This is why I love Missouri. 3 week season, No hunting after 1PM, 2 bird limit and only 1 can be taken the first week, season doesn't open until mid-April after most of the hens have been bred, and the hunting is phenomenal.
AGFC Proposal - 1 turkey statewide
- Thread starter Andy S.
- Start date
Can vouch for the validity of this statement. It is an exercise in futility. Bag limit 0? No problem!Just try to bow hunt them without a decoy/ground blind...you'll be hunting all season
AT Hiker
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I spent a couple years trying...tons of fun but no success. Even called one in within 10 yards, twice, but couldn't pull my bow back.
Gobble4me757
Well-Known Member
I'll add…y'all don't realize making the limit less will turn off a lot of landowners that are doing the right thing with trapping and habitat management because honestly it's not worth it. Also, if I killed my 1, who is to stop me from calling in 10 others for other people…stop drinking the dominant gobbler theory/lack of opportunity coolade and take a look at all sides of decreasing limits/shortening seasons…I know it's a controversial opinion here on tndeer but until I see proven study's with significant results that these measures work, I'll never support increasing regulations like these
They had those same rules , same season length when the bottom fell out and the kill dropped steadily , over 25 ,000 bird drop from 2005 to 2018? Wonder what happened? According to their biologist in a 2019 game and fish magazine article. " Populations explode but then start to decline once they hit environmental resistance until they reach numbers that are more sustainable for the long run". It even happened in Missouri. Either way TN is probably heading for a shortened season and 2 bird limit in my opinion there is too much momentum going that way. Just keep it simple is all I ask, make the juvenile hunt the first Saturday In April and start the season for all the next Saturday. One thing TN better do if they are going to that is have a drawing for non resident public land hunters instead of paying people to promote it. I do not mind at all as I have hunted in other states ( many already have restrictions on non residents) but Saturday was an eye opener for me as my son wanted to go to the place he killed his first bird when he was 7. Every state in the union was represented it seemed ( TN was least at the place)! All they have to do is look at pre covid non resident license sales and make them apply to hunt public land for the first week or two of the season with a quota in place. Do not cut your resident hunters without protection in place to stop non residents from pouring in, other states have done it that I have hunted and it doesn't bother me at all. I can't believe we paid those guys for that!!!!
Hunting was unreal when the limit was 2. I'd be fine doing 1 if we cos get back to that.
No idea, but I hunted MO last year and it was still excellent.
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
Same here, and pretty much with everything, not just hunting limits.
Me neither, I just don't get it. Guys on here hearing 10 to 15 a morning and then gone? Private ground? You know it wasn't over hunted or breeding didn't take place or it would have never gotten as good as it was. It's beyond me and I hope they figure it out!
Wrangler95
Well-Known Member
Tennessee has a problem also,wish we had a one bird limit with season starting later also,for the good of the turkeys.I luv turkey hunting as much as anyone but the turkeys are dwindling away while nothing is being done!
Flintlocksforme
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2019
- Messages
- 260
That's called management. Not going to happen here.
Setterman
Well-Known Member
Our game agency has messed up just as bad, it's just going to take more time for them and us to realize it. Going to 4 birds was insanely idiotic, and at the same time liberal fall limits. My posts are here from myself and others railing against it, and we're brow beat that it wouldn't matter. back when the limit was two our hunting was awesome. Greed kicked in and look where we are now.
Its not just twra that failed. It's the hunting community as well. When they raised the limit what did I do? Increased my kill to match.
The hunting community also embraced garbage tactics that have resulted in thousands and thousands of dead birds each year That otherwise would've survived to breed or be around another year. Reaping and decoys are trash, and have destroyed turkey populations everywhere. There is no possible way you can look at the population declines that directly match the onset of these new tactics And say it didn't make a huge difference
All the other stuff discussed…predators, habitat, etc pale in comparison to what we as hunters have done.
Ban the decoys, now.
Its not just twra that failed. It's the hunting community as well. When they raised the limit what did I do? Increased my kill to match.
The hunting community also embraced garbage tactics that have resulted in thousands and thousands of dead birds each year That otherwise would've survived to breed or be around another year. Reaping and decoys are trash, and have destroyed turkey populations everywhere. There is no possible way you can look at the population declines that directly match the onset of these new tactics And say it didn't make a huge difference
All the other stuff discussed…predators, habitat, etc pale in comparison to what we as hunters have done.
Ban the decoys, now.
Cant have your cake and eat it too, we have eaten too much cake!
Flintlocksforme
Well-Known Member
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- Aug 28, 2019
- Messages
- 260
Never shot any TSS in a 12 gauge 3 1/2 but two people have told me they have killed birds at 87 and 92 steps. Just what the turkeys needed at a time like this. TN attempts to manage the whole state as each county has the same density of birds. Just recently they started to realize it doesn't. Maybe they will do more of this. Too many variables that can't be controlled but there are some obvious things to consider.
Dennis
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- Joined
- Aug 27, 2019
- Messages
- 832
Most of my life I hunted places with a one bird season limit. Honestly I hated having a one bird limit and always wished they wound bump up the limit to 2 . But we had plenty of birds to hunt. Not sure if it was because of that one bird limit, because damn near every turkey hunter I knew cheated and killed more than one anyway.
Rageman
Active Member
I wouldn't mind it being 1 in TN it's obvious we don't have as many as we use to wouldn't hurt my feelings a bit if we want our kids and kids kids growing up hunting them it needs to be addressed in the next year or two all predators need a year round season too including the delicious preds like bobcat and fox and better ways to manage from eggs to poults there is also some underline disease out there too because there's always been preds and for many years didn't effect turkey
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
While we're trying to sort all the other factors out here in TN,
I'd be very happy with a 2-bird limit.
Two is a significant reduction from 3,
and twice as many as one,
eliminating the issue of 1st day "one & done".
I'd be very happy with a 2-bird limit.
Two is a significant reduction from 3,
and twice as many as one,
eliminating the issue of 1st day "one & done".
Shanman
Well-Known Member
I just don't understand how turkey numbers can decline in multiple states and the state biologists backed with state funds, along with the help of universities and state agencies (TWRA, etc.), can't pin point the cause. Completely agree that the reaping/strutter tactic has caused it's fair share of damage, but sure seems like there is more going on here.
I own a house in Arkansas and was online just last night looking up the turkey hunting regs. I got disappointed when I saw that Cleabourne county was one of the tops in harvest but didn't even reach 500 birds. I decided that I wouldn't be spending my money on a non-resident tag.
