Turkey Limits

[TheLBLman]

By the way, define a "blind".

I do understand what people are typically talking about with the term "blind", but truth is, we are creating somewhat a "blind" every time we place our back against a large tree, or use other cover to prevent a turkey from seeing us. Even a camo face mask is technically somewhat a "blind" for which we hide behind, as is a leaf-o-flage or ghilli suit, or even a wallowed out spot in some weeds.

Sometimes I call in a hen, which then lures in the gobbler I so ineffectively couldn't. Am I using a decoy?

As we ponder what we might change, perhaps we need to be careful for what we wish, realizing that at some point, it may be mostly non-hunters defining and creating the rules under which we hunt. In fact, we may already be there. It seems many of the new "wildlife professionals" coming on to the scene (replacing those retiring) are now mostly non-hunters?

In the meantime, sometimes we hunters sound like a bunch of politicians hypocritically demonizing each other, so often over little more than differences in style, or our own envy and anger issues that might be consuming us.

But seems many of us agree that a reduced turkey limit would be an improvement for most?

 

[tree_ghost]

It's definitely been feast or famine for me...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Woodsman10]

I still oppose a reduced limit. I could live with 3, but not 2. Deer and turkeys are apples and oranges, but I am disgusted that they took away a buck tag too. They jack up license prices, and take away opportunities to kill animals.

I feel like I am a very humble turkey hunter, and the gobblers remind me of this often. Although I'm humble, I am a very experienced and successful turkey hunter, raised in the south, and taught true turkey hunting ways. I haven't limited out in Tennessee since 2010. After that season, turkey populations on my lands plummeted, and I'm not talking about just hunting 60 acres. I'm talking several 1000 acres across three counties. Lincoln, Giles, and Lawrence.
I have not shot out the turkeys. They just simply were not there in the spring of 2011 until now. I now have only killed one turkey in Tennessee the past two seasons, and it looks like I'm going to get shut out this time.

I also hunt in North alabama, and I have been lucky enough to kill one that I called up. But there aren't many birds in that area either. I've been saying it for 8-9 years. Something has happened to them in this area of the country.
I do not believe it's limits, fall season, jake or hen killing, decoys, blinds, or chicken litter. They have not been raising poults, and I believe that is the issue.

I do not want the state to tell us how to hunt, I hate big government.

We need everyone who can try to promote wild turkey habitat, instead of the new age of hunters killing everything but not planting new seeds so to speak.

We cannot control weather, we have little impact on predator control, we have almost no control in spread of disease.

What we can control, is try to promote habitat. We can not shoot hens even though the state says it's ok. Shooting hens is just killing turkeys just to kill. It's a small percent, but dang, that's over a 1000 birds each spring that will not nest.

I am just about fed up with this arguement. A rarely post on tndeer anymore, but I can't help but to speak my mind when anything is said about the health of our wild turkey population.


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

 

[ImThere]

I think they should eliminate fall season lower the limit on turkey to 2, lower the buck limit to 1, raise the license $40 more dollars


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Tennessee Lead]

I think they should eliminate fall season lower the limit on turkey to 2, lower the buck limit to 1, raise the license $40 more dollars


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Maybe Wes will pair up with Vermin draw up a chart and make it happen.

 

[Tennessee Lead]

There's no doubt that the decoy fad, fanning, blinds etc have had a bigger impact then any type of weather, jake killing or fall season.

Eliminate decoys, fanning, and blinds and the gobbler population will explode

Agree. If they did this I know guys that would stop hunting tomorrow.

X2!

 

[AT Hiker]

More animals to hunt is the answer

:tu: Brilliant! Why didn't I think of that?!?! :tu:

So, how do they end up with more animals to hunt by annually killing more animals?

KY has better soils, simple.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ImThere]

I think they should eliminate fall season lower the limit on turkey to 2, lower the buck limit to 1, raise the license $40 more dollars


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Maybe Wes will pair up with Vermin draw up a chart and make it happen.

Bwahahaha



I am unsure about Tapatalk

 

[Scud]

If decoys, blinds and fanning are the problem then why has the total kill numbers gone down for the last five years as these hunting ways have become more popular?

 

[Boll Weevil]

If decoys, blinds and fanning are the problem then why has the total kill numbers gone down for the last five years as these hunting ways have become more popular?

Because there may be fewer gobblers carrying over from year to year? The opportunity to kill a longbeard (because there are fewer and fewer year over year) is slowly shrinking.

 

[poorhunter]

More animals to hunt is the answer

:tu: Brilliant! Why didn't I think of that?!?! :tu:

So, how do they end up with more animals to hunt by annually killing more animals?

KY has better soils, simple.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

:rotf: :rotf: :rotf: I love it!! Thanks AT.

 

[deerchaser007]

The state to our north kills the same numbers of birds we do with half the limit and half the season we have

Tn imo cannot sustain a 4 bird limit with a fall season and by allowing jakes to be killed. End fall hunting and outlaw jake killing. Then you might can keep the limit which shouldnt have been raised

I feel TRWA has made a huge mistake with our turkey management.

