double bearded young bird down in Ky

[Ky strutt n bust n]

Never worry when people say that.  A legal bird is a legal bird.  Western KY isn't easy this year with all the bad weather.  A long time western KY hunter just posted up a double bearded jake on another forum.  He was happy to get it.  Congrats!!  Just a guess and no reply necessary but was it Clarks River?

yeah it was clarks river. you from around here i'm guessing?

[JVA54]

          Congrats!!

[Ky strutt n bust n]

i like it too. bc some people actually brag about killing birds and sometimes get caught not calling their birds in. thanks for the insight on the WMA up there. i have heard of it but noone i see hunts it very often. which could be a good thing. good to know theres someone on here thats very familiar with the area as myself.
P.S. i think you might be on to something on the 4/21 mccracken county Clarks river turkey killer. lol. killed it at 7 pm that night

[woodchip]

 Not everyone is always really thrilled with this (some claimed they could no longer call in sick from work to hunt) but it sure keeps people honest.  It is a super tool for the game managers.  They can see a daily report of legal harvest numbers and never have to do a lot of guessing.

The Ky system only keeps honest people honest and is a very poor tool for game managers.  Tons of people never call and check their kills and keep right on hunting.  Once they get the game home and in the fridge there is no proof that they have killed anything if they get checked by a warden later.  There's no telling how many turkeys and deer are actually killed in KY.  It's really a very poor system.  However, I guess there is no sure fire way to make a person check in their harvests so they have to obey  the game limits. 

[Remington924]

i shot a double bearded jake 2 yrs ago and it didnt have the typical longer middle feathers of that of a jake but instead had 3 feathers on its left side that were shorter then the rest, i asked lovett and he said thats because he had molted the rest of them and was probably an early hatch the prior yr so its possible instead of killing an 8 or 9 mos old jake you killed one that was about 1 yr old( in NH breeding season is typically april-june, and we see poults anywhere from late may to july, this guy probably was hatched early may or late april and was older than some other jakes born 2-3 months later in june or july)

[turkey slayer]

congrats!

[woodchip]

I wasn't talking about the hunter( or any hunter) in this thread.  I just mean it really can't be that great of a tool for the wildlife managers because they still don't know how many turkeys or deer have been killed they only know what has been called in.  I bet it would blow people minds if they knew how many turkeys were actually killed in Ky.  The only real way a person is going to get caught is if they get checked by a warden right after they killed a bird and moved it without filling in the info on the tag, but if they make it to the house without filling in the tag they are free and clear, and I know people who do it year after year (five and six times per year) and they talk.  The chance of getting caught by word of mouth is very very slim with only one warden per county.  I wish there was a better way to stop the cheating.  Just in case you want to check me out you can search my last name: Brister, it may sound like I'm one of these people but I'm not.  I just don't see it as a good management tool when it's an estimated number but it is a good effort.

[Ky strutt n bust n]

well thanks guys for the congrats. the system is a good one in my point of view. if someone is not respectful of the telecheck and the laws and tags given forth to them each and every year ( and i know there are thousands of people who kill and kill, but yet not report any) are the ones who don't value hunting, aren't true sportsmen. just goes to show the ones you shouldn't be congraduating or honoring for helping conservation. i was brought up with my parents and family teaching me to follow the laws and be respectful for the animals i kill. if i kill it, i eat it. if it is a legal animal that requires limits, being telechecked, i do so. and others that do the same i respect. it is a fairly accurate way to show how many honest outdoorsmen that are hunting and how many legal birds are taken. yes there are more than likely a shocking number taken illegal, for i know of several dishonest, losers out there that have killed more than their share of turkeys this season and haven't telechecked any of them. just sickens me and it should everyone else.

[Ky strutt n bust n]

and joey thanks for the input on the WMA out on the lake. i have been looking at maps and i have never noticed this ever being hunted. looks to be a lot of hunting along the shore lines. have any tips on hunting these birds? i see where a boat could def be handy in hunting these birds, for i have never hunted birds in this area. not looking for any secrets to hunting this WMA but just a little help if i was to hunt it. thanks