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[El Pavo Grande]

Obvious solution - ban social media.  Won't happen for about a dozen reasons.  Next obvious solutions - shorter seasons and reduced limits - or maybe quota hunts. Don't want to hear any solution that doesn't include the word BAN your heads in the sand. Look at the writing on the wall. You've been dealt a losing hand.

I've lived the reduction in harvests..... shorter seasons, restrict jakes, no fall season.  It has done as designed, to reduce harvest.   Yet, our population continues to struggle in many areas of my state.  We have less turkeys, more turkey hunters, and probably a larger percentage of gobblers in the overall population being removed.  There needs to be a better long term plan, because the states that are just now adopting that philosophy could wake up in 10 years and have seen no improvement, or even a decrease, if other measures aren't taken. 

I think you have drawn the line with a fear of the word "ban", when in reality we have to set conservative guidelines or this ship is going to sink.  Where will it end?  The result will be continued loss of opportunity and loss of interest in the conservation of populations.   

Would you rather tweak some methods / tools and have a longer season, thus more opportunity to hunt?

OR

Roll on as is, with two possible scenarios:
1. Be on a limited draw, maybe lucky to hunt other year. 
2. Season length cut drastically.

I'd take more opportunity to hunt all day long.  If it comes down to it, I'd "ban" everything necessary with opportunity as the very last.  The sad thing is we can't police our own, because there is no limitation to what many would go to kill a turkey.  Baiting turkeys during season is on a drastic rise in my area, with several being caught and others sought after.  Why?  I'd say pressure in today's culture to show off a dead turkey. 

[Crghss]

Feel free to encroach on my spot guys!  (-43.9218052, 171.2380493)

Hopefully I make it there someday.....

[joey46]

Don't we all. And the  continues.

[bwhana]

Feel free to encroach on my spot guys!  (-43.9218052, 171.2380493)

Hopefully I make it there someday.....

I would too, that is about the center of the island, so it seemed like a good spot to claim.  I hope all die hard turkey hunters could have the opportunity to go there someday!

[eggshell]

Crghss,

I assume you know he posted the Geo location of my internet service provider to either be funny or for spite. Either way you won't find any turkey hunting secrets if you go to that IP address.

It doesn't matter, most of you know I am in southern Ohio. We're not exactly a destination spot for turkey hunting. We have birds just like thousands of other areas, some better some worse, mostly average. It does make my point why social media can be a dangerous and detrimental place. I would never under any circumstance post someone's personal location even if it's just a general region. However, if you want to come hunt that area, good luck if your hunting public you'll have lots of company.

[Crghss]

Crghss,

I assume you know he posted the Geo location of my internet service provider to either be funny or for spite. Either way you won't find any turkey hunting secrets if you go to that IP address.

It doesn't matter, most of you know I am in southern Ohio. We're not exactly a destination spot for turkey hunting. We have birds just like thousands of other areas, some better some worse, mostly average. It does make my point why social media can be a dangerous and detrimental place. I would never under any circumstance post someone's personal location even if it's just a general region. However, if you want to come hunt that area, good luck if your hunting public you'll have lots of company.

He put the Latitude and longitude for Geraldine, New Zealand.
Believe or not there are Merriam Turkey there.

I promise not to tell the YouTubers

[bwhana]

Crghss,

I assume you know he posted the Geo location of my internet service provider to either be funny or for spite. Either way you won't find any turkey hunting secrets if you go to that IP address.

It doesn't matter, most of you know I am in southern Ohio. We're not exactly a destination spot for turkey hunting. We have birds just like thousands of other areas, some better some worse, mostly average. It does make my point why social media can be a dangerous and detrimental place. I would never under any circumstance post someone's personal location even if it's just a general region. However, if you want to come hunt that area, good luck if your hunting public you'll have lots of company.

He put the Latitude and longitude for Geraldine, New Zealand.
Believe or not there are Merriam Turkey there.

I promise not to tell the YouTubers

Bingo!

[eggshell]

Ok Now I have egg on my face. I searched those coordinates as an IP and it came back to a local server. I owe you an apology bwhanna. I'm man enough to admit I made a mistake, I'm sorry. I wondered how you got that through a proxy VPN and I have no idea why it warned me someone had accessed my location. Still if you ever come to southern Ohio, good luck.

[Old Gobbler]

The forum and it's upkeep have zero to do with "cabin fever season '

[joey46]

I have multiple gps locations for southern Ohio(mostly Meigs County) in my Garmin and guessed there was something funny going on.  The app I use to map coordinates while stealing spots and cyber scouting wouldn't take the 171 latitude.
Since New Zealand is on the other side of the equator our winter is their spring. The old NWTF forum had a few guys that did hunt it for Merriams. One long plane ride. I'll bet there's a New Zealand turkey hunt somewhere on social media. If so New Zealand  doomed for some future bannings

[eggshell]

Yep Joey, I relize that now. I should have used google earth. I feel pretty silly, but that feeling becomes a lot more familar in my old age. I'll take my beating with humility and keep on with more caution. My coordinates are an hour or two from yours, but not that far. I truly hate when I let my emotions over rule common sense and due dilgence, but it happens. I hope bwhanah will foregive me.

[joey46]

I'll bet he will.  The amount of back and forth banter in this thread is almost a record setter. Almost afraid to post anything with even a hint of sarcasm.  I don't really use my GPS to mark other's spots.  The OnX app will take care of that.

If there was one surprise it was how many are happy to throw another legal hunter's style and methods under the bus.  Key word here is LEGAL. 
If I remember correctly OHIO 2023/24 regulations are publized August 1st.  Curious if the turkey limit will remain at one and if any non-res restrictions are added to appease the vocal activist.  I'm betting it will be harder to reverse a regulation than it was to implement one. We will see. Good luck.

[eggshell]

If I remember correctly OHIO 2023/24 regulations are publized August 1st.  Curious if the turkey limit will remain at one and if any non-res restrictions are added to appease the vocal activist.  I'm betting it will be harder to reverse a regulation than it was to implement one. We will see. Good luck.

You got that exactly right. I worked in the system and I still never figured out why it was so difficult to change things. The trouble is that rule making  and regulatory proposals go through so many reviews and not all of them are by the Wildlife managers. So you find a reluctance to go undo something when you know someone is going to challenge why you done it in the first place if it wasn't necessary. That and human nature just hates being wrong. The limit is still 1 bearded birds for 2024 and still 4 weeks. Personally I'm in your camp, just make the season shorter, two to three weeks is enough. That would effect the harvest way more than the limit reduction. They did reduce the fall season to 4 weeks from 6 weeks. I'd like to see it at 2-3 at the most. The die hard turkey hunters would still get their birds and be happy. Almost all the regular guys I know that annually tag out do it in the first 10 days of season whether that's 1 or two birds. Now they hunt and pass birds until they see what they want. The limit of one does save jakes as most guys forego shooting jakes with a 1 bird limit. I think this hurts the flock as more mature breeders and dominate birds are being killed.

[joey46]

There is an episode on the Meateater series on YouTube that agrees completely that the current No Jake theory is not really such a good idea or a necessary one. Involves an old time retired biologist from SC.  Worth watching for some to get an alternate opinion. The new breed here seems firmly in the Zero Jake camp.

[Greg Massey]

Everyone is entitled to opinions, but may not have the same views as you do of people / hunters or the forum in general. IMO