tn24
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we already passed last years kill total with three weeks left in the season.Do you think we will kill 40,000 this year? Does anyone know the highest kill numbers ever?
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megalomaniac
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Iirc, 38,000 or so was the highest back in late 2000s early 2010s. The projection by the turkey biologists back then said we should plateau at an annual harvest of 75,000 birds.
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I don't see ever getting 75,000 unless the population comes way up. I think we may get in the high 30,000 range when its all said and done this season. A lot of hunters are not killing the last couple weeks like in early season.
stringtalker
Well-Known Member
I've killed one bird. Worse season I've ever seen. Birds want gobble at all. Haven't been all week, just about done with them. They are gobbled out here
bshurette
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Not hearing any gobbling in Southeast TN, Between four hunters who hunt 3-4 times a week we have heard one gobble between us in the last week and it was a jake. Been a rough year for us.
timberghost3591
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I have been having a heck of a season for around here. I have killed 4, one which was a bonus Bird, and have one tag left: I found a pice of ground therapy other day and had a hell of a hunt. At one point, we had 6 diff birds gobbling. I was going around the tree like a dang squirrel trying to get ready for which was gonna make it first. They didn't say a word on the roost, but once they hit the ground from 645-10:30, it was non stop.
I ended up getting impatient and missed one of them. Worst feeling in the world, to be on your last day off, with one tag, and miss him. I was sick the rest of the day...
I ended up getting impatient and missed one of them. Worst feeling in the world, to be on your last day off, with one tag, and miss him. I was sick the rest of the day...
Bgoodman30
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timberghost3591":2hn5n4rw said:
Was it Monday?
Bgoodman30
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stringtalker":1wmtrbcu said:
I haven't heard a bird gobble after 9am until Sunday and Monday was by far the best gobbling day of the season.. I think they have just been henned up and best days are in the near future.
I went Yesterday morning after I got in from work. Heard one gobbling about 6:45 and setup and called a little . He answered back and gobbled on his own 4 or 5 more times but, I don't know what happened after that. I sat there for about an hour listening, keeping eyes peeled and calling a little every 10 - 15 minutes and nothing. I'm not done with him though. Maybe I'll hear him again.
We have a chance to hit there upper 30k by end of season if weather stays good. AS of 04/30 @ 7:30am Eastern there has been 34,361 birds checked in the state. It's the 4th best season since 2006. Only 216 birds to pass the 2017 year for 3rd. Have to kill another 2750 to take the record. I've went back and pulled the numbers from 2006 to present for each region and for Region IV that I live in and graphed it. Region IV we need only 159 more birds across the 21 counties to break the all time record. Interesting data.
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Not good for next year.
Y'all should do that with ease, very likely in a day or two. Have you analyzed which weeks of the six week season R4 kills the most birds, historically. Based on comments on here over the years, I get the impression that last few weeks of season are great hunting in east and northeast TN, whereas the birds in SW TN whwere I live are winding down, if you will. Your thoughts on hunting last few weeks in R4?Shooter77":1fza7uls said:
catman529
Well-Known Member
the impact will be localized do certain parts. Some areas got hit way harder than others. Some areas will be fine, especially with the reports of jakes I've heard and the jakes I've seenTN hunter":1dm1wk9n said:
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megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
TN hunter":1fve8a2h said:
I don't think anyone is saying it won't have an impact next season. Everyone knows it will. Just go back and look at the highest kill spring seasons for the past two decades.... the following spring kill declined 10-15% every single time without fail. Same thing will happen next year.
The real question is not whether it will impact next year's kill, but whether we removed so many toms from the statewide flock that it will hurt the population for the next 5 years, not just next year. I don't know the answer to that, but I suspect there will be localized areas that were overharvested this year that just won't have any birds for the next 5 years.
I still have birds gobbling nonstop courting hens on my TN farms. They are not being hunted any longer, even though we have tags left. Gotta make sure I'm not one of those localized areas that become devoid of birds.
Shooter77":1llxjyqx said:
As of 1:00 pm EST, the total has jumped to 34,511 for the state. Need 40 more birds in Reg 3, be the first time that all 4 regions went over the 7k mark in the same year. Looking through the numbers, record years, we see 3-6k state wide drop for 3-4 years.
2006 peak year (35,887)
07-09 (30,331-32,094)
2010 record year (best ever w/37,111)
11-16 (31,591-34,029)
2017 peak year (34,577)
18-19 (28,319-31,252)
2020 peak/record year (34,511)
Boll Weevil
Well-Known Member
Thanks for doing the homework Shooter. Appears nearly imminent based on past data that the next few years will see lower harvests...combine that with the possibility of lower limits in places and it's a virtual guarantee. The good'ol days (for much of the state) seem to be in the rear view mirror at the moment.
fairchaser
Well-Known Member
stringtalker":1ql86s1l said:
I'm having the same situation. Killed one early and can't get on a gobbler. They have been very quiet the last couple weeks.
Mega. Great response. You're exactly right. I should've worded my statement differently. I agree that our harvest numbers over the next years will be lowered. In fact, I have a very close friend whom has a farm that had several toms. In the past two years they have killed several on that piece of property, plus the neighbors did their fair share of killing. This year, that property has a 1/4 of the birds and they are still hunting. So I can see firsthand how overkilling affects a property.megalomaniac":18y3eliw said:
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