Bag Limits

[GobbleNut]

The comments on the changes Oklahoma got me to thinking about how folks feel about bag limits in general.  The OK regulation that establishes a one-bird-per-county spring limit (3 total per season) seems like a reasonable idea.  This allows hunting opportunity while spreading out hunting pressure.  It also, in effect, eliminates hunters shooting multiple birds at one time, which has always been a pet peeve of mine.

I have never been able to understand why anyone would want to use up multiple tags in one set-up by shooting more than one if multiple gobblers came in.  To me, that is just a waste of a precious resource, as well as the loss of a future hunting opportunity.  For years I/we lobbied for a two-bird spring limit in New Mexico and it took years to get it.  As part of that struggle, I/we also wanted a one-bird-a-day limit as well.  Never got that one,...and every time I hear somebody say "I called two gobblers in and shot them both" I just grit my teeth.  Here's an idea: if you need more turkey meat, shoot one bird at a time,...and then go buy the second one at your grocery store!

Take Texas as a great example,...a four-bird limit and you can just mow 'em down if you want.  What a waste of our wild turkey resource in allowing that,...and to add insult to injury, you can shoot them over bait!  Having hunted TX a few times, I can tell you it ain't no big deal to be able to shoot 2,3, or even 4 birds in a single set-up.  I have watched groups of gobblers walk off without firing a shot because I knew I would kill two or more gobblers if I did.  Why do that?!

Turkey hunting is not about a body count, folks.  It is about the hunting experience!  Wherever you hunt, and especially in places where turkey populations are struggling, use a little restraint and protect the resource!

...At least that's the view from here... 

[Spurs Up]

If present trends across the country continue and spillover in the west, where it's almost all public land, I won't be surprised if you get your wish for 1 gobbler per year. And then what do you do after that if numbers of turkey hunters continue to increase, turkey populations decline, and hunting lands are lost?  How do you divvy it up then?  Make it residents only?  Short seasons?  Limit gear?  Make it all drawing?  Get to hunt only every other year?  That day is coming...

[ChesterCopperpot]

I think one thing you do is self impose bag limits. If the state allows four birds but I know that the area I hunt can't support that given the pressure and population then I don't kill four birds. Same thing happens with deer for me. North Carolina allows four does and two bucks but in the area I live in where deer are just starting to rebound in population I could not in good conscience take six deer out of that population. If everyone killed their six our population would disappear in a season. So what I'm getting at is that when what you're seeing in the woods where you live and hunt isn't matching up to the state limits then I think for me I feel an obligation to self impose the limit that I think is more sustainable. And some years that may very well be none. Given the past four years of spring flooding here in the mountains our turkeys are at a low I haven't seen in decades. For me my value of the resource outweighs my desire to take. But that's a personal choice.

[LaLongbeard]

Turkey hunting is not about a body count, folks.  It is about the hunting experience!  Wherever you hunt, and especially in places where turkey populations are struggling, use a little restraint and protect the resource!

Yea but then you wouldn't have  the hero pics for Facebook and the "look  what I did, season recap, we went to such and such " posts on every single hunting forum. What I really enjoy is when the same person posts the same story on the only two turkey hunting forums lol. It's the same people on both forums how much attention do you need ?

[Tom007]

I believe in self imposing limits. I know my rule is never take more than one bird out of an area. Been working good for me, it allows area to have gobblers each year to enjoy. If you take more than one gobbler, spread out your Hunting range. It will and does pay off. It is possible to "shoot out" an area if your not careful. Be safe....

[Mossberg90MN]

I know my state has a 1 bird limit. It does suck to only be able to get 1, but it keeps the hunting great and the bird population really good.

If that's the price to pay for a healthy bird population and great hunting, I'll take it.

I do agree that some states definitely are to lax with bag limits.


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[rakkin6]

Where I hunt it is a 2 bird limit for spring, which is about right. It used to be 4 birds and they dropped it down to 2 about 4 years ago now. Has far has deer go we have an overabundance here and are allowed 3 does a day. They way I self impose is never kill more than me and my wife can eat from the end of the season to the begining of the following season. I may kill a couple extra and give to Hunters for the Hungry foundation for needy soldiers and families on Fort Campbell and in Clarksville.

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[Tom007]

Good morals, great cause....wish everyone practiced that.

[Boykin Hollow]

in the state of Georgia it is three toms per season.  My preference would for it to be just two like it was when I first started hunting them back in the 70's

[bigbird]

How about limited hen harvesting or stopping that all together. I don't like hens being harvested period

[Sir-diealot]

How about limited hen harvesting or stopping that all together. I don't like hens being harvested period

I could not agree with you more, killing a hen is killing the future of the sport.

[Tom007]

X2, no hen harvesting.....

[guesswho]

I wish both Alabama (5) and Georgia (3) would reduce their limits.  In Georgia you can kill all three with one shot, which some people think is a big accomplishment, big whoop!!!  I'm all for filling tags (body count is a byproduct of that), I'm not much on the look at me photo ops, I do share with a few friends via texts.  I won't shoot more than one on a hunt, I won't even double with someone else.  One hunt, one bird at the most.   I county hop to avoid taking multiple birds from a general area.  If AL/Ga would reduce the limits it would save me a lot of driving and allow me to sleep a little more in the spring and give me more time to make fun of Gobblenut. 

[silvestris]

Me, I just sit and think about what the idiots who just had to introduce others to take up the sport are thinking now.

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

Plain and simple, we are killing too many turkeys.

I would personally like to see each state that allows multiple birds to be harvested in 1 day to suspend those regulations.  I would LOVE to see all states change their non-resident tag allowance to 1 per hunter.

I go hunting to hear turkeys gobble.  Quality hunts with plenty of birds heard will always trump hunts where I only heard one and killed one.

I love killing turkeys as much as anyone but we need to start encouraging state agencies to act in the best interest of the birds and the best interest of the birds is fewer being killed with higher annual carryover.