With population down , when do you think they will shorten, close some counties from turkey hunting?
State season
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TinyTucky
Active Member
I am not up to date with whatever the latest news is, but I’d imagine they’ll let the current regs ride as they are for a year or two and see if there is any population improvement. After that I can definitely see them eliminating taking hens in the fall, or getting rid of the fall season altogether. I’m sure decreasing limits will help, but I think another serious consideration they need to look at is what I personally think is a bigger problem, and that is what’s eating the turkeys, their poults and eggs. The serious increase in bobcat populations down south surely isn’t helping turkeys, nor are fur prices being so low that no one fuggs with trapping yotes, coons, foxes, etc. I am no tHuNdEr ChIcKeN expert, but those are my thoughts.
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Not sure what they'll do. The popularity of turkey hunting has really exploded in the last 15 years. When Alex and I hunted Clark county we never saw another hunter and would rarely hear a shot. The last 4 years there are people everywhere. The strange thing is the harvest was still only 21 birds. It's been between 15-21 forever and Alex and I always accounted for 2-3 of those from different spots and we would always leave a tom or make in there to populate
If you look at the below report you can see that around 2000 the number of permits sold jumped from an average of around 7-12k to 50-70k until present time. The number of birds killed jumped also and has been somewhere in the 17-20k range. The population simply can't sustain a 20k harvest and continue growing. The chart shows steady growth until about the year 2,000 where it sort of levels off in average.
I think the state needs to do a couple things that Ky has done. Prohibit the shooting of birds with less than 6 inch beards, and no pre season calling. I don't think the latter will help much, I just hate those fucking people.
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If you look at the below report you can see that around 2000 the number of permits sold jumped from an average of around 7-12k to 50-70k until present time. The number of birds killed jumped also and has been somewhere in the 17-20k range. The population simply can't sustain a 20k harvest and continue growing. The chart shows steady growth until about the year 2,000 where it sort of levels off in average.
I think the state needs to do a couple things that Ky has done. Prohibit the shooting of birds with less than 6 inch beards, and no pre season calling. I don't think the latter will help much, I just hate those fucking people.
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I'm not a great turkey hunter so take that as my bias but how really can you tell the lengthy of a beard that accurately?Not sure what they'll do. The popularity of turkey hunting has really exploded in the last 15 years. When Alex and I hunted Clark county we never saw another hunter and would rarely hear a shot. The last 4 years there are people everywhere. The strange thing is the harvest was still only 21 birds. It's been between 15-21 forever and Alex and I always accounted for 2-3 of those from different spots and we would always leave a tom or make in there to populate
If you look at the below report you can see that around 2000 the number of permits sold jumped from an average of around 7-12k to 50-70k until present time. The number of birds killed jumped also and has been somewhere in the 17-20k range. The population simply can't sustain a 20k harvest and continue growing. The chart shows steady growth until about the year 2,000 where it sort of levels off in average.
I think the state needs to do a couple things that Ky has done. Prohibit the shooting of birds with less than 6 inch beards, and no pre season calling. I don't think the latter will help much, I just hate those fucking people.
TinyTucky
Active Member
Especially because my 6” is 2” to everyone else…
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That's kind of the intent. It makes people become really selective and they have to look a bird over before shooting. I misspoke, it's not KY it's Mississippi with the no Jakes rule. The average adult bird has a 9-10 inch beard. Most jakes are 2-4 inches. So if it's not a bird with a beard obviously over 6 inches, say 9-10, then you're not shooting it.
tss. shot stupid expensive, stupid long range. my buddy got his son a .410 turkey gun , with tss shoots 60 yards +
As an early adopter of it, it wasn't that expensive when it first came out. I think I paid $2-3 over a similar premium turkey load per box, during covid the price went stupid expensive I'll agree.
Now unless you're making the argument that it's too easy with the TSS, then let's get rid of everything but recurves for deer....