A lot of people thought this last year, I remember quite a debate being fired up about this and I also remember some members of this forum speaking out at a hearing trying to get TWRA to remove the Fall season or at least reduce the bag limit for Spring season and they didn't budge. The conclusion by many was that TWRA cares more about license sales than managing our wildlife populations.

I'm not going to say I agree or disagree but as far as the license sales so, they are in a tough spot. They get no state funding so if they don't sell licenses, they can't pay staff to manage our woods. After several years of declining sales, we may be faced with a lack of funds resulting in having to sell of our public lands and nobody wants that.

I just don't see how facts and science can be ignored for so long. They knew in 2004, well our awesome pioneer turkey biologist at that time knew that to maintain just a stable population the brood survey would have to maintain 2.7 hen/poult ratio yearly. Well, you have not come close to that since then, what do you expect as a end result year after year after year. A slow and steady decline. Yes, you will still have peaks and valleys in harvest, but overall over a 10 to 15 year period, you will notice mostly decline. Not only that, in 2004 they knew hole filling would still need to be done just to maintain stability. Never was done. Instead, they gave our birds to Texas!
Again, read the article I posted from 2004. Then Google search turkey outlook in TN for 2016. Same ole song and dance as 12 years prior. Our turkey populations are stabilizing. When you look at the data, it's not. Stabilizing is proved thru brood surveys, not harvest. I'm sorry, if twra is relying on money from fall turkey hunting, they are hurting VERY bad.

 

[prstide]

I think they should eliminate fall season lower the limit on turkey to 2, lower the buck limit to 1, raise the license $40 more dollars


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Agreed. :tu:

 

[Roost 1]

I dont understand why no one wants to mention baiting, thats your #1 problem. One of my farms in TN is void of birds this year because the neighbor is running feeders with cracked corn. He told me last fall we would see how my turkey season went this spring......And yes they hunt!!! Its very flustrating to say the least.

 

[Vermin93]

I dont understand why no one wants to mention baiting, thats your #1 problem. One of my farms in TN is void of birds this year because the neighbor is running feeders with cracked corn. He told me last fall we would see how my turkey season went this spring......And yes they hunt!!! Its very flustrating to say the least.

Considering how many turkeys were visiting my feeder when I ran it in Jan and Feb, I have to agree with you that active feeders are a contributor. My feeder has been idle since early March and the birds moved on once the corn stopped spinning.

 

[AXL78]

I dont understand why no one wants to mention baiting, thats your #1 problem. One of my farms in TN is void of birds this year because the neighbor is running feeders with cracked corn. He told me last fall we would see how my turkey season went this spring......And yes they hunt!!! Its very flustrating to say the least.

I agree with this. I am not from Tennessee originally, but its more common or acceptable here it seems like. I hear it casually mentioned. As well as not necessarily straight up shooting over a pile of corn, but spreading feed several days before to get them in area, etc. Controversial issues, that have room for foul play. The feeding issue I mentioned above has a lot of room for foul play with 2 different property owners and attracting them to an unnatural place. They wouldn't go to that place without the feed, and they are very vulnerable going through the yards, which evidently those people don't hunt or won't take one that way. But you could get someone to feed in a place like that, and hunt a different property and cut them off without breaking a law. It's sorry, but nothing you can do. In the issue I mentioned I am pretty sure the people aren't cooperating with each other, but it crossed my mind. I have since heard evidence to support they aren't, but it could happen in other circumstances. When turkeys are walking through the yards like that and that close to houses you just can't police that. They get shot, I hear it, nothing you can do. You can't watch a place that long, they just won't shoot until your not there, and the turkeys that otherwise wouldn't be there are in and out too often. I think feeding of wildlife should be banned during season. They don't need it in the spring anyway, everything is greening up, bugs are out, and it creates way too much opportunity for abuse of the privilege. I could go on and on about it. At this point I don't care anymore, and there's nothing I can do about it, but feeding of wildlife is about the only way that my deal could be solved. It isn't an issue anymore really for other reasons, and I have about quit hunting there, but Im sure it creates ethical delima's and problems in other areas. If you have a significant acreage its not as disturbing, but when you are attracting to your lot it is absurd, however, I don't think just cause you own a lot of land you should have more rights than a small landowner so I say it should just be completely outlawed.

 

[TheLBLman]

I dont understand why no one wants to mention baiting, thats your #1 problem.

I agree,
even believe there are more turkeys killed illegally over bait in TN than the difference it would make between a 2 vs a 4-bird turkey limit.
And SOME of us have been pointing out baiting problems ad nauseum for years. What else can we do about it?

We have neighboring states that legally allow the killing of deer over bait (not turkeys), and many within TN pushing for deer baiting to be legalized. Then, we likely have more non-hunting wildlife watchers baiting than hunters baiting, as even a bird feeder outside a window or a feeder in a yard is ultimately little different than one on the back forty. It would seem the tide is rolling more towards expanding baiting (legally or illegally) than against it.

