How'd your county do?

[Boll Weevil]

We did a little better than last year in Hardeman and killed 482 to finally stop the 4 year downward spiral in harvest (658, 603, 544, 459). And to think back in 2004 nearly twice as many birds...952 ended up in the smokehouse. One year a trend does not make but hopefully we'll continue to see a little bit of a rebound in the years ahead. 30,911 for the state tally.

Click here here to take a look and put in 3/22 through today for your date range.

 

[letsgohunting]

Maury 1004 WOW!!

 

[Setterman]

Maury is an insane number. My counties are right about normal except Scott is a little down and Morgan is pitiful.

I can say this that hunting just a couple of miles in KY is a whole different world from a couple miles south in TN. I literally can see TN from several places I hunt in KY and there's no comparison in the numbers of birds.

I'm not implying our population is in peril but the bird numbers across the border are astronomical. Plenty to hunt in TN as well, but not nearly as many as there were a few years ago

 

[woodsman87]

Lincoln county had 612 in 2013. Only 474 in 2014. Looks like a big drop, but it isn't alarming to me. Several of the Saturdays or days that I went to my Lincoln county spot was bad gobbling weather. That means that it made it harder for hard core turkey hunters, and the fair weather guys didn't even attempt at going.

Giles county had 604 in 2014, and 645 in 2013. Not really a big differnece. Looks like it has remained fairly steady (but trending downward) for the past three to four years. I cannot get it to reseearch earlier than 2006. 2006 was big year and then the drop off year was 2007. Went from 890 in 2006 to 738 in 2007. Steady downfall every year after. (Along with what I have been saying along with you others with concerns.)

Only hunted Lawrence one time (because there isn't many there any longer.) Heard one turkey gobble on roost. They had 251 killed in 2014, which is dismal compared to the early to mid 2000s when 450 birds where being checked in. With the huge wildernesses that Lawrence county consist of there is for sure something wrong. It could be weather, disease, predation, etc. Lawrence and Giles are pretty much the same habitat, with Lawrence being better (with less people, towns, and cities.)

 

[woodsman87]

I still would like to see TWRA some how come up with and enforce more zones instead of statewide everything the same. TN is a huge state with three different major types of habitats.

Giles and Lawrence county, which is where 80% of my observations are done, need to be looked at. Highway 64 is a good line to use. North of it is turkey heaven, south of it is turkey hell.

And these counties are the same habitat, not the three major differences I stated about in the first part of my post.

 

[Setterman]

I personally believe that over time our really high spring limit will begin to have an effect when combined with all the new gear which makes turkeys easy to kill.

I'm not saying it's the end of the world but our limit is extremely high compared to the vast majority of states.

I also feel that dropping us back to 3 birds would help maintain good turkey numbers statewide

 

[woodsman87]

I forgot to mention Wayne, which I haven't hunted in 4-5 years because my spot I had over there fails to produce anything any more. It has remained in a steady downward trend since 2006 as well. In my experience dealing with turkey nesting and brood rearing habitat, Wayne County TN has the best habitat of the counties I hunt in(Lawrence, Giles, Lincoln.)

 

[Roost 1]

Sounds like TN only killed roughly 1000 more than KY. We only have a 2 bird limit and 3 less weeks of season. Maybe we have more hunters because I do not believe we have more turkeys..No place in KY that I know of compares to middle TN as far as turkey numbers go.

 

[woodsman87]

I forgot to mention Wayne, which I haven't hunted in 4-5 years because my spot I had over there fails to produce anything any more. It has remained in a steady downward trend since 2006 as well. In my experience dealing with turkey nesting and brood rearing habitat, Wayne County TN has the best habitat of the counties I hunt in(Lawrence, Giles, Lincoln.)

 

[woodsman87]

double post..

 

[woodsman87]

Sounds like TN only killed roughly 1000 more than KY. We only have a 2 bird limit and 3 less weeks of season. Maybe we have more hunters because I do not believe we have more turkeys..No place in KY that I know of compares to middle TN as far as turkey numbers go.

That is an interesting observation. I have always thought KY had more birds than TN, at least in the last 6-8 years.

