With So Many Of Us Now- Should We Recruit Ever More Turkey Hunters?

[quavers59]

    Up front, I  have nothing against New Turkey Hunters. But these days, I  am seeing so many more Spring Turkey Hunters afield here in New York State. Maybe the Southern  States have the same problem.
   No complaint  here- just an observation.  I know, I  will always get my 2 to 4 Spring Toms- but many others will compete with so many New Hunters afield.
   On Public, I  witness " Field Edge Sprinting" to close distance with a Vocal Gobbler. And these days, I  witness Guys walking full Blown in the middle of a Big Field at 45 minutes or even earlier  Before Sunrise.
   I know these are the newer Spring Hunters because a veteran will know that a Roosted Gobbler will " make Him" and drop down later possibly  without Gobbling and move back into the Wetlands.
   Again- just my observation on Public Lands.I can go to plan B- but plenty of other guys will have their hunt blown and probably  just remain at that Field edge and hope for the best later on.
    These Spring Days, I  am hoping to have a Gobbler that Gobbles just once or Twice.

[GobbleNut]

There are lots of edges to this sword.  Turkey hunting is becoming more popular with the masses due to the aesthetics of spring gobbler hunting and the fact that it is just a very enjoyable and interactive type of hunting.  However, as more and more pressure is put on the resource, the law of diminishing returns will eventually come into play.  As turkeys adapt to the increased hunting pressure,....less gobbling, less willingness to come to calls and decoys,...less dedicated turkey hunters will drop out.

As for the theory that "we have to recruit more hunters in order to protect the future of hunting". well, I for one do not buy that at all.  That theory is promoted by folks who make money off of having as many hunters around as they can.  The number of hunters in this country right now is somewhere around 5% of the population, maybe even a little less than that.  If the general public decides they want to see hunting outlawed in the U.S., adding a few more percentage points to that total is not going to make one iota of difference. 

In addition, the resource can only handle so much pressure put on it before measures have to be taken to protect it.  As of right now, we are all discussing declining turkey numbers, decreasing bag limits, shorter seasons, hunts going to lottery draws, and the like.  If we keep killing more turkeys than are being replenished through reproduction every year, hunter numbers will be decreased one way or another. 

That applies, not only to wild turkeys, but to most other game species, as well.  If we keep promoting the concept of recruiting more and more hunters when there are limited resources and limited places to pursue them, we are slowly cutting our own throats. 

[Dtrkyman]

Good points gobblenut, however if there are less of us then funding for wildlife suffers. If our primary contribution is to funding for wildlife and wild places then we need more of us.

Fortunately the taxes on guns and ammo provide major funding for wildlife, I do not think hunting tags etc. can support it on it's own.

[Greg Massey]

I guess we all have to realize we were new hunters also at one time.

[owlhoot]

There are lots of edges to this sword.  Turkey hunting is becoming more popular with the masses due to the aesthetics of spring gobbler hunting and the fact that it is just a very enjoyable and interactive type of hunting.  However, as more and more pressure is put on the resource, the law of diminishing returns will eventually come into play.  As turkeys adapt to the increased hunting pressure,....less gobbling, less willingness to come to calls and decoys,...less dedicated turkey hunters will drop out.

As for the theory that "we have to recruit more hunters in order to protect the future of hunting". well, I for one do not buy that at all.  That theory is promoted by folks who make money off of having as many hunters around as they can.  The number of hunters in this country right now is somewhere around 5% of the population, maybe even a little less than that.  If the general public decides they want to see hunting outlawed in the U.S., adding a few more percentage points to that total is not going to make one iota of difference. 

In addition, the resource can only handle so much pressure put on it before measures have to be taken to protect it.  As of right now, we are all discussing declining turkey numbers, decreasing bag limits, shorter seasons, hunts going to lottery draws, and the like.  If we keep killing more turkeys than are being replenished through reproduction every year, hunter numbers will be decreased one way or another. 

That applies, not only to wild turkeys, but to most other game species, as well.  If we keep promoting the concept of recruiting more and more hunters when there are limited resources and limited places to pursue them, we are slowly cutting our own throats.

Exactly. Way to many hunters for the resource right now.

[silvestris]

God made squirrels and rabbits for a reason.  Like it or not, the newbies have and will continue ruining the great sport.  Get used to it.

[Sanders153]

I guess we all have to realize we were new hunters also at one time.

Indeed.. not saying tell em your spots, but be kind to all men. If they need advice on how to get started or how to try and go about it, well... We all were there at one point or another

[Gooserbat]

It's great to recruit new people to deer hunt. There's lots of deer and the population just keeps growing.

[Sasha and Abby]

If decoys and fanning were outlawed, there would be much fewer "turkey hunters" in the woods... 

[dzsmith]

Good points gobblenut, however if there are less of us then funding for wildlife suffers. If our primary contribution is to funding for wildlife and wild places then we need more of us.

Fortunately the taxes on guns and ammo provide major funding for wildlife, I do not think hunting tags etc. can support it on it's own.

theres been record gun and ammo sales since 2012.....there hasn't been record amounts of manipulation to wildlife and their habitat. The ratio of the money raised for wildlife and the amount that has changed or been done is very disproportional.

[dzsmith]

ive been saying all this for a quite a while now.......your gonna get the recruitment whether you like it or not. YouTube is here to stay....and that's probably the most effective recruitment there is. My state depends on license sells.....nothing will change here until there is no resource to hunt. History will probably come close to repeating itself for the wild turkey in some places. Its dang close in some states already. like louisianna and arkansas

[Old Timer]

I`m  always open to schooling a new hunter under certain conditions. They must be serious, safe and willing to listen. I sometimes ask do you have a spot you can hunt and I would be glad to school you. I`m to old to give my spots away. One young man I took when he was young now takes me at times. Because of the outdoors we have a very close relationship even to the point he has a set of keys to our home. Their are a couple I will never take again, various reasons mainly not being able to be instructed. I`ll always be grateful to those who took me as a youngster. Mainly uncle`s who have all passed but I keep those precious memories. Good day.   

[Yelper]

    Up front, I  have nothing against New Turkey Hunters. But these days, I  am seeing so many more Spring Turkey Hunters afield here in New York State. Maybe the Southern  States have the same problem.
   No complaint  here- just an observation.  I know, I  will always get my 2 to 4 Spring Toms- but many others will compete with so many New Hunters afield.

Maybe it's time that the old timers step aside and let us new hunters have a chance, since the old timers are killing so many each spring.

[Jbird22]

I was "recruited" to this sport around 28 yrs ago by an uncle who treated me like his own son. He passed away at the age of 57 a little over 13 yrs ago. There hasn't been a turkey I've killed during that span of time that I haven't thought of him. I will be forever grateful to him for introducing me to the sport. With that said, the only person I've introduced to the sport is my son and he seems to love it as well. I am not as extreme as Silvestris but I do agree that the number of hunters seems to outnumber the resource. It's certainly true in my part of MS. I don't want to sound greedy but my advice is to choose wisely when introducing a new hunter to turkey hunting.

[RutnNStrutn]

If decoys and fanning were outlawed, there would be much fewer "turkey hunters" in the woods...

Oh boy, here we go again.

Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.