For those that have been falling into .........

[callemquacktn]

I just looked up the fall #'s for each yr too and
4451 - 2010 w/ 69% hen harvest
2637- 2014 w/ 63% hen harvest
The fall harvest had dropped every yr so just being fair we will say it stays the same this yr. That would make 2015 spring and fall combined at 33,532. 2010 was 40, 548 combined.


That is a decline of 7,016 birds in 5 yrs.
I think it will be greater than that due to the fact that the fall harvest has actually dropped each yr for the last 5 yrs. With the spring numbers being less this yr than last I would think the fall ones will be too.

 

[Setterman]

Again, not arguing the decline is real here, and KY. If that's the case why not throttle back and see what happens?

 

[Roost 1]

As far as fall hunting goes, none of the guys that I kno that used to fall hunt still do.. In my area it's really fell off which could explain the drop in numbers..... I used to love it when I had 150+ birds wintering on my place.. Now I have none!!!
I really don't think the 2-3 hens I was taking out of the flock with my bow caused them all to vanish...

 

[Roost 1]

6k is a little different than 10k. Here's an eye opener to me...... My TN county reported 206 birds this Spring with the long season and liberal limit. Our sister KY county across the border with similar habitat, recorded 444 birds this Spring. In square miles terms... My county= 0.41 per square mile. KY county= 0.9 per square mile. Over double! I'm not saying there isn't decline, I'm saying KY is managing much better.


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Will please disclose which counties we are talking about, please? At least the KY county?

I'm planning a map that will really illustrate the Eye opening difference. Until then, Wayne and Clinton counties in KY both have very good numbers when compared to my county numbers. I'll try to find time to really show the difference.


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[Roost 1]

6k is a little different than 10k. Here's an eye opener to me...... My TN county reported 206 birds this Spring with the long season and liberal limit. Our sister KY county across the border with similar habitat, recorded 444 birds this Spring. In square miles terms... My county= 0.41 per square mile. KY county= 0.9 per square mile. Over double! I'm not saying there isn't decline, I'm saying KY is managing much better.


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Will please disclose which counties we are talking about, please? At least the KY county?

I'm planning a map that will really illustrate the Eye opening difference. Until then, Wayne and Clinton counties in KY both have very good numbers when compared to my county numbers. I'll try to find time to really show the difference.


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Those counties you mention are in the middle 1/3 of the state which is still doing good... Not nearly as many hunters up that way or any hogs.... Not as much crop land either so I doubt the birds are losing habitat like they are in the western 1/3 of the state.... Just my opinion.

 

[PickettSFHunter]

6k is a little different than 10k. Here's an eye opener to me...... My TN county reported 206 birds this Spring with the long season and liberal limit. Our sister KY county across the border with similar habitat, recorded 444 birds this Spring. In square miles terms... My county= 0.41 per square mile. KY county= 0.9 per square mile. Over double! I'm not saying there isn't decline, I'm saying KY is managing much better.


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Will please disclose which counties we are talking about, please? At least the KY county?

My point is that they (KY counties)are doing way better than their TN neighbors in that area.. I'm running data now, haven't found a TN county in that area that beats a KY county in the same area with harvest per square mile yet.


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[8 POINTS OR BETTER]

How many times do I have to tell you, KY IS IN DECLINE.

You may be in decline but I will be hunting in KY next year. I did not not have enoungh turkeys to even hunt after the second week of the season. I cant ever remember not haveing more than two or three to hunt since the mid-1980's. Its sad to only have one tom left after the second week of season, when 10 years ago you would still have 10 to 15 left at the end of the season.

 

[callemquacktn]

I was curious to how high the counties kill in Ky verses Tn this season.
Ky had 7 counties 500+ with only 1 600+ and that was 636.

Tn had 15 counties 500+ with 6 being over 636.

 

[8 POINTS OR BETTER]

Missouri has a 2 bird limit and a really jacked up schedule and still they almost killed 50,000 this yr.
They had a huge decline a few yrs back that had then in the 30,000's. All due to several bad hatches. They made no changes and still rebounded. What happen? They had several good hatches.

You do realize MO tried a three tom limit, but went back to two several years ago?

 

[TheLBLman]

I was curious to how high the counties kill in Ky verses Tn this season.
Ky had 7 counties 500+ with only 1 600+ and that was 636.

Tn had 15 counties 500+ with 6 being over 636.

You do realize that Kentucky has 120 counties while TN has only 95?

