Honest question about numbers

[deerfever]

If we would have opened two weeks later this year Tn would have opened April 18. So we would have opened later than Minnesota which borders Canada? If you look at states south of us they all open in March, Florida , Alabama March 20, Georgia, Mississippi. I think our opener this year with the early spring was right on the money and we'll ahead of years past. I think you guys would have a lot more luck pushing a one week later start date. That would open us on April 10 next season and April 9 the year after. Simply say the juvenile is first Saturday in April and season starts the next Saturday. Just my opinion and a compromise that I think would not bother most but I am sure would bother some ( the commission will never satisfy all ). Again just a thought!

 

[Stlbaseball1]

I agree with this DeerFever. Open one week later. Take one week off the end and reduce the limit by 1 (or 2).

 

[deerfever]

Yep, I agree on the limit of 3, we always throw out 4 and 2. Why not just compromise at 3, I think most would accept that and move forward. For instance I am in counties that don't kill a bunch of birds but they are in good shape and expanding. I am more than willing to give up a week and a bird for the sake of compromise and I think it would be a good start. Some will say you can't take people in the best counties serious but that would mean you couldn't take people from the worst counties serious. Remember it works both ways. Let me say I do not hunt in region 2 not anywhere near any of the top counties but I see and hear more birds than I ever have in 38 years. I also understand for some folks it has went way down. Again as long as TN treats the whole state the same it is my opinion the only way we can all get some satisfaction is to compromise with each other.

 

[cowhunter71]

I do know that most of the avid, accomplished TN turkey hunters (many of whom are non-residents)
who kill 2 to 4 birds annually in TN,
do so during the 1st 9 days of TN's early season opening.

Those limiting out early do so for 4 primary reasons:

1) The most avid turkey hunters use their vacation days to continuously hunt days on end.
- - - - - - - Would happen to at least a slightly lesser extent if our season didn't open so early.

2) There are simply a lot more living turkeys during the first 9 days (before most have been slaughtered).
- - - - - - - 9 days is simply the 1st two weekends including the week days between.
- - - - - - - Many avid hunters are only burning 5 days of vacation to hunt the 1st 9 days.

3) Baiting is much more effective early season, before more spring green-up and warmer temps bring out the bugs.
- - - - - - - We would lose significantly less birds to poaching over bait if our season didn't open so early.

4) Many non-resident hunters would not limit out in TN if our season opened as little as a week later,
such as the 2nd Saturday of April, instead of the Saturday closest to April 1st (which is often in March).

This is because many non-residents are only hunting TN because our season opens earlier than theirs, and/or earlier than some other states they go hunt.
Some of these individual hunters start annually by limiting out in Florida (earliest season opening), then move on to hunt a week in some other Deep South State, then come hunt TN for a week or two, then move on to other states, most of which open at least a week or two later than TN.

No matter when our season opens, the above items #1 & #2 will still apply, hunting will still be good.
But by opening later, we get better nesting success, improving the quality of ongoing future hunting,
as well as reducing harvest losses from items #3 & #4.

P.S. Am not at all opposed to non-resident hunting.
Just opposed to TWRA exploiting this opportunity for non-residents
at the expense to both the TN residents and the ongoing turkey production.
The early season, limits too high, maybe open too many days, is doing great harm to this "resource" of ongoing turkey hunting.
By comparison, our TN turkey season is opening 2 weeks earlier than KY's, lasts 3x as many days, with 2x the kill limit.

Again, note the percentage of TN's annual turkey kill that occurs during the 1st 9 days.

These non resident, traveling, so called "killers" you speak of, who are "slaughtering" Tn Turkey populations, must be hunting strictly private ground "pets". I strictly hunt public ground here, as well as in 3 other states, almost every year. I run into several of these self promoting, pinhoti cult pinheads, every year as a result. Out of an average of 8 to 10 hunters I encounter each season, this year a few more, ONE is lucky if he kills ONE Gobbler. I'm in the woods everyday and often see these clowns on a daily basis during the 4 or 5 days they usually hunt. As for these trendy, Dave Owens impersonators doing me a "favor" by tagging out early and moving on to other states, horsesh#t. I do thank them for the further education their bumbling run and gun style provides the turkeys here in the NF though. As I have stated many times, it is because of them that I will always have several Gobblers to hunt each year.

 

[th88]

I run into several of these self promoting, pinhoti cult pinheads, every year as a result.

Be careful. Thems fightin' word round some parts.

 

[cowhunter71]

I run into several of these self promoting, pinhoti cult pinheads, every year as a result.

Be careful. Thems fightin' word round some parts.

:rotf:

 

[ROVERBOY]

Has TWRA ever tallied up the total harvest yet?

 

[Andy S.]

Has TWRA ever tallied up the total harvest yet?