Pressure, accidental hot-spotting, and technology

[JMB]

At the risk of sounding curmudgeonly and too much like a "the way it used to be", I've gotta voice my opninon on a few things. More hunters in the woods, less private land available, and shrinking habitat means more pressure on public lands that hold turkeys. The internet and technology have both directly and inadvertently increased pressure on places I personally hunt. How do I know this? I've asked other hunters I see with out of state or county license plates how they found out. You know what the near unanimous answer is...the internet. I started turkey hunting in the 80s, there was no internet and we guarded our spots closely. The way I was raised. If someone asks, don't be rude, but don't give up anything because if you tell one, you've told ten. Turkey hunting isn't a team sport and no I don't want company from people I don't know when I'm in the woods. For the last few years, it's been getting worse; pressure, cars parked every mile on public land that used to be unknown or at least un-pressured. I've nearly been shot twice, had multiple birds buggered up, and talked to too many guys who, I'm sorry-but, have no business being in the woods (apologies to you millennials who have the offense meter of a 7 year old girl from Vermont). What do I think some issues are...

The new DNR telecheck, while neat to look at, is basically pointing a finger on a map and saying "here is where the turkeys are" county by county. I mean, give us the harvest record, but is the by county harvest total level of transparency really necessary?

On this forum: When someone says "Great kill on ____WMA or even national forest...you're drawing an x on a map for trollers and other hunters. Granted it's a big x and no, maybe it will be hard to find "your" spot but I guarantee it will be an x on somebody's honey hole. If nothing else it puts an easy arrow for cyber scouters to follow. What's wrong with just saying public land? I mean, it's great that you're excited and want to post every detail of your hunt and the success, but just omitting the WMA or NF name would keep the cyber guys guessing.

Companies focusing on making a buck and marketing the easiest course of action to pulling the trigger on a 65 yard shot. Learn to call, learn to hunt...it's a skill and you don't learn the trade sitting in a blind with a remote driving a gobbler decoy around a clover patch for 8 hours.

I'm all for mapping, GIS software advancements, and for sure the DNR telecheck because it's finally showing what some of us have been saying since 2003 (turkeys are going bye bye). I do think that all of us have a duty to try and not blow up public hunting opportunities for the masses. Let them do what we did, figure it out with maps, chance, and boot leather. Private messages is what location donations are for, not an open forum.

Just saying and yes, I'm done with my rant

Good luck to everyone for the remainder of the season and stay safe out there!!!!!

JB

 

[DRBugman85]

At the risk of sounding curmudgeonly and too much like a "the way it used to be", I've gotta voice my opninon on a few things. More hunters in the woods, less private land available, and shrinking habitat means more pressure on public lands that hold turkeys. The internet and technology have both directly and inadvertently increased pressure on places I personally hunt. How do I know this? I've asked other hunters I see with out of state or county license plates how they found out. You know what the near unanimous answer is...the internet. I started turkey hunting in the 80s, there was no internet and we guarded our spots closely. The way I was raised. If someone asks, don't be rude, but don't give up anything because if you tell one, you've told ten. Turkey hunting isn't a team sport and no I don't want company from people I don't know when I'm in the woods. For the last few years, it's been getting worse; pressure, cars parked every mile on public land that used to be unknown or at least un-pressured. I've nearly been shot twice, had multiple birds buggered up, and talked to too many guys who, I'm sorry-but, have no business being in the woods (apologies to you millennials who have the offense meter of a 7 year old girl from Vermont). What do I think some issues are...

The new DNR telecheck, while neat to look at, is basically pointing a finger on a map and saying "here is where the turkeys are" county by county. I mean, give us the harvest record, but is the by county harvest total level of transparency really necessary?

On this forum: When someone says "Great kill on ____WMA or even national forest...you're drawing an x on a map for trollers and other hunters. Granted it's a big x and no, maybe it will be hard to find "your" spot but I guarantee it will be an x on somebody's honey hole. If nothing else it puts an easy arrow for cyber scouters to follow. What's wrong with just saying public land? I mean, it's great that you're excited and want to post every detail of your hunt and the success, but just omitting the WMA or NF name would keep the cyber guys guessing.

