megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
Pretty much the way every turkey population goes. Reintroduction, boom, slow fall, stabilize with peaks and valleys. However now the fluctuations are more extreme in some areas due to recruitment.
As far as turkey hunter comments, the following shows the # comments received recently:
I wouldn't exactly call that a substantial number of comments/public input and representative of the entire state. Heck, the WMA fanning ban had more input than turkey limits!
Had the commission or TWRA taken the time and effort to spread awareness that they were seeking comments from all turkey hunters (e-mails, social media, etc), I suspect there would have been many more comments of varying opinions. Considering the commission took the newly adopted regulations a good bit further than TWRA biologist recommendations, this just goes to show the IMPORTANCE of public comment and participation when it comes to wildlife policy. In this case, politics and emotion overruled science.
How do we know the season delay was already beneficial with just 1 year of data? There would really need to be 3-5 years of data collected from the delayed openers. Then that data would need to be compared with the control (standard opener) to see if there was a significant difference in any metric (nesting data, recruitment, harvest fluctuations, etc).
I guess I was wrong... actually 98% of all the comments this year were about turkeys (as the furbearing comments were requests to remove predators to benefit turkeys). Look back at prior years... the commission has NEVER had this much pressure to act that I can recall.
I think much of the frustration from TN hunters came from the studies in southern middle TN which started 6 years ago.... which were supposed to be over 2 years ago. Which also were the excuse that no changes could be made to TNs season or harvest until the study was complete. Then the study was extended. All the while turkey populations declining.
Sometimes emotion does override 'no' science. Had results of the study been released, proved that all hens were bred (as was assumed) prior to season opening, I'm not sure there would have been a clamoring for a delay to season opening.
I'm all about science... that's what I do... but that's also why I've petitioned the commission and the turkey coordinator for the past 20 years (until I just gave up about 5 years ago and decided to just enjoy the year and not worry about the future in TN). Undisputed science says spring turkey seasons should never open before the majority of hens have been bred. Now sure, there are a few folks out there that think hens are having sex for fun months before ovulation, and then those hens store sperm for months, and have no need for males after March. They also think those hens won't ever mate again because there is no need for the rest of the entire calendar year. Some even think the hens will lay fertile eggs without any males. But what those folks believe in their hearts still doesn't change science. Female turkeys mate when they ovulate... which is around 7-10d before first egg is laid.
As far as limits, there really isn't any scientific justification for a 1, 2, 3, or 4 or more limit before limit was reduced. There is justification for no limit (again, IF all males are protected until after majority of hens are bred... after which, males are just superflous). But I don't really care about the limit. I'm fine with whatever.... because the limit itself has nothing to do with poult recruitment (as long as they are killed after hens are bred).
As it is, there was no opportunity taken away (same number of days to hunt), a minor hunting technique taken away (no reaping,gobbler decoys on public), and the only real loss was 1 tom. Commission could have been much more radical IMO.
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