TWFC/TWRA MEETING

[woodsman04]

Can tell the voices were heard, especially Bill Cox, Jamie Woodson, and Gardner? Can't remember his first name.

I believe that they don't want to lower limit or change seasons yet because it will hurt the study. Joy sweany is correct in that regard, but I also don't want to keep going in a hole.

The fall season doesn't have enough data to mean anything, it's useless.

I still say eventually, limit stays the same, make all hens illegal, delay season 10-14 days, gobblers only in fall, counts towards your bag limit.

I do not think reduction in limit will effect anything. 4% kill four? Not enough to matter.

Anyways, glad they spent time on it instead 100% pine goat antler restriction.....


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[megalomaniac]

We basically have 2 simple choices to help the turkeys and stem the decline

#1 Keep seasons the same and reduce limit to 2 birds or

#2 Keep limits the same and delay season opener.

Pick your poison, you just can't expect to live for 10 years with one of the most liberal seasons/ limits in the nation and NOT expect the population to be negatively affected. But it's like hunter's welfare programs. Once the hunters get used to the handouts, it's almost impossible to get them off.

Any thing less than those changes is simply not going to be effective. And it may actually take much more aggressive changes like adjusting limits yearly based on the hatch from 2 years prior.

 

[Rockhound]

We basically have 2 simple choices to help the turkeys and stem the decline

#1 Keep seasons the same and reduce limit to 2 birds or

#2 Keep limits the same and delay season opener.

Pick your poison, you just can't expect to live for 10 years with one of the most liberal seasons/ limits in the nation and NOT expect the population to be negatively affected. But it's like hunter's welfare programs. Once the hunters get used to the handouts, it's almost impossible to get them off.

Any thing less than those changes is simply not going to be effective. And it may actually take much more aggressive changes like adjusting limits yearly based on the hatch from 2 years prior.

How do you feel about keeping everything the same and limiting opening week harvest to 1? I'm not trying to debate I'm just curious as to how this end up?

 

[megalomaniac]

limiting to 1 bird opening week would help areas with fair populations, yet still be devastating to areas with marginal populations, in my opinion. It would not hurt those in areas with excellent populations. You would have fewer out of state hunters come to TN to hunt opening week certainly. (Won't affect me personally, I'm fine if I only get to take 1 bird my first trip up, because I know I will be coming back up later in the season and will have others I'm working to get birds for.) But for those who are only making 1 trip to TN, they will either not come at all, or come later in the season- which is a GOOD thing. TN residents and landowners deserve priority IMO.) But I'm sure there will be very vocal opposition to any reductions in number of birds killed. Again, welfare mentality, too used to getting a 4 bird limit (even though as Steve pointed out, only 12% of hunters kill more than 2 birds- but those hunters usually are the most vocally opposed to limit reductions. Most do not care about the resource, they just care about the kill).

 

[MickThompson]

We basically have 2 simple choices to help the turkeys and stem the decline

#1 Keep seasons the same and reduce limit to 2 birds or

#2 Keep limits the same and delay season opener.

Pick your poison, you just can't expect to live for 10 years with one of the most liberal seasons/ limits in the nation and NOT expect the population to be negatively affected. But it's like hunter's welfare programs. Once the hunters get used to the handouts, it's almost impossible to get them off.

Any thing less than those changes is simply not going to be effective. And it may actually take much more aggressive changes like adjusting limits yearly based on the hatch from 2 years prior.

How do you feel about keeping everything the same and limiting opening week harvest to 1? I'm not trying to debate I'm just curious as to how this end up?

Wouldn't make a huge difference since most hunters are weekend warriors anyways.


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[Rockhound]

It would put a hurting on the reaper crowd

 

[Southern Sportsman]

It would put a hurting on the reaper crowd

I'm for anything that makes it harder for turkey rapers/reapers.

 

[Rockhound]

It would put a hurting on the reaper crowd

I'm for anything that makes it harder for turkey rapers/reapers.

Me to

 

[TN hunter]

It would put a hurting on the reaper crowd

I'm for anything that makes it harder for turkey rapers/reapers.

^^^ This^^^


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[Parahunter]

It would put a hurting on the reaper crowd

I'm for anything that makes it harder for turkey rapers/reapers.

^^^ This^^^


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That also should have been brought up in the discussions to the commissioners, banning reaping/fanning.

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[woodsman04]

It would put a hurting on the reaper crowd

I'm for anything that makes it harder for turkey rapers/reapers.

^^^ This^^^


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That also should have been brought up in the discussions to the commissioners, banning reaping/fanning.

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Should be brought up as a safety issue AND as a negative biological impact.

I hate to say it, but we were fine with four bird limit, fall season, and season length until decoys became so popular. Tennessee and Alabama both. I believe Alabama got pressured into it because they were losing money from revenue that decoys will bring, rather directly or indirectly.


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[muddyboots]

We basically have 2 simple choices to help the turkeys and stem the decline

#1 Keep seasons the same and reduce limit to 2 birds or

#2 Keep limits the same and delay season opener.

Pick your poison, you just can't expect to live for 10 years with one of the most liberal seasons/ limits in the nation and NOT expect the population to be negatively affected. But it's like hunter's welfare programs. Once the hunters get used to the handouts, it's almost impossible to get them off.

Any thing less than those changes is simply not going to be effective. And it may actually take much more aggressive changes like adjusting limits yearly based on the hatch from 2 years prior.

I'll take poison number 1.

 

[Gravey]

Id be fine with a hybrid of the 2 options mega gave. Delay opening the season and reduce the limit to 2 birds for the year meaning if you kill 2 in the spring no fall hunting for you. Id also add ban the killing of all hens period.

 

[Doskil]

Why not close all fall seasons and have a 1 bird limit in the spring ?

 

[Southern Sportsman]

Why not close all fall seasons and have a 1 bird limit in the spring ?

Numbers are down, but not that bad.

 

[Doskil]

Gotcha. It must vary across the state

 

[Bone Collector]

i think they at least banned non bearded birds in fall so that is a step in the right direction.

I wouldn't mind opening it 2 weeks later. I never have as good of luck in the first two weekends, like I do starting the third weekend of season. Seems the birds become more lively in my neck of the woods then.

Are you proposing though that the season run two weeks later, so we still get the same # of days?

 

[Dover_Mike]

I talked to Keith Hickman the other day at the golf course. He went to the meeting and said that nothing is being changed.

 

[scn]

I talked to Keith Hickman the other day at the golf course. He went to the meeting and said that nothing is being changed.

I think he is incorrect. I'm pretty sure the Commission voted to not allow the take of any beardless birds in the fall, effectively closing the season to hens (with the exception of bearded hens).

 

[Dover_Mike]

Gotcha I didn't ask about hen killing, just season bag limit.