Companies focusing on making a buck and marketing the easiest course of action to pulling the trigger on a 65 yard shot. Learn to call, learn to hunt...it's a skill and you don't learn the trade sitting in a blind with a remote driving a gobbler decoy around a clover patch for 8 hours.

I'm all for mapping, GIS software advancements, and for sure the DNR telecheck because it's finally showing what some of us have been saying since 2003 (turkeys are going bye bye). I do think that all of us have a duty to try and not blow up public hunting opportunities for the masses. Let them do what we did, figure it out with maps, chance, and boot leather. Private messages is what location donations are for, not an open forum.

Just saying and yes, I'm done with my rant

Good luck to everyone for the remainder of the season and stay safe out there!!!!!

JB

5X times.It all but over because of the internet. Never give up the spots you hunt and if you do expect company.That all I got to say about that.

 

[GLS]

I learned the hard way about sharing spots with fellow duck hunters. It used to be sharing a spot with someone you thought would keep it to himself until you saw his buddy's show up. I couldn't agree more about 'net blabbers. Not so concerned about Telecheck as I suspect most kills are on private property unless someone blabs I killed it on a specific WMA. If I identify a WMA with a kill, you can bet it is 250 miles from the actual spot.
Years ago I was talking with an older fisherman who had photos of a big catch of seatrout. "Where'd you catch them, Eagle's Nest?" "No, Cat's Neck." "Where's that?" "About this far from where the sun doesn't shine" he said as he held his hands about a foot apart. Hook, line and sinker. He used a more descriptive term than "where the sun doesn't shine." Gil

 

[XIronheadX]

I miss the days when the only people that knew you had success in the woods were the few you actually SAW that asked you. The personal challenge was the important part. Now it's just a picture with a dead animal for the internet. Pat me on the back and tell me how great I am.

 

[bassculler]

Welcome to the time when people feel it necessary to take selfies, post their entire life on social media, " checking in at wal mart" etc. ITS OUT OF CONTROL! For whatever reason people feel the need to share every detail. Every picture etc. When i was growing up, we had pagers. If you wanted to talk to someone, you called or went by their house. I was raised in country and would jump in truck to go talk to a friend. What i cant figure out is why do people think others give a szit if they are at wal mart, mcdonalds or anywhere else for that matter.....i really miss the old days...

 

[TenPtr]

I could not agree more with this. I once enjoyed this forum and participated in turkey hunting discussion to the point of being one of the more active and recognized members. I made some amazing connections through the turkey forum and even more amazing friendships which grow stronger each spring. It was several years ago when a noticeable change began to evolve. A new generation of turkey "hunters" became present on the scene.... A generation of various age classes, all of which had been spawned by mother internet and father media. Along with this new generation came an explosion of absurd products and pathetic methods for a new and pathetic generation to kill turkeys. Pop up blinds and gobbler decoys, some of which are run via remote controls, had all of a sudden taken over the outdoor channels and all other internet/media sources. It was this way of "hunting" that enabled those who can't kill turkeys like turkeys should be killed, to actually achieve success after 100% failure as a true turkey hunter.
The forum went from a bunch of turkey hunters sharing knowledge and helping newbies become efficient woodsman and turkey killers, to a bunch of fools discussing foolish stuff and less and less true turkey hunters talking true turkey talk. The new generation of techno turkey clowns managed to make me and many others completely lose interest and respect for this forum and everything hunting media related. If I want to watch a turkey hunting show, I go to youtube where I can find respectable material, not anything on outdoor television channels. If I want to talk turkey, I do so with my like minded buddies rather than forums. If I have a hard time killing a particular turkey, I don't reach out to the general public for advice.... I figure him out myself and kill him with the help of my own knowledge and experience. That is what turkey hunting is all about but this new techno generation is taking the hunt out of hunting while overcrowding the spring woods and ultimately being a major factor in a major decline in the turkey population.
There is way more value placed on kill photos for social media recognition than there is on what matters more than anything... The techno gen as a whole has no knowledge or interest in turkey habitat, enhancing that habitat, managing numbers based on isolated turkey population per property, year to year variations in numbers based on hatches and other factors, how to be respectful of fellow hunters, the land, the privilege to hunt, and the methods of fair pursuit. If you claim to be a good hunter but can't kill turkeys with 1 call, cheap camo clothes, and a shotgun with a effective killing range of 35 yards, ... You aren't even close to a respectable turkey. That is just a fact. Our numbers are on the decline as a result of the increasing popularity and pathetic ways for terrible woodsman to be successful in the turkey woods. Generation techno is taking away more and contributing far less to the conservation of wild turkeys. It is snowballing every year, getting worse and worse. The future is not bright if things continue to spiral in this current direction.
Im all about doing what is necessary to ensure that future generations of turkey hunters will be able to enjoy what all of us passionate and respectful hunters have been blessed with in the spring woods. Turkeys are not like deer in that turkeys are a fragile species and do not adapt well to habitat loss and/or changes such as deer. Turkey populations can be easily destroyed by a number of factors including over harvest by hunters. Turkeys are very comparable to wild bobwhite quail... They require much more specifics to establish, maintain, and/or exceed prior population per general area. Turkeys depend on their incredible eyesight to protect them from natural predators...pop up blinds enable people to wear orange, use flashlights, play on computers or cell phones, move around carelessly, use bows and film with a camera on a tripod and feel like the bow kill was more of an accomplishment than the guy actually hunting whose toting a 12 gauge...... Pop up blinds are great for many situations but not for the physically capable person that wants to become a more successful and respected turkey hunter.
I could go on and on about recent developments negatively impacting every aspect of GA turkey hunting but its too frustrating.

