What are your thoughts on harvesting hens? This is not a question about wether it should be legal or not. I'm asking in regards to how you think it can or cannot effect the population over a long period of time.
Not a big fan of killing hens. Hens=eggs=more poults= more gobblers=more longbeards for us to hunt. Yotes, coons, fox , possums eat enough eggs and poults, no need to kill the hens. In the area I hunt we started trapping coons and foxes a few years ago, I believe it greatly improved our turkey population, + it gave us something to do after deer firearms season.
I think it's pretty dumb considering the natural predation rates on turkeys and the susceptibility populations have to weather during the nesting period.
In my simple little, demented mind, regardless whether it's a good weather year or poor weather year:
More hens= more poults
Fewer hens= fewer poults
Nothing about it is intelligent.
I think you guys that are against killing hens are missing out on some very exciting and fun fall hunting.Busting up a flock of birds then trying to get one to come back in is a lot more fun than you can imagine.If the dnr thought it was harmful to the population the wouldnt have a season for them.
Quote from: earlybird on June 01, 2012, 08:15:35 PM
I think you guys that are against killing hens are missing out on some very exciting and fun fall hunting.Busting up a flock of birds then trying to get one to come back in is a lot more fun than you can imagine.If the dnr thought it was harmful to the population the wouldnt have a season for them.
No offense but politics effects DNR decisions as much as biologists. If a large enough segment of the voting poplulation wants something changed and puts pressure on their representatives, the representatives put pressure on DNR and it is done, whether biologists think it is wise or not. Insurance companies, equipment manufacturers, farmers coop's and many other organizations have lobbiests to pressure changes to DNR regulations. The commissioner of DNR afterall is a politician himself.
Here is my take. If there is a large population of turkeys, then taking hens is OK. If the POP is unstable or down there shouldn't be any hens taken. Where I live there needs to be some hens taken. We have too many hens. I know thats an oxymoron but I can show you videos of 150 turkeys where there are over 100 hens to 50 jakes/gobblers. It is not going to hurt our POP of turkeys to kill some hens. When I first started turkey hunting back in the early 80's you could kill 1 turkey either sex in the fall, a day, for a 30 day season. You could legally kill 30 hens in the fall each year. That is ignorant. You could wipe out a small flock of turkeys in 1 year. Now we can only kill 1 turkey in the fall either sex. We can kill 3 bearded turkeys in the spring and I think it could go to 4 or 5 and not hurt the turkey POP. We have so many turkeys they are showing up in residential areas and are consistently causing problems each year. So I say if you have they POP of turkeys to handle taking hens go ahead. If not leave them alone.
TRKYHTR
Quote from: earlybird on June 01, 2012, 08:15:35 PMI think you guys that are against killing hens are missing out on some very exciting and fun fall hunting.Busting up a flock of birds then trying to get one to come back in is a lot more fun than you can imagine.If the dnr thought it was harmful to the population the wouldnt have a season for them.
Ask some of the turkey hunters in states or regions of certain states that used to be over run with birds that now have mediocre to sparse populations how beneficial hen harvests have been......
I could careless how "fun" it is when it has direct implications on the population sustainability or abundance of turkeys within an area.
Simply, hens are baby turkey factories and no one can predict when a poor nesting year will rear it's head, nor can they predict how many successive poor nesting years an area could have. Given the uncertainty, why even consider allowing hunters to potentially destroy the resource we love?
I dont fall hunt but if I did I would still only hunt for longbeards.. I don't really even like hearing about killing of bearded hens, whats the point to killing a hen during nesting just because she's got a few "feathers" growing she's not supposed to
Dead hens lay no eggs.
Cali went from a fall limit of 30 hens to 1 hen, in one season. Anyone think they did that for a reason?
Huge flocks can mean nothing. They are birds, and disease/harsh weather is hard on birds. In Nebraska, a flock of 300 can dwindle to 100 in one winter. SE Kansas is still recovering from years of ice, blackhead, etc.
A few years ago, I watched hens dies in the -22F of SW Iowa. That area of Iowa has had a tough few seasons since then.
I kill hen ducks all the time, so I don't always practice what I preach.
