3 bird limit???

[Bgoodman30]

What a wild take. Nothing like getting blasted for caring about an animal you want your kids and kids, kids to be able to hunt.

We took for granted the resource 15 years ago and we are paying for it. It's clear to see who is worried about it and who doesn't care if turkeys are the next Quail. Because they lose a tag or season is delayed by a week or 2.

Of course I want to see my kids hunt turkeys and yes I believe we took the resource for granted but are we to blame?

If we would have shortened the season and reduced the quail limit would it be the difference? We could have reduced it to zero and wouldn't have mattered. This is my point..

We can make tweak the season a few days, reduce the harvest a couple thousand statewide, blame social media and reapers or we can address the real problems... ? IMO hunting season has little effect on turkey populations the only thing that matters is getting eggs to hatch and poults to survive the summer..

 

[Bgoodman30]

Spoken like a died in the wool grip-n-grinner. It's all about the kill!

You must not like to hunt and kill? Do you catch and release? Some may find it hard to believe that other hunters on a "hunting" forum give other hunters a hard time because they like to hunt but here we are..

 

[Southern Sportsman]

What is your personal observation? I judge a successful hatch by Jakes observations now. I am not seeing them. Very few actually.

Based on number of turkeys I've seen, I think much of West TN had a great hatch the last two years. I've seen multiple gobbler groups (3-6) and a few gaggles of jakes. I suspect favorable spring weather, and no ill-timed spring backwaters played the biggest role in that, but we can only control what we can control. And I think the season delay is helping. IMHO, even if it just helps a little, it's worth it. Especially since it's not really reducing opportunity (everyone still gets to hunt 6 weeks in the spring) and it absolutely did not reduce hunter success. So if it helps the turkeys at all, and doesn't reduce success rates or opportunity, why the hell would we not stick with it?

$ is the only answer I can think of. If we keep the delay, non-residents won't come here to shoot TN turkeys before their own state opens.

 

[Bgoodman30]

Based on number of turkeys I've seen, I think much of West TN had a great hatch the last two years. I've seen multiple gobbler groups (3-6) and a few gaggles of jakes. I suspect favorable spring weather, and no ill-timed spring backwaters played the biggest role in that, but we can only control what we can control. And I think the season delay is helping. IMHO, even if it just helps a little, it's worth it. Especially since it's not really reducing opportunity (everyone still gets to hunt 6 weeks in the spring) and it absolutely did not reduce hunter success. So if it helps the turkeys at all, and doesn't reduce success rates or opportunity, why the hell would we not stick with it?

$ is the only answer I can think of. If we keep the delay, non-residents won't come here to shoot TN turkeys before their own state opens.

That's good to hear. I am seeing a good hatch in 22 but not so good in 23 in middle TN from what I have seen. I am all for it if it works and for the record I would just like it moved back a week or so. My preference would be moved back a week and 3 birds like I said previously although I don't think moving it back to first of April and 4 birds will change a thing other than reducing some gobbler carryover.

 

[Creek bottoms]

The dilly dallying by the commission/TWRA needs to turn into a courageous, no non-sense effort to save the turkeys or they will go the way of the bobwhite. It will take the following:
1. Pay a bounty for hawks, owls, maybe eagles, bobcats, coyotes, foxes, coons and skunks.
2. You cannot allow bearded hens to be killed. Teach your kids to know the difference.
3. No jakes killed except by juveniles and they can't kill but one.
4. Make it very expensive for out of staters to hunt turkeys in TN unless they are landowners in the state. Some kind of draw may be in order.
5. A 6 week season is too long. Not a lot of birds are killed late, but leave some seed to breed the hens who lose nests.

There you have it. Not hard, but nobody has the guts to make it happen.

 

[scn]

You must not like to hunt and kill? Do you catch and release? Some may find it hard to believe that other hunters on a "hunting" forum give other hunters a hard time because they like to hunt but here we are..

I live to hunt turkeys the right way. It is by far my favorite outdoor pastime. If I get lucky on a day the game can be played the right way, I will enjoy pulling the trigger on one. But, the kill for me, and for some others on here, is way secondary to having turkeys to hunt. I care about our turkey flock.

My memory isn't what it used to be, so please forgive if I have mis-remembered. But, weren't you the guy a couple of years ago that shot at/wounded/killed something like ten gobblers before tagging one? If so, it shows someone I wouldn't put in the sportsman category who obviously cares more about a kill than the resource.

Again, sorry if I mis-remembered.

 

[Bgoodman30]

I live to hunt turkeys the right way. It is by far my favorite outdoor pastime. If I get lucky on a day the game can be played the right way, I will enjoy pulling the trigger on one. But, the kill for me, and for some others on here, is way secondary to having turkeys to hunt. I care about our turkey flock.

My memory isn't what it used to be, so please forgive if I have mis-remembered. But, weren't you the guy a couple of years ago that shot at/wounded/killed something like ten gobblers before tagging one? If so, it shows someone I wouldn't put in the sportsman category who obviously cares more about a kill than the resource.

