Long 2 weeks

[knightrider]

This has been the longest two weeks ever, and haven't got past the first one yet this time last year my household already had 4 long beards down. Before the naysayers jump in, no blinds, decoys or corn required we keep up with the birds on over 7 farms year a round

 

[muddyboots]

Yea this stinks!

 

[scn]

Better to stink now than continuing to see our turkey population circling the bowl.

 

[megalomaniac]

This has been the longest two weeks ever, and haven't got past the first one yet this time last year my household already had 4 long beards down. Before the naysayers jump in, no blinds, decoys or corn required we keep up with the birds on over 7 farms year a round

And that's EXACTLY the reason for the 2w delay. Statewide kill is incredibly frontloaded onto the first 9 days of season. And I'm not faulting you... I do exactly the same thing (kill my birds as early as possible... because of you wait, there aren't many left to hunt halfway thru season).

This year by April 15th, there will be approx 20,000 MORE birds available to harvest statewide than years past on April 15th!!!! Look at it that way and the delay doesn't suck as bad

 

[knightrider]

And that's EXACTLY the reason for the 2w delay. Statewide kill is incredibly frontloaded onto the first 9 days of season. And I'm not faulting you... I do exactly the same thing (kill my birds as early as possible... because of you wait, there aren't many left to hunt halfway thru season).

This year by April 15th, there will be approx 20,000 MORE birds available to harvest statewide than years past on April 15th!!!! Look at it that way and the delay doesn't suck as bad

It will still be the same amount of burds available no matter if you start april 1 or april 15, yes i hope it works but its going to do nothing far as population is concerned, uour just delaying the slaughter two weeks. We will still kill all of our birds first week as usual we just get one less each this year

 

[Carlos]

Got any cheese with that?

 

[deerfever]

Statewide kill will be front loaded again this year just a different opener. From what everyone is saying these birds will be lonely gobblers and hens will be nesting. Should be an all out slaughter! Most guys are already gone by April 15th due to " henned up birds" with the past opener. Most guys now will be here til end of April / first May. I could see a much higher percent of hunters killing 2 instead of 1 as in the past 70 percent only killed 1. I certainly hope the theory is correct because this thing could see way more turkeys killed than in the past maybe not. Time will tell, I hope it works.

 

[Gravey]

Time will tell if the delay helps or not but gotta do something or we may not have birds to hunt. I've always thought the bag limit was too high so hopefully lowering it has a big impact. Now if they'd do away with the fall season and killing of bearded hens.

 

[Coker]

With the early spring, I believe we have a lot more hens bred already than past years. No telling how many lone hens I have seen in the past 2 weeks. In years past, by mid April, most hens have been bred and gobblers are winding down their breeding behavior (gobbling, strutting, fighting etc). By the end of April, the season is done. Just my ten cents worth.

 

[ZachMarkus]

Might not help at all but in the two counties I hunt the most we have had a delayed season since 2021 and I have more birds than I've had in 10 years. It's not just not on my farms, I'm hearing it from hunters/landowners all over. Coincidence? Maybe…

We had an unreal hatch 2 years ago and a dang good one last year. I'm liking it

 

[tellico4x4]

Ditto for us!

 

[Gravey]

With the early spring, I believe we have a lot more hens bred already than past years. No telling how many lone hens I have seen in the past 2 weeks.

On the way home from Kentucky today I passed a field on 840 that had 4 hens by themselves and a field close to my house with a lone hen.

 

[megalomaniac]

Might not help at all but in the two counties I hunt the most we have had a delayed season since 2021 and I have more birds than I've had in 10 years. It's not just not on my farms, I'm hearing it from hunters/landowners all over. Coincidence? Maybe…

We had an unreal hatch 2 years ago and a dang good one last year. I'm liking it

So, the TN biologists have 'proven' that there is zero benefit to turkey recruitment by delaying season opening 2 weeks based on their studies.

Also based on their studies, they have proven average nest initiation is the end of April/ first week of May (which means average mating time is about 7 to 10 days prior to nest initiation).

So, according to the state biologists, it doesn't matter whether you kill all the gobblers before or after the hens have mated.

Like Forest Gump said, "I'm not a smart man, but I know what love is"...

