Fall opener tomorrow.....

[Yoder409]

....and I ain't goin' out.

A couple days ago I got the FIRST trailcam pics of a flock of birds since about the 3rd week of May.

I actually saw the birds when I was pulling cards.

I can't, in good conscience, go out and fill my tag with 11% of the birds on our property.  Maybe, if more show up before the season closes.....   But, as for now, I ain't doin' it.

[GobbleNut]

Kudos to you for evaluating your circumstances and making the choice to conserve your birds rather than giving in to the desire to shoot one just because you can lawfully do so.  Of course, there are plenty of places where shooting a fall turkey will have no impact on the status of a flock of birds, but each of us needs to have the restraint to not pull the trigger when it is wise not to do so.  Good game management is not just for those that do it as a profession.

[Yoder409]

If a big flock moves in before season goes out, I may re-evaluate.

My brother LOVES to fall hunt.  Me ??  Meh.....

If we both tag birds, we've eliminated over 20% of the birds that are currently on a, nearly, 500 acre tract.

I ain't doin' it.

I WILL be putting out some coon and coyote sets in the near future, though.

I can't just be a "taker" of the turkey.  I feel I need to give back when and where I can.

[eggshell]

I found myself in the same circumstance on the family farm, but I knew areas just a short drive away that had plenty of birds. I just drove a little extra killed my fall bird where there was plenty to spare.

In reality, harvesting a bird from a farm that is experiencing a severe decline will most likely mean nothing to sustaining the flock. It's doubtful that hunting plays much if any role in the decline. Until the problem is diagnosed and fixed you will see the flock struggle, whether you hunt it or not. However, it makes us feel better to exercise a little restraint and not harvest a bird from a declining flock. I watched this scenario with ruffed grouse several years ago. We shut down all hunting for grouse and tried to improve habitat and they still disappeared. I have not seen a grouse on the property in several years, stopping the hunting yielded nothing.

[GobbleNut]

Although I agree entirely with the premise that science-based, regulated hunting, either fall or spring, is not a factor in turkey population declines, I also subscribe to the theory that killing a turkey pretty much ensures that that turkey will not be a participant in the future recovery of a struggling flock.

In those situations, each of us has to make the decision as to whether killing a turkey is more important than taking the chance that that bird might be one that helps that declining population recover in the long run.  In summation, evaluate your circumstances objectively, consider whether it is really THAT important to shoot a turkey, and then choose wisely.   



 

[Yoder409]

Egg and Nut....

Well-worded posts.  Both.

[eggshell]

Dang, There's Gobblenut throwing common sense in the pot. I agree, but I also wanted to make the point that hunting alone was not a problem nor a fix