Ironically, TN & KY have approximately the same land mass.
It's just that the average KY county is about 25% smaller than its comparative TN county.

Mr. Stone's comparison of # of kills per square miles is a more valid comparison.

As a sidenote, just as a curiosity, California has only 58 counties, each averaging over twice the size of the average TN county. Meanwhile, I think Kentucky has more counties than all other states but two (one being Texas, and not sure about the other).

 

[Setterman]

I was curious to how high the counties kill in Ky verses Tn this season.
Ky had 7 counties 500+ with only 1 600+ and that was 636.

Tn had 15 counties 500+ with 6 being over 636.

Alright figure out how many birds those same TN counties had killed from April 18 -May 10th. Then you have a better stat to throw out

 

[woodsman87]

It is still mostly to do with the hatches.
Yall have been leading me around a chain like a dog making my opinion sway.
It is all about the hatches, and for probably mixed reasons, most areas have unluckily experienced bad hatches.

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[TheLBLman]

Kentucky is managing for better hatches.

 

[Roost 1]

I was curious to how high the counties kill in Ky verses Tn this season.
Ky had 7 counties 500+ with only 1 600+ and that was 636.

Tn had 15 counties 500+ with 6 being over 636.

Alright figure out how many birds those same TN counties had killed from April 18 -May 10th. Then you have a better stat to throw out

That's not a really good comparison either birds in early are and have always been easier than birds in mid April... Tn birds had already been hunted for 2 weeks when KY opened.... I'd guess the majority of the harvest anywhere is always in the first 10 days.....

 

[Roost 1]

Kentucky is managing for better hatches.

You are CORRECT.... Our first state turkey biologist (George Wright) made the recommendation that our season never open before April 15 so that the majority of the hens will be bred...... Although it has been modified to the Sat closest to the 15th I believe his theory is still being carried out today...... I'd say he knew what he was talking about...

 

[Bone Collector]

I was curious to how high the counties kill in Ky verses Tn this season.
Ky had 7 counties 500+ with only 1 600+ and that was 636.

Tn had 15 counties 500+ with 6 being over 636.

Alright figure out how many birds those same TN counties had killed from April 18 -May 10th. Then you have a better stat to throw out

If April 18th is the start of the KY season, wouldn't it be more fair to look at the first 3 weeks of our season? Say April 4th thorough the the 26th? Same amount of time, just the birds are less wary.

I don't know how the results will come out, but I do believe that our hatches have been down, habitat is being lost, farmers are killing the birds, predators are ravaging nests, and birds are using non-hunting areas are the reason for the decline in sightings and kills. I don't know what reducing limits will do, but a 3 bird limit, would not be that horrible. that being said, 2 birds is ridiculous IMO.

 

[Setterman]

I was curious to how high the counties kill in Ky verses Tn this season.
Ky had 7 counties 500+ with only 1 600+ and that was 636.

Tn had 15 counties 500+ with 6 being over 636.

Alright figure out how many birds those same TN counties had killed from April 18 -May 10th. Then you have a better stat to throw out

If April 18th is the start of the KY season, wouldn't it be more fair to look at the first 3 weeks of our season? Say April 4th thorough the the 26th? Same amount of time, just the birds are less wary.

I don't know how the results will come out, but I do believe that our hatches have been down, habitat is being lost, farmers are killing the birds, predators are ravaging nests, and birds are using non-hunting areas are the reason for the decline in sightings and kills. I don't know what reducing limits will do, but a 3 bird limit, would not be that horrible. that being said, 2 birds is ridiculous IMO.

Alright take our first 3 weeks, and compare them to KY. we killed 23,454 to KY that killed 31,000.

 

[TNTomtaker01]

Question if I may but, why are we arguin over which state kills more birds?

 

[Setterman]

Question if I may but, why are we arguin over which state kills more birds?

KY has a sensible management plan in some views while TN does not. Comparing the two could show that ones better then another.

Reality probably is that it's hard to make an apples to apples comparison

Fact is our limit needs to be discussed, and there needs to be a hard look at reducing harvested birds to see if the trend can be reversed.

Word is Bama is considering a drop to 3 birds from 5 to address their problem

 

[TNTomtaker01]

I see but here's what Ive seen over the last few weeks some (me included) have seen a decline in what USED to be gobble filled hills and hollows want a change and want to address the issues, while on the other hand some still have those hollows that are filled with gobbles are totally against a change.