But turks are different than ducks to me, I am no biologist, but I think a duck's brood survival rate is higher than the turkey's rate, which I think rarely goes above 2 poults per clutch making it past their first year...
mudhen
If you have a high turkey population, unless you live in a state i'm unfamiliar with that has a liberal, multibird either sex limit in the fall, your harvesting one or two hens among your buddies isnt going to do squat as far as findind gobblers not so tuff next spring. So he has eighteen hens instead of twenty? It just didnt amount to much did it, and as was said they are the turkey factories, capable of recruiting over a dozen new birds each year of which over half are gobbler poults per clutch. Targeting hens intentionally is senseless. On the rare occasions i still hunt them in the fall, i seek a young jake or a longbeard. The young jakes eat best. :) Light and infrequent hen harvest may not hurt your pops all other factors being equal, but i doubt you could ever prove it actually benefited you tangibly.
Wow! Very interesting opinions here. Hope none of you opposers have any direct influence on the so called politically influenced biologists allowing hen harvests. Joe, I'm with you bud. Hunting flat sucks when there are too many hens in an area.
I fall turkey hunt every year. I get into hen flocks with yearlings all the time. It's a very pleasant and educational experience hearing the kee kees and different sounds they make in the fall. That doesn't mean I have to shoot em. We shoot only redheads, even in the fall.
Quote from: mudhen on June 01, 2012, 10:13:01 PM
Dead hens lay no eggs.
Cali went from a fall limit of 30 hens to 1 hen, in one season. Anyone think they did that for a reason?
Huge flocks can mean nothing. They are birds, and disease/harsh weather is hard on birds. In Nebraska, a flock of 300 can dwindle to 100 in one winter. SE Kansas is still recovering from years of ice, blackhead, etc.
A few years ago, I watched hens dies in the -22F of SW Iowa. That area of Iowa has had a tough few seasons since then.
I kill hen ducks all the time, so I don't always practice what I preach.
But turks are different than ducks to me, I am no biologist, but I think a duck's brood survival rate is higher than the turkey's rate, which I think rarely goes above 2 poults per clutch making it past their first year...
mudhen
Your first statement, "dead hens lay no eggs", is what it is all about in my opinion, be it turkeys or waterfowl. I just do not shoot hens on purpose; period.
You can never have too many hens! Leave those hens alone!
I will shoot a hen in the fall with my bow. Maybe even two. They taste really great! According to the fall harvest in KY we didn't take too many. To each his own. I don't hunt just for sport.
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What do you hunt for then?? You can buy a turkey cheaper that you can kill one in the wild.
As far as hearing all the sounds the turkeys make during the fall, I can hear all the same fall sounds y'all do while I'm deer hunting. I'll never support the killing of hens or fall hunting.
Thankfully everyone is entitled to hunt for whatever they legally want to. I do agree that it would be much cheaper to stop hunting everything and just get beef, chicken, pork, and fish at wal mart.
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Not all of us prefer to buy our meat. Wild game makes up 50% or better of what my family eats. Hunting has always been about food on the table for me and never just about the sport. Anyone who hunts mainly for the joy is doing the animals a big injustice.
That being said, I do believe in practicing good management so that the animals are here for my children and grandchildren to enjoy.
Quote from: troutfisher13111 on June 02, 2012, 04:30:49 PM
Not all of us prefer to buy our meat. Wild game makes up 50% or better of what my family eats. Hunting has always been about food on the table for me and never just about the sport. Anyone who hunts mainly for the joy is doing the animals a big injustice.
That being said, I do believe in practicing good management so that the animals are here for my children and grandchildren to enjoy.
You and I are on the same page.
There are way too many variables at play to think Fall harvest of hens in those areas where there are Fall seasons is going to have that great of an impact on turkey numbers. Nesting conditions each Spring determines how many turkeys there will be and Mother Nature is a cruel ole wench sometimes.
The dead hens don't lay eggs argument is a catchy tag line and that's about it. Here's one with a little more validity: You can't stockpile turkeys.
Looks like i'm in the minority group on this subject.I will say this,like some of the others have said,certain states have a very high hen/gobbler ratio and that is why my own state of WV regulates this on a county to county basis according to harvest reports.Its just like any other type of wild game,you cant just harvest the males without keeping the females in check.If you just shot boar hogs or bucks what do you think would happen to those species.JMHO
Quote from: earlybird on June 02, 2012, 06:46:19 PM
Its just like any other type of wild game,you cant just harvest the males without keeping the females in check.If you just shot boar hogs or bucks what do you think would happen to those species.JMHO
I don't care one way or the other as far as shooting hens. I hunt Alabama and Georgia where we don't shoot hens and I can't imagine the Spring hunting getting any better by keeping the females in check. I live on the AL/Ga line and get eight tags between the two states. I'm not sure but I'd be willing to bet if both states had a fall season where you could shoot hens, I wouldn't be getting eight tags in the spring.
