New Turkey Quota Hunts

[UpperTully]

Am I the only one aggrivated with the fact TWRA has placed quota turkey hunts on 95% of the WMA's in the western region of West Tn?

Shelby Forest, Tully, Moss Island, Ernest Rice, Thorny Cypress, Bogota, Wolf River, White Lake Refuge, Bean Switch, Gooch, Eagle Lake, Hop In Refuge, Maness Swamp, Obion River, Thorny Cypress, Three Rivers. On top of the Federal Refuges Lower Hatchie and Chickasaw.

The only WMA's open remotely close to Memphis or any location along the Miss River is Chickasaw SP, Natchez Trace and Hatchie Refuge.

Not all of these WMA's suffer from flooding every year, not all of the WMA's are having issue with population. I hunted one of the above mentioned WMA's and saw more birds than ever, there was a explosion in population. What is the logic? My days of randomly going turkey hunting are over with, without making a 2 hour drive, which is not convenient in my opinion. Not to mention most quota hunts are on the weekends, I work in public safety and im not afforded weekends off like normal people.

Im quite aggitated to be honest, 136 bucks I pay a year and im not afforded the oppurtunity to turkey hunt without a lengthy drive to a WMA that has open hunts. How about the pressure these certain open hunt WMA's will receive now?

Im sorry if I come across as venting but with these high license prices and fewer hunting oppurtunities and lack of maintenance on the WMA's I frequent, fewer waterfowl oppurtunities due to quota hunts, im begining to disagree with TWRA on many issues.

 

[4onaside]

Back when I started(many years ago), there were only two WMAs near my home in Memphis, Shelby and Tully and both were always quota. So, it was SOP for me, to apply and hope that you got drawn for one two day hunt. And frankly, the skeets and snakes were so bad, that I was relieved when the populations were expanded and I could move east a bit and hunt in the hills and kiss the bottoms goodbye!

 

[TheLBLman]

Am I the only one aggrivated with the fact TWRA has placed quota turkey hunts on 95% of the WMA's in the western region of West Tn?

Doubtful, but sometimes the things that aggravate us are not necessarily anyone else's fault. There's probably some hunters who like the situation, and some who are very aggravated. And your local TWRA folks may have had little to do with the decisions that aggravate you.

When I was younger, there was simply no to almost no turkey hunting anywhere in West TN. Can say same for deer. Part of why I moved to East TN was because of the perception of better hunting, especially for turkey. I also felt TWRA was stocking all the trout in East TN streams, none in the Obion River (in my West TN backyard), and that just didn't seem fair, since East TN got all the trout, and the Obion River flowed thru my backyard.