WORST State?

[bwall3220]

Several of the last few comments are going back and forth about AR.....can anyone explain to me how in the world AR can justify sticking with a 2 bird limit when so many states are decreasing? Kansas and Oklahoma has gone to 1 and AR is cocky enough to think we have a better population than them!?

[deerhunt1988]

Several of the last few comments are going back and forth about AR.....can anyone explain to me how in the world AR can justify sticking with a 2 bird limit when so many states are decreasing? Kansas and Oklahoma has gone to 1 and AR is cocky enough to think we have a better population than them!?

There isn't science to support dropping the limit to 1. Luckily, not all state game and fish agencies cave to political and/or social pressure when it comes to setting game and fish regulations. Some still try to stick to the science.

[Wigsplitter]

I am from Arkansas-Supposedly the number of people who tag out or kill the two bird limit is in the single digit percentile I can't remember the number I read but basically said not enough people would kill 2 birds to hurt - I am for and wish they would have cut back the limit to one bird I just believe that would help a little bit - it was on the table last summer to go from two to one but they didn't pull the trigger on it!

[austinc]

If I recall correctly only about 7% of turkeys killed in AR are a hunters second bird, so you'd only save a few hundred turkeys at most. It's not a big enough % to justify changing the regs is their opinion. Changing to 1 turkey wouldn't make much difference to me, it sure hasn't helped ks or ok so far since they did, but it is still early and time will tell if those were the correct moves imo.

[Spurs Up]

If I recall correctly only about 7% of turkeys killed in AR are a hunters second bird, so you'd only save a few hundred turkeys at most. It's not a big enough % to justify changing the regs is their opinion. Changing to 1 turkey wouldn't make much difference to me, it sure hasn't helped ks or ok so far since they did, but it is still early and time will tell if those were the correct moves imo.

Great point!  To add to that, it would be wrong to assume those who tag out with 1 turkey would call it a season. Some would likely guide or accompany other hunters who wouldn't otherwise turkey hunt. As a result, the bag limit reduction may not be as big a "savings" or redistribution of turkeys as simple numbers might suggest. Might only be a few dozen at most.

[GobbleNut]

If I recall correctly only about 7% of turkeys killed in AR are a hunters second bird, so you'd only save a few hundred turkeys at most. It's not a big enough % to justify changing the regs is their opinion. Changing to 1 turkey wouldn't make much difference to me, it sure hasn't helped ks or ok so far since they did, but it is still early and time will tell if those were the correct moves imo.

Great point!  To add to that, it would be wrong to assume those who tag out with 1 turkey would call it a season. Some would likely guide or accompany other hunters who wouldn't otherwise turkey hunt. As a result, the bag limit reduction may not be as big a "savings" or redistribution of turkeys as simple numbers might suggest. Might only be a few dozen at most.

Mostly agree,...but one point that also has to be taken into consideration is the fact that a number of states have reduced their bag limit to one gobbler when they used to have more liberal bag limits.  Something that may come into play in these projected harvest figures is the number of nonresidents that will now choose to come to Arkansas because of the two-bird limit rather than go to another state that only has a one-bird limit,...and what impact that might have on total harvest.  ...May not come into play,...but who knows?...

In addition, with quotas being set for nonresidents, as well as drawings for those nonresident permits, we will also see a migration of nonresidents to those states that are not having quotas and drawings.  Common sense suggests that we are on a collision course for all states eventually having to go to similar regulations to either protect their turkey populations from overharvest,...either that, or make the decision to sacrifice them in the name of the dollar bill. 

[turkeyfool]

it is unquestionably and undoubtedly Mississippi. not to harp on it too much because one of my best friends lives in northern Miss, but i spent a few springs hunting Miss from the opener until early April. trash everywhere, monotonous pines that aren't burned, sometimes sketchy people, a lot of hunters, ATVs ripping through most pieces of public. hate to pile on, but it is what it is

[bwall3220]

it is unquestionably and undoubtedly Mississippi. not to harp on it too much because one of my best friends lives in northern Miss, but i spent a few springs hunting Miss from the opener until early April. trash everywhere, monotonous pines that aren't burned, sometimes sketchy people, a lot of hunters, ATVs ripping through most pieces of public. hate to pile on, but it is what it is

Mississippi is quite hard too!
An observation i've made hunting different states....pine trees = hard hunting!

[Paulmyr]

Boy do I feel bad for the north Ms. Resident that have to hunt public land. A plague spreads across the land called the Arkansas turkey hunter. I bet I saw 3 to 1 Ark plates compared to Ms plates. They are like locusts, all the sudden they are everywhere. I was like holy man on that opening Saturday. Constant gravel popping from 1 hr before legal shooting til about 2 hrs after. In didn't think I'd have the woods to myself, and almost laughed out loud when the owl hooters started up.

