There was a time when I simply "limited out" every year.
But at that time, the limit was two birds,
and there always seemed to be plenty surplus longbeards after the season ended.
Geez, we had so many turkeys, TWRA decided to start fall turkey hunting, and increase the spring limit from 2 to 3.
But ever since the limit went to 3, then 4,
I've typically killed one less than the limit (at least "statewide" in TN).
Year before last (which was 2016), I could have easily have killed four 2-yr-old-looking Toms, but did not believe the population (where I was hunting) needed to lose any these young birds. In one instance, I called up what appeared to be a 3-yr-old or older Tom, and would have killed him had he continued "playing the game". I had him dead to rights at 38 yards (easily killed), but he folded up and turned, slowly walking away, refusing to play any more. Easy "kill", but I let him walk.
Simply want it to be "up close & personal", and I eat what I kill, so it also matters to me just how bad a bird is shot up.
I simply don't take anything but head shots, placing a high priority on not getting any pellets in the breast.
Knowing that some other hunters in the area would kill all they could, I chose not to kill any, making 2016 the first year in maybe three decades I didn't kill a turkey.
In 2017, I chose to kill two, giving several others a pass.
Limiting out with 4 in 2017 would have been easy, but it would have taken away opportunity from some other friends who hunt with me, and would have helped guarantee fewer older Toms in 2018.
So far this year, I've given a pass to several jakes, and one 2-yr-old longbeard at about 12 yards.
That doesn't count the two older Toms I "passed" because I let another hunter sitting beside me shoot them.
Last week I killed my first bird for the year (and probably the only one).
This was the 4th longbeard ytd I've had strutting within 30 yards of my gun.
But so far this season, between me and the main person hunting with me,
we have shot 3 times, bagged 3 birds, all head shots, the longest being 28 yards.
The youngest of these three was a 3-year-old bird (1 1/16" spurs),
while the other two were older Toms with 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" spurs.
And as was the case in 2016 and 2017, most of those birds we gave a pass,
end up getting killed by other hunters in the area.
In much of the areas I hunt, all the known living 3-yr-old or older birds are now dead,
as are most of the 2-yr-olds which transitioned from last year's jakes to this year's longbeards.
