify some of the NR hunters or early season bombardment of hunters? Yes, then we will open the season later. Do you generally kill a 3 bird limit or want to try and stabilize the population? no and yes, then we will lower the limit. Great but now those same people are mad the season opens later so they may or may not be able to hunt certain areas due to the spring green up and also disagree with the lower limit as that also impacts their hunting. It cant be both ways, and as Ive said in the past I appreciate they are at least doing something and they are starting with the easiest low hanging fruit to implement and enforce.

creating a whole new NR draw process or something takes money as then the TWRA will have to pay their vendor to create that system so while in theory its a good option, in reality it costs a lot more money to actually accomplish.

TBH I dont like the limit reduction, but thats just my own selfish thought as now my season will prob be even shorter then normal. BUT im happy and willing to abide by it if it means better future hunting. That theory wont be known for a few years if it actually has. Hopefully they monitor it from year to year and make more needed tweaks along the way as the research starts to show any changes.
 
From earlier posts it seems that people are worried about dominant birds being killed early in the season. Why is only 1 jake a win if the dominant birds need to be protected?? Wouldn't it be better to kill 2 jakes and leave the dominant birds to breed? I don't care either way, but that doesn't make sense to me. I've got more turkeys than you could shake a stick at.
 
REN said:
To be clear my comment is not pointed at any one person or group of people from here. However it is a view of facebook and posts made and on here by some over the last season till now.

To answer your question, no. Granted I dont hunt public much and I for sure dont hunt them early season. I did hunt a good bit of public later in the year and never saw another hunter and was on birds each day. Granted this public lands are pretty far from Nashville and out in the boonies.

Do you want to try and rectify some of the NR hunters or early season bombardment of hunters? Yes, then we will open the season later. Do you generally kill a 3 bird limit or want to try and stabilize the population? no and yes, then we will lower the limit. Great but now those same people are mad the season opens later so they may or may not be able to hunt certain areas due to the spring green up and also disagree with the lower limit as that also impacts their hunting. It cant be both ways, and as Ive said in the past I appreciate they are at least doing something and they are starting with the easiest low hanging fruit to implement and enforce.

creating a whole new NR draw process or something takes money as then the TWRA will have to pay their vendor to create that system so while in theory its a good option, in reality it costs a lot more money to actually accomplish.

TBH I dont like the limit reduction, but thats just my own selfish thought as now my season will prob be even shorter then normal. BUT im happy and willing to abide by it if it means better future hunting. That theory wont be known for a few years if it actually has. Hopefully they monitor it from year to year and make more needed tweaks along the way as the research starts to show any changes.
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I don't read or do Snapbook! This is the only thing I even do and enjoy this site. Yes , you are correct they will never please everyone. The nonresidents will definitely slow now as I don't see them coming for the late part of the season and if they do who cares as 90 percent of people will have quit anyways. Again I don't care a bit as I go out of state to hunt some myself but other states have a draw system to hold the numbers down . It's done now all you can do is go by the rules, advocate your view with your representative on commission and enjoy the season when it gets here!
 
Gobble4me757 said:
My gosh I mean with how a lot of y'all are for the decrease in limit, I'll bet y'all will be happy when it goes down to one a year. Honestly, would celebrate when the close it off all together…just saying.
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My son is a turkey hunter. Hopefully I'll someday have a grandson that is a turkey hunter. If this is what it takes for the turkeys to come back like they were, I'm all for it. Most people are more than willing to sacrifice for their kids. And my place gets really really thick around the 3rd week of April and the turkeys leave. We usually get 2 weekends to hunt before the birds leave. On a good year we get 3. Now we possibly will have none.
 
SES said:
From earlier posts it seems that people are worried about dominant birds being killed early in the season. Why is only 1 jake a win if the dominant birds need to be protected?? Wouldn't it be better to kill 2 jakes and leave the dominant birds to breed? I don't care either way, but that doesn't make sense to me. I've got more turkeys than you could shake a stick at.
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All jakes should be protected to ensure adequate fertilization the following spring (if season opens after hens have been bred... otherwise kill them all and let God sort out the details) as all toms are legal.

The 'dominate bird' is just a theory proposed by folks like Chamberlain and his minions. While it may or may not be true, it becomes an irrelevant theory if season opens AFTER the hens have been bred. Who gives a rip if the 'dominate bird' has been killed after his hens have been bred? Noone, and esp the next generation of turkeys. Kill him before the hens have bred, and there's the potential for a disaster in recruitment.