Ran into 3 - 20 somethings from Ark that called themselves turkey hunters at a campground on a WMA. 2 days later I ran into them in the woods. I had just reached some gobbling turkeys and thought it odd that one of the gobblers reversed direction and headed back towards the access points but hey turkeys will be turkeys. I set up on a gobbling bird that after his last gobble I believed was a Jake. When I started calling to him he verified it by ki kis and Jake yelps. Sat for about 10 mins because there was still another gobbler in the area and I was waiting for him to sound off. About then a person appears in front of me at about 60yds slowly walking up to where the Jake was. Gets about 50yds just up from it and pulls out his cell phone. Who does that? I'll tell you who, the guy calling his buddies to make sure they are in position to block the turkeys escape before he walks down to try and get a shot.

I whooped at him. When he acknowledged I was there, I walked up and said you know what your doing is illegal? What's illegal was his reply. I said using your cell to aid in then taking of wild game. His reply was I'm just calling my 2 buddies to let them know where I'm at so I don't get shot. I said whatever, asked him how he got in there his reply was we roosted these birds last night and I was standing here at 4am waiting. Bull I said, I slept at the dispersed campsite and nobody came down that road til nearly 5. He changed his story to 1st light and said he heard gobbler further to the south and left to make move on them. Hmmm, so he left the exact position that 3 turkeys were gobbling around to go chase some further away? He left his position alright to try a turkey drive on the one I heard vacate the area and had just circled around to try it again with this one and was calling his buddies to make sure they were in place. I was pretty disgusted and said since your buddies are down there I'm going back this way to get away from your bull@#$&. They were doing  this to gobblers right off the roost.

The Friday before I met them in the campground. The one was more than willing to pull the intact carcass of an obvious 2 yr old, missing only the breast meat, from the back of his pickup under a tonneau cover to try to prove it was 3 or better. No wonder there are no turkeys left in Ark.

Couldn't turn them in until Monday morn as no one answers the phone on weekends. I found this out after a local rancher set off the alarm on my truck and left a note for me to find a place closer to home to hunt. I called to report hunter harassment, not that it would matter. I get why the locals are upset.

I'd be embarrassed if I worked for a fish and game dept that allowed this activity and the mob of Arkansas hunters to swarm the public woods in the state for the 1st week and a half to 2weeks of the the season.

I think I ran through the gambit of what's wrong with turkey hunting while down there. Locals blasting thier shotguns at public land because they know your in there. People blowing by you on the trail while your waiting for 1st light. I even heard a local honk his horn to get a gobble at sunset than come into public and  blast it off the limb 20 mins later while it was barely light enough to see him in the trees.

I had a chat with a young man that was after his slam. Told me I should go to Tenn when l left Ms he'd even give me some pins. He also told me I should hit Kansas as well. When I told him I had no interest in hunting prairie gobblers he quickly pulled out his reaping decoy and said this is how you get them up there. He went on to talk about how he should have taken a 65yd shot at a gobbler and would if the opportunity arose again, but no worries because he already checked that state off.

The whole trip left a bad taste in mouth.

[deathfoot]

Boy do I feel bad for the north Ms. Resident that have to hunt public land. A plague spreads across the land called the Arkansas turkey hunter. I bet I saw 3 to 1 Ark plates compared to Ms plates. They are like locusts, all the sudden they are everywhere. I was like holy man on that opening Saturday. Constant gravel popping from 1 hr before legal shooting til about 2 hrs after. In didn't think I'd have the woods to myself, and almost laughed out loud when the owl hooters started up.

Ran into 3 - 20 somethings from Ark that called themselves turkey hunters at a campground on a WMA. 2 days later I ran into them in the woods. I had just reached some gobbling turkeys and thought it odd that one of the gobblers reversed direction and headed back towards the access points but hey turkeys will be turkeys. I set up on a gobbling bird that after his last gobble I believed was a Jake. When I started calling to him he verified it by ki kis and Jake yelps. Sat for about 10 mins because there was still another gobbler in the area and I was waiting for him to sound off. About then a person appears in front of me at about 60yds slowly walking up to where the Jake was. Gets about 50yds just up from it and pulls out his cell phone. Who does that? I'll tell you who, the guy calling his buddies to make sure they are in position to block the turkeys escape before he walks down to try and get a shot.

