Rally the TWRA to allow coyote hunting at night with THERMAL to save the TURKEY population

Speedwell-Hunter

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East TN
Many of you have read/ posted on the recent Case for banning Reaping and Fanning decoys, at the bottom of article it has this,

"If you would like to express your thoughts to the state of Tennessee on reaping and fanning, you can email [email protected] before May 23 to have your voice heard on the matter prior to their vote. I hope that you write in, and I hope you hang up that fan for good."

Let us collectively write in and rally the TWRA to allow night hunting yotes with thermal and other stuff to dwindle their numbers and restore the great GOBBLER to its glory day population!

Can I get a WITH ME?
 

UCStandSitter

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"Plataw"
If you read through the most recent slide deck from the April meeting they've already had input from I think a number of commissioners in the 80s on this subject. Certainly worth piling on. Couldn't hurt. I honestly don't think they will change their minds though.
 

Wrangler95

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Middle Tn
Im sure against reaping and fanning,hope they make it illegal to do this,dangerous and not very sporting in my book!On the night hunting coyotes,I coyote hunt but I dont think they will make it legal to hunt at night!It is not coyotes that kill most of the turkeys but instead the bobcat.Bobcats are the ultimate predator!
 

Speedwell-Hunter

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East TN
rous and not very sporting in my book!On the night hunting coyotes,I coyote hunt but I dont think they will make it legal to hunt at night!It is not c
Im sure against reaping and fanning,hope they make it illegal to do this,dangerous and not very sporting in my book!On the night hunting coyotes,I coyote hunt but I dont think they will make it legal to hunt at night!It is not coyotes that kill most of the turkeys but instead the bobcat.Bobcats are the ultimate predator!
Ahh did not know this! thank you
 

Hduke86

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Soddy Daisy, yes it's a real place
Last time it was brought up some of the commissioners came up with dumb as heck excuses as to why it shouldn't be allowed. Like someone will mistakenly shoot my cow or dogs or just in general livestock regards. If you think someone on YOUR property is going to shoot your livestock cause they think it's a coyote then maybe you need to reevaluate who YOU let hunt on your place. It's not the wild Wild West at night when coyote hunting. I'm 110% for it but it'll be probably shot down over unfounded fears of cattle dying and people getting killed which still happens in broad daylight during deer and turkey season.
 

megalomaniac

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Mississippi
I can see both sides of the fence...

I sure as heck don't want someone shooting an unsuppressed high-power rifle 300y from my farmhouse at 2am, even if they were legally hunting coyotes. And it's not very easy to tell the difference between a coyote and a similar sized dog with a thermal at midnight.

But jeez, I HATE coyotes. They are destroying my fawns and killing my toms. Hunting at night would be extremely effective at removing them. This was one of the toms I was hunting in TN this year. Caught at a fence crossing and he didn't duck under the barbwire fast enough (could have been a bobcat as well)
 

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JCDEERMAN

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NASHVILLE, TN
Sure would like it. Would be a lot of fun. Agreed that they have minimal impact on turkeys, but every little bit helps. Heck, do we wait until they are all gone like the bob white quail before we do something? They may think so, but I'll continue to improve the habitat and trap like hell. Caught 32 nest raiders this year
 

TheLBLman

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Knoxville-Dover-Union City, TN
The main predator of turkeys now is hawks.

And seems to me the more coyotes we eradicate,
the more hawks appear to replace them.

As to reducing the coyote predation,
trapping them is the best solution.

I'm all for reducing the numbers of coyotes, bobcats, coons, etc.
But it's the hawks that are doing more damage to the turkey population.

And lately, it seems the bald eagles are transitioning or evolving more away from water to hunting more inland, mainly for turkeys.
 

Speedwell-Hunter

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East TN
The main predator of turkeys now is hawks.

And seems to me the more coyotes we eradicate,
the more hawks appear to replace them.

As to reducing the coyote predation,
trapping them is the best solution.

I'm all for reducing the numbers of coyotes, bobcats, coons, etc.
But it's the hawks that are doing more damage to the turkey population.

And lately, it seems the bald eagles are transitioning or evolving more away from water to hunting more inland, mainly for turkeys.
where is this hawk fact from? source please?
 

1 good shot

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memphis
Too little ethics among the the general population for this to work.
Around here hunting is 24/7 anyway so making it legal is moot.
I ask the guys who hunt our land to abide by the rules and they do. But many a night gunshots have awaken me
 

scn

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Feb 5, 2003
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19,667
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Brentwood, TN US
Ranchers out west have battled coyotes for decades with everything from poison, set guns, trapping, and 24/7 hunting. The decades of data has shown that hunting, including night hunting, isn't effective in controlling a coyote population.

If you want to lobby for it because you want the fun of doing it, fine. Just don't think you are going to make a difference in the coyote population.

I see more cons in it than pros, but, really don't care.

Until we get an agency and commission that cares more about the turkey population than they do license $$$$$, the population will continue circling the bowel.
 

jetwrnch

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Aug 22, 2003
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Location
Kingston
Isn't coon hunting done at night? Would rather someone be shooting at a coyote on the ground than a coon in a tree. I've never done either, so I don't know how it works. I will say I've had coon hunters on my property at night uninvited.
 

jman 125

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Mar 14, 2014
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393
Location
Dickson TN
Some of you need to read up o some of the coyote habits and biology and understand the main ones you trap and see day or night isn't the local population.
Its the transients that causes the most problems. The locals are the hardest to trap or kill even with thermal because they know every stick and blade of grass. If a nuclear bomb went off right now the only survivors are cockroaches and coyotes. I will always say hawks owls bobcats and feral cats are a poults worst nightmare and coons possum skunks bluejays and crows are Hell on nest far worse than any coyote and i hate coyotes worse than most
 

UCStandSitter

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"Plataw"
Isn't coon hunting done at night? Would rather someone be shooting at a coyote on the ground than a coon in a tree. I've never done either, so I don't know how it works. I will say I've had coon hunters on my property at night uninvited.
Definitely want yote hunting at night but I will say that's shottys vs rifles in terms of coon hunting. Lil lower range
 

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