Regulation hypo (poll)

[Southern Sportsman]

If demand starts to exceed supply, wildlife officials have to (or at least should) take steps to lower kill numbers. Doing nothing would be an abdication of their duty (right?). Among the tools at their disposal are season length, season limits, and manner/means of take.

For purposes of this hypothetical assume that TN kill numbers are too high to be sustainable, and diminished populations are becoming hard to ignore. Hypothetically. As such, the forward thinking members of the Fish and Wildlife Commission have commissioned you to act as turkey czar. They are not concerned about market interests or the sensitivity of whiners. That's why they outsourced this task. You may assume that reliable biological data suggests each option will have comparable inpact on total kill numbers thus achieving the same goal. You must select one and only one of these options approved by the Commission.

Please feel free to debate, argue, and/or complain of how this new generation is ruining everything. All of these are time honored traditions among turkey hunters and I fully embrace them. Plus, there is still over a month of time to kill before we can hunt in TN.

 

[Setterman]

I voted remove decoys and htl shot.

However, I don't agree with removing htl shot as I think that would result in some wounded birds as people have gotten used to being able to snipe at long distances and adjusting back won't be easy.

Removing decoys would solve the limit issue as so many birds are killed with them that otherwise would survive.

 

[woodsman04]

Out of the three the only two that would I think would be beneficial to remove decoys and htl and start season later. Reducing the limit to two but everything else stay the same will have little impact because most people will have killed their two birds early in the year when it interferes with breeding.

Vote decoy/htl


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[Boll Weevil]

I voted for option 3 although have no issue with HTL shot...just the dekes/fans.

 

[FTG-05]

What is HTL?

 

[TDW05]

Decoys/HTL gets my vote...loose the decoys and you will save thousands!

 

[Southern Sportsman]

What is HTL?

"Hevier than lead" shot. E.g., hevishot, federal hevyweight, TSS, etc.

 

[Southern Sportsman]

I voted for option 3 although have no issue with HTL shot...just the dekes/fans.

Me too. But making an option that only outlawed dekes would make the poll too easy for many. I dont personally like decoys, but I love handloading for turkeys. So it makes me think.

 

[megalomaniac]

If I were the turkey coordinator....

My train of thought would be along these lines....

If I felt the overall population was in serious decline, I'd immediately delay season opening until April 15th, reduce limit to 2 birds, only one of which can be taken before April 21st.

If I felt the population was in moderate decline, I'd leave the limit at 4 and push season opener back to April 15th.

If I felt the population was in minimal decline, I'd do nothing, and just explain away gradual decline in harvest numbers as a temporary trend and nothing to worry about. I'd claim turkey numbers naturally fluctuate, and that we are just in a down cycle, and everything will be fine in a few more years.

Of course the 3rd option is what we've been doing for the past decade despite declining populations. Failure to recognize the decline, or even flat out denying the decline has been the mantra of the turkey coordinators... until last year... that was their 'oh $hit' moment. I bet they are praying like their jobs depend on it we kill more than 30,000 this year. (but of course, their jobs don't depend on it... govt job that pays no matter the outcome or results you produce)

 

[FTG-05]

What is HTL?

"Hevier than lead" shot. E.g., hevishot, federal hevyweight, TSS, etc.

Thanks!

 

[PickettSFHunter]

Decoys


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[PalsPal]

This one is easy.

1 all day long.

More hens get bred early; dominant toms less susceptible to strutter dekes and reaping with a later opening date; and everybody gets to hunt the way they want without hurting someone's feelings!

 

[Southern Sportsman]

If I were the turkey coordinator....

My train of thought would be along these lines....

If I felt the overall population was in serious decline, I'd immediately delay season opening until April 15th, reduce limit to 2 birds, only one of which can be taken before April 21st.

If I felt the population was in moderate decline, I'd leave the limit at 4 and push season opener back to April 15th.

If I felt the population was in minimal decline, I'd do nothing, and just explain away gradual decline in harvest numbers as a temporary trend and nothing to worry about. I'd claim turkey numbers naturally fluctuate, and that we are just in a down cycle, and everything will be fine in a few more years.

Of course the 3rd option is what we've been doing for the past decade despite declining populations. Failure to recognize the decline, or even flat out denying the decline has been the mantra of the turkey coordinators... until last year... that was their 'oh $hit' moment. I bet they are praying like their jobs depend on it we kill more than 30,000 this year. (but of course, their jobs don't depend on it... govt job that pays no matter the outcome or results you produce)

Of the three options above, which would you choose?

 

[Setterman]

This one is easy.

1 all day long.

More hens get bred early; dominant toms less susceptible to strutter dekes and reaping with a later opening date; and everybody gets to hunt the way they want without hurting someone's feelings!

I like to hurt people's feelings, it makes me happy.

So I say outlaw decoys round them up and melt them down in town centers around the state

 

[poorhunter]

I voted one for 2 reasons: 1) I think the flock can sustain hunting over decoys if turkeys are left alone till April 15. 2) because I don't think we need to outlaw HTL. I also think it's far easier to enforce a different start date than to enforce no decoys. With a shorter season length I also think it will be harder for the decoy army to limit out.

 

[ruger7mag]

Easy decision, option #3, and I shoot TSS/HTL.

 

[TheLBLman]

Keep in mind Mother Nature often has more effect on ongoing turkey populations
than any our turkey regs or turkey hunting issues.
But some years,
our hunting regs effect ongoing turkey populations more than Mother Nature, too!

Unlike the weather, we CAN effect regulations & hunting.

From a very practical standpoint,
the very easiest "regulatory" changes that could be made,
which would give heartburn to the fewest hunters,
while doing something significant to help the turkey population . . . . . .

Simply delay the season opening by 1 week;
reduce the annual limit to 2 Toms.

 

[TheLBLman]

Also, consider opposition to any changes as well as
Enforcement & Compliance issues with any reg.

Just note above that reducing the bag limit is the most popular option
in part because the fewest hunters are opposed to the change.

 

[PalsPal]

LOL, you misread it; it's the people whose feelings get hurt as a result of the way others hunt.

 

[muddyboots]

I would just lower limit back to 2. It's not rocket science. Hunting was amazing then buy higher limits sold more license which was the reason of raising limits. Greed.