What is your state doing?

[Spitten and drummen]

The state of Ms is doing squat. Biggest problem across the nation is habitat management in my opinion. They want to chop down every hardwood tree and get it out of the way to plant quick growing pines. All about the dollar. I lease a timber companies land and they will not even allow controlled burning. They scalp the property , replant with pine and wont even control burn. In a few years it becomes a impenetrable  jungle. Creates fine habitat for all kinds of predators and people around here do not trap anymore. Our conservation here is a joke. What does the NWTF do? Offer more youth hunts and seminars , then have more banquets to replenish funds for the executives to maintain their lavish lifestyles. Makes my blood boil.

[James gang]

 Sounds like mo.  M.D.C. and N.W.T.F. both used to be great all they care about inow is the $$$

[hotspur]

Louisiana moved the season back another week. East Texas is going on a re stocking  spree with easterns they call super stocking

[MK M GOBL]

Here in WI they have replaced our DNR leaders by governor appointed positions, we no longer have the experts in wildlife management at the helm. These new "leaders" in most cases are not hunters, not wildlife educated and are easily swayed by public opinion (not hunters, but the non-hunting public) and instead of using sound wildlife management practices they come up with some new "rules" that make no sense at all... So the latest is the "number of Gun Deer license sales are down", their fix is to have bowhunters buy a gun license to hunt in the month of November with your bow, yup I'd buy my bow license to hunt Oct and Dec. but if I want to hunt Nov. I need a gun license to bow hunt... They don't look at the real reason for the decline in sales, they don't look for the real issue and solution. This has not been set to law yet and is just a proposal, but they come with some "ideas". We used to have Spring Hearings where our DNR would listen to the public on topics, from spring hearings that would go to our Natural Resources Board and Wildlife Managers then a decision was made, now that decision is only a recommendation to these new appointed positions. Not a win for our State, Wildlife or Hunters.

MK M GOBL

[Tom Threetoes]

Isn't it strange that we the end users and the ones who pay the bills for this resource have little or no voice in how it's managed.

[Crghss]

FL hasn't done anything that I know of.

[Spitten and drummen]

Isn't it strange that we the end users and the ones who pay the bills for this resource have little or no voice in how it's managed.

Yep. Its suppose to be that elected officials were suppose to work for the people but somewhere along the way the role switched. Once they get in office they feel they know whats best for you and serve themselves.

[dirtnap]

The poaching might not be so bad this year they are putting more law in the woods afraid someone might take a crack at a pig

In Missouri, it is illegal to shoot a feral pig?  What is the logic behind that regulation?

In SC, they have changed the limit from 5 to 3.  Changed the season dates to a later opener in both zones.  Made it illegal to kill more than 1 a day.  You can now only kill 1 in the first 10 days of the season.  And they started charging for turkey tags.

I haven't heard anyone talking about how they liked the changes yet. 

[West Augusta]

West Virginia hasn't changed.  They don't open the season until most hens are on the nest.  It seems late but it keeps the population steady.  Been told, the state doesn't care if we kill turkeys, their job is to make sure we have turkeys to hunt. 

[Dtrkyman]

Illinois has outlawed shooting feral hogs as well, there are a few pockets of hogs in the state, no idea on that logic?

As far as turkey they do nothing, Pike county for example has a huge honey suckle issue, if you look at woods loaded with that garbage there is no where for a hen to nest!


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[Turkeytider]

It`s a tiny and relatively insignificant thing, but as individual hunters on our property we`ve limited ourselves to one bird per season. Only two of the four of us really hunt the 400 acres after the opening weekend. Personally, I`m going to try to be selective this year and will let birds I think are younger two year olds walk. I`ve not killed that many birds, but I`ve come to just enjoy the whole process and the woods more. Getting old!

[GobbleNut]

It`s a tiny and relatively insignificant thing, but as individual hunters on our property we`ve limited ourselves to one bird per season. Only two of the four of us really hunt the 400 acres after the opening weekend. Personally, I`m going to try to be selective this year and will let birds I think are younger two year olds walk. I`ve not killed that many birds, but I`ve come to just enjoy the whole process and the woods more. Getting old!

That is not a insignificant thing at all.  Good for you!  I can't understand hunters complaining about declines in turkey numbers on one hand and then turning around and complaining about decreases in bag limits and shortening (or modifying) seasons. 

I have said this before and I will say it again.  Being a good turkey hunter does not mean you have to shoot every gobbler you can.  Being a great turkey hunter includes being a conservationist, as well.  You want to hear more gobblers in the woods each spring?  Try leaving more of them out there.

That is not to say that factors such as habitat and predation problems don't need to be addressed, they do,...but when turkey numbers are declining, hunters have got to adjust their attitudes to help.

[Tomfoolery]

Just be glad y'all don't live in LA. Our population is disappearing quick and there's nothing happening to help. The hog population is out of control, they are trapping birds on some public land and moving them who knows where. It's to the point where you have to find and hunt 1 bird for the season. Along with all the other hunters. Theres one WMA that once had a very strong population just a few years ago. Haven't heard a gobble on it in the last 2 years.

[turkey harvester]

The poaching might not be so bad this year they are putting more law in the woods afraid someone might take a crack at a pig

In Missouri, it is illegal to shoot a feral pig?  What is the logic behind that regulation?

In SC, they have changed the limit from 5 to 3.  Changed the season dates to a later opener in both zones.  Made it illegal to kill more than 1 a day.  You can now only kill 1 in the first 10 days of the season.  And they started charging for turkey tags.

I haven't heard anyone talking about how they liked the changes yet.

Yes sir it is. They say hunters scatter the herds of pigs but the mdc is doing the same thing. Only problem is they're not killing the numbers hunters did. It's probably the stupidest thing mdc has done in a long time. I guess government bullets are different than our bullets. They know the population is down on turkeys but they still are raping the land of every tree they can get their paws on!! I think all they're worried about is their precious elk! At the rate their going the hogs are gonna completely take over. Glad I got to hunt Mo back when there were a lot of birds. But $5000 for killing an evasive animal just because they can't is absolutely ridiculous!!

[Tomfoolery]

Luckily we can shoot any pig we see, no limit. Only problem is we can only shoot them on WMAs during an open hunting season. Outside that can kill them year round on private property. Still doesn't make a dent. I know of a guy that killed 150 last year on his lease and theres more every year.