Harvesting hens

[bird]

To me I just don't see the enjoyment in shooting a hen turkey.  I look at it the same was as shooting a hen pheasant.  Just plain wrong!

[nannas guide]

The one thing that I can't remember seeing anything about was as the population increases and becomes more dense the greater chance for disease to have a dramatic affect on the population.
I am okay with hunting hens. I am old enough to remember when the turkey population was dramatically lower in Northwest PA. In fact I was 13 before I saw my first wild turkey. The population was not due to overhunting, killing of hens, predators, or disease, it was due to the fact that we didn't have the habitat to support them.
One of the things that I do know is that hunting a fall flock, breaking them up is a huge part of our turkey hunting heritage and I believe should be allowed to continue. Most birds killed in this manner of hunting are young jennies and if nature were to select a group out it would be a young bird.
Those of you that know your turkey hunting history know that a lot of states, hunter/conservationists, and biologists did not want to allow the practice of spring gobbler hunting because they felt it was an unfair advantage to do so and would have more of an adverse affect on the population then fall hen hunting.
Thankfully they allowed spring gobbler hunting to occur and hopefully they continue to allow fall turkey hunting to occur.
As the population goes down, so does hunter success and hunter passion. As the populations rise...

[redrivergar]

I try to respect everyone's opinion but it is called fall turkey season and not fall gobbler season. A hen has he same senses as a gobbler and are just as much a trophy to me with a bow or shotgun.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TrackeySauresRex]

I try to respect everyone's opinion but it is called fall turkey season and not fall gobbler season. A hen has he same senses as a gobbler and are just as much a trophy to me with a bow or shotgun.

X's-2..... And there Delicious  

[Old Gobbler]

I assure you all that there are not 250,000 turkeys in Florida

John

I can second that opinion , and its not 171,000 either probably closer to 60- 70,000 if that  and 80% of those turkeys reside well notrth of Orlando , north of the core of the Osceola subspecies   -

did you know..... that the total harvest for turkeys on WMA's for the state of Florida was .....705 turkeys - the whole state north and south - there is private but there is no way that they can make up for the habitat deficit   - in reality there is aprox. about 300 true Osceola's killed on WMA's in Florida -for comparison there is 2,200 breeding pairs of Bald Eagles in Florida  - shoot one of those and you will do federal time for sure


I wish were were in the position that some other states are , but we are definitely not , there just is no way to justify allowing people to shoot the breeding capacity of the future away - not going to say if it is wrong or right , there is a strong fall hunting of hens culture in parts of the country , just in Florida there is no way to biologically justify it  

[nannas guide]

Interesting bit of information Old Gobbler. So if i want to get an Osceola I will probably have to get one on private property.
I had a person tell me that getting a Florida turkey was the hardest to get.  (Probably not as hard as an Alaska turkey) I told him that we think PA birds are the smartest and hardest to get, but now I think I understand his point.
I wonder what it would be like to be able to shoot 4, 5, or 6 gobblers in a season like some states. Never happen in PA. To many hunters/game.

[Old Gobbler]

Interesting bit of information Old Gobbler. So if i want to get an Osceola I will probably have to get one on private property.
I had a person tell me that getting a Florida turkey was the hardest to get.  (Probably not as hard as an Alaska turkey) I told him that we think PA birds are the smartest and hardest to get, but now I think I understand his point.
I wonder what it would be like to be able to shoot 4, 5, or 6 gobblers in a season like some states. Never happen in PA. To many hunters/game.

The success rate for public wma's is 5% -factor in the gas , liscence fees and expences - you will now figure out why that isn't the most poular route for most folks 

[guesswho]

The population has been stated at 110,000 for some years and has gone up a bit in the last 2 or 3 but you are right 171,000 is high also.

John

It was dark when I did my count, so some Owls may have been counted as turkeys.