Hunting pressure

[2flyfish4]

Seasons are starting to wind down. Did anyone notice a decline in hunting pressure this year?

Especially in the states that have reduced the bag limit and or reduced  tag availability or increased license fees?

[Lcmacd 58]

I'm from Illinois and I felt that the pressure increased on public ground. I also felt we had a decrease in population density for the turkeys.

[highball]

Covered up with hunters in South Carolina this year,They were everywhere you went all turkey season.

[Bottomland OG]

Way more hunters in Missouri and Arkansas in the places I always hunt.

[wareagle22]

There seems to be more hunters everywhere you go.  Florida public land was absolutely covered up with out of staters this spring.  I believe the reduced limits are forcing guys that really like to hunt to travel to be able to get in more quality hunts. And unless states put a restriction on OOS hunters like Mississippi did, it's probably going to get worse as a good majority of the states have or are looking at reducing the limit. 

[ChesterCopperpot]

There's more turkey hunting pressure every year. All these organizations pushing, "R3! R3! R3!" and most of them pushing turkey hunting as the entry point. I think we're nearing a fracture point, particularly with a game species that is experiencing the type of decline that turkeys are across the southeast, a decline that the scientists don't fully understand and can't fully address through management.


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[FL-Boss]

I agree with above, pressure will only get worse each year. Every swinging $ick decided a few years ago they wanted to become a U.S. Super Slammer. There are a host of other issues as well... like more limited & expensive private each year, pushing even more people to public, etc.

All those public land YouTube hunters were talking about how bad the pressure has been... it seems to be the common theme this year. Watch that THP video from Indiana, it's like a dove shoot.  Used to be mainly a Florida, or southern state issue.. Now the Midwest and Northeast is just as worse. Not sure how you public land guys are going to be able to hunt in 5 more years.  I guess at some point they will all go to limited draw.. otherwise too many guys will be shooting each other, and not all by accident.

[ChesterCopperpot]

This may sound odd, but traveling has never much interested me. I'm very content in the land I come from and coming to know that land intimately. If I never hunt anything but whitetails and turkeys in the NC and SC mountains I think I'd be just fine with that.


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[Greg Massey]

Looking at the private side of hunting, I didn't see near as many people parked and hunting private land as I did during the Covid spring season. Most of the private area I drove through had very few people after opening weekend. In my area of the state we have very little public land to hunt..

[deerhunt1988]

Hunted twelve different states, most places i've hunted before. Pressure as bad as I've ever seen. (Common theme since social media/YouTube era) I've just come to accept its the new normal. Just returned from a 2 week trip. I had three different opening mornings ruined (in 3 states) by someone parking on me and boogering the bird. In one instance, the guy started HOLLERING right before gobble time to screw me up. I assume he was mad he didn't get up early enough to be the first to the gate. In another instance, it was late morning and an older gentleman came sliding into a parking lot, grabbed his gun (i assume loaded) off his passenger seat and tried to race me to a turkey that had just crossed a road. I was in disbelief. Third instance was Saturday morning in Pennsylvania. Had roosted a turkey evening before and saw a black SUV drive by 2x after dark going slow. Well they parked right on me Saturday morning and screwed the hunt all up. I didn't take it kindly and told him exactly what a POS he was.

As a fellow on here likes to say, we just have to adapt and accept that this is the new era of turkey hunting! Isn't it lovely!

[Sungrazer]

I had first season Illinois tag for my local public I only saw 1 vehicle once. That was a refreshing change! 3rd season tag southwest Illinois private heard no shots fired and saw no vehicles driving from hotel. 5th day of 7 day 4th season tag north central Illinois private I've seen 1 vehicle and heard 3-4 shots over the weekend. Must be lucky this season where I drew. I've also heard more gobbling this year since before the plandemic.

[James gang]

Saw more Arkansas trucks than Mo in southern Mo and I saw plenty of Mo trucks lol.

[WV Flopper]

Sounds about right to me.
Had an issue with an entitled punk first of WV. Spoke with him because I wouldn't allow it to happen. Had an issue second weekend with a guy parking behind me, WV again. All private lease property.

No where else have I had an issue. Very disappointed in that my issues are coming from my home areas that I have hunted since I was a kid.

First day....Punk asked me where I was from, I told him. He mumbled something, I told him I played LL baseball on his home field 20 years before he was born.

I wish everyone wasn't packing a gun sometimes.

[Will]

I love hearing crow calls in the dark!

[Lcmacd 58]

I love hearing crow calls in the dark!

I thought that only happened in Southern Illinois