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Is 50 day season too much for the birds
- Thread starter Timber1
- Start date
PappyHoel
Senior Member
Yes and yes. There's too many people period for everything.
Mudfeather
Senior Member
Way to many people around my land kill way to many turkeys. They need to quit.
Seriously though...You realize that even poachers will probably only kill mostly male birds....And a turkey is hunted everyday of its life..even before it is hatched...Do you think we could have a greater impact on them by killing a few gobblers...ironically we prolly kill the birds least susceptible to natural predators... Than habitat, natural conditions, and natural predators.
The weather we can't control at all, some can't really control the habitat, but the predators we can. It's not glorious but do that and it will help. just my .02
Seriously though...You realize that even poachers will probably only kill mostly male birds....And a turkey is hunted everyday of its life..even before it is hatched...Do you think we could have a greater impact on them by killing a few gobblers...ironically we prolly kill the birds least susceptible to natural predators... Than habitat, natural conditions, and natural predators.
The weather we can't control at all, some can't really control the habitat, but the predators we can. It's not glorious but do that and it will help. just my .02
My personal opinion is logging, not hunters, are taking it's toll on turkey populations. As long as mature woods are being harvested, turkey numbers will keep dropping. I need look no further than BFG WMA to see the effects of logging on turkeys. We don't kill hens so it's hard for me to believe taking gobblers only is hurting the overall population. Predators are a big factor as well.
Beagler282
“Rabbit Man”
With the population on a decline I would say yes.
In my experience, most hunters only turkey hunt the first week or two of season and then do not go anymore; so I do not think season length would affect much.
I've never seen any research that led me to believe hunters have created a decline in turkey populations; quite the opposite, hunters often improve habitat leading to more turkeys. I believe if we weren't specifically targeting to improve their habitat the population would decline drastically with all the development that goes on in most areas.
Predator control is another way we help. If we were to shorten the season so short that most aren't interested in hunting (for 2 weeks for example), then they may not put the time and effort into predator control and habitat improvement.
bdavisbdavis727
Senior Member
I agree with this except most people I know hunt them from the first till the last weekend
Im not talking about the amount of birds killed. Im talking more about so much disturbance in the woods by hunters that the hens are getting stressed to the point of not being capable of nesting, hatching and raising their young. We pour into the woods for 50 days right in the middle of it all. Throw that into their day to day life of trying to survive and it could be enough to mess them up.
There are lots of studies on stress factors related to poultry and their ability to reproduce. It actually can change their physiology and short circuit them. Just a theory but I think it makes sense. The really bad thing is four years of low reproduction numbers along with predation and you wont be seeing any turkeys.
There are lots of studies on stress factors related to poultry and their ability to reproduce. It actually can change their physiology and short circuit them. Just a theory but I think it makes sense. The really bad thing is four years of low reproduction numbers along with predation and you wont be seeing any turkeys.
We had a hen sitting on 19 eggs about 50 yards from our hunting club camp a few years ago. She got busted off that nest numerous times because her nest was a few feet from the main logging road but she hatched all 19 eggs.
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GLS
Classic Southern Gentleman
As to whether or not the season is shortened or lengthened, I'd rather leave it to the biologists to make that determination. Hopefully unfettered with politics. Forty years ago a spring season was granted us in the Georgia lowcountry after a period of time when there was no legal hunting of spring gobblers. At that time, we had a two weeks' long season with a two bird limit. Within a few years, the rest of the region opened up and the season lengthened. It's been a great 40 years with highs and lows, but every spring, the dogwoods blossom and the birds ring out, and the same will happen after I am long gone. Gil
Turkey hunters almost wiped them off the planet once. Pretty well documented. Look at the numbers. Every year there are more hunters. Every year poult counts go down.
Your right about some places holding more birds than others. Lots of private leases and no hunting allowed areas where hunter numbers are controlled do well. Look at public land though, except the high mountain wma and nf land which stays pretty constant, the numbers are terrible. All the wma's I use to hunt in middle Ga. that had tons of birds are now in bad decline.
We have always had logging. We have always had predators. We have never had the number of hunters we have now.
Think about this. Most natural predators are night hunters. Man is there during the day. When does a setting hen catch a break?
Probably the safest place on the lease for a nest. Smart ole hen.
I can verify that there are a whole lot more turkey hunters now than there were when I started. If you saw a turkey call for sale in the hardware store it was a Lynch. Sometimes a Turpin yelper, and you could order a Gaskins from Mr. Tom. Just put a $5 bill in an envelope with your return address, and address it to Tom Gaskins, Palmdale Florida, and directly you`d get one of his scratch boxes in the mail. That was about it. What few turkey hunters there were made their own calls, or used a briar leaf.
Actually the number of hunters is declining.
I still have my lynich box.
2011-44,000
2012-57,000
2013-61,000
2014-53,000
Dont have 15 and 16.
But compare that to hunter numbers in the late 70's and 80's.
Just something to think about. Im no biologist. Dont even play one on tv.
This year I think I'm going to get my 3 turkeys for piggly wiggly from the frozen meat department asle 12.
Let's all do this and save time & money & the wild turkey.
If you must have wild turkey, get it in the likker bottle.
Let's all do this and save time & money & the wild turkey.
If you must have wild turkey, get it in the likker bottle.
Wrong....... there are FAR less birds up here than there were 25yrs ago.
Good, less idiots to deal with.....
Try to keep up kmac. It is not about the number of gobblers killed. It is being in the woods while turkeys are trying to nest, hatch and raise the poults to survival size.
Go kill your 3 and then let the birds have the woods back. Leave the limit at 3 just shorten the season.
Oh...your house birds dont count. You might as well coup them up. They are ruined for life.
DRBugman85
Senior Member
Over all we have more Turkeys in the SWAMPS in South Georgia than in years past, That been said we take care of the predators on our 3 leases.And only Mature gobblers are harvested .The WMA'S are over run with hunter's(Its a new fad) For most yuppie hunter's. We call them WHACKERS they drive up and hammer crow calls or hoot box's,whack on a turkey call then jump in the truck and off to the next spot The Gobblers shut up from being chased by every Walmart hunter around,then after 2-3 weeks you stand a chance to work a bird .I love the hunt not so much the killing anymore.
