No decoys in AL first 10 days

[Boll Weevil]

Assuming the game dept. is perhaps trying to save a few boss breeders a few more days to do a little more breeding...is that correct? If that is the hypothesis will this 10 day ban matter?

 

[Andy S.]

 

[megalomaniac]

I think it's critical for at least one tom in an area to survive until after peak nest initiation (and peak nest initiation is about a week to 10 days after peak breeding). For the northern 2/3 of Alabama, peak nest initiation is probably around April 20th or so.

Will these new regulations ensure more toms survive till the second half of the season? Who knows. They make sense, but often things that make sense prove to not make a difference in the real world.

For example, some WMAs in MS remain closed to turkey hunting until April 1st (instead of Mar 15th for the rest of the state) as of 4 or 5 years ago or so. Most of those WMAs with a late season opening are areas with low population of birds, and the population has not rebounded in them. (But did the change keep them from complete eradication?... again who knows).

Personally, I would like to see opportunities added to the end of the season. Biologically, it doesn't matter if every single tom is killed AFTER majority of hens have started nesting (as long as jakes are protected to be able to service the jennies and renesting hens mid summer), and the jakes are allowed to become mature toms to service the adult hens the following spring. Nobody likes to turkey hunt when it's 90 degrees down south... but its still turkey hunting and still a ton of fun.

 

[paboom]

I would think the allowance of only 1 bird in the first 10 days will be advantageous as a lot of your average hunters give up after the first week or two.

 

[TheLBLman]

I would think the allowance of only 1 bird in the first 10 days will be advantageous as a lot of your average hunters give up after the first week or two.

I think this will reduce the non-resident slaughter during the 1st 9 days of the season.

I wish Tennessee would do this as well.

 

[woodsman04]

Anything to lesson the use of decoys is a positive.

 

[drake799]

Wish they ban the fan decoys in Tn

 

[Southern Sportsman]

A lot of AL turkey hunters cut their teeth hunting before decoys were legalized there, so it may not impact total kill numbers as much as it would elsewhere (although I think it HAS to save a lot of dominant field gobblers with flocks of hens). And decoys become somewhat less effective the later into the breeding cycle it gets. But I will still be really curious to see the reported kill totals the first few days with no decoys versus the first few days with decoys.

 

[Bgoodman30]

This should help the resource a little I think. Will the population rebound like crazy, doubt it...

Its bad for AL hunters with limited time and really bad for OOSers...

I imagine some folks turkey hunting getaways to AL have been cancelled...

 

[Bgoodman30]

I think this will reduce the non-resident slaughter during the 1st 9 days of the season.

I wish Tennessee would do this as well.

The qouta limit set appropriately for each WMA is what we need.

 

[Setterman]

As someone Who used to travel and hunt Bama at the start of their season simply reducing the limit to 1 will save a ton of turkeys from out of state hunters getting a jump on the season. The no decoys is a good first step towards outlawing them again as well. Bama had it right with decoys and changed, I see that coming back sometime

 

[redblood]

Good for them. They made the changes needed to save some birds. Seems to be well thought out

 

[PalsPal]

OK, I missed that most of those new regs apply only to public land.

I know I would be ticked if I could only take one gobble the first 10 days on private land.

Here is a more thorough explanation!

https://www.outdooralabama.com/seasons-and-bag-limits/turkey-season

 

[FARMTOFIELD]

With regulation changes in Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, you can expect Tennessee to get absolutely raped by nonresidents worse than it ever had before. May as well get used to it though, as they will never change regulations to discourage it.

 

[Southern Sportsman]

With regulation changes in Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, you can expect Tennessee to get absolutely raped by nonresidents worse than it ever had before. May as well get used to it though, as they will never change regulations to discourage it.

As recently as last year, some commissioners were actually proposing regulation changes that would ENCOURAGE it. E.g., allowing 2 turkeys per day. That proposal never took off, but I had a commissioner tell me point blank that he would never support a 2 bird limit because he felt it would reduce non-resident license sales. I countered that Missouri seems to sell a few licenses to out of staters, even with a 2 bird limit and no more than one in the first week. To no avail.

 

[Buzzard Breath]

I can see it now. These nonresident hunters killing their 1 bird in AL then driving right up I-65 and stopping at the first WMA they come to.

 

[FARMTOFIELD]

As recently as last year, some commissioners were actually proposing regulation changes that would ENCOURAGE it. E.g., allowing 2 turkeys per day. That proposal never took off, but I had a commissioner tell me point blank that he would never support a 2 bird limit because he felt it would reduce non-resident license sales. I countered that Missouri seems to sell a few licenses to out of staters, even with a 2 bird limit and no more than one in the first week. To no avail.

