Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New Trophy's
New trophy room comments
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Classifieds
Trophy Room
New items
New comments
Latest content
Latest updates
Latest reviews
Author list
Series list
Search showcase
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles and first posts only
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
Tennessee Hunting Forums
Long Beards & Spurs
3 bird limit?
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="TheLBLman" data-source="post: 5058245" data-attributes="member: 1409"><p>I can only imagine how much worse the turkey situation might be at LBL if LBL had the same opening date, and 4-bird limit like Tennessee "statewide" has had the past many years. By comparison, the turkey hunting (and the turkey population) has typically been much better under Kentucky's "statewide" later opening date and 2-bird limit.</p><p></p><p>In essence, LBL has been managing the turkey's more like the KDFWR "statewide" model than the TWRA "statewide" model.</p><p></p><p>As also said, most of the factors effecting ongoing turkey populations are beyond our control, and largely include weather, rainfall, and habitat.</p><p></p><p>Even large WMA's can be very limited as to just what they can and cannot do regarding habitat manipulation (in large part due to politics). The challenges of maintaining a thriving turkey population may be little different at LBL than is experienced by many other WMA's in TN, most of which have poorer turkey hunting than private lands in their respective counties.</p><p></p><p>You do what you can, and just because you can't change the weather doesn't mean you shouldn't take what reasonable steps you can to improve the outcome.</p><p>At issue becomes just what is "reasonable" and what is not.</p><p></p><p>Truth is, I believe the turkey situation would only be much worse at LBL had there not been a later season opening (and a 2-bird limit). That limit is only now going to one this coming season (it has been 2). Also, despite the later opening date, LBL may have nonetheless been receiving more turkey hunting pressure than the average private property "statewide" in TN. That has traditionally been in part due to LBL offering "bonus" birds, and heavily attracting the most avid turkey hunters after they had already filled their limits elsewhere.</p><p></p><p>In fact, LBL has traditionally drawn some highly accomplished turkey hunters, and many will tell you the LBL birds are some of the hardest birds to successfully kill they've ever hunted. IMO, part of the hunting difficulty may actually be more about many hunters just being more accustomed to hunting more typical private-property "farms" rather than the big "public" woods at LBL, where you will often have multiple other hunters closing in on the same bird you hear gobbling.</p><p></p><p>As an aside, shame as it is, LBL has much less habitat diversity than most of Tennessee's county-wide habitats. It has been better in times past, when politics were less a controlling factor. I also suspect LBL has relatively more turkey-killing predators now, which include a growing population of raptors which have evolved more into specifically hunting turkeys. Just one more of those things we can do absolutely nothing about.</p><p></p><p>Add to this the rather recent influx of feral pigs now destroying the habitat. LBL is trying to get the pigs under control, but nothing can be done about the hawks, owls, and eagles evolving into better turkey hunters (as are the bobcats & coyotes).</p><p></p><p>Note how often people are now seeing bobcats during daylight. IMO, this is mainly because of their evolution in hunting turkeys. We're also seeing more "inland" bald eagles, specifically hunting turkeys, whereas they<em> HAD</em> been more focused on fish and carrion closer to and in the water (such as wounded & dead waterfowl).</p><p></p><p>Considering <em>EVERYTHING</em> going against turkeys' survival, it makes even more sense to do what little we <u>easily can do</u> to help, i.e. a little later season opening, a lower bag limit? Doesn't seem to be a whole lot more, within reason, we can do?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="TheLBLman, post: 5058245, member: 1409"] I can only imagine how much worse the turkey situation might be at LBL if LBL had the same opening date, and 4-bird limit like Tennessee "statewide" has had the past many years. By comparison, the turkey hunting (and the turkey population) has typically been much better under Kentucky's "statewide" later opening date and 2-bird limit. In essence, LBL has been managing the turkey's more like the KDFWR "statewide" model than the TWRA "statewide" model. As also said, most of the factors effecting ongoing turkey populations are beyond our control, and largely include weather, rainfall, and habitat. Even large WMA's can be very limited as to just what they can and cannot do regarding habitat manipulation (in large part due to politics). The challenges of maintaining a thriving turkey population may be little different at LBL than is experienced by many other WMA's in TN, most of which have poorer turkey hunting than private lands in their respective counties. You do what you can, and just because you can't change the weather doesn't mean you shouldn't take what reasonable steps you can to improve the outcome. At issue becomes just what is "reasonable" and what is not. Truth is, I believe the turkey situation would only be much worse at LBL had there not been a later season opening (and a 2-bird limit). That limit is only now going to one this coming season (it has been 2). Also, despite the later opening date, LBL may have nonetheless been receiving more turkey hunting pressure than the average private property "statewide" in TN. That has traditionally been in part due to LBL offering "bonus" birds, and heavily attracting the most avid turkey hunters after they had already filled their limits elsewhere. In fact, LBL has traditionally drawn some highly accomplished turkey hunters, and many will tell you the LBL birds are some of the hardest birds to successfully kill they've ever hunted. IMO, part of the hunting difficulty may actually be more about many hunters just being more accustomed to hunting more typical private-property "farms" rather than the big "public" woods at LBL, where you will often have multiple other hunters closing in on the same bird you hear gobbling. As an aside, shame as it is, LBL has much less habitat diversity than most of Tennessee's county-wide habitats. It has been better in times past, when politics were less a controlling factor. I also suspect LBL has relatively more turkey-killing predators now, which include a growing population of raptors which have evolved more into specifically hunting turkeys. Just one more of those things we can do absolutely nothing about. Add to this the rather recent influx of feral pigs now destroying the habitat. LBL is trying to get the pigs under control, but nothing can be done about the hawks, owls, and eagles evolving into better turkey hunters (as are the bobcats & coyotes). Note how often people are now seeing bobcats during daylight. IMO, this is mainly because of their evolution in hunting turkeys. We're also seeing more "inland" bald eagles, specifically hunting turkeys, whereas they[I] HAD[/I] been more focused on fish and carrion closer to and in the water (such as wounded & dead waterfowl). Considering [I]EVERYTHING[/I] going against turkeys' survival, it makes even more sense to do what little we [U]easily can do[/U] to help, i.e. a little later season opening, a lower bag limit? Doesn't seem to be a whole lot more, within reason, we can do? [/QUOTE]
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Tennessee Hunting Forums
Long Beards & Spurs
3 bird limit?
Top