I thank hens need to be killed. Here in Wv we have a fall season u can take one bird. We try to fell a fall tag every year. I have a few spots I hunt every year the the gobblers r always hend up. I bow hunt the same spot and in the fall I get pics and see way to many hens I know some may be jakes to but sell there is a lot of them.
The only way that I will shoot a hen is in the fall with a bow... I want one for a decoy mount from a good friend of mine... won't cost anything but material.. that said... I don't want to shoot but one .. need all the little ones I can get..but the guys that shoot them legally is okay with me .. to each his own..
I like to hunt turkeys in the fall--but for me--its gobblers only--I have no interest in hens. But--if I did--I would kill one--not harvest it. I harvest stuff out of my garden.
My opinion only. Animals are born 50/50 male/female. I think if the population is near capacity of the land on a tough winter the harvest ratio should be 50/50. That said, I don't enjoy killing them.
Where I hunt the hens are in abundance. This being said I have no problem in taking a hen every other year. I dont think it hurts the population at all on our land. We still have a ton of turkeys.
The killing of bearded hens only aside, states that do not allow hens to be killed, rank the highest
in overall turkey numbers.
It's a fact, look it up.
HC
Quote from: Hardcore on June 03, 2012, 02:59:24 AM
The killing of bearded hens only aside, states that do not allow hens to be killed, rank the highest
in overall turkey numbers.
It's a fact, look it up.
HC
Imagine that..... Must be a coincidence
I think it depends on the population levels. Turkey numbers are down in the areas I have been hunting so I have no desire to shoot hens. A few years ago we were seeing flocks of 100 birds. Taking a few hens would not hurt. Game commission needs to monitor it and make sound biological decisions based on population levels . I hate shooting gobblers in the fall as I will not be able to hear them gobble next spring. Although I am not opposed to people doing whatever is legal.
Does anybody shoot doe's during deer season??? Same thing no?
Quote from: mikejd on June 03, 2012, 08:19:51 AM
Does anybody shoot doe's during deer season??? Same thing no?
glad someone mentioned that.geesh pa ranks up there with turkey population and we shoot hen's.with some pretty tough winters!
Quote from: mikejd on June 03, 2012, 08:19:51 AM
Does anybody shoot doe's during deer season??? Same thing no?
Mortality rates are much different between deer and turkeys.
Quote from: stinkpickle on June 03, 2012, 10:58:10 AM
Quote from: mikejd on June 03, 2012, 08:19:51 AM
Does anybody shoot doe's during deer season??? Same thing no?
Mortality rates are much different between deer and turkeys.
I don't agree with shooting so many does either, it is based more on consessions to insurance companies and farmer's coops than sound science, but that is a discussion for another time.
Coons, possums, crows don't eat deer eggs, They do however distroy many turkey nests. Poults are killed by hawks as well as larger predators. All it takes is widespread stormy weather at the end of the nesting season to wipe out a full year's recruitement of turkeys in an area, So no... it's not anywhere near the same thing.
Quote from: mikejd on June 03, 2012, 08:19:51 AM
Does anybody shoot doe's during deer season??? Same thing no?
I do, NY doesn't give out enough buck tags to feed my family.
Thank you Skeeterbait!! Our yankee friends just don't understand!
Quote from: Hardcore on June 03, 2012, 02:59:24 AM
The killing of bearded hens only aside, states that do not allow hens to be killed, rank the highest
in overall turkey numbers.
It's a fact, look it up.
HC
I'm not exactly sure which statistical formula you are using to make that argument, but according to the NWTF Top Ten States list, four of the top five as of 2009 allowed for the killing of hens in their Fall Seasons and 7 of the top ten.
I have hunted 5 of those top ten states and four of them allowed the killing of hens in the fall. But again, even that list is subjective. I have no idea how Alabama ranks number one above Texas, Kansas, and Missouri and I also have no idea how Nebraska didn't even make the list....and yes, I have hunted them all.