No one cared when the population ceased to exist in a matter of a yrlear in my county. I don't expect them to in any other county. The people making these decisions don't have to hunt anything that resembles public land so they don't give 2 yugos about the people who do.

 

[FARMTOFIELD]

I can see it now. These nonresident hunters killing their 1 bird in AL then driving right up I-65 and stopping at the first WMA they come to.

They wont go to Alabama, there is no reason to.

 

[drake799]

I truly believe TWRA is gonna let us hunt them to almost unhuntable numbers before they do anything

 

[Southern Sportsman]

I truly believe TWRA is gonna let us hunt them to almost unhuntable numbers before they do anything

The commission is getting better with some of the new appointees, and I like Steve Shields a lot. So I haven't lost all hope just yet. But it's waning more each year.

 

[elknturkey]

With regulation changes in Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, you can expect Tennessee to get absolutely raped by nonresidents worse than it ever had before. May as well get used to it though, as they will never change regulations to discourage it.

I doubt it but that's because I don't see how they can kill 40k+ birds like last year. Not as many sitting around getting paid for doing nothing like last year either. 2021 was an anomaly I hope and from reading multiple other state forums and from my experience it was a mad house no matter where you went. With that said, people might as well get use to the crowds. Gotta love social media and the YouTube stars

 

[FARMTOFIELD]

I doubt it but that's because I don't see how they can kill 40k+ birds like last year. Not as many sitting around getting paid for doing nothing like last year either. 2021 was an anomaly I hope and from reading multiple other state forums and from my experience it was a mad house no matter where you went. With that said, people might as well get use to the crowds. Gotta love social media and the YouTube stars

I dont doubt it at all! All of them made specific regulations to deter early nonresident hunters. We did not.

 

[elknturkey]

I dont doubt it at all! All of them made specific regulations to deter early nonresident hunters. We did not.

I misread your post as in raping it by the number of kills. It's possible there will be more hunters but again there was a ton of people getting paid to sit around last year that had the time and resources. I don't see that this year. Plus TN is opening April 2 and all 3 of the states you mentioned still open before us or the same time (even nonresidents hunting in Mississippi)

 

[catman529]

Whole lotta jumping to conclusions and Debbie downers in here. Alabama and Tennessee both have plenty of turkeys. Alabama opens earlier than most states, so they changed the rules for WMAs and national forest to ease off on the public hunting pressure. We will see how it goes, I think only time will tell.

 

[Buzzard Breath]

Time has already told me that the state needs to start being more proactive in their turkey management and less reactive.

 

[TheLBLman]

Time has already told me that the state needs to start being more proactive in their turkey management and less reactive.

x 2

 

[FARMTOFIELD]

Whole lotta jumping to conclusions and Debbie downers in here. Alabama and Tennessee both have plenty of turkeys. Alabama opens earlier than most states, so they changed the rules for WMAs and national forest to ease off on the public hunting pressure. We will see how it goes, I think only time will tell.

Im not a debbie downer, I've actually, seen populations go to nothing in places with huge numbers. You have not experienced it, it's a real eye opener, and the state will not jump to help when it happens.

 

[AT Hiker]

Even ol THP has joined the dark side of "turkey declines".

 

[deerhunter10]

I would not say plenty of turkeys. Numbers are way down compared to 10 years ago even 5 years ago. Ask the people in Giles Lawrence Wayne and Lincoln County. Used to hunt Giles County 12ish years ago and it was the place to be now there Is hardly any birds. And them putting numbers out is stupid maury was number one last year and down from the year before but the first stop up i65 from Alabama is yanahlli. And our out of state license is cheap very cheap compared to all the states I've been to.

 

[cm1021]

I would not say plenty of turkeys. Numbers are way down compared to 10 years ago even 5 years ago. Ask the people in Giles Lawrence Wayne and Lincoln County. Used to hunt Giles County 12ish years ago and it was the place to be now there Is hardly any birds. And them putting numbers out is stupid maury was number one last year and down from the year before but the first stop up i65 from Alabama is yanahlli. And our out of state license is cheap very cheap compared to all the states I've been to.

That's another problem I think you touched on. Out of state license fees! Why are they so dang cheap yet we pay stupid money for sportsman license?? TN needs to upper out of state license fees to help curb the influx!! But you and I know they're not going to do that!

Field and stream actually picked up the piece that was put out on TN PAYING THP to promote hunting last year. I think it's good that it's getting national attention. I also think certain positions in the TWRA should be voted into office. If you buy a hunting license, you get a vote. Let people run for the position. Maybe it wouldn't be so screwed up!!