I'm a scientist by nature and profession... but sometimes just a tad of common sense is needed in 'science'. If you kill 20,000 gobblers off before the majority of hens have been bred, maybe... just maybe...

Look guys... you will not find another human being on this planet who loves to hunt and kill wild turkeys more than me. God, family, turkeys in that order (sometimes my wife would disagree).

While the 2 week delay SUCKS... in the end it changes NOTHING when it comes to killing turkeys... state kills 20,000 March 29 thru April 7th... with a season total of 28k to 33k kills. Versus state kills 20,000 April 15 thru 24... with a season total of 28k to 33k kills.

BUT... IF (and I will fully admit, its an 'if' at this point) the 2w delay results in more hens successfully hatching out poults.... well, jeez, it's a no brainer.

I think the 2w delay will end up being the 3rd most significant factor in poult recruitment. No 1 weather. No 2 (which is indirectly related to weather)- predators. No 3... allowing the majority of hens to at least breed once before most of the toms are killed.

Now I'm being a bit selfish as well.. back in the 90s before everybody turkey hunted... the single best weekend of the season to kill a bird was the start of the 3rd week of April on my farms. That was when all the satellite birds were roaming nonstop, but also the boss toms were left alone mid morning as their hens broke off to lay. Child's play calling in birds that hadn't been shot up by everybody (because there were relatively very few turkey hunters in TN back in the mid 90s).

 

[deerfever]

Might not help at all but in the two counties I hunt the most we have had a delayed season since 2021 and I have more birds than I've had in 10 years. It's not just not on my farms, I'm hearing it from hunters/landowners all over. Coincidence? Maybe…

We had an unreal hatch 2 years ago and a dang good one last year. I'm liking it

Great hatch was all over, never seen so many poults as last two years. I hope the trend continues . The weather was awesome last year especially.I had read a really good article that said last year the great hatch was throughout the south which is good for all involved. I am glad your farms are bouncing back that is great news and I hope it continues.

 

[muddyboots]

I don't believe it will have any change. This won't do anything to the booming predator population. I own 19 acres. I can't kill all the coons. I've been trying.

 

[Stumpsitter]

If the TWRA wanted to really help. They would put a bounty on nest raiders and coyotes. Maybe paying it as credits towards the next year's licensing.
I don't mind the 2 weeks, too much. I would like to see the varmint population go down. You can have all the bred/nesting hens you want, if nothing is done about what monopolizes on that then the 2 weeks is for nothing.

 

[BamaHudson]

If the TWRA wanted to really help. They would put a bounty on nest raiders and coyotes. Maybe paying it as credits towards the next year's licensing.
I don't mind the 2 weeks, too much. I would like to see the varmint population go down. You can have all the bred/nesting hens you want, if nothing is done about what monopolizes on that then the 2 weeks is for nothing.

South Carolina tags a couple coyotes in each quadrant and offers a lifetime license to anyone who kills one and brings it in. I wouldn't be surprised if TN does something like that.

I will say offering a year round season with no bag limit or time of day restrictions seems like enough opportunity for folks to hunt predators if they actually cared about it. Carrot on a stick might help a little bit but imo it's got more to do with lazy hunters.

 

[Displaced_Vol]

The Wild Turkey Science Podcast is going to prove out to be the definitive resource for all this. I am several episodes behind at current but it covers every topic and leaves no stone unturned. Part of the Natural Resources University.

 

[scn]

If the TWRA wanted to really help. They would put a bounty on nest raiders and coyotes. Maybe paying it as credits towards the next year's licensing.
I don't mind the 2 weeks, too much. I would like to see the varmint population go down. You can have all the bred/nesting hens you want, if nothing is done about what monopolizes on that then the 2 weeks is for nothing.

A bounty system has been used in multiple places over several decades.

It has never been proven to make a difference (to the coyote population).

 

[AT Hiker]

The Wild Turkey Science Podcast is going to prove out to be the definitive resource for all this. I am several episodes behind at current but it covers every topic and leaves no stone unturned. Part of the Natural Resources University.

I've listened to many of them.

It's basically a bunch of smart dudes with other smart dudes/chicks presenting smart stuff. In the end, it doesn't matter how much smart stuff we have, Turkey science is more complex than anyone ever thought.

"The more we know, the less we know"

Fingers crossed for a future of wild Turkey science, lots of stones left unturned so far.