 

[Todd E]

Arrogant, better than thou, hunters ..... ruined this board, too.

Just sayin' .........

 

[horny1]

You won't find a pic from me. Turkey hunting? You mean u can hunt them thangs? Its a snowball beaded for he....... Well u know. Same with ducks. The places we used to legally limit out every weekend no longer hold ducks. But you can bet your tail about 2 miles away a group of 16 year olds are blasting away to put that picture on snapchat or facebook. Mama and daddy buy them all the gear they need and they buy the corn. Its pretty sad and pathetic. Makes you want to quit. Question is, who is going to watch out for the ducks? Who is going to watch out for the turkeys? I called one up off a neoghbors property last weekend and killed him the righy way. Well wouldn't you know, he was full of corn and feed oats. I felt like i had accomplished more by calling him through a creek and through a claer cut. When i was cleaning him i felt differently. This is because the turkeys have been disappearing pretty rapidly on this place. Ive heard these folks shoot a many time in the same place i called this turkey from. They've only hunted it a few years. Makes since now. Just aint right. Teach your youngsters how to hunt, not poach.

 

[horny1]

Arrogant, better than thou, hunters ..... ruined this board, too.

Just sayin' .........

This directed at the OP??

 

[Gut_Pile]

Arrogant, better than thou, hunters ..... ruined this board, too.

Just sayin' .........

No, people pretending to be "turkey hunters" ruined this board.

Just sayin

 

[turk2di]

Pop up blinds are great for many situations but not for the physically capable person that wants to become a more successful and respected turkey hunter.
I could go on and on about recent developments negatively impacting every aspect of GA turkey hunting but its too frustrating.

Amen brother! I miss the days of chasing gobblers up and down the hills and hollers of Land between the lakes or Pennyrile state park in Western Ky. I hunt only 3 farms now days, both mostly fields, and the need of a pop up blind, sadly, is the smart way to go there. Just completed my 28th season, have a bad back also. I hate hunting that way but its far better then leaving turkey hunting. What i have seen enter our grand sport of turkey hunting is nauseating. I greatly fear for ALL states and the much added pressure put on the gobbler, which was already high years ago.. It cant go on indefinetely.....

 

[Nicodemus]

I wish you fellers could have experienced turkey hunting around here in the late 1950s and early 60s.

 

[deast1988]

Loose lips, sink ships

 

[Booner Killa]

The days of public kill pics have long been gone for me for this reason. I don't post pics anywhere anymore and there are but a small few of select friends that even know about it. Facebook is the devil!!!

