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<blockquote data-quote="TheLBLman" data-source="post: 5329155" data-attributes="member: 1409"><p>If you think opening the season a week later wouldn't make much difference, here's some things to help show that difference:</p><p></p><p><strong>1)</strong> Take a picture of any south-facing wood-line (or fence-row, or simply a field).</p><p>Do it again a week from today.</p><p></p><p><strong>2) </strong> Walk thru some blackberry bushes and/or green-briar patches today.</p><p>Do it again a week from today.</p><p></p><p><strong>3) </strong> Note how many insects you see today.</p><p>Note the increase a week from today (in the same places).</p><p></p><p><strong>Now, here's how this only one week later season opening enhances nesting success and bird survival from both human & non-human hunters:</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>A)</strong> Less obvious, but old Toms have one more week to breed hens before their world is greatly disturbed, including many of these old Toms being killed <em>BEFORE</em> they breed all the hens. With the season opening too early, many hens may not get bred soon enough.</p><p></p><p><strong>B) </strong> When we human hunters suddenly appear all over the turkey's feeding, breeding, roosting, and nesting areas in large numbers, we disrupt & displace those turkey's activities, often causing them to run or fly from one area to another. </p><p></p><p>With less "cover" due to spring green-up just beginning, these birds are more easily seen & more easily caught by a variety of non-human predators. As more weeds, briars, and other cover quickly grow during the 1st few days of April, this happens to a lesser degree with each passing day. Want to emphasize that disrupting & displacing reduces daily breeding & daily food consumption (adversely effecting bird health & breeding success). It also causes the birds to burn more calories while they are consuming fewer due to the disruption.</p><p></p><p>The more too many hunters suddenly appearing on too small an acreage (like nearly all your public WMAs in TN), the more detrimental the effect of this disruption & displacement.</p><p></p><p><strong>C) </strong> Right before and in the early stages of spring green-up, turkeys typically have a lot less food sources. Insects are just starting to come out a bit from winter, and a lot of things turkeys love to eat are just starting to grow fast. Because of this "seasonal" low point in food resources, wild turkeys are particularly vulnerable to being "baited" with any type feed grain (such as corn or wheat). Yet a week or two later, illegal baiters can't have such easy success, since the birds have such a much greater abundance of food sources.</p><p></p><p>As an aside from all the above, opening our season a week later reduces the influx of non-resident hunters coming to TN because of how much earlier our season opens than theirs. If our season opened only a week later, many non-residents would not be coming here during the 1st week of our season. The main reason most come here is because our season opens earlier than theirs.</p><p>Yes, everything effects everything. </p><p></p><p>Also, just because many these particular non-residents might not show up here if our turkey season opened a week later, does not mean all of them wouldn't be buying a TN non-resident license. Many still would, but their TN turkey hunting would just begin at least a week later, when less damaging to the resource. Keep in mind TN's turkey season also remains open later than many states from where these non-resident come. Last but not least, many these same non-residents are buying their non-resident licenses in TN as much or more for fishing and deer hunting as they are for turkey hunting. Their purchases do no end just because we might open our turkey season a week later.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="TheLBLman, post: 5329155, member: 1409"] If you think opening the season a week later wouldn't make much difference, here's some things to help show that difference: [B]1)[/B] Take a picture of any south-facing wood-line (or fence-row, or simply a field). Do it again a week from today. [B]2) [/B] Walk thru some blackberry bushes and/or green-briar patches today. Do it again a week from today. [B]3) [/B] Note how many insects you see today. Note the increase a week from today (in the same places). [B]Now, here's how this only one week later season opening enhances nesting success and bird survival from both human & non-human hunters: A)[/B] Less obvious, but old Toms have one more week to breed hens before their world is greatly disturbed, including many of these old Toms being killed [I]BEFORE[/I] they breed all the hens. With the season opening too early, many hens may not get bred soon enough. [B]B) [/B] When we human hunters suddenly appear all over the turkey's feeding, breeding, roosting, and nesting areas in large numbers, we disrupt & displace those turkey's activities, often causing them to run or fly from one area to another. With less "cover" due to spring green-up just beginning, these birds are more easily seen & more easily caught by a variety of non-human predators. As more weeds, briars, and other cover quickly grow during the 1st few days of April, this happens to a lesser degree with each passing day. Want to emphasize that disrupting & displacing reduces daily breeding & daily food consumption (adversely effecting bird health & breeding success). It also causes the birds to burn more calories while they are consuming fewer due to the disruption. The more too many hunters suddenly appearing on too small an acreage (like nearly all your public WMAs in TN), the more detrimental the effect of this disruption & displacement. [B]C) [/B] Right before and in the early stages of spring green-up, turkeys typically have a lot less food sources. Insects are just starting to come out a bit from winter, and a lot of things turkeys love to eat are just starting to grow fast. Because of this "seasonal" low point in food resources, wild turkeys are particularly vulnerable to being "baited" with any type feed grain (such as corn or wheat). Yet a week or two later, illegal baiters can't have such easy success, since the birds have such a much greater abundance of food sources. As an aside from all the above, opening our season a week later reduces the influx of non-resident hunters coming to TN because of how much earlier our season opens than theirs. If our season opened only a week later, many non-residents would not be coming here during the 1st week of our season. The main reason most come here is because our season opens earlier than theirs. Yes, everything effects everything. Also, just because many these particular non-residents might not show up here if our turkey season opened a week later, does not mean all of them wouldn't be buying a TN non-resident license. Many still would, but their TN turkey hunting would just begin at least a week later, when less damaging to the resource. Keep in mind TN's turkey season also remains open later than many states from where these non-resident come. Last but not least, many these same non-residents are buying their non-resident licenses in TN as much or more for fishing and deer hunting as they are for turkey hunting. Their purchases do no end just because we might open our turkey season a week later. [/QUOTE]
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