Why seasons should start later.

[fallhnt]

Ban spring hunting.  Limit 1 fall longbeard.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[Spurs Up]

Ban spring hunting.  Limit 1 fall longbeard.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

  What took you so long? 

[DP42912]

For one thing, disease may be a factor when turkeys congregate around deer feeders.  With all "hunters", the participants have to answer the question, "am I a hunter, or a master baiter".

Lol

Turkeys come to bait and get shot/poached by deer hunters. Corn is tainted with aflatoxin. Kills said turkey. There is very little difference in habitat types/predators between the 3 states. The correct reason our population is so low, I don't know. I do know the corn baiting is different. Is it a major cause? Don't know. I do know opening the season later and not shooting bearded hens is not going to help much if any. They already tried opening the season later years ago and it didn't change anything.

10-4 never heard of such...

[5arraquiver]

Turkeys come to bait and get shot/poached by deer hunters. Corn is tainted with aflatoxin. Kills said turkey. There is very little difference in habitat types/predators between the 3 states. The correct reason our population is so low, I don't know. I do know the corn baiting is different. Is it a major cause? Don't know. I do know opening the season later and not shooting bearded hens is not going to help much if any. They already tried opening the season later years ago and it didn't change anything.

I will say that I absolutely oppose baiting for turkeys. I know from my own observations in Kansas, that the turkey population has decreased in relation to the popularity of baiting. The amount of feeders out in turkey country is sickening. I will say that I think it's primarily related to baiting during the seer season. I think this has changed wintering patterns and kept turkeys flocked up longer than normal due to the easy availability of food. Then you have deer hunters shoot a lot of turkeys and one of the worst contributors to the problem is the outfitter who has a small parcel of good ground and an industrial feeder that concentrates the turkeys and allows for over harvesting in that area. Many other negative issues as well. I'd love to see kansas set up like Missouri for baiting laws and no evening roost hunting. 

[dzsmith]

The primary problem is that are too many hunters, many who have invented some novel methods in their quest for the birds. But is always primarily just their presence that creates the problems of both the turkey hunter and the turkeys.  It will probably take near extinction to reduce hunter numbers signiificantly.  This is the reality of the sport.  As the old man who started me out said, "Keep your mouth shut, there ain't enough turkeys for everybody."

I agree 100%...if it took moving the season forward I would be in support of it ...however, I personally think our season starts at a good time as ive seen many years like this one where come april first its all down hill very fast and very hard to find a bird. The first 2 weeks have been more excellent to me than not. Ive seen years where hens were sitting on nests opening week on more than one occasion. Our biggest problem in ms is too many hunters period....too many. that's all there is to it. too many non res in the early season coupled with one of the largest turkey hunter populations in the nations just doesn't coincide with the turkeys. Moving the season forward would definelty alleviate some of the oosers, but we would still have too many hunters. Perhaps a combination of bag limit reduction and moving the season forward would be the trick. I don't know, but we have to do something. I hate to say it...but it may get to the point where turkey hunting has to be a draw tag period. That would suck very bad....but if that's what it takes, then that's what it takes. we aren't to that point yet...but its not out of the ball park.

[Spitten and drummen]

  I bet all those cornfields in the midwest is killing those birds with poison corn and diseases. I cant stand baiting but I personally do not believe thats whats decreasing populations. I am a Mississippi lifetime resident born and raised there and agree that its too many hunters now also due to the non residents showing up in truckloads because our season starts weeks before theirs. Thats why I laugh when folks say the hunter numbers are low and we need hunter recruitment. Your state may show that but I will bet you a dollar to a dime thats not the case here.

[dzsmith]

  I bet all those cornfields in the midwest is killing those birds with poison corn and diseases. I cant stand baiting but I personally do not believe thats whats decreasing populations. I am a Mississippi lifetime resident born and raised there and agree that its too many hunters now also due to the non residents showing up in truckloads because our season starts weeks before theirs. Thats why I laugh when folks say the hunter numbers are low and we need hunter recruitment. Your state may show that but I will bet you a dollar to a dime thats not the case here.

a man would be a fool to bet money against that. When every gate in 5 miles has a truck or 2 or 3 parked at it...thats too many hunters. There are more people attempting to harvest birds than there are birds harvested. that could be normal...but not when that number is multi fold. We dont need hunter recruitment...we need the opposite. I know the point in the article was you dont have to limit out every year...i agree...but if the hunting pressure is that high...you dont need as many hunters. if you are in a deer camp with 5000 acres, and only about 1500 of that is turkey woods why do you need 25 members turkey hunting that...it doesnt make since but that is the unfortuante norm these days. regulating hunters is far far harder than manipulating the rules/laws and the habitat.

