From my early years

[Willysman]

Yep.
Hearing so many birds gobbling wasn't limited to just LBL, as it was just about any where in TN there was a turkey season.
What happened?

Whatever happened was greatly camouflaged by the expansion of huntable turkey populations into new counties and parts of counties previously void of turkey, as the more established flocks dwindled, and began gobbling less. The statewide hunter "harvest" was rising, as the longer established flocks were dwindling.

You nailed it.

 

[BSK]

One thing I do miss about my younger days of hunting:

More people were HUNTERS, who enjoyed more hunting of a variety of game.
THIS is what I believe contributed more people becoming lifetime hunters.

Couldn't agree more. Although I no longer hunt all sorts of species, I used to, and enjoyed it.

 

[tickweed]

Yep.
Hearing so many birds gobbling wasn't limited to just LBL, as it was just about any where in TN there was a turkey season.
What happened?

Whatever happened was greatly camouflaged by the expansion of huntable turkey populations into new counties and parts of counties previously void of turkey, as the more established flocks dwindled, and began gobbling less. The statewide hunter "harvest" was rising, as the longer established flocks were dwindling.

Well, back in the early to mid seventies, it was heaven, compared to anywhere in west Tn. we didnt have birds here back then. Very, very few only in a few locations.

 

[TheLBLman]

Well, back in the early to mid seventies, it was heaven, compared to anywhere in west Tn. we didnt have birds here back then. Very, very few only in a few locations.

"Part" of what contributed to a lot more gobbling then, was the ratio of adult hens to adult males. Since there had previously been no hunting, it was much closer to 50-50, causing more "competition" among the males. As hunters knocked down the adult male population relative to the adult females (talking about 2-yr-old & older birds here), there became progressively less gobbling.

Over the last few years in most areas of TN, I believe we've been progressively killing a higher percentage of the living males 2 yrs & older, this being a significant reason for less gobbling. We can turn this around, but it may take at least 2 years. Some of this has been camouflaged by the flocks expanding into areas of previously little or no turkey hunting.

Another reason for less gobbling is one we probably cannot turn around, meaning we may never again experience the amount of gobbling we did in TN a few decades ago. This reason for less gobbling is evolution, and greater survival of those males genetically programmed to gobble less.

There has also been an evolution in predators such as bobcats, coyotes, and the largest hawks & eagles. They have "evolved" to go to the sound of a gobbling bird. Those individual males which gobble more, they're more likely to get eaten by a predator, including human predators.

Experienced turkey hunters often observe that really old Toms often don't gobble on the ground, and come in to a call "silent", and often taking hours to move a few hundred yards to your calling. I'm now seeing many 3-yr-old birds being almost totally silent after they hit the ground, whereas over 20 years ago, most would have been very vocal. Part of this is evolution, part of it is just older Toms are wiser.

 

[Wobblyshot1]

Thanks for that info. Definitely had MZ season when I started hunting full-time in TN in '87, and it was just as you described Wobblyshot1, seven days Monday to Sunday.

Another thing I happen to recall was that the season dates for muzzle loader were different in the other units than for A. The reason I know is that one of the friends I had hunted with on that historic ML opening had some family land near Buffalo Valley close to Center Hill which I believe was in unit B. It must have been the next year we decided to hunt both units and get a bigger bang for the buck from our ML license. I'm not sure of the exact dates for B but it was sometime in the latter half of October.....didn't see or kill a deer there either.

 

[Willysman]

"Part" of what contributed to a lot more gobbling then, was the ratio of adult hens to adult males. Since there had previously been no hunting, it was much closer to 50-50, causing more "competition" among the males. As hunters knocked down the adult male population relative to the adult females (talking about 2-yr-old & older birds here), there became progressively less gobbling.

Over the last few years in most areas of TN, I believe we've been progressively killing a higher percentage of the living males 2 yrs & older, this being a significant reason for less gobbling. We can turn this around, but it may take at least 2 years. Some of this has been camouflaged by the flocks expanding into areas of previously little or no turkey hunting.

Another reason for less gobbling is one we probably cannot turn around, meaning we may never again experience the amount of gobbling we did in TN a few decades ago. This reason for less gobbling is evolution, and greater survival of those males genetically programmed to gobble less.

There has also been an evolution in predators such as bobcats, coyotes, and the largest hawks & eagles. They have "evolved" to go to the sound of a gobbling bird. Those individual males which gobble more, they're more likely to get eaten by a predator, including human predators.

Experienced turkey hunters often observe that really old Toms often don't gobble on the ground, and come in to a call "silent", and often taking hours to move a few hundred yards to your calling. I'm now seeing many 3-yr-old birds being almost totally silent after they hit the ground, whereas over 20 years ago, most would have been very vocal. Part of this is evolution, part of it is just older Toms are wiser.

You, my friend, are exactly right. Been turkey hunting for 46 years and I've seen all the changes you have said.

 

[BSK]

The "evolution" comments are probably dead on the money TheLBLman. It's simple Natural Selection. Gobble and get killed. Don't gobble and survive at a higher rate, passing on any genetics you might have for not gobbling on to your descendants.

Same goes for nocturnal movement of deer. Be a deer that naturally moves more at night and your survival probabilities go up dramatically. Move more in daylight and you won't live long enough to pass on much of your genetics.

 

[utvolsfan77]

I ran across this while starting to clean up my parents home after the recent passing of my father (mom preceded him). This is from my early days of TN hunting. I always pause and take a look at something like when I run across it and the memories instantly come back. I thought some of you would find it interesting to see how things were and how much they have changed.

What change do see that has surprises you the most ... Or the least.
Obviously the prices have changed.
I forgot just how many eastern counties (or portions of) were closed to all deer hunting.

I hope these pages are readable.

Wow, does this ever bring back a ton of memories!!! This was the year after I graduated from high school (1977) and my last hunting season at home before enlisting in the U.S. Army. And just like I remembered, deer hunting in Greene County was only open south of the Nolichucky River. Funny thing was I grew up on a farm, lived in a brick home built in 1804, both located on the north side of the Nolichucky River.

Thanks for posting this!

 

[Harold Money jr]

SCN, and rsimms present on that list!

 

[7mmWSM]

Back in the early 90's in West Tn. I remember the buck limits were bow-4, gun-4, and muzzleloader was 3. It was a split gun season then as well. You rarely even saw a 2-1/2yr old buck.

 

[knightrider]

I ran across this while starting to clean up my parents home after the recent passing of my father (mom preceded him). This is from my early days of TN hunting. I always pause and take a look at something like when I run across it and the memories instantly come back. I thought some of you would find it interesting to see how things were and how much they have changed.

What change do see that has surprises you the most ... Or the least.
Obviously the prices have changed.
I forgot just how many eastern counties (or portions of) were closed to all deer hunting.

I hope these pages are readable.

Thanks for posting that!! Pretty cool to see a family members name under the warden list from that long ago

 

[backyardtndeer]

Thanks for sharing, very cool to still have that. Times sure have changed.

 

[Biggun4214]

The juvenile hunt was a reward to encourage kids to take the Hunter Ed course. Hunter Ed started some time about 1974.
I took a portion of the class at the first 4-H Wildlife Camp in Greeneville that year.