Quote from: Skeeterbait on June 03, 2012, 11:20:30 AM
Quote from: stinkpickle on June 03, 2012, 10:58:10 AM
Quote from: mikejd on June 03, 2012, 08:19:51 AM
Does anybody shoot doe's during deer season??? Same thing no?
Mortality rates are much different between deer and turkeys.
I don't agree with shooting so many does either, it is based more on consessions to insurance companies and farmer's coops than sound science, but that is a discussion for another time
I believe that's more of an opinion than fact. I have friends that work for the NY dec and have never heard of insurance companies or farmers playing part in the number of doe permits giving out.
As far as shooting hens, if its controlled I don't see it hurting the population much. Nature has its own ways of controlling things and any hens that might be shot during the fall could possibly keep others alive during the winter. A giving area can only support so much of any animal. I understand that natural disasters and the like can greatly lower a flock, but I bet the poult survival rate grows during the following years. Minus extreme situations, mother nature can take care of itself and our states environmental conservation departments do a pretty good job as well. If numbers get too low, harvest rates are adjusted.
Missouri has offered a fall season for over 30 years that I'm aware of, in most counties, but it has never really become popular, despite all the efforts of the Conservation Department to make it so, including increasing the number of open days and the reduction of tag price in comparison to Spring tags. I've never quite figured this one out. They seemingly go out of their way to try and increase the fall harvest, which includes hens, but have never budged from the two bird Spring limit, which consists almost entirely of gobblers (any bearded bird is legal). I haven't even purchased fall tags for the past few years, as I just don't enjoy the fall hunting as much, and if I did go, would target gobblers as I just get absolutely no "kick" out of shooting a hen.
I would support going to a three bird limit in the Spring, or a three bird limit per year, spring and fall combined, but I don't see that ever happening.
As for the issue of too many hens, I've hunted areas with few turkeys, and areas with many turkeys. For myself, it is more fun knowing there are lots of birds, even if a large percentage of those are hens. Every time I see a hen in the spring, I visualize a couple of two year old gobblers the year after next. Neill
Neill,
For my personal preferences, I would trade a Missouri Fall season for being able to take three in the Spring in a heartbeat.
But we both know that is never going to happen. Also, don't forget about the one bird/first week restriction in the Spring versus the two birds any time allowed in the fall or......killing four legally in one day in the Fall if you filled both shotgun and archery tags in the same day. Try to figure that one out.
But...I will stick to my guns in this argument that killing hens in the fall will have no significant impact on turkey numbers.
I totally agree that killing hens can have a negative impact on populations. I really disagree with high bag limits in the fall. But in KY fall turkey just doesn't see the amount of pressure that spring does. I don't feel bad about killing a fall hen in a high population area. If there was a poor hatch or some other issue I would give it a rest. Busting up a flock and calling birds back in is a blast, but hunters and wild life departments have to be cognizant of turkey numbers and set season and limits accordingly.
I'll kill hens all day long during the Fall here in Ky. If it's legal I'll shoot it. I mostly take them with a bow in the Fall.
Quote from: Kylongspur88 on June 03, 2012, 04:11:40 PMBut in KY fall turkey just doesn't see the amount of pressure that spring does.
This is key. DEC knows this and that's why there are the bag limits that exist. If everyone started fall hunting and shooting hens, my guess is the bag limits and seasons would change. Expected hunter participation is part of how the DEC sets its rules.
I have no problem taking a fall hen here in NC Pennsylvania. Fall turkey hunting has a long tradition here.
POPULATION ESTIMATES via Turkey and Turkey Hunting 2011 Spring Turkey hunting Guide
1.Texas
pop:600,000
fall hunting:yes,varies by county.
all seasons combined limit of 4,all of which can be of either sex in the fall.
2.Alabama
pop:500,000
fall hunting:no
3.Missouri
pop:460,000
fall hunting:yes,1 bird either sex.
4.Pennsylvania
pop:335,000
fall hunting:yes,1 bird either sex.
5.Wisconsin
pop:320,000
fall hunting:yes,1 fall turkey either sex in all counties.
leftover permits sold on first come first basis on leftover permits.
6.Georgia
pop:300,000
fall hunting:no
7.Tennessee
pop:300,000
fall hunting:yes,bag limit varies by county,with up to 6 permits
good for either sex in certain counties.