[Happy]

For one thing, disease may be a factor when turkeys congregate around deer feeders.  With all "hunters", the participants have to answer the question, "am I a hunter, or a master baiter".

We got a lot of the latter here in my neck of the woods.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[turkey_slayer]

I think the seasons could stay the same but they would have to do away with the crutches. Never was a problem before but to easy for people to kill one now. If you keep the crutches then yeah a lot of states should push the season back 2 weeks

[wchadw]

I think the seasons could stay the same but they would have to do away with the crutches. Never was a problem before but to easy for people to kill one now. If you keep the crutches then yeah a lot of states should push the season back 2 weeks

Not sure about other states but a big part of the problem in MS is that the season opens at least 2 weeks (youth is usually 3 weeks) or more before all the surrounding states so hunters from TN, LA and AL all come over to hunt.  There is no restriction for out of state hunters and the license is like $10? more than if you are in state.  Bag limit here is 3 across the board which i think is fine.  Youth season starts March 7 which the birds are usually still flocked up until close to send of March.

I'm lucky that i have a private spot to hunt and can trap predators and "manage" my turkey population by not killing too many mature birds, especially if there is years where their is bad polt production but the public land folks don't have that luxury.  I have seen and heard about out of staters gettng hassled in MS and i am certainly not condoning that kind of activity but i think a big part of it is due to the flood of out of state hunters especially in first couple of weeks.  the numbers in MS are suffering mainly in my opinion to over harvesting due to too many hunters and those that do not abide to the 3 gobbler limit.

[GobbleNut]

Turkeys come to bait and get shot/poached by deer hunters. Corn is tainted with aflatoxin. Kills said turkey.

Over the years, I have read the occasional report about commercial feed products (corn and others) possibly containing toxins/chemicals that could be harmful to turkeys/wildlife.  It seems odd to me that if this was a widespread issue that the use of these products in feeders and such would have been prohibited by now. 

At this point in time, surely this has been investigated by wildlife managers.  One can only assume that it has not been shown to be a significant mortality factor in wild turkey populations in general.  It would be interesting to see how much effort has been spent by professionals in evaluating this concern.

[wchadw]

Turkeys come to bait and get shot/poached by deer hunters. Corn is tainted with aflatoxin. Kills said turkey.

Over the years, I have read the occasional report about commercial feed products (corn and others) possibly containing toxins/chemicals that could be harmful to turkeys/wildlife.  It seems odd to me that if this was a widespread issue that the use of these products in feeders and such would have been prohibited by now. 

At this point in time, surely this has been investigated by wildlife managers.  One can only assume that it has not been shown to be a significant mortality factor in wild turkey populations in general.  It would be interesting to see how much effort has been spent by professionals in evaluating this concern.

Feeding deer from feeders is legal (for now) where i hunt.  if it was killing turkey or other wildlife would think i would be finding them especially during deer season when they are running.  only thing i have noticed with the deer feeders is the wild hogs getting fat.

[saverx]

Money has way more influence than what any biologist thinks. Quail are all but extinct in the south. States give it lip service but there is no money to be made in it. Deer and ducks makes the money in my state. When my state introduced CWD into the deer herd, they wanted to ban feeding to attempt to stop the spread. Deer hunters cried so loudly the state backed down. Insurance companies also lobby for baiting because they don't want to pay  when deer are hit by a car.  Aflatoxin is real and not located in a corn field. It is a fungus. Look it up. Corn is sold by the pallet and ton year around here. You can go to any grocery store or gas station in my area right now and buy " deer corn". Is it hurting the turkeys? I'm sure it is not helping.

[ElkTurkMan]

I wish a Mississippi season would not start until April 1.

I wish Georgia would do the same but I am not holding my breath.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk