My Thoughts

[Old Gobbler]

Its human nature to not own up to one's problems , and cast blame on others everyone does it

Habitat destruction is a primary culprit of game loss not only for turkeys but for waterfowl to something as simple as butterflies

Factoid ....there is a bazillion more turkey hunters today as there were 40 years ago , they are better equipped ,better informed and THEY KILL MORE TURKEYS ..who am I to point fingers ? Just like the rest of you I have modern  equipment thats way more effective , I drive a modern vehicle that can reliably transport me clear across the country , right to within walking distance of huntable populations of game ..JUST LIKE THE REST OF US

I will identify CYBERSCOUTING as a huge problem in the future for turkey hunters , its ravaged fishing and waterfowling in the last decade and the lazy have become addicted to it like overage lazy kids that still live at home are addicted to free handouts ...there is entire Facebook pages where idiots grab up quota hunt permits , then ask 1)where there are even at 2) where the birds are at 3) and demand this information.....like it is owed to them .  Then cough up predictable excuses like "live to far " "work"  over 50% of them don't even show up and the permits go to waist ....its DESTROYED FLORIDA WATERFOWL HUNTING ...and many other hunters and fishers from other regions have suffered the same , do not give handouts to lazy cyberscouters , its like feeding bears

Here in Florida we have a rapidly disapearing habitat , most privately owned properties if not already sold to land development...will do so in the next 20 years , all that is left is  slivers of WMA properties,  and even the quota hunt properties are diminishing in quality as the they have been over pressured for decades ..

I believe most game agencies are making harvest regulations to appease complainers and not making policy changes based on biological data a example ...check station data (some are un manned )shows we harvest less than 750 wild turkeys in the wma areas of Florida...the real figure for south and central true osceolds is probably less than 300 on wildlife management areas!!!!this is public property,  probably all that will be left in 20nyears time

What has the state of Florida done in the last 20 years..nothing ...ive been begging them to do things for decades and the only time they do something is when someone gets shot by a rifle , slug,  buckshot durring spring season .....I can't even get them to put on a "no jakes" beard rule like they have in some other states

Mark my words by the time the idiots in the fwc realize how bad of shape they are regarding Osceola turkeys and habitat,  some tree hugger will launch a lawsuit in court to designate the Osceola a ENDANGERED SPECIES like the Florida Panther and Key Deer , use the harvest data to back up thier claims and slam shut the door on Florida turkey hunting for good !!  I will be there to tell you I TOLD YOU SO !  Alaska kills more Dall Rams than Florida kills turkeys off wmas....florida needs to step up and manage its program asap


Off soap box 

[lunghit]

Reading on here is depressing at times. Sometimes I feel hesitant to introduce my 7 year old to turkey hunting because I feel there will be no season in the future. I'd hate for him to have the passion we all have and then the sport goes away for good.

[Neill_Prater]

Eggshell, I agree with you. My intent wasn't to limit criticism of actions we feel are detrimental to the wild turkey and not in line with accepted moral norms or wildlife conservation practices. I am just suggesting that we need to be willing to look at ourselves first.



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[deerhunt1988]

Its human nature to not own up to one's problems , and cast blame on others everyone does it

Habitat destruction is a primary culprit of game loss not only for turkeys but for waterfowl to something as simple as butterflies

Factoid ....there is a bazillion more turkey hunters today as there were 40 years ago , they are better equipped ,better informed and THEY KILL MORE TURKEYS ..who am I to point fingers ? Just like the rest of you I have modern  equipment thats way more effective , I drive a modern vehicle that can reliably transport me clear across the country , right to within walking distance of huntable populations of game ..JUST LIKE THE REST OF US

I will identify CYBERSCOUTING as a huge problem in the future for turkey hunters , its ravaged fishing and waterfowling in the last decade and the lazy have become addicted to it like overage lazy kids that still live at home are addicted to free handouts ...there is entire Facebook pages where idiots grab up quota hunt permits , then ask 1)where there are even at 2) where the birds are at 3) and demand this information.....like it is owed to them .  Then cough up predictable excuses like "live to far " "work"  over 50% of them don't even show up and the permits go to waist ....its DESTROYED FLORIDA WATERFOWL HUNTING ...and many other hunters and fishers from other regions have suffered the same , do not give handouts to lazy cyberscouters , its like feeding bears

Here in Florida we have a rapidly disapearing habitat , most privately owned properties if not already sold to land development...will do so in the next 20 years , all that is left is  slivers of WMA properties,  and even the quota hunt properties are diminishing in quality as the they have been over pressured for decades ..

I believe most game agencies are making harvest regulations to appease complainers and not making policy changes based on biological data a example ...check station data (some are un manned )shows we harvest less than 750 wild turkeys in the wma areas of Florida...the real figure for south and central true osceolds is probably less than 300 on wildlife management areas!!!!this is public property,  probably all that will be left in 20nyears time

What has the state of Florida done in the last 20 years..nothing ...ive been begging them to do things for decades and the only time they do something is when someone gets shot by a rifle , slug,  buckshot durring spring season .....I can't even get them to put on a "no jakes" beard rule like they have in some other states

Mark my words by the time the idiots in the fwc realize how bad of shape they are regarding Osceola turkeys and habitat,  some tree hugger will launch a lawsuit in court to designate the Osceola a ENDANGERED SPECIES like the Florida Panther and Key Deer , use the harvest data to back up thier claims and slam shut the door on Florida turkey hunting for good !!  I will be there to tell you I TOLD YOU SO !  Alaska kills more Dall Rams than Florida kills turkeys off wmas....florida needs to step up and manage its program asap


Off soap box

Florida also needs to step up and protect the hunting opportunity for its residents. Non-resident applications for turkey quotas have skyrocketed in recent years thanks to all the YouTube videos and social media glamorization. Pretty crazy when you go on a Florida draw hunt now and see almost as many non-residents as residents!

If I was a FL resident, I'd be vouching for a cap on non-resident quota permits. And this is coming from a non-resident whose been routinely hunting Osceolas on public lands for over a decade! The resource for the people of FLORIDA is more important than the non-resident license $$.

[eggshell]

Eggshell, I agree with you. My intent wasn't to limit criticism of actions we feel are detrimental to the wild turkey and not in line with accepted moral norms or wildlife conservation practices. I am just suggesting that we need to be willing to look at ourselves first.

Paint me guilty of a few transgressions for sure. As i grew up on a farm in the 60s I can tell you bag limits were only a suggestion and applied only  to city folks....we were raised, "if you want it then kill it and stock up the freezer".  Not all the old time values were virtuous. As an adult and with a long career with our state wildlife agency as a Fisheries manager I pretty much held the line on all wildlife laws and enforced my share. I done all I could to the best of my ability to prosper the resources within my care. This younger generation of biologist I am not so sure of. I doubt hunting will ever extirpate a species , but I do believe some tactics are detrimental to the resource and can stress a population or just plain take the fun out of it. Face it very few in this modern area are subsistence hunting