Way to go Alabama!

[GobbleNut]

It wasn't really gradual,  it was over about 2 seasons. Turkeys, lots of hens and gobblers, all over the property and area, you couldn't drive to lunch and not see strutters standing in open AG fields. You couldn't ride around at 830 in the morning or half hour before dark and not see hens strolling around.
Then, it was like everything died out. Gobblers and hens.
Even if there was a couple of bad hatches, that doesn't explain all the missing adults from one year to the next.

That sounds like an infectious disease outbreak to me.  I can't think of any other explanation for a quick die-off like that. 

[Turkeytider]

It wasn't really gradual,  it was over about 2 seasons. Turkeys, lots of hens and gobblers, all over the property and area, you couldn't drive to lunch and not see strutters standing in open AG fields. You couldn't ride around at 830 in the morning or half hour before dark and not see hens strolling around.
Then, it was like everything died out. Gobblers and hens.
Even if there was a couple of bad hatches, that doesn't explain all the missing adults from one year to the next.

That sounds like an infectious disease outbreak to me.  I can't think of any other explanation for a quick die-off like that.

I agree, that`s something dramatic and quick. In a very quick die off, I`m surprised somebody didn`t find at least some remains.

[sasquatch1]

If Mississippi stays at March 15th they will get hammered every year.   They will make a boat load of money but the turkeys  will pay the price.

Its been getting hammered man.

Was wondering if it was just me. Been hunting a particular forest for about 13 years now. And this year so far seems to be unbelievable.

Literally like 3 years worth of people combined. If your first spot don't pan out it's very difficult to find another spot to move to.

Thinking I may be seeing some THP affect too. This is making it a lot less fun lol


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[quavers59]

  This Spring- New Jersey is opening their Spring Turkey Season a Full 7 Days Later then Spring of 2020. Last year the opener was April 20th and this Spring of 2021- the Opening Date is April 26th.  I am thinking alot more Hens will be Bred with this later starting date.
   Hopefully New Jersey will also put a Spring Turkey take " Cap" at 4 Spring Gobblers Max  in Future years.

[quavers59]

   To go with my post above. I  probably  will hear more Gobbling in New Jersey with an opening day a full 7 Days later then Spring of 2020. Looking forward to April 26th this Spring!!

[3chunter]

The hunters will suffer. Here in SC they shortened the season a week.  Made it where they tell you what week you can kill a bird during the season.  Tags are now not free as they were for 40 years all the while the limit decreased by 40%.  All in the last 4 years these changes have taken place. What has it done for population?   Nothing.

What will actually help?  No decoys. No burning after March 15. Open all predator seasons year round by all means necessary including avian predators.   Give incentives for not cutting roost areas.  Don't bushhog May and June.  Give incentives to not cut hay fields until later on.

[surehuntsalot]

Here in Ms. the season has been needing to be pushed back for a while now

[tazmaniac]

Here in Ms. the season has been needing to be pushed back for a while now

I live in far south MS and watch toms breed hens routinely in May (if there any left to service the hens and jennies)

Peak nest initiation is start of 2nd week of April down here. Very little actual breeding has occurred when season opens Mar 15th.  And that's in far south MS.  It's prob another 10d behind that in North MS.

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[Turkeytider]

Here in Ms. the season has been needing to be pushed back for a while now

I live in far south MS and watch toms breed hens routinely in May (if there any left to service the hens and jennies)

Peak nest initiation is start of 2nd week of April down here. Very little actual breeding has occurred when season opens Mar 15th.  And that's in far south MS.  It's prob another 10d behind that in North MS.

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So that means that dominant toms are getting killed off before maximum breeding. That`s a prescription for a declining population. Hopefully Ms. DNR will wise up.

[silvestris]

I have enjoyed Mississippi for a long, long time, but on public there are too few turkeys and way too many hunters.  One could get permission to hunt a lot of private by just asking.  But first the taped (Primos and others) and now the digital hunts on Utube have turned the deer hunters into turkey chasers and I finally totally understand what the old friend meant when he advised me to keep my mouth shut some 45 years ago.  I plan to make 3-4 hunts in my own state this year and I am not burdened by unrealistic expectations.  At 72, I really haven't the time for things to get better, but it was worth the ride.

[ALfwlmth]

I don't have a stake in the southeast's current situation but I know there's a portion of turkey hunters who seem to be the only fools on earth who don't believe that bag limit reductions and shortened seasons would help more turkeys survive each year.

