[born2hunt]

I may be a "voice crying in the wilderness," but I'm thankful for last year's late season opener. The reason being that this action may well have save the small turkey flock around my place from extermination. I've watched this flock go from a flock of over 50 to about a dozen birds. There are several reasons for this, but a major one is over hunting. Going into last season there were only a single tom and 2 jakes left in the flock to propagate the flock. Neither the tom or the jakes survived the season.

I watched the flock of about a dozen hens all winter just wondering how long they would live, thinking that I was watching the slow death of a turkey flock. Then yesterday, much to my surprise and elation, a small group of jakes showed up. I'm guessing the late season opener gave the lone tom and his two jake buddies enough time to take care of business. Now if I can just get the locals to lay off these jakes this year, the flock may be able to rebuild itself.

Thank you AG&FC. :thumb:

 

[turkeyhunter]

Some years around my place there will be 0 turkeys, the next there might be 30, the next there might be 3. You never know. They move around from year to year. Mostly to do with food.

 

[Hooked Spurs]

I miss the early opener from a hunting standpoint. Turkeys usually gobble better and are easier to work and it is usually easier to find multiple birds to hunt. I am like everyone else that wants to go out and hear turkeys shaking the woods down and actually come to your call on a string.

Thus said, I favor the later opener if it will benefit the overall population of our turkeys. I think it has and I think it will continue to. As long as the late opener is based on sound biological studies then I don't have a problem with it. I would have a problem if it was chosen because it benefits some commisioner or that is simply where the dart landed. I am not a turkey biologist by any stretch of the imagination, so I have to trust them when they say the peak breeding date is around April 10th. It makes sense when you think about it. Alot of turkeys are probably bred in March, but when you take a lot of areas where the number of hens far exceed the number of gobblers and you kill two or three in that area on April 1st it sure could leave some hens unbred.

The late opener has not had a huge impact on the quality of the hunting in most areas I hunt. The turkeys are still there. We probably hear a few less turkeys gobbling and they tend to gobble less after 9:00 am because they are generally locked up with hens. I try to stay with them and in a few days you may find them alone and looking for love. My buddy got on some good gobbling turkeys and was tagged out by day 3, so you never know and I am sure it varies by regions.

Our state harvest totals are down, but if we could manage according for what is best for the turkeys then I think in a few years you will begin to see that climb again. I try to keep in mind that our seasons should be based on what is best for the turkeys and NOT when the easiest hunting is. I went to a meeting a couple of years back and the turkey biologist presented his case for a later opener, going step for step explaining why it would benefit the population. Open discussion time and a guy complained that he wanted it open in March, because it was no problem to call in turkeys. Each person is entitled to his own opinion, but that kind of reinforced the biologists argument for me.

It has been a little more of a challenge, but if I wanted something easy I would quit turkey hunting and start making balloon animals.

 

[ArkArcher]

I miss the early opener from a hunting standpoint. Turkeys usually gobble better and are easier to work and it is usually easier to find multiple birds to hunt. I am like everyone else that wants to go out and hear turkeys shaking the woods down and actually come to your call on a string.

Thus said, I favor the later opener if it will benefit the overall population of our turkeys. I think it has and I think it will continue to. As long as the late opener is based on sound biological studies then I don't have a problem with it. I would have a problem if it was chosen because it benefits some commisioner or that is simply where the dart landed. I am not a turkey biologist by any stretch of the imagination, so I have to trust them when they say the peak breeding date is around April 10th. It makes sense when you think about it. Alot of turkeys are probably bred in March, but when you take a lot of areas where the number of hens far exceed the number of gobblers and you kill two or three in that area on April 1st it sure could leave some hens unbred.

The late opener has not had a huge impact on the quality of the hunting in most areas I hunt. The turkeys are still there. We probably hear a few less turkeys gobbling and they tend to gobble less after 9:00 am because they are generally locked up with hens. I try to stay with them and in a few days you may find them alone and looking for love. My buddy got on some good gobbling turkeys and was tagged out by day 3, so you never know and I am sure it varies by regions.

Our state harvest totals are down, but if we could manage according for what is best for the turkeys then I think in a few years you will begin to see that climb again. I try to keep in mind that our seasons should be based on what is best for the turkeys and NOT when the easiest hunting is. I went to a meeting a couple of years back and the turkey biologist presented his case for a later opener, going step for step explaining why it would benefit the population. Open discussion time and a guy complained that he wanted it open in March, because it was no problem to call in turkeys. Each person is entitled to his own opinion, but that kind of reinforced the biologists argument for me.

It has been a little more of a challenge, but if I wanted something easy I would quit turkey hunting and start making balloon animals.

I'll have to disagree with you....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.Making balloon animals is not easy! :nono: :thumb:

 

[Hooked Spurs]

I'll have to disagree with you....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.Making balloon animals is not easy! :nono: :thumb:

My point exactly. But, I do make a mean snake or worm balloon animal. Dogs, cats, monkeys, etc. - not so much!!!!

 

[ArkArcher]

My point exactly. But, I do make a mean snake or worm balloon animal. Dogs, cats, monkeys, etc. - not so much!!!!

Yeah the tricky part on those worms is the tail. I never can get them quite right. :thumb: :razz:

 

[batcutman]

I miss the early opener from a hunting standpoint. Turkeys usually gobble better and are easier to work and it is usually easier to find multiple birds to hunt. I am like everyone else that wants to go out and hear turkeys shaking the woods down and actually come to your call on a string.

Thus said, I favor the later opener if it will benefit the overall population of our turkeys. I think it has and I think it will continue to. As long as the late opener is based on sound biological studies then I don't have a problem with it. I would have a problem if it was chosen because it benefits some commisioner or that is simply where the dart landed. I am not a turkey biologist by any stretch of the imagination, so I have to trust them when they say the peak breeding date is around April 10th. It makes sense when you think about it. Alot of turkeys are probably bred in March, but when you take a lot of areas where the number of hens far exceed the number of gobblers and you kill two or three in that area on April 1st it sure could leave some hens unbred.

The late opener has not had a huge impact on the quality of the hunting in most areas I hunt. The turkeys are still there. We probably hear a few less turkeys gobbling and they tend to gobble less after 9:00 am because they are generally locked up with hens. I try to stay with them and in a few days you may find them alone and looking for love. My buddy got on some good gobbling turkeys and was tagged out by day 3, so you never know and I am sure it varies by regions.

Our state harvest totals are down, but if we could manage according for what is best for the turkeys then I think in a few years you will begin to see that climb again. I try to keep in mind that our seasons should be based on what is best for the turkeys and NOT when the easiest hunting is. I went to a meeting a couple of years back and the turkey biologist presented his case for a later opener, going step for step explaining why it would benefit the population. Open discussion time and a guy complained that he wanted it open in March, because it was no problem to call in turkeys. Each person is entitled to his own opinion, but that kind of reinforced the biologists argument for me.

It has been a little more of a challenge, but if I wanted something easy I would quit turkey hunting and start making balloon animals.

Good post maybe I need to read this once a day till season gets here to help with my paticence ... :biggrin:

 

[born2hunt]

It has been a little more of a challenge, but if I wanted something easy I would quit turkey . . .

Exactly!

 

[tex]

Amen. Good to not hear a bunch of whining over this.