8.New York
pop:250,000
fall hunting:yes,either sex,bag limit varies by county.
9.Florida
pop:250,000
fall hunting:yes,bag limit of 2,both of which must be bearded.
10.California
pop:240,000
fall hunting:yes,1 either sex.
2010 SPRING HARVEST ESTIMATES
1.Wisconsin-47,539 fall season,yes
2.Pennsylvania-42,763 fall season,yes
3.Missouri-42,253 fall season,yes
4.Michigan-41,000 fall season,yes
5.Oklahoma-37,407 fall season,yes
6.Tennessee-36,781 fall season,yes
7.Alabama-36,600 fall season,no
8.Kentucky-36,094 fall season,yes
9.Kansas-33,350 fall season,yes
10.Georgia-27,323 fall season,no
IM not typeing any more LOLOLOL :z-dizzy:
Key word being estimates. A couple questions I'd like to know the answer to.
1. Who counts all these turkey's and how?
2. When do they count them? A big difference in populations in April vs. say October, do all the states estimate at the same time?
3. How do you track number of birds killed with out a tagging system? Like AL/GA.
There's no way of knowing how many turkeys are in a certain county, let alone a whole state.
Again I don't care one way or the other about killing hen's, I'm not shooting hens even if we had a fall season, but if anyone want's to, then have fun. But to say shooting hen's won't effect the population is wishful thinking. I need to figure out how to apply that logic to my bank accounts. Maybe if I only spent dollar bills and coins it wouldn't effect my balance.
Timb,
Thanks for going through the trouble to get more up to date information. Reinforces the argument I was making in references to HC's claim that the top states did not allow the killing of hens.
Mebbe if all those states that don't shoot hens would start, then they could make the top 10 list as well. :goofball:
Because a manageable number of birds killed means fewer birds to die to other causes. There is only so much food and habitat available and it will only support so many animals. Hunters will kill so many birds and then mother nature will take care of the rest. What percentage of the total number that is removed from the population by hunters is up to us. Is it an exact science, no. But wild turkey are one of the biggest wild game comeback stories in history, so we must be doing something right.
Here is more food for thought. I will do more research as to where, but there is a state or two that is doing away with deer seasons and bag limits. You can shoot as many as you want and when you want. What they are finding is that it's having NO affect on the deer population. Not that I think turkey could withstand that.
The only way someone can compare it to a bank account is if you had to have a set amount in your account at the end of a giving month. And if whatever was over was removed, and whatever under was added. Then it's a fair comparison.
Quote from: troutfisher13111 on June 03, 2012, 08:08:48 PM
Because a manageable number of birds killed means fewer birds to die to other causes. There is only so much food and habitat available and it will only support so many animals. Hunters will kill so many birds and then mother nature will take care of the rest.
True! If said area is at it's maximum carrying capacity. Any surplus animals will die to predation or starvation. If an area is below the carrying capacity then there may be an issue.
When State agencies started their restocking programs how come they protected the females of the species longer than the males?
Quote from: troutfisher13111 on June 03, 2012, 08:08:48 PM
Here is more food for thought. I will do more research as to where, but there is a state or two that is doing away with deer seasons and bag limits. You can shoot as many as you want and when you want. What they are finding is that it's having NO affect on the deer population. Not that I think turkey could withstand that.
They probably have the same folks that are counting the turkey's counting the deer. No season or bag limits, and not effecting the population? :-\ I'd be interested in reading more about that. I know the few occasions that I do sit in the woods during deer season now vs. 15 years ago there is no comparison in deer sightings. I thought it was directly related to the increase of doe days from about ten a year to roughly a hundred plus. Maybe it's where I'm not as stealthy as I once was.
Ronnie, I'm not certain how they do it in other states, but here in MO, all turkeys, under penalty of law, must fill out their annual census forms. ;) Neill
Quote from: Neill_Prater on June 03, 2012, 08:31:40 PM
Ronnie, I'm not certain how they do it in other states, but here in MO, all turkeys, under penalty of law, must fill out their annual census forms. ;) Neill
What month? That will effect how your numbers will look to the public. ;D
Ok, some of y'alls opinions intrigue me. Not saying their right or wrong, I really don't know. But I have another question.
Yesterday while on my property in Alabama doing some work I saw a hen with seven poults. Also on the way home I saw another hen with at least two poults. Now if those two hens would have been killed last fall, would I have still seen 11 turkey's yesterday? Or would there be 11 more thats not here now be here to take their place?