When goose or duck numbers go down, USFWS reduce the limits and shorten the seasons.  When whitetail deer numbers go down, state agencies decrease the bag limits.  Wild turkey numbers were highest when we had considerably fewer hunters killing them.

There are too many examples of well managed private lands where harvest management is implemented with public land pieces immediately adjacent to them to dispute the efficacy of harvest reduction.  The better hunting is simply across the line on private.  It's not this great mystery as to why the higher quality hunting is on the private.  It's because they don't have every Tom, Dick and Harry filling their limits over there.  Clearly, part of the solution to the wild turkey's decline, particularly on public ground, is to simply reduce the number of turkeys Tom, Dick and Harry can kill on public lands

I have listened to multiple podcasts with popular turkey hunting figures who want to fight bag limit reductions/shortened seasons and I've read hundreds of comments on Facebook boards fighting against these ideas.  Meanwhile, these guys are all running around public lands filling their limits promoting public land as it continues to become depleted.....

The status quo is simply not working in most parts of the country and I'm glad to see AL taking steps in the right direction.  I have some friends who are stakeholders down there who lobbied hard for a 3 bird bag limit and a March 25th start date; they were optimistic that some change was implemented instead of maintaining the status quo but the fight is not over.

While I agree that population decline is a multi-dimensional issue, what's best for the wild turkey certainly isn't good for the turkey hunter right now.  Contrary to popular opinion, these are mutually exclusive things and there are some guys in this community who need to start to realize that.  I'll be in a southern state next week and I'll be happy to kill one turkey(instead of 2) and drive home; I think the turkeys would be a whole lot better off if more people did the same.

I would like to see how many turkey hunters there are down there in Alabama , compared to how many turkeys?

To darn many...


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[StruttinGobbler3]

Covid, over the limit, too many move ins and out of state hunters, etc  still doesn't explain what happened to the hens.


No hens in the state of Georgia have been legally killed and very few are poached, but they have all but  disappeared in a lot of areas.

My club on the GA/AL line has a bunch of birds and has zero agriculture, zero predator control and the population has been stable for years. Same on another tract that I hunt in mid GA, no AG, no predator hunters, but a big population. Same where I work, stable to growing population.

The big quail plantation and the surrounding area with heavy AG, heavy predator trapping and prime habitat that I keep talking about and it is full of quail, but the turkeys died of something.

The difference in the quail plantation and the other clubs that I hunt is there is an abundance of hens on the non AG area tracts.

I have no idea what happened or what will help, but reducing the number of gobblers or time allowed to hunt them will not effect the number of hens and in turn, the number of their poults.

Not going to dispute your position, as you may very well be right. However I think one thing contributing to the population decline in GA/AL is easily found. Our populations started to decrease ten years or so ago as I understand it. Isn't it awfully coincidental that the population of wild hogs was significantly exploding in most areas at that time, and ever since? My family farms and we fight wild hogs year round, they are relentless and opportunistic, one of the worst invasive pests in my lifetime. They do tremendous damage to nests, destroy habitat, and will actually make deer and turkeys leave the area. Now consider this; nowadays there are not nearly as many trappers making a living off furbearers, and only a fraction of serious coon hunters left anymore. So in conclusion, we have much higher predator populations running mostly unchecked, and a destructive influx of wild hogs on top of that. Now add Georgia's "online game check" and that's an unscrupulous hunters dream come true. No way to accurately record real harvest numbers or hold poachers accountable. Until Georgia gets serious about a wild hog control plan, as well as a more robust game check or tagging system, I believe our population will continue to slide downhill.


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[dzsmith]

Just returned from a less popular public tract in Alabama. Spent 2 days there . If you think a bag limit reduction isn't necessary.... you are wrong. This tract was huge , this tract is managed , this tract is on a burn rotation. This tract has no turkeys . I saw one track in 2 days after miles and miles of ground covered . I heard zero gobbles in 2 days. I drove through a lot of fields , like 100 or more, not on the public obviously , and it had rained the night before . I never saw a single turkey . Not one. The only living animal I saw in those 2 days besides a squirrel was hogs . In broad daylight, on public . You spook them , they simply run about 20 yards and continue to root and eat. I climbed the highest hill in the area only to find rooting and hog poop, I went to the deepest swamp in the area only to find rooting and hog poop. The problem for some area of this state are very serious . Very very serious . One interesting thing I did find was virtually no local hunters .... I wonder why. No deer either . Actually the lowest amount of whitetail sign I've seen anywhere in North America in my entire existence. It was pathetic man.... I mean. Flat out horrible .... i