State Bag Limits- Too Many Or Too Few?

[kytrkyhntr]

wait sorry i forgot your tell...

[quavers59]

  I stopped last Spring  of 2025 at 2 Gobblers in New Jersey to concentrate on New York more and help my Partner get her Gobbler.
    I still think New Jersey should have a Max Spring Limit of 5 Gobblers.
  I know there is a Small group that knowing all the regs,Lightening Fingers during the early minutes of the" Over The Counter" day in March and just plenty of Time,Money, and most likely hunting both Private + Public-- are able to kill 8- 10+ Gobblers a Season- probably  more as the upper limit is 25+ Spring Turkey Tags.
  Problem is this small group grows each Spring . 5 Max in such as small State as New Jersey.  That is plenty enough.
 

[Tom007]

I stopped last Spring  of 2025 at 2 Gobblers in New Jersey to concentrate on New York more and help my Partner get her Gobbler.
    I still think New Jersey should have a Max Spring Limit of 5 Gobblers.
  I know there is a Small group that knowing all the regs,Lightening Fingers during the early minutes of the" Over The Counter" day in March and just plenty of Time,Money, and most likely hunting both Private + Public-- are able to kill 8- 10+ Gobblers a Season- probably  more as the upper limit is 25+ Spring Turkey Tags.
  Problem is this small group grows each Spring . 5 Max in such as small State as New Jersey.  That is plenty enough.
 

I think a limit of 2 would be fine. Obviously it would help dwindling populations. This winter here will certainly affect Northern NJ, minus temps, frozen snow on the ground for months could be a problem, stay tuned. IMO

[JeffC]

I think Jersey does a pretty good job on limiting permit sales per zone but totally agree with the lower numbers of birds around now, my zones sell out every year fast, unfortunately know a few local guys who are self-employed and kill a lot of Toms. I will get a permit for each week, hopefully hunt 1 day per week, but limit myself to 3 Toms. Haven't hit that limit in a longtime.

[quavers59]

Tom007+ JeffC-seasonal member/ don't  know how to quote.
    A good 3 weeks back my Sister filmed a good sized flock of possibly  25 Turkeysin New York- just a few miles from Sussex County,NJ.
  North Jersey Turkey Populations are coming back slowly . There are pocket areas in all the Public Areas in North Jersey and there are alot of these areas. I think Sussex County Turkey Hunters will have more Luck in 2026.
  JeffC- Agree the limit might be better at 3 or 5. I hope to get 3 this Spring before helping out. I probably  help others too much- lol.
  I knowingly laughed while watching a Southern Outdoorsman podcast a few days back-- THIS MAN KNOWS - when Alabama  Turkey Hunter Claude Strothers said to the guy he was calling for -- for 3 Springs. If,I keep Yelping them up for you,I will never take another Gobbler.
  Awesome Podcast- unfortunately  he just passed away at age 82 just before that podcast aired.

[Tom007]

Tom007+ JeffC-seasonal member/ don't  know how to quote.
    A good 3 weeks back my Sister filmed a good sized flock of possibly  25 Turkeysin New York- just a few miles from Sussex County,NJ.
  North Jersey Turkey Populations are coming back slowly . There are pocket areas in all the Public Areas in North Jersey and there are alot of these areas. I think Sussex County Turkey Hunters will have more Luck in 2026.
  JeffC- Agree the limit might be better at 3 or 5. I hope to get 3 this Spring before helping out. I probably  help others too much- lol.
  I knowingly laughed while watching a Southern Outdoorsman podcast a few days back-- THIS MAN KNOWS - when Alabama  Turkey Hunter Claude Strothers said to the guy he was calling for -- for 3 Springs. If,I keep Yelping them up for you,I will never take another Gobbler.
  Awesome Podcast- unfortunately  he just passed away at age 82 just before that podcast aired.

Saw several Bobcats last season in Northern NJ while deer hunting. I took a video of one 35 yards from me stalking a squirrel  along a stream. He moved 30 yards in 20 minutes. He nailed him. A turkey would have been duck soup. These cats are protected in NJ. Had one grab my hen decoy on a farm last season. Stay tuned on how theses cats will affect our already struggling pops. These critters are as stealth as you can get, they will have an impact IMO.

[JeffC]

Keep your Bears and cats up there!!
Now we are dealing with a bad outbreak of suspected bird flu, over 1100 geese dead or found sick. Besides the ongoing loss of habitat and a long hard winter, the Turkeys are really getting beat up. Every time I drive thru, another farm is up for sale, since the supply shortage during covid, builders are putting up warehouses everywhere. Houses are squeezed in between warehouses. Going to be a rough season.     

[GobbleNut]

Now we are dealing with a bad outbreak of suspected bird flu, over 1100 geese dead or found sick...   

I suppose I may just be out of the loop on this, but with all the talk about avian flu and its impact on all sorts of bird species, I am totally shocked that I/we have not heard/read of significant investigations by our wildlife agencies as to how this disease is impacting wild turkey populations...at least I have seen very little about it around these parts. I would think that wildlife agencies across the country would be all over this, but around here...crickets.

[eggshell]

Now we are dealing with a bad outbreak of suspected bird flu, over 1100 geese dead or found sick...   

I suppose I may just be out of the loop on this, but with all the talk about avian flu and its impact on all sorts of bird species, I am totally shocked that I/we have not heard/read of significant investigations by our wildlife agencies as to how this disease is impacting wild turkey populations...at least I have seen very little about it around these parts. I would think that wildlife agencies across the country would be all over this, but around here...crickets.

water fowl carry it and are most affected. Heck, gobblenut, do you even have open water in your state. I went to a Forestry association meeting and the speaker was a research Veterinarian Virologist. It was one of the most informative and interesting talks I have ever attended. His focus was on avian flue and it's affect on wild and domestic fowl. He was with Ohio State University and worked under USDA guidance. His work is part of national research, I believe. I asked him about how it would affect wild turkeys and he said he didn't have any data on wild turkeys, but it was 100 lethal in domestic turkeys. If it got in a turkey farm they all died, he bluntly said, "there are no survivors". I asked if any wildlife agencies were working with the research team and he said not that he new of. If that's true and our agencies aren't involved it's a travesty. However, that's not his division so it could be happening. This is the guy  https://vet.osu.edu/people/andrew-bowman and here's a web page https://vet.osu.edu/research/animal-influenza-ecology-epidemiology-research-program

[Crappie16]

Illinois has a 3 bird limit and 5 different seasons.  Each season last 5 to 7 days.  This year we start !April 6th in the south zone.  Two weekends prior are the youth hunts.  So they get beat on hard during peak breeding time. I think it sould be two birds and u get 25 days to kill the two.  Our permits cost 19.50 a season. U can get up to 3.  Charge 40 and 2 bird limit. 

[jonhaga]

Virginia still allows 3 birds, my opinion locally where I live it should be looked at and I love hunting them as much as anyone, also this state still allows a rifle in the spring, 2025 the state reported 797 birds harvested by rifle in the spring, I don't agree with this using a rifle in spring to kill a turkey isn't Turkey hunting

[bwall3220]

I've said that AR should have went to 1 bird years ago but it never happened, they went to 1 for NR this year. If it ain't a duck the AGFC don't seem to care about it. LOTS of chicken houses have went in the hills of AR over the past 20 years and I've talked to several old timers that believe that spreading their litter in hayfields has spread the chickens diseases to turkeys and played a number on them....something that makes me wonder if they're right?