Quote from: guesswho on June 03, 2012, 08:48:25 PM
Ok, some of y'alls opinions intrigue me. Not saying their right or wrong, I really don't know. But I have another question.
Yesterday while on my property in Alabama doing some work I saw a hen with seven poults. Also on the way home I saw another hen with at least two poults. Now if those two hens would have been killed last fall, would I have still seen 11 turkey's yesterday? Or would there be 11 more thats not here now be here to take their place?
Friday morning I took a drive and saw seven hens in three different places. 7 hens and 0 poults. Guess someone should have shot those seven worthless hens :angel9:
From what I have read, and average poult to hen ratio ranges from 1:1 to 2:1. I take that to mean that for every hen that has 8 poults, there are at least four hens that had zero, and that would be considered a really good reproductive year.
Quote from: guesswho on June 03, 2012, 08:48:25 PM
Ok, some of y'alls opinions intrigue me. Not saying their right or wrong, I really don't know. But I have another question.
Yesterday while on my property in Alabama doing some work I saw a hen with seven poults. Also on the way home I saw another hen with at least two poults. Now if those two hens would have been killed last fall, would I have still seen 11 turkey's yesterday? Or would there be 11 more thats not here now be here to take their place?
Ronnie, you're making too much sense. This is America, you just can't get logical with people anymore. It screws up their chi and they can't process it!
As far as Im concerned hens are sacred and shouldnt be touched.
These 2 guys are going to have a hard time servicing all these hens. I bet they'll have fun trying though.
TRKYHTR
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff214/trkyhtr/hens1-Copy.jpg)
I definitely believe you need a lot more hens than toms to have a healthy population. My argument is that you can kill a few hens without affecting the population. It has been stated that people just don't fall hunt like they do in the spring. I have a hard time believing that the DEC doesn't know this and take it into consideration.
I have enjoyed this debate as well. Always like hearing and learning new things.
Ya know what makes turkey hunting soooo great?
Is that we can have an intelligent discussion, 50+- guys posting, no bashing, good sportsmanship, some facts posted, some pics posted, etc.
THIS IS WHY I TURKEY HUNT ;D
I deer hunt, duck hunt, and some of those guys just don't get it.....
mudhen
I have killed a few hens when I was young and not many people turkey hunted back then. I will not shoot one at all anymore. I think anytime you kill a hen you hurt your turkey pop. and hurt it bad. I think there are to many things against the wild turkey now days with out us as hunters killing hens. I just think as a turkey hunter that likes to hunt for Spring and Fall gobblers that killing hens will hurt us in the long run and hurt the pop. of the wild turkey. I truly believe that killing hens along with all the other ways they get killed is hurting the wild turkey in the areas I hunt. The areas I hunt the turkeys are down (way down) and I think the only way for them to build back up is to let the hens walk.
:OGturkeyhead: :OGturkeyhead:
I'm with Mud Hen on this one. Leave the hens alone, just takes a bad winter, or a poor hatch to greatly reduce the number of birds we have. Lots of other hunting in the fall any way. Wyoming Fish and Wildlife desimated their Antelope herd in the mid 90"s by over selling doe tags, followed by several harsh winters. It still hasn't fully recovered.. Just my pov..
Quote from: mudhen on June 04, 2012, 12:58:44 PM
Ya know what makes turkey hunting soooo great?
Is that we can have an intelligent discussion, 50+- guys posting, no bashing, good sportsmanship, some facts posted, some pics posted, etc.
Now I will make up a bunch of crap to support my opinions and theories if need be. Might even be able to photo shop a picture or two to prove I know what I'm talking about. :laugh:
Ok, I counted and come up with some estimates
POPULATION ESTIMATES via Guesswho
1.Texas
pop:426,712
fall hunting:yes,varies by county.
all seasons combined limit of 4,all of which can be of either sex in the fall.
2.Alabama
pop:0 Unless you count Barnyard birds, then 629
fall hunting:no
3.Missouri
pop:410,215
fall hunting:yes,1 bird either sex.
4.Pennsylvania
pop:398,941
fall hunting:yes,1 bird either sex.
5.Wisconsin
pop:297,451
fall hunting:yes,1 fall turkey either sex in all counties.
leftover permits sold on first come first basis on leftover permits.