Again, sorry if I mis-remembered.

I am the same way. Turkey hunting is my passion.

Yes true I had a bad streak several years and missed 7 gobblers in a row. Gun issues, dot issues, bird too close every excuse in the book. Not something I am proud of but I believe most birds survived. I fixed the issue and only missed a couple in several years. I hold my hunting ethics in a high regard. I have never killed more than 2 gobblers off one farm in a single season. Usually spread kills over several counties. Say what you want I have nothing to hide people that actually know me know that I am "by the book"...

 

[gobbler32]

Personally a two or three bird limit doesn't matter to me. I wish the season was at the maximum two weeks. Turkey season in TN shouldn't go into May much less close to Memorial Day, thats ridiculous. April 1st or the 7th is good in my opinion and I've turkey hunted 36 years. If you can't get a bird within two weeks ,too bad.

 

[deerhunter10]

Of course I want to see my kids hunt turkeys and yes I believe we took the resource for granted but are we to blame?

If we would have shortened the season and reduced the quail limit would it be the difference? We could have reduced it to zero and wouldn't have mattered. This is my point..

We can make tweak the season a few days, reduce the harvest a couple thousand statewide, blame social media and reapers or we can address the real problems... ? IMO hunting season has little effect on turkey populations the only thing that matters is getting eggs to hatch and poults to survive the summer..

I think it's easy to point fingers at each other that accomplishes nothing at all. At some point someone has to take responsibility, twra clearly is just throwing sh** against the wall and see what sticks. So then it is on is the hunters and land managers to take matters into our own hands. Do I tag out every year yes I do. Did I with 4? I use to didn't for the last several years of it because we didn't have the birds to support it. It's a pile of different issues causing problems. It personally blows my mind at the push back taking 1 tag and a 2 week delay. I know it messed with a few people's spot, but by and large it was a success as far as the hunting goes. Our hunting was outstanding.


At the end of the day you're right we have to get poults hatched and to live.. what's twra doing to help with that? Not a hell of a lot that I've seen so again it starts and ends with us.

I think the "reapers" and decoy users kill a lot of birds they would never kill without those things. We will never know the number but I'd say it's a good percentage of birds killed that way that probably a good percentage of those birds wouldn't have been killed either.

Also I use tss because I love sub gauges. but if they want to ban that I'll go back out with a 12 gauge and lead in a heart beat no big deal to me.

I would beat a lot of money the proposal they brought forward has to do with license sales more then anything. We lost some out of state hunters for sure.

 

[tnanh]

One thing people don't talk about is when and how the seasons are set. Why would an agency propose seasons for next season now? How about getting input from this season first and continue that every year? Is it just so they can print some high gloss pretty annual booklet of seasons that usually has enough mistakes in it someone should be fired? I have said it before and will continue to say it. twra is season setters and has not been a management agency for many, many years.

 

[timberjack86]

Personally a two or three bird limit doesn't matter to me. I wish the season was at the maximum two weeks. Turkey season in TN shouldn't go into May much less close to Memorial Day, thats ridiculous. April 1st or the 7th is good in my opinion and I've turkey hunted 36 years. If you can't get a bird within two weeks ,too bad.

Yeah piss on us guys that have to work 5-6 days a week.

 

[megalomaniac]

I don't know where the preoccupation with killing comes from. Isn't 2 enough? Turkey hunting is as close as there is to catch and release in hunting, isn't the whole thing with turkey hunting calling a bird into shotgun range? Or … is it really about the social media pics and being able to say you tagged out to anybody that will listen?

I can identify with this post...

First bird of the season is gonna die if he comes to me. Not going to crawl one, ambush one, etc. But if he comes to my call limbhoppong the entire way into range, he's getting shot.

After the first one, he has to die by MY standards, not his. Which means he has to come gobbling in searching for me. I've already passed up 2 in gun range this year who didn't fit that bill... catch and release... and so they are still alive for me to continue hunting. After number 2 in MS, every single bird gets a pass even if they play the game MY way until the last day of the season. Some years it's zero, some years it's 10 I pass up. On the last day of the season, I'm punching my last tag if he plays MY game. Last year that was bird no 2 for TN on May 28. 2 years ago that was May 1 on my 3rd bird for MS. But you will NEVER catch me filling my last tag before the last day of the season for the state I'm in. I'll eat that last tag every single year on the last day of season and be happy to do so, rather than tag out and not be able to hunt.

Granted, I'm different than most... I'll be in the woods 40 to 45 days most springs hunting... so I usually get more opportunities to pull the trigger than the average hunter. So that's why I 'release' more turkeys than I 'catch'. And every bird I kill I feel remorse.... not for the bird himself (because it WAS his time to die when i decided so, after all), but selfishly for the fact I won't be able to hunt him again the rest of the season or any other future season.

