Mississippi public land turkey hunting 2021

[quavers59]

For Silvestris- hope your Health improves!

[Tom Threetoes]

I gave up on Mississippi this year and I think I gave up on turkey hunting this morning.  73, a stroke and a low blood pressure incident have about convinced me.  Reality is a bummer.

Don't give up just change tactics. I'll be 74 in a few days, got a bad knee, RA in my shoulders,  can't walk to the barn without getting winded, and just lost my best hunting spot. But come hell or high water I'm still going, I'll be doing a lot less walking and more sitting but I'm gonna be in the woods!

[silvestris]

Thanks for thumbs up.  It is not that I can't, but I can't do it like I used to, and two other factors, we just don't have the turkeys we used to have and I don't appreciate the direction the sport has taken.  As far as the turkey numbers have fallen, I have a theory that the appearance of the midges (biting gnats) in my area in great numbers (as well as hogs) are killing the poults as soon as they hatch.  We didn't have those boogers ten or so years ago and now hey are atrocious.  They have been known to kill baby chickens and I don't see how turkey poults would be different.  Perhaps I will reconsider, but I am prepping myself to let it go after 45 years.

[Missed mallards]

MS will be like Arkansas. Sadly most of the wildlife board have better than avg places to hunt so they could care less.

I haven't had a chance to go since the opener until yesterday. Found 13 trucks in a place that can't hardly support 3 hunters, much less 13. Went to spot # 2 and couldn't find an empty gate so went to spot 3. No truck but fresh boot tracks. Haven't cut a track in miles of riding/walking/scouting. Guess they're all dead? Places that once had a population to give chase now are barren. I ain't seen anything like it. I'm seeing flocks of hens but no males? Parked and walked a little ways in to have someone come walking down the road. I asked if he saw my truck and old guy shrugged and said it was public and went on about his way. 5 years ago I could find birds, last year I had to compete to get one, and this yr has been awful. Maybe tomorrow will bring that sound I wish to hear!


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[quavers59]

   I am figuring  the Top Wildlife People in Arkansas,Mississippi, Alabama,Georgia, + Louisiana had better get a serious Summer meeting of the minds after reading this whole Thread and take steps to bring back Turkey populations.
  They get paid good right?! Time for them to earn their money..

[HookedonHooks]

I have lived in MS my entire life. I've hunted turkeys for 40+ years and I believe that MS needs to change their season dates, limits and charge a premium for out of state licenses.

Oh believe me, I paid a premium over what you guys pay down there. Still reasonable and about on par with other states price wise for a NR coming to like $183. Look at places like Wisconsin, NR's can hunt turkey for under $70 and keep adding $10 tags in any zone with OTC tags remaining in an unlimited number.

The amount of pressure I saw at pull offs while there was similar to that of Wisconsin, which with your guys numbers in comparison is a little alarming. There was definitely a lot of folks in them woods, but there were turkeys to kill too.

[Spitten and drummen]

Well hopefully with the lack of birds and places to chase them , maybe alot of these wanna be turkey hunters will give it up and leave it to the die hards.

[silvestris]

They  ain't quitting which brings me back to the wise words spoken to the grand old man who took a shine to me and got me started 45 years ago.  "Keep your mouth shut.  There aren't enough turkeys or land for everybody."

[sasquatch1]

I'm a NR and hunt MS every year for a long time now. Always bought the yearly license as I hunt it through the season until I get a limit. This year it happened all before April

However even as a NR I think they should maybe just do away with the 3/7 day licenses and make everyone have to buy the yearly. And also move season back a week or so to align with other places to lighten the load Ms takes.

I also think WMA permits should cost way more! Ppl pay thousands to hunt 1-2k acres. No reason the wma permit can't be raised a lot more for what you get and the money can be put back into these habitats.


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[Howie g]

I can promise you the #s are way down in my region of ms . I drive , deer hunt , trap , squirrel hunt turkey hunt on a regular basis... the sightings and sign speak for them selves . 

[tha bugman]

Met a guy from Arkansas this year.  He kept apologizing for messing me up.  I told him no worries.  We talked for about 30 minutes and both went in opposite directions.  Part of hunting public land. 

[ShootingABN!]

Moved to MS summer of 2017. Heard a few birds in 2018. Heard more in 2019 which made me happy. One of the WMA's pushed the season back down here in the South. Another extended the draw only dates on one of the WMA's. 2020 I had two surgery's. late start but still heard a few gobbling.

2021 50 hours in the woods no gobbling and hardly any tracks or sign. 29 March Heard one gobbling at 1100 and he was dead by 1120. I've been since then and haven't heard a peep. This is all on public land.

Lots of rain also. I hope the hens on the nest make it.

Good luck everyone.

[slave601]

Well I'll put it like this. I'm fortunate enough to be a contract worker so I usually take all turkey season off. I take off from youth season till around the 7th-10th of May. I hunt all day and never miss a day. Mississippi is hurting. We have a good bumper crop of jakes this year and I pray pray pray some changes come our way before it's too late. I have 5 leases and I still hunt public land a lot. The number of hunters resident and non resident on a gobbling turkey is insane. I've had people park next to me. Walk in on me you name it. Take a few weeks off season and go to a telecheck system. Mandatory tagging before bird is moved and shoot for a April 1st- May 1st season. No one cares about trapping anymore so changes to the season dates and shortening up the season is all I can see that will help. Like I said. I'm in the spring woods EVERY SINGLE DAY of season. I see a lot. Mississippi is hurting. Change something before it's too late

[ShootingABN!]

tuff for me...

[Coldbeer]

Can't wait to see how many Arkansas folks show up and disregard the new NR draw rules