Turkey Numbers

[zelmo1]

This is just my observations. I have seen less turkeys, in more hours scouting, than ever. The last 5 years have been a sharp decline. The last 10 years, I am at 52% sightings of 10 years ago. All you southern and midwestern guys know this story. I hope we can get ahead of this and learn from others mistakes but it doesn't look that way. I am blessed with the best spot I have ever hunted in 24 years and it is exclusive to my wife and I. The land around it is being gobbled up, no pn intended, and I fear the worst is coming. Good luck to all the turkeys/hunters out there. I am an upbeat guy, but the sky is turning gray up in the Northeast. I'm doing my small part by thinning the nest raiders and coyotes, bobcats are off limits here. Good luck and god bless, Z

[Tom007]

This is just my observations. I have seen less turkeys, in more hours scouting, than ever. The last 5 years have been a sharp decline. The last 10 years, I am at 52% sightings of 10 years ago. All you southern and midwestern guys know this story. I hope we can get ahead of this and learn from others mistakes but it doesn't look that way. I am blessed with the best spot I have ever hunted in 24 years and it is exclusive to my wife and I. The land around it is being gobbled up, no pn intended, and I fear the worst is coming. Good luck to all the turkeys/hunters out there. I am an upbeat guy, but the sky is turning gray up in the Northeast. I'm doing my small part by thinning the nest raiders and coyotes, bobcats are off limits here. Good luck and god bless, Z

Same here Z. If I didn't scout 20 + days, I would have little success as of late. Years ago, scouting wasn't as prevalent when there were more birds. Good news is Saturday I saw a hen with 10 poults. Most I've ever seen. Hopefully the majority make it, but we know that's a slim possibility. Hopefully the trend of the past 2 winters here continues, as I have seen a minuscule improvement over last year. The poult sighting gave me positive hope....

[Happy]

Sign of the times, and I fear it isn't going to be getting much better with the current climate on turkey hunting. By all means, predator control is a must. However, I think it's high time we control ourselves as well. Hunt for the love of it. There is nothing wrong with letting a few walk every year. I believe it's also a good idea to spread your kills out over a large area if possible. Leave a few for next year. I just wish it was more about turkey hunting these days and not attention hunting.

Good-looking and Platinum level member of the Elitist club

[mdmitchell]

I feel your sentiment completely. Some days I feel as if this sport will be gone in a decade but I try not to let that pessimism overwhelm me.

Let's face it, turkey numbers are down. But how far down? Is this the new norm? Or are we still sliding? Who's to really say.

I think as turkey hunters, we need to limit ourselves and limit the amount of "recruiting" we're doing. Everyone thinks they're doing gods work by introducing someone to the sport but let's face it - it's crowded, too crowded. Get your kids into the sport, but maybe pass on helping the neighbors uncles kids son.... I know that sounds selfish but YouTube and the THP crowd are doing their damndest without you to destroy our opportunities and access. They just rolled through my local national forest and said "it was the worst pressure they've ever seen" - and they helped create it.

I for one would love to start seeing non resident draws. And I'm saying that as a non resident. That would slow all this super slam, glory chasing non sense and allow the local national forest to still maintain a level of respectability for residents.

I know there's trapping and habitat work and all that and it's great, 1000000% support it. But I'm more concerned about the general direction of this sport with glory chasing, reaping, Jake harvest, bearded hen harvest, full strut decoys, ground blinds, and all these means that are killing birds that for me - would be unkillable. I will not even torture myself hunting field birds because it's not a hunt. I don't use decoys, blinds or any of that $hit. So I would view those birds as ones left for next year but anymore I think someone's gonna use some cheap  method to kill that bird. And it shows... I hardly ever see birds in fields anymore. 10 years ago there were 2-3 strutters in every unsprayed ag field.

Anyways - I'm ranting. I wish I knew a solution or what the future holds because I have my 8 year old boy I'm taking out for the first time next year and it breaks my heart knowing he might not have the same opportunity I was afforded at a young age.