6.Georgia
pop: 6
fall hunting:no
7.Tennessee
pop:385,301
fall hunting:yes,bag limit varies by county,with up to 6 permits
good for either sex in certain counties.
8.New York
pop:226,395
fall hunting:yes,either sex,bag limit varies by county.
9.Florida
pop:172,490
fall hunting:yes,bag limit of 2,both of which must be bearded.
10.California
pop:365,918
fall hunting:yes,1 either sex.
2010 SPRING HARVEST ESTIMATES
1.Wisconsin-39,567 fall season,yes
2.Pennsylvania-46,893 fall season,yes
3.Missouri-39,630 fall season,yes
4.Michigan-44,591 fall season,yes
5.Oklahoma-35,620 fall season,yes
6.Tennessee-39481 fall season,yes
7.Alabama-0, unless you count barnyard birds, then 112,fall season,no
8.Kentucky-39,351 fall season,yes
9.Kansas-35,719 fall season,yes
10.Georgia- 2 fall season,no
Dammit! Now you've messed up my counts. I gotta start over. >:(
Ronnie
Glad to see you left out Va. cause I aint seen a bird for 7 years now. Can I hunt with you in Bama & Georgia next year & maybe we can get in on some of those heavyweight barnyard birds ?
vaturkey :funnyturkey:
Quote from: stinkpickle on June 04, 2012, 02:24:47 PM
Dammit! Now you've messed up my counts. I gotta start over. >:(
You should count them at night. Their easier to count on the limb, just like.........well you know.
Quote from: guesswho on June 04, 2012, 02:31:11 PM
Quote from: stinkpickle on June 04, 2012, 02:24:47 PM
Dammit! Now you've messed up my counts. I gotta start over. >:(
You should count them at night. Their easier to count on the limb, just like.........well you know.
Done! Anybody on here have a flashlight I can borrow? :D
Quote from: stinkpickle on June 04, 2012, 02:34:55 PM
Quote from: guesswho on June 04, 2012, 02:31:11 PM
Quote from: stinkpickle on June 04, 2012, 02:24:47 PM
Dammit! Now you've messed up my counts. I gotta start over. >:(
You should count them at night. Their easier to count on the limb, just like.........well you know.
Done! Anybody on here have a flashlight I can borrow? :D
ILIKEHEVI 13 DOES I THINK ! :icon_thumright:
Quote from: vaturkey on June 04, 2012, 02:36:39 PM
Quote from: stinkpickle on June 04, 2012, 02:34:55 PM
Quote from: guesswho on June 04, 2012, 02:31:11 PM
Quote from: stinkpickle on June 04, 2012, 02:24:47 PM
Dammit! Now you've messed up my counts. I gotta start over. >:(
You should count them at night. Their easier to count on the limb, just like.........well you know.
Done! Anybody on here have a flashlight I can borrow? :D
ILIKEHEVI 13 DOES I THINK ! :icon_thumright:
Indeed...but all of his can signal the international space station using just a watch battery. That seems like a little overkill for my census.
Gueswho,
I think you messed up on Geargia's count. How many barnyard birds did you kill in Georgia ? :TooFunny: :toothy12: :bike2: :OGani:
Quote from: stinkpickle on June 04, 2012, 02:34:55 PM
Quote from: guesswho on June 04, 2012, 02:31:11 PM
Quote from: stinkpickle on June 04, 2012, 02:24:47 PM
Dammit! Now you've messed up my counts. I gotta start over. >:(
You should count them at night. Their easier to count on the limb, just like.........well you know.
Done! Anybody on here have a flashlight I can borrow? :D
:icon_thumright:.
Brad C has enough flashlights for an entire army of limb counters.
Quote from: guesswho on June 04, 2012, 02:23:21 PM
2.Alabama
pop:0 Unless you count Barnyard birds, then 629
fall hunting:no
:icon_thumright:
Quote from: timbrhuntr on June 04, 2012, 02:42:08 PM
Gueswho,
I think you messed up on Geargia's count. How many barnyard birds did you kill in Georgia ? :TooFunny: :toothy12: :bike2: :OGani:
I ain't even seen a turkey in several years. I think someone shot all the hens and stomped on their eggs where I hunt.
lololol as far as im concerned,the year i had here in pa. there is no turk's.
