3 Bird Limit Next Year

[TN Larry]

It looks like we will have a statewide 3 bird limit next year except it will be two in the MS River Counties. There was a motion to get it 2 statewide, but the it failed. They are still hung up on reducing the limit to 2 affecting the Southern Mid TN county turkey study.

 

[ruger7mag]

No change on season dates?

 

[TN Larry]

No change on season dates?

Only for the Southern Middle and MS River counties.

 

[ruger7mag]

No change on season dates?

Only for the Southern Middle and MS River counties.

Ok thanks.

 

[deerfever]

Was watching a little while ago, looks like they cut bonus birds in an amendment. I may be mistaken but looks like 3 is it no matter what you get drawn for. I guess 4 hunts per year on some areas where having a huge impact on turkey population. Someone correct me if I am wrong but I think that is what they did about 30 minutes ago.

 

[Southern Sportsman]

Was watching a little while ago, looks like they cut bonus birds in an amendment. I may be mistaken but looks like 3 is it no matter what you get drawn for. I guess 4 hunts per year on some areas where having a huge impact on turkey population. Someone correct me if I am wrong but I think that is what they did about 30 minutes ago.

400 hens per year are not enough to worry about when the proposal to protect bearded hens came up. But the 30 people statewide that kill more than 4 gobblers HAVE to be stopped.

 

[deerfever]

I agree with you southern sportsman, I told them in my comments it made no sense to cut bonus birds. Cutting all hens and jakes if they wanted to cut something would have made more sense.

 

[TN hunter]

No change on season dates?

Only for the Southern Middle and MS River counties.

What are the season dates for the southern mid TN areas?


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[Bone Collector]

No change on season dates?

Only for the Southern Middle and MS River counties.

Ok thanks.

I wish they had just started the whole thing later and ended it by an equal amount of time later thus keeping the season the same amount of time. All this will do is have the S. Mid TN guys north of there for opening morning in the counties that are open, thus increasing the pressure there especially on WMAs.

at least they lowered the limit 1 bird and that should save some.....

 

[TN Larry]

No change on season dates?

Only for the Southern Middle and MS River counties.

What are the season dates for the southern mid TN areas?


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They will start two weeks later than the normal season.

 

[megalomaniac]

In before spring 2021 when the Facebook cronies blame the decline in harvest next year on the 3 bird limit or the weather.

 

['borohunter]

At least they changed something. Any bit will help - may not be preferred but perhaps a benefit will be seen and used as a stepping stone...

 

[TN hunter]

No change on season dates?

Only for the Southern Middle and MS River counties.

Ok thanks.

I wish they had just started the whole thing later and ended it by an equal amount of time later thus keeping the season the same amount of time. All this will do is have the S. Mid TN guys north of there for opening morning in the counties that are open, thus increasing the pressure there especially on WMAs.

at least they lowered the limit 1 bird and that should save some.....

^^^ Exactly ^^^


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[BackwoodsBoy]

It's a start I guess and at least the powers that be realize there is a decline despite the high harvest this year.

I'll give my opinion that I'd like to see the limit at 2 with the season opening a week or two later and the use of decoys illegal.

I'm good with four actually if they just banned the freaking decoys

 

[Southern Sportsman]

It's a start I guess and at least the powers that be realize there is a decline despite the high harvest this year.

I'll give my opinion that I'd like to see the limit at 2 with the season opening a week or two later and the use of decoys illegal.

I'm good with four actually if they just banned the freaking decoys

In principal, I'm all for this idea. But we can't even get the commission to protect hens during the spring breeding season because it would be "hard" for people to know the difference between a gobbler and a bearded hen. So I'm giving up hope they will ever regulate decoys.

 

[gobblegrunt]

Way delay the opener for two weeks in southern Middle Tn?

 

[BackwoodsBoy]

Way delay the opener for two weeks in southern Middle Tn?

Unknown, unexplained wild turkey population decline ... a lot of unknowns but the limit should be reduced statewide and some thought put into why? Chicken fertilizer, decoys(especially strutted fans and decoys ), too early of an opener , increased pressure due to social media and public land popularity by "googans"

 

[Southern Sportsman]

Way delay the opener for two weeks in southern Middle Tn?

Short answer - because the vast majority of hens start nesting in late April to early May. If gobbler kill starts too early, it disrupts breeding and may leave an insufficient number of gobblers to breed all receptive hens, thus negatively impacting reproduction. It's even worse in areas with low turkey populations. So delaying the season prevents gobbler kill until most hens have bred and are starting to nest. The Southeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and their considerable combination of world-class biologists recommend timing seasons with the start of peak nest initiation. Tennessee is mostly ignoring that recommendation except for 10 out of 95 counties.

 

[ROUGH COUNTRY HUNTER]

imo, you will not see anything getting any better as long as these raccoon and opossum populations keep climbing. the hunters are not the problems, it the predators eating all the eggs that's being laid

 

[Andy S.]

Way delay the opener for two weeks in southern Middle Tn?

Short answer - because the vast majority of hens start nesting in late April to early May. If gobbler kill starts too early, it disrupts breeding and may leave an insufficient number of gobblers to breed all receptive hens, thus negatively impacting reproduction. It's even worse in areas with low turkey populations. So delaying the season prevents gobbler kill until most hens have bred and are starting to nest. The Southeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and their considerable combination of world-class biologists recommend timing seasons with the start of peak nest initiation. Tennessee is mostly ignoring that recommendation except for 10 out of 95 counties.

What SS said is dead on point. Basically, the resource/conservation agencies/commissions are caving to status quo and the preferences of many hunters (hunt/kill at all costs, regardless of impact on resource), rather than protect the resource and make the hunters adjust, and maybe make a few sacrifices here and there. Turkey species survival over time is very akin to a savings account gaining interest over time; you cannot take, take, take without regard to what the balance is and what the annual interest earnings are that you can expect with time (poults/hen). Simpler way to look at it is we need to guarantee adequate seed (reproduction) and leave some seed (carryover) for next year and out years. We ALL should want to guarantee their is a huntable turkey population in 50 years, that should be our #1 priority, hands down.