Middle TN is known for having lots of turkeys. But in the southern middle TN portion where my stomping grounds are isn't the case any more.

Giles once was one of the top harvest number counties, and If I remember correctly Giles, Dickson, and Green where the three perennial powers of killing 800-900 birds every year. I am going off rememberence, because I don't have any data with me and I cannot get the harvest reports on the website to work prior 2005. Lawrence, Linconl, and Wayne were also in the tops, but that would be based on per capita of actual hunters. Wayne and Lawrence county human population isn't as high as some of the other counties.

 

[woodsman87]

Maury is an insane number. My counties are right about normal except Scott is a little down and Morgan is pitiful.

I can say this that hunting just a couple of miles in KY is a whole different world from a couple miles south in TN. I literally can see TN from several places I hunt in KY and there's no comparison in the numbers of birds.

I'm not implying our population is in peril but the bird numbers across the border are astronomical. Plenty to hunt in TN as well, but not nearly as many as there were a few years ago

I have always noticed that compared to North/middle and Northwestern Alabama. Used to be everybody trying to find land or leases just a few miles north of the AL/TN state line. Was truly a whole different world. As of now, that line has been Highway 64.

Anything to do with the slow steady northern migration and infiltration of armidillos, fire ants, feral hogs?

 

[PalsPal]

Only 1100 people killed 4 birds.

 

[Bone Collector]

I personally believe that over time our really high spring limit will begin to have an effect when combined with all the new gear which makes turkeys easy to kill.

I'm not saying it's the end of the world but our limit is extremely high compared to the vast majority of states.

I also feel that dropping us back to 3 birds would help maintain good turkey numbers statewide

I agree and disagree with this. I think some areas should lower the limit, but not all of them. I also think that "over time" will be a long time, to do noticeable damage, and that day may never come.

As for the gear making it "easy" to kill turkeys I agree technology makes things easier, but that is the nature of the beast. However, if it is so easy, why did we not kill more year over year? This year we are down 506 birds from last year overall for the state.

My take is that while technology is making it easier, less people are hunting, or not hunting as much, so it is a wash. Also, there are areas that are loaded with birds here in Mid TN, but either there is no hunting, or they want a fortune to hunt there.

 

[Bone Collector]

Maury 1004 WOW!!

1141 is what I saw, still down 140 birds or so from last year.

Maury is insane the # of turkeys they have.

Only 1100 people killed 4 birds.

I'm 1 of 1,100 :grin:

 

[PickettSFHunter]

Fentress steady with last year but 20ish% down from the peak, little over 200 birds this year. Morgan Co. is pitiful, Harvest down 50ish% from a few years ago, 127 birds this year.

 

[timberjack86]

245 for Grundy.

 

[Dover_Mike]

stewart county with 393, I got four of them. that seems a little low for us though.

 

[762hunter]

Gibson County was 314, that's +74 from last year

Fayette County was 376, -8 from last year


by the looks of this I need to find a place in Maury county to hunt next year

 

[Boll Weevil]

Provided you've got birds to begin with, focus on brood rearing if you want to have a turkey factory. I'd think that varying nest success county by county or even within a particular county can have a huge impact on harvest fluctuations.

My place is good on quality nesting areas but a few years ago I decided to really put some effort into brooding and bugging habitat. My goal was to help them get by from the point they hatch until they're like the size of a leghorn chicken. I don't know if the results I've seen are normal or not but have been totally completely amazed.

 

[TheLBLman]

Only 1100 people killed 4 birds.

You can also assume there are many hunters like myself who will commonly (and purposefully) kill ONE LESS than whatever the limit happens to be. The reason is that we want to "save" that final tag so we can enjoy continuing to hunt, and be able to kill an old Tom if one presents. Most often, we don't get one on our final hunt, ending the season with ONE LESS than the limit.

I killed 3 longbeards during the first week of the season, then held on to that last tag til the end. Could have used it, but wanted to keep it just in case one of the two very old Toms I had seen made a mistake. Saw one of them during the final week, but didn't close the deal, and have no regrets for not using that last tag earlier.

