Question about delaying season opener

[TheLBLman]

I know it's just happenstance with this bad weather tonight,
but this weather makes me even more glad the TN turkey season isn't opening in the morning!
Hoping to do a little fishing starting next week, for the first time in early April in many, many years.

Even if the delayed turkey season doesn't help the turkeys to thrive, I'm still glad it's not opening until the 15th. Early April is just a great time to be out fishing.

Yea, I know you can do both in the same day, but I usually totally focus on the turkeys, at least for a week or two when it opens.

 

[deerfever]

They will blow the bark off the trees when it clears out in the morning, supposed to be gone by 7 AM in my area, then Sunny and 73 tomorrow? To me that would have been awesome! Heard 5 the last two mornings letting it rip! Come on April 15th

 

[redblood]

SO...

delayed season opening is gonna be THE single biggest detriment to the baiters.

Due to normal turkey behavior and social dynamics, baiting can absolutely manipulate where turkeys want to be just before their normal landscape distribution immediately prior to breeding. Baiters can pull almost every turkey within 1 to 2 miles to a certain spot in March, BUT once average mating starts April 10th or so, hens will absolutely leave baited properties in favor of the most ideal brood rearing habitats (and bait by itself does not make for ideal brood rearing, as poults do not eat bait). Once the hens leave the baited sites, the toms follow. By delaying season opening, baiters may only have 1 or 2 toms left to poach, instead of 6 or 7. And those not baiting who provide better nesting habitat will reap the rewards ( as they should).

Towards the end of May as the toms group back up, they become more vulnerable to bait, but not to the extent as they are during Feb/Mar as there is much more natural food available on thr landscape (new plant Greenup, and many more insects).

In short, the 2 week delay is gonna make a lot of baiters unhappy.

A bag of corn is more valuable than a turkey…..no joke- i bought a turkey after the holiday rush for like 30 cents per pound. Lol.

 

[redblood]

I know it's just happenstance with this bad weather tonight,
but this weather makes me even more glad the TN turkey season isn't opening in the morning!
Hoping to do a little fishing starting next week, for the first time in early April in many, many years.

Even if the delayed turkey season doesn't help the turkeys to thrive, I'm still glad it's not opening until the 15th. Early April is just a great time to be out fishing.

Yea, I know you can do both in the same day, but I usually totally focus on the turkeys, at least for a week or two when it opens.

Id love to be fishing but the streams are all up. Cant wait to put a boat on the river

 

[redblood]

Im fine with a biological reason initiating the change. I just hope it was because of an attempt to deter internet traveling hunters seeking youtube fame . I have no lovr or admiration for them, but those changes should have been applied to public land only (or nonresidents only).

I want to see turkey do well and im fine with 2 birds- more time to fish. But for most hunters, they shortened the season by 2 weeks because like someone else posted- not many turkey hunters out there after may 10-15th anyway. Heck, our hayfields are usually cut the around May 20