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

[Speedwell-Hunter]

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?

 

[Setterman]

Coyotes are the least of the problems facing turkeys. Sure they get a few but they've been doing so long before our population started it's downturn.

Don't get me wrong I'm all for eradicating the coyotes but they are a minimal impact to our turkey population.

 

[woodsman04]

they are minimal impact, but why in the world we can't legally do this blows my mind. Same with pigs.

I'd say do it and not worry about it. I know if I had the equipment I would on my personal property without second thought.

 

[UCStandSitter]

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.

 

[Speedwell-Hunter]

g 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 d

hopefully there is some movement on this!

 

[THE DUKE]

hope they do but don't think it will happen it makes to much sense.

 

[Wrangler95]

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]

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

 

[CATCHDAWG]

Bobcats are the ultimate predator!

Of adult birds and poults? Possibly. But the ultimate predators are the coons, skunks and possums that raid the nest.

 

[Planking]

Night hunting coyotes on my land in Tennesse is my dream. LET'S GOOOOO!!!

 

[Hduke86]

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]

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)

 

[JCDEERMAN]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

 

[Planking]

Hunters shoot hogs around here at night all the time. Im one of them. I can tell the difference between a possum and a coon at 250 yds through my scope which is way out of my range at night anyway. I can't see what the difference is in shooting something during the day through a scope. Ive not seen the evidence that supports it being any more dangerous than shooting one in the daytime. Lots of states have it and there's no sky falling. We have it here at night with rifles but its just for hogs.

 

[jetwrnch]

I thought coon hunting was rifles. That explains it. So maybe start with yotes at night with shotgun only. I doubt anyone is worried about fur damage. I've predator hunted with shotgun, bow etc. for the challenge.

 

[UCStandSitter]

I'd like to be able to hunt em with Tannerite. Hate those jokers

 

[timberjack86]

I sent an email again. Has anyone else emailed them about it?

 

[UCStandSitter]

I sent an email again. Has anyone else emailed them about it?

Yep

 

[Hduke86]

I sent an email again. Has anyone else emailed them about it?

Count me in, I sent my recommendation

 

[Shanman]

Nite hunting yotes......another prime example of encouraging the use of cans. No one needs a 30cal for yotes, they could put a caliber restriction in the regs for nite time predator hunting. I'm all for it though I'll probably never participate. Yotes are just another hole in the bucket. You'll never remove them all but taking the cream off the top helps.

 

[Wrangler95]

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.

I agree,I enjoy coyote hunting but it's not effective at reducing the population,I just do it because it's fun.Trapping is much more effective.in reducing the coyote population.Coyotes are not even close to a bobcat when it comes to predation on turkeys,plus a turkey is not safe from a bobcat even at night on the roost!Nest predation is the #1 reason the turkeys are going away but I also believe there is some kind of disease spreading thru the turkeys!

 

[TheLBLman]

Nest predation is the #1 reason the turkeys are going away . . . . .

I don't think that is necessarily the case.
I'm seeing too many successful hatchings, hens initially with 8 or 10 baby chicks, then a month later, 2 or 3 or 4 or none at all.

Coyotes get some of these chicks, maybe more baby chicks than the bobcats.
But the hawks & owls may be putting all the dogs & cats to shame,
at least with the poults.

 

[mike243]

I remember in the 60's of rarely seeing a hawk, rabbits and quail were every where we rabbit hunted, no idea how much the recovery of the owls and hawks affected the other critters they eat, I know owls will hit a human head 2 times in about 1 hour and not sure how big of a critter they will attack, hawks I have seen with cats and rabbits , I would suspect they would take out juvenile turkeys without a problem but no idea on a grown bird