2oz,
That sounds like a heck of good time i'll bring the beer. :z-guntootsmiley:
Quote from: 2ounce6s on June 05, 2012, 10:13:37 AM
Time to bug out. Seems I'm running afoul of the law. :funnyturkey:
:TooFunny: Nice work.
Quote from: Shotgun on June 03, 2012, 10:18:02 PM
As far as Im concerned hens are sacred and shouldnt be touched.
THIS!
To me I just don't see the enjoyment in shooting a hen turkey. I look at it the same was as shooting a hen pheasant. Just plain wrong!
The one thing that I can't remember seeing anything about was as the population increases and becomes more dense the greater chance for disease to have a dramatic affect on the population.
I am okay with hunting hens. I am old enough to remember when the turkey population was dramatically lower in Northwest PA. In fact I was 13 before I saw my first wild turkey. The population was not due to overhunting, killing of hens, predators, or disease, it was due to the fact that we didn't have the habitat to support them.
One of the things that I do know is that hunting a fall flock, breaking them up is a huge part of our turkey hunting heritage and I believe should be allowed to continue. Most birds killed in this manner of hunting are young jennies and if nature were to select a group out it would be a young bird.
Those of you that know your turkey hunting history know that a lot of states, hunter/conservationists, and biologists did not want to allow the practice of spring gobbler hunting because they felt it was an unfair advantage to do so and would have more of an adverse affect on the population then fall hen hunting.
Thankfully they allowed spring gobbler hunting to occur and hopefully they continue to allow fall turkey hunting to occur.
As the population goes down, so does hunter success and hunter passion. As the populations rise...
I try to respect everyone's opinion but it is called fall turkey season and not fall gobbler season. A hen has he same senses as a gobbler and are just as much a trophy to me with a bow or shotgun.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Quote from: redrivergar on June 05, 2012, 09:23:14 PM
I try to respect everyone's opinion but it is called fall turkey season and not fall gobbler season. A hen has he same senses as a gobbler and are just as much a trophy to me with a bow or shotgun.
X's-2..... And there Delicious ;D
Quote from: JohnDoe on June 04, 2012, 02:05:18 PM
I assure you all that there are not 250,000 turkeys in Florida
John
I can second that opinion , and its not 171,000 either probably closer to 60- 70,000 if that and 80% of those turkeys reside well notrth of Orlando , north of the core of the Osceola subspecies -
did you know..... that the total harvest for turkeys on WMA's for the state of Florida was .....705 turkeys - the whole state north and south - there is private but there is no way that they can make up for the habitat deficit - in reality there is aprox. about 300 true Osceola's killed on WMA's in Florida -for comparison there is 2,200 breeding pairs of Bald Eagles in Florida - shoot one of those and you will do federal time for sure
I wish were were in the position that some other states are , but we are definitely not , there just is no way to justify allowing people to shoot the breeding capacity of the future away - not going to say if it is wrong or right , there is a strong fall hunting of hens culture in parts of the country , just in Florida there is no way to biologically justify it
Interesting bit of information Old Gobbler. So if i want to get an Osceola I will probably have to get one on private property.
I had a person tell me that getting a Florida turkey was the hardest to get. (Probably not as hard as an Alaska turkey) I told him that we think PA birds are the smartest and hardest to get, but now I think I understand his point.
I wonder what it would be like to be able to shoot 4, 5, or 6 gobblers in a season like some states. Never happen in PA. To many hunters/game.
Quote from: nannas guide on June 05, 2012, 11:02:50 PM
Interesting bit of information Old Gobbler. So if i want to get an Osceola I will probably have to get one on private property.
I had a person tell me that getting a Florida turkey was the hardest to get. (Probably not as hard as an Alaska turkey) I told him that we think PA birds are the smartest and hardest to get, but now I think I understand his point.
I wonder what it would be like to be able to shoot 4, 5, or 6 gobblers in a season like some states. Never happen in PA. To many hunters/game.
The success rate for public wma's is 5% -factor in the gas , liscence fees and expences - you will now figure out why that isn't the most poular route for most folks
Quote from: JohnDoe on June 08, 2012, 02:16:49 PM
The population has been stated at 110,000 for some years and has gone up a bit in the last 2 or 3 but you are right 171,000 is high also.
John
It was dark when I did my count, so some Owls may have been counted as turkeys.