Despite my having a lucky first week, I found the hunting to be a little tougher thereafter than most years. For whatever reasons, I heard the least gobbling post-flydown I think I've ever heard. They gobbled on the roost, then most days that was the end of the gobbling. Most years, once the hens go to nest, there are old Toms just walking around gobbling throughout the day. Didn't experience much of that this year.

Also of interest, I thought we had more 2-yr-olds and more jakes this year pre-season than compared to the past few years. But they seemed to just mostly disappear off the face of the earth after that first week of the season.

In my primary hunting county (Stewart), the harvest looks to be slightly higher in 2014 than in 2013, but slightly less than in 2012 and 2011.

 

[jlmustain]

I have a hard time worrying about limits. AL's is 5, and they're the #1 state in the union for numbers. They also never allow hens to be hunted. The final count is only about 10% of the pop, which is en par with previous years, if I recall correctly.

What's y'all's take on all the females? Do you think there were that few bearded hens taken? Maybe it's me, but I feel like that's a low number.

I'm proud to have two of those Bedford County ones and two of those Maury County ones in the freezer!

 

[Gravey]

2 more in Rutherford this year and 3 more in Wilson.

 

[Barnes Ridge Rambler]

Pickett county -180 birds. And I killed 3 of them lol. A man earns his deer and turkey in Pickett. Low densities of both.

 

[callemquacktn]

Bedford county down 63 from last yr. 531 for 2014.

 

[Turkman]

Boll Weevil, Could you tell us some things you have done for this brooding and bugging habitat?

 

[Takekidshunting]

I stumbled upon two different nests this year (in two consecutive days, 30 miles apart) that were destroyed. One was in a place that was covered in hog rooting, and the egg shells were completely crumbled into small bits. The other was in a creek bottom area with coons tracks in every mudhole. Those eggs looked like they had been cracked delicately by my wife. Just guessing, but two different culprits of nest predation.

Interesting to note that I saw way less turkey sign in areas where I have recently started seeing hog signs. I was also on a lease in Arkansas where our turkey population was down. A man joined that had some high dollar coon dogs and he started annihilating the coons and possums. Two years later our turkey population had exploded. We can't get around the fact that turkeys have been subject to predation as long as turkeys have lived, but fewer predators can't hurt...especially the nest robbers. If they can ruin a nest, we turkey hunters should hunt them as hard as we do the turkeys!

 

[FARMTOFIELD]

Lawrence county is gaining strength but IMO the number is displayed poorly, im anxious to see if they release info regarding the number of birds killed north of 64 vs. South of 64. One huge reason maury is killing the numbers,they are is the fact people are traveling from everywhere to hunt there.

This year alone, i seen nearly everycounty tag from tn. Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Illinois, Arkansas, and virgina.

I,dont mind driving to hunt and im blessed to have access to some private ground in lewis and maury county but i hope something gets improved in my area,its very disappointing to have access to literally thousands of acres in my area and no hope at all to killa turkey because there are none.

 

[Roost 1]

I also found a raided nest this yr and in the last 3yrs hogs have shown up on our property and the turkey numbers have slowly decreased....I am starting to think there is a direct correlation.

 

[woodsman87]

I have a hard time worrying about limits. AL's is 5, and they're the #1 state in the union for numbers. They also never allow hens to be hunted. The final count is only about 10% of the pop, which is en par with previous years, if I recall correctly.

What's y'all's take on all the females? Do you think there were that few bearded hens taken? Maybe it's me, but I feel like that's a low number.

I'm proud to have two of those Bedford County ones and two of those Maury County ones in the freezer!

Alabama is a great state to hunt turkeys, but only south Alabama. Also, Alabama has no real way of seeing how many turkeys they have or how many turkeys they kill. Their tagging system is just now being put in place. It was an honor system forever until recently. The state would call or mail or e-mail randomly drawn hunters and survey them to see how many they killed. The state somehow drawn these conclusions and "estimated" how many were killed and how many turkeys there are. They have now what is called "Gamecheck" where you have to call it in on an 800 number or check it in on the internet.

Most of the hunters I know still will not do the "Gamecheck." They are so stubborn, and some reason think that it will not be helpful in setting future seasons, bag limits, management decisions, etc. They also feel like it is the government telling them what to do and how to manage their own land. Which they take great offense to.