 

[Nicodemus]

The days of public kill pics have long been gone for me for this reason. I don't post pics anywhere anymore and there are but a small few of select friends that even know about it. Facebook is the devil!!!

You can regulate who sees your pictures and posts on Facebook. Here, the entire world can see what you put up. A lot more info gets out here than there.

 

[MKW]

I could not agree more with this. I once enjoyed this forum and participated in turkey hunting discussion to the point of being one of the more active and recognized members. I made some amazing connections through the turkey forum and even more amazing friendships which grow stronger each spring. It was several years ago when a noticeable change began to evolve. A new generation of turkey "hunters" became present on the scene.... A generation of various age classes, all of which had been spawned by mother internet and father media. Along with this new generation came an explosion of absurd products and pathetic methods for a new and pathetic generation to kill turkeys. Pop up blinds and gobbler decoys, some of which are run via remote controls, had all of a sudden taken over the outdoor channels and all other internet/media sources. It was this way of "hunting" that enabled those who can't kill turkeys like turkeys should be killed, to actually achieve success after 100% failure as a true turkey hunter.
The forum went from a bunch of turkey hunters sharing knowledge and helping newbies become efficient woodsman and turkey killers, to a bunch of fools discussing foolish stuff and less and less true turkey hunters talking true turkey talk. The new generation of techno turkey clowns managed to make me and many others completely lose interest and respect for this forum and everything hunting media related. If I want to watch a turkey hunting show, I go to youtube where I can find respectable material, not anything on outdoor television channels. If I want to talk turkey, I do so with my like minded buddies rather than forums. If I have a hard time killing a particular turkey, I don't reach out to the general public for advice.... I figure him out myself and kill him with the help of my own knowledge and experience. That is what turkey hunting is all about but this new techno generation is taking the hunt out of hunting while overcrowding the spring woods and ultimately being a major factor in a major decline in the turkey population.
There is way more value placed on kill photos for social media recognition than there is on what matters more than anything... The techno gen as a whole has no knowledge or interest in turkey habitat, enhancing that habitat, managing numbers based on isolated turkey population per property, year to year variations in numbers based on hatches and other factors, how to be respectful of fellow hunters, the land, the privilege to hunt, and the methods of fair pursuit. If you claim to be a good hunter but can't kill turkeys with 1 call, cheap camo clothes, and a shotgun with a effective killing range of 35 yards, ... You aren't even close to a respectable turkey. That is just a fact. Our numbers are on the decline as a result of the increasing popularity and pathetic ways for terrible woodsman to be successful in the turkey woods. Generation techno is taking away more and contributing far less to the conservation of wild turkeys. It is snowballing every year, getting worse and worse. The future is not bright if things continue to spiral in this current direction.
Im all about doing what is necessary to ensure that future generations of turkey hunters will be able to enjoy what all of us passionate and respectful hunters have been blessed with in the spring woods. Turkeys are not like deer in that turkeys are a fragile species and do not adapt well to habitat loss and/or changes such as deer. Turkey populations can be easily destroyed by a number of factors including over harvest by hunters. Turkeys are very comparable to wild bobwhite quail... They require much more specifics to establish, maintain, and/or exceed prior population per general area. Turkeys depend on their incredible eyesight to protect them from natural predators...pop up blinds enable people to wear orange, use flashlights, play on computers or cell phones, move around carelessly, use bows and film with a camera on a tripod and feel like the bow kill was more of an accomplishment than the guy actually hunting whose toting a 12 gauge...... Pop up blinds are great for many situations but not for the physically capable person that wants to become a more successful and respected turkey hunter.
I could go on and on about recent developments negatively impacting every aspect of GA turkey hunting but its too frustrating.

I logged on for the first time in a long while to say "bravo" to this post. I got tired of beating my head against this wall. Keep up the good fight!
I have stopped going on most internet turkey forums because they are not really about turkey hunting any more. It seems all folks are interested in is instant success and have no interest in actually learning about turkey behavior and how to hunt them. They just want to know what "crutch" they can buy to help them get that picture for InstaLife.
Anyway, great post! I could not have written it better.

 

[brittonl]

Good rant JMB, well said sir

 

[horny1]

Make the cyber Scouters do there own homework. It can take a few years to actually learn through trial and error on public land.

 

[KentuckyHeadhunter]

Well said rant Jamie. I couldn't agree more. I don't feel the need to post a turkey on the internet every time I shoot one. That takes away the authenticity of the hunt. Trying to prove something to someone or maybe trying to prove something to themselves. Just hunt. Enjoy it. Why does the whole world have to know. Weekend warriors are the worst kind of hunters. The new generation of hunters will NEVER know what it's truly about.

 

[JMB]

Man, I've had some great times on

Albany Nursey WMA
Alexander Tract WMA
Allatoona Etowah Tract
Allatoona WMA Etowah Tract
Allen Creek WMA
Altamaha Waterfowl Area
B. F. Grant WMA
Baldwin State Forest
Beaverdam WMA
Berry College WMA
Big Hammock WMA
Big Lazer Creek WMA
Blanton Creek WMA
Blue Ridge WMA
Broad River WMA
Bullard Creek WMA
Carpenter Tract of B. F. Grant Forest
Cedar Creek WMA
Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center
Chattahoochee River Park
Chattahoochee WMA
Chestatee WMA
Chickasawhatchee WMA
Clark Hill WMA
Cohutta WMA
Coleman River WMA
Coopers Creek
Coosawatee WMA
Crockford Pigeon Mountain
Dawson Forest Amicalola Tract
Dawson Forest Atlanta Tract
Dawson Forest Wildcat Creek
Dawson Forest WMA Wildcat Creek Tract
Di-Lane Plantation
Dixon Memorial WM
Dukes Creek Conservation Area
Dyal Pasture WMA
Elbert WMA
Elmodel WMA
Fishing Creek WMA
Flint River WMA
Germany Creek WMA
GrandBay WMA
Griffin Ridge WMA
Hannahatchee Creek WMA
Hart Count WMA
Horse Creek WMA
J.L. Lester WMA
Joe Kurz WMA
Johns Mountain WMA
Keg Creek WMA
King Tract WMA
Lake Allatoona WMA
Lake Burton WMA
Lake Russell WMA
Lake Seminole WMA
Little Satilla WMA
Lula Bridge Tract Part 1
Lula Bridge Tract Part 2
McGraw Ford WMA
Montezuma Bluffs Natural Area
Oaky Woods WMA
Oaky Woods WMA, West Tract, Houston County
Ocmulgee WMA
Ocmulgee WMA, Gum Swamp Creek Tract, Bleckley County
Oconee WMA
Ogeechee WMA
Ohoopee Dunes Natural Area
Ossabaw Island WMA
Otting Tract WMA
Paudling Forest WMA
Paulks Pasture WMA
Phinizy Swamp WMA
Pine Log Mountain WMA
Rayonier WMA
Redlands WMA
Richmond Hill WMA
Riverbend WMA Laurens County
Riverbend WMA Laurens County 2
Rocky Mountain and Public Fishing Area
Rum Creek WMA
Sansavilla WMA
Sapelo Island
Sheffield WMA
Soap Creek WMA
Sprewell Bluff Public Hunting Area
Sprewell Bluff, including Pigeon Creek Tract and Nichols Tract
Sprewell Bluff, Public Hunting Area
Standing Boy Creek Tract, Muscogee County Georgia
Swallow Creek WMA
Tallulah Gorge State Park 1
Tallulah Gorge State Park 2
Tuckahoe WMA
Tuckahoe WMA Hilltonia Tract
Tuckahoe WMA Spring Lake Tract
Walton Public Dove Field
Warwoman WMA
West Point WMA
Wilson Shoals WMA
Yuchi WMA
Zahnd Tract Natural Area


Lots of birds gobbling, killed 2, saw ten shot, talked to four guys who hunted and heard gobbling, and saw a bunch in there deer hunting.

There, I just hotspotted all of the WMAs. If you can't beat em...