Again, the only reason 1 jake is allowed is due to people who can't tell the difference between an an adult or a juvie... at the cost of going from a 3 bird to a 2 bird limit. That was the negotiation process that went on between the commissioners who wanted to eliminate jake harvest to reduce overall harvest from those who wanted jakes to be killed.

Again, the best chance TN turkeys have is to be able to successfully mate in the spring (average mating date early to mid April)... after that, kill every single gobbler in the state and you aren't going to hurt the population (as long as jakes are protected to breed the following spring).

Now the great conundrum with my musings is that other states that have traditionally had season openings coinciding with peak breeding (PA, as example) have also experienced population declines. It may be that we do EVERYTHING we can biologically in as far as season settings and kill limits to stem the bleeding, but the birds still bleed out and disappear. When that happens, at least we can take a little solace in knowing we did everything we did to not contribute to their extinction
 
SES said:
From earlier posts it seems that people are worried about dominant birds being killed early in the season. Why is only 1 jake a win if the dominant birds need to be protected?? Wouldn't it be better to kill 2 jakes and leave the dominant birds to breed? I don't care either way, but that doesn't make sense to me. I've got more turkeys than you could shake a stick at.
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🤔 do you mind telling me where you live? Hehehehe
 
It really isn't rocket science....

The old timer biologists had it right... spring gobbler harvest won't affect turkey populations if the males are removed AFTER the hens are bred.

It's just common sense... if season opens before hens are bred, and you kill half of the entire seasons gobblers before hens are bred... well ... that might lead to some lonely hens when it comes time to breed and lay eggs.

Sure, the real decline is more complicated than that... but who of you is going to improve habitat and improve nesting cover so the poults have better brood habitat? Who of you are going to remove predators so the hens, their eggs, and their poults are going to have a better chance of survival?

For the 90% of 'turkey hunters' lazy SOBs that just want to post their FB kills or their Instagram likes, delaying season opening is the best 'sacrifice' (although just a minor sacrifice) they can make.

For those that really care about the wild turkey, they are going to keep putting more back than they take... improving habitat, trapping predators, self limiting harvest in areas with few birds.

The assumption that turkeys will now always be available in huntable populations throughout the US is just plain wrong. WE as hunters have to do whatever is necessary to ensure we hear their gobbles every spring. If you arent putting back more than you take
.. well, YOU are the problem, and no season structure, harvest limit, or any other govt regulation can undo the damage you are doing. QUIT taking the experience of wild turkey hunting for granted.

(Sorry for the soap box rant...)
 
Another week or two at the end would have been great for my area.

Checking one in on the app should be fun with all of the added questions!
 
Willysman said:
Does anyone know if the season will close the middle of May as normal? 30 day season? 30 days is enough I think.
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My understanding is that it will still be a 45 day season, though I question how fun the turkey hunting will be in mid to late May. I know it got awfully quiet the last weekend of season this year, which was technically the third weekend in May, but only about half way through the month. That being said I saw a tom strutting for hens last week on the way into work.
 
I haven't weighed in much on this dialogue because with the exception of the fanning ban on public land (which is great but doesn't affect me) and expanded trapping/hunting (which is great), I'm not a fan of the new regs. Personally, I've got herds of turkeys and have worked hard / continue to manage for a strong and sustainable flock. I also recognize I'm the exception and not the rule.

That being said I completely understand the plight of the wild turkey in many areas of Tennessee and these regs should certainly help. I sincerely hope y'all that don't have many birds get back on the good foot in the coming years.
 
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I just hope we're doing enough to help insure a future in which my grandchildren can hear the wild turkey gobble on a beautiful spring morning.

In my youth, NEVER would I have thought the Song of the South would end before my own life.
My youthful spring mornings were filled with the music of often near continuous "Bob White . . . . . Bob Bob White".

But now, even though many those areas remain good quail habitat, the quail are extinct.
Even some areas where populations appeared huntable 5 years ago, and the habitat has been made better, I haven't heard a "Bob White" now in over a year.

I keep bringing up TN's bobwhite quail because in so many ways, they are so much like miniature wild turkeys. And I'm afraid, as goes the bobwhite, so goes the turkey.
 

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