One possible way of greatly reducing the amount of baiting during turkey season (and deer), which COULD become "acceptable" to the many non-hunting wildlife watchers, especially if they could "see" the greater good, would be if baiting could be made totally illegal in those months of the year where wildlife food is very abundant and the abuses of baiting most prevalent.

IMO, the real opposition to the complete outlawing of "baiting" comes from the non-hunting public, more than it comes from hunting sportsmen.

But would the general public and most hunters be willing to see baiting totally illegal, say during the months of March, April, May, then again during the months of September, October, and November? I otherwise do not believe we will ever outlaw baiting, but such a measure of it being totally illegal during certain months might negate many of the problems we currently have with it.

 

[muddyboots]

I dont understand why no one wants to mention baiting, thats your #1 problem. One of my farms in TN is void of birds this year because the neighbor is running feeders with cracked corn. He told me last fall we would see how my turkey season went this spring......And yes they hunt!!! Its very flustrating to say the least.

Wow I don't really see any sign of baiting where I hunt. Im sure it happens but I don think its that bad. I think when they are breeding the feeding part goes way down the list. Every gobbler we have killed this year hasn't eaten nothing at all. Maybe the hens eat and he follows them but I don't think it happens a lot but I certainly could be wrong.

As to the limit. Yes the hunting was better when the limit was 2 and I thought that changing the limit made the population decline but now im not so sure. Our turkey numbers are back up this year. First time since limit changed. Its not back like it was before limit changed but I suspect a few more good hatches and it will b. Ive seen a ton of jakes this year. I think 3 gobblers per season would be a good compromise on the limit. 4 a year really hinders the new hunter or a not very good turkey hunter because the good hunters kill more per year.

 

[Roost 1]

I dont understand why no one wants to mention baiting, thats your #1 problem.

I agree,
even believe there are more turkeys killed illegally over bait in TN than the difference it would make between a 2 vs a 4-bird turkey limit.
And SOME of us have been pointing out baiting problems ad nauseum for years. What else can we do about it?

We have neighboring states that legally allow the killing of deer over bait (not turkeys), and many within TN pushing for deer baiting to be legalized. Then, we likely have more non-hunting wildlife watchers baiting than hunters baiting, as even a bird feeder outside a window or a feeder in a yard is ultimately little different than one on the back forty. It would seem the tide is rolling more towards expanding baiting (legally or illegally) than against it.

One possible way of greatly reducing the amount of baiting during turkey season (and deer), which COULD become "acceptable" to the many non-hunting wildlife watchers, especially if they could "see" the greater good, would be if baiting could be made totally illegal in those months of the year where wildlife food is very abundant and the abuses of baiting most prevalent.

IMO, the real opposition to the complete outlawing of "baiting" comes from the non-hunting public, more than it comes from hunting sportsmen.

But would the general public and most hunters be willing to see baiting totally illegal, say during the months of March, April, May, then again during the months of September, October, and November? I otherwise do not believe we will ever outlaw baiting, but such a measure of it being totally illegal during certain months might negate many of the problems we currently have with it.

The non-hunting public who like to feed wildlife are not baiters and therefore irelevent to this this discussion. Feed only becomes bait once it is being hunted over.......I will assure you its the number one problem. I see it all the time on this forum. You just dont stick a cam out in the woods and get turkey pics everyday without some attraction. I even see it on videos, birds dont come off the roost running in single file line for no reason. 95% of the time they are headed for the buffet.
People just use decoys, blinds, and calls to make themselves feel like a hunter.....Baiting will be the demise of turkey hunting. Having to remove bait 10 days before you hunt is a joke....In KY you cannot legally feed anything from March 1-June 1 but it still happens here too...

 

[Roost 1]

I dont understand why no one wants to mention baiting, thats your #1 problem. One of my farms in TN is void of birds this year because the neighbor is running feeders with cracked corn. He told me last fall we would see how my turkey season went this spring......And yes they hunt!!! Its very flustrating to say the least.

Wow I don't really see any sign of baiting where I hunt. Im sure it happens but I don think its that bad. I think when they are breeding the feeding part goes way down the list. Every gobbler we have killed this year hasn't eaten nothing at all. Maybe the hens eat and he follows them but I don't think it happens a lot but I certainly could be wrong.

As to the limit. Yes the hunting was better when the limit was 2 and I thought that changing the limit made the population decline but now im not so sure. Our turkey numbers are back up this year. First time since limit changed. Its not back like it was before limit changed but I suspect a few more good hatches and it will b. Ive seen a ton of jakes this year. I think 3 gobblers per season would be a good compromise on the limit. 4 a year really hinders the new hunter or a not very good turkey hunter because the good hunters kill more per year.

You are correct the gobblers are not interested in the feed, but the hens are..... Gobblers will be where the hens are and they will hang around the bait sights in search of hens.