I whooped at him. When he acknowledged I was there, I walked up and said you know what your doing is illegal? What's illegal was his reply. I said using your cell to aid in then taking of wild game. His reply was I'm just calling my 2 buddies to let them know where I'm at so I don't get shot. I said whatever, asked him how he got in there his reply was we roosted these birds last night and I was standing here at 4am waiting. Bull I said, I slept at the dispersed campsite and nobody came down that road til nearly 5. He changed his story to 1st light and said he heard gobbler further to the south and left to make move on them. Hmmm, so he left the exact position that 3 turkeys were gobbling around to go chase some further away? He left his position alright to try a turkey drive on the one I heard vacate the area and had just circled around to try it again with this one and was calling his buddies to make sure they were in place. I was pretty disgusted and said since your buddies are down there I'm going back this way to get away from your bull@#$&. They were doing  this to gobblers right off the roost.

The Friday before I met them in the campground. The one was more than willing to pull the intact carcass of an obvious 2 yr old, missing only the breast meat, from the back of his pickup under a tonneau cover to try to prove it was 3 or better. No wonder there are no turkeys left in Ark.

Couldn't turn them in until Monday morn as no one answers the phone on weekends. I found this out after a local rancher set off the alarm on my truck and left a note for me to find a place closer to home to hunt. I called to report hunter harassment, not that it would matter. I get why the locals are upset.

I'd be embarrassed if I worked for a fish and game dept that allowed this activity and the mob of Arkansas hunters to swarm the public woods in the state for the 1st week and a half to 2weeks of the the season.

I think I ran through the gambit of what's wrong with turkey hunting while down there. Locals blasting thier shotguns at public land because they know your in there. People blowing by you on the trail while your waiting for 1st light. I even heard a local honk his horn to get a gobble at sunset than come into public and  blast it off the limb 20 mins later while it was barely light enough to see him in the trees.

I had a chat with a young man that was after his slam. Told me I should go to Tenn when l left Ms he'd even give me some pins. He also told me I should hit Kansas as well. When I told him I had no interest in hunting prairie gobblers he quickly pulled out his reaping decoy and said this is how you get them up there. He went on to talk about how he should have taken a 65yd shot at a gobbler and would if the opportunity arose again, but no worries because he already checked that state off.

The whole trip left a bad taste in mouth.

Like I told my buddy the other day.."I miss the days when turkey hunting wasn't cool. When people laughed at me for traveling across the country to turkey hunt and see new places".

For real. I miss that. I miss going to the local WMA and not seeing a soul. If it wasn't for the gobble, I'd just go to fall hunting them. But...it's the gobble. It's the action. I truly am not ashamed to say...I hate it's been advertised and promoted to what it is. I'll still travel. I'll still be a proud turkey hunter. But I'll succumb to knowing the best days are done.

I have lots of opinions. Some of which isn't "popular preaching". And I don't want to be banned her, cause this is the best board ever, so I'll keep them to myself and just keep writing my opinions to the Virginia DWR to no avail. 

[roberthyman14]

it is unquestionably and undoubtedly Mississippi. not to harp on it too much because one of my best friends lives in northern Miss, but i spent a few springs hunting Miss from the opener until early April. trash everywhere, monotonous pines that aren't burned, sometimes sketchy people, a lot of hunters, ATVs ripping through most pieces of public. hate to pile on, but it is what it is

Mississippi is quite hard too!
An observation i've made hunting different states....pine trees = hard hunting!

Yes. Pine tree country makes it tougher

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[Wigsplitter]

Everyone is a turkey hunter in Arkansas the next 3 weeks weather they have ever killed one or even been before...... it's tough weeding through all those kinda folks around every corner I surely agree!!

[nativeks]

Several of the last few comments are going back and forth about AR.....can anyone explain to me how in the world AR can justify sticking with a 2 bird limit when so many states are decreasing? Kansas and Oklahoma has gone to 1 and AR is cocky enough to think we have a better population than them!?

There isn't science to support dropping the limit to 1. Luckily, not all state game and fish agencies cave to political and/or social pressure when it comes to setting game and fish regulations. Some still try to stick to the science.

Kansas is following their turkey management plan their biologists created over a decade ago. As the population decreased they hit the triggers in the management plan to begin reducing harvest. They would've done it years ago except for the political pressure of our commussion. For roughly 5 years the biologist has recommended closing the fall season. We have one commissioner that is a big fall hunter and he fights at every turn. They vote on it for this year the 27th of this month and I am told there may be enough commissioners to override him.

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[quavers59]

   I agree with Paulmyr. I have been reading about the Huge Army of Arkansas Turkey Killers descending on Mississippi  Public Lands like Locusts.
    TG- I see no Arkansas  Plates up in New Jersey. Many Zones are already sold out anyway.