 

[Soft Talker]

Hopefully pushback from these horsesh#t regs cuts even deeper into their pockets after this season, forcing them to reconsider even these new proposals, causing them to bring the opener back a full 2 weeks, to where it should be If it wasn't for bullsh$t biology and "knee jerk" beau acratic decisions, we would be Turkey Hunting here in Tn. Saturday morning. Absolutely no "biologically" proven reason why we should not be. YOU want to delay YOUR season here, YOUR free to self regulate as YOU see fit. If not, move your ignorant a## north to Kentucky, or some other Yankee state.

 

[Bone Collector]

Absolutely. They took what was I'm gonna say was as good turkey hunting as anywhere else and ruined it. I heard all my life how great LBL was so I put in for it. Drew it and left after first morning. Hunting on my local lease was way better. It's just sad to me. Anybody that has not been turkey hunting for 20 years doesn't know how food it was.

I started in 2010 and it was waaaayyyy better then. By 2016 things started to noticeably head south.

I like an earlier opener so we aren't hunting at the end of May. 2 birds is plenty.

 

[gobbler32]

Yeah piss on us guys that have to work 5-6 days a week.

I didn't mean for it to slap someone in the face. I meant it as in shorten the season and have a 2 bird limit. I don't care if another non resident ever comes here to hunt. Twra is about the money, period. Also, I work 6 days a week myself but try to save some vacation days for turkey season and if I don't get a bird so be it.

 

[timberjack86]

I didn't mean for it to slap someone in the face. I meant it as in shorten the season and have a 2 bird limit. I don't care if another non resident ever comes here to hunt. Twra is about the money, period. Also, I work 6 days a week myself but try to save some vacation days for turkey season and if I don't get a bird so be it.

If I had vacation days that would be great but isn't an option for me. I can take all the unpaid time off I want but the bills don't stop during turkey season.

 

[deerfever]

Did you actually review the data? Of just read the student's abstract?

The DATA shows a 21.6% increase in nest success in the three study counties (Wayne, Lawrence, and Giles) following the delay. Simultaneously, the two "control" counties (Maury and Bedford), which undoubtedly saw increased early hunting pressure from people who couldn't hunt in the study counties, saw a 4.9% decrease in nest success.

I'm not a statistician, but that seems like data indicating that the season delay may have helped.

The ones involved in the study have said over and over in the paper , when the preliminary results were released and everything out that there is no reproductive benefits to a delay. I Watched Dr. Harper in a podcast that was put on this site as he talked of this study. I see the exact chart you are talking about it's chart 2.3. I also realize that the chart right below it 2.4 that you may or may not have seen states no documented effects of delayed versus non delayed on nesting success or any other aspect of the study and all numbers are basically equal. I may be misunderstanding the whole study and they actually said there are numerous reproductive benefits to a delayed season documented, I have been wrong before, certainly wouldn't be the first time..I personally don't believe moving the season back one week towards our old opener that we had since 1986 will have any negative impact whatsoever on our turkeys, as a matter of fact it says that over and over in the study and that was our old opener they are talking about. It basically says hunters will be upset when they find out delaying the season has no benefits at all. Simply my belief after looking through the study and listening to Dr. Harper who was involved in the study. Seems to be weather and predators have the biggest effect. Wonder what dates it opened back in the good ole days of turkey hunting that everyone speaks of? We probably need to go back to that, the date sure seemed to work. Notice the term our data doesn't support in the piece below. Again I respect your thoughts and opinions but I just don't believe a delay helps at all, if the study showed otherwise - I would be all for it. Here is the thing even with the new regs we will still be under a delay! There are years we will not even open until April 10 under this new verbage? Hunters that want delay are still getting one? We will still be under a delay from our old opener , we are not even moving back to our old opener. Again any hunter that feels so strongly that a few days will be detrimental to our turkey population can always just listen opening weekend if they don't like the date or catch and release as it's been termed no one will force anyone to kill opening day.

 

[Setterman]

Personally a two or three bird limit doesn't matter to me. I wish the season was at the maximum two weeks. Turkey season in TN shouldn't go into May much less close to Memorial Day, thats ridiculous. April 1st or the 7th is good in my opinion and I've turkey hunted 36 years. If you can't get a bird within two weeks ,too bad.

The issue with this is our mountain birds, true mountain birds not the fake ones in middle Tennessee are weeks to a month behind much of the state due to elevation. Closing it before may would not be ideal for our hunting

 

[knightrider]

Personally a two or three bird limit doesn't matter to me. I wish the season was at the maximum two weeks. Turkey season in TN shouldn't go into May much less close to Memorial Day, thats ridiculous. April 1st or the 7th is good in my opinion and I've turkey hunted 36 years. If you can't get a bird within two weeks ,too bad.

The 2nd week of may is some of the best turkey hunting you will experience in my part of the world

 

[Bgoodman30]

The issue with this is our mountain birds, true mountain birds not the fake ones in middle Tennessee are weeks to a month behind much of the state due to elevation. Closing it before may would not be ideal for our hunting

Needs to be regional like a lot of other states.