Do any of u fall Turk hunters only take hens in fall to save toms for spring? Any research on this saying it helps? I am sering several toms on my property aling with some Jake's and a few smaller flocks of hens. Was thinking about passing on toms. Thoughts in this?
Personally, I don't shoot hens but if it legal in your state it is up to you to make that decision.
As for saving jakes or toms for the Spring, with all the predators and weather factors there is no guarantee those birds will be there in the Spring. So I say go out and have fun in the Fall by taking whichever bird you feel comfortable taking.
Great time of year to hunt! Good luck!
Bill
When we had a lot of birds I didn't care. Now I don't take any. When our numbers recover Ill start targeting fall birds again. I asked my brother to give the turkeys a pass if they come in deer hunting this year.
In ohio it is legal to take either sex just curious on peoples thoughts. I have always had an abundance if hens and fewer toms. Now things are leaning the other way.
I will take either this year as a there is an abundance of poults in my area. I love hearing all that turkey talk from a fall flock.
I fall hunt hens only. I will let my son shoot a gobbler in the fall. Our season runs two weeks long and limits vary from 6 birds in several to 1 bird in other counties. Hens are crazy thick here. Starting to group back up for winter.
We have a 15 day fall season and we have some birds around that I have seen on trail cams. Normally we only see hens in the fall, but last week we had 4 longbeards show up on the cams. I probably won't carry my gun since bow season is open for deer, but if a bird comes by, I'd love to take one with my bow.
I shoot any legal bird in fall. It's fun to call em' in.
If it's legal , shoot em. I do. They taste great.
Here I hunt both but don't shoot many Toms in the Fall don't want the Spring Only hunter complaining about killing to many Fall Gobblers. We can shoot 2 per day either sex. Season is 30 days long. We have a hen problems in some areas and I do my best.
Love to roost toms' in the fall and call them in like springtime. Doubles the pleasure.
Dead hens don't lay eggs and turkey numbers are rapidly declining throughout the country.
No hens for us and gobblers are saved for the spring.
Quote from: strutnrut on September 22, 2014, 07:56:43 PM
Here I hunt both but don't shoot many Toms in the Fall don't want the Spring Only hunter complaining about killing to many Fall Gobblers. We can shoot 2 per day either sex. Season is 30 days long. We have a hen problems in some areas and I do my best.
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So you can shoot up to 60 birds in the fall, where do you live???
thank you for the replies. I fall hunt my own property and I spring turkey hunt it as well along with other properties in various counties. In the past 2-3 years the gobbler pop, for whatever reason, has exploded. This past Jan while muzzy hunting I watched a group of 21 toms walk by me and I had one of the best springs to date while owning the property. I want to make sure I don't devistate the toms which is why I am leaning towards taking a hen and leaving the toms for spring. Typically it is common to see flocks of hens reaching in the 40-50 number.
I guess a better q's could be: for those of you that fall and spring turkey hunt the same property are you selective as to which sex you take?
I live in Tennessee right outside of Fort Campbell KY. We can't hunt on Tue or Wed and they don't have a great choice of hunting area all of the time so it is more difficult than it sounds but the Campbell bird don't count against your State limit and I can take 6 in the country I live in. Now please keep in mind that I in no way try and kill that many birds. We also have a Winter Season which are beardless birds only. So as you can see we have a VERY LARGE turkey population and have to try and control the hens if not they get out of conrtol. There isn't that many diehard Fall Hunters here so they allow the ones who like to Fall Hunt to attempt to control the hen population thru hunting. They use to trap and move turkey from Campbell but over the years they have basically stop trapping. I wish they would do more trapping and move the birds to area on public land that don't have many birds so we would have more places to hunt in the Spring. The most birds I have ever seen was one winter on a snow I counted over 300 birds on a cut corn field... Due to having been right next to a NON HUNTING impact area.... Sometimes it sounds like a turkey farm down on these impact areas.... I just don't feel the pressure to have to KILL KILL and KILL if I don't kill a bird then I just hunt them again the next day. We can take 4 Spring Time Gobblers. I most of the time only take 2 or 3 because I hunt with Soldiers a lot and Killing isn't my priority.
Dead hens don't lay eggs and turkey numbers are rapidly declining throughout the country.
No hens for us and gobblers are saved for the spring.
I couldn't agree more with this statement. It is true that populations are declining in many areas. Even where they are not, Mother Nature will thin your hens down soon enough through poor hatches. I've been at this for going on fifty years and I've seen huge populations suddenly drop dramatically time and time again.
I understand newer turkey hunters that may want to kill birds in the fall and even seasoned hunters taking mature gobblers in the fall. Why any experienced turkey hunter would want to kill a hen is beyond me.
People shoot does to thin out their deer herds. Killing hens will only accomplish the same thing. And as I said, Mother Nature is much harder on turkeys that she is on deer.
"Why any experienced turkey hunter would want to kill a hen is beyond me."
THEY TASTE GOOD :TooFunny:
Quote from: strutnrut on September 25, 2014, 04:18:58 PM
"Why any experienced turkey hunter would want to kill a hen is beyond me."
THEY TASTE GOOD :TooFunny:
x2
fall a good time for turkey meat and wing bones
Like Hunter62 said, can't beat the eating but fall is only time you can get your hen wings for calls. BUT... I agree and follow the path most have said....only if your populations can stand it. And that can change within a state, county or even farm to farm.
Yes, they do taste good , but so do the gobblers. Keep killing hens and then five or ten years from now, tell me about those huge flocks you're seeing. Hate to be sarcastic, just know what I've observed over almost fifty years of turkey hunting.
In Alabama the Game and Fish Commision would think you had lost your mind, wanting to kill any hens. Too much pressure on the birds in the spring compared to twenty or thirty years ago.
maybe they will outlaw decoys and blinds and the population will explode!
I can't hardly wait for our fall season to start in PA. There's nothing better than busting up a flock of birds and let the fun begin, yelping, kee-kee, gobbling...the forest comes alive around you. I'm smoking the first bird that comes in looking for a buddy.
Managemnet is the key. There are area on Fort Campbell that I will not fall turkey hunt due to them not needing to be thinned out but we have some area where there simply are to many turkeys. I think the reason most people say that the population is down is due to a number of factors. For one people need to learn how to count 1+1=2+1=3 not 1.2 when those type of hunters and I think there are many such hunter who take those .1 birds each year. THEY are killing the bird you would have been hunting. Most states that have a fall season have one for a reason. Tennessee is one of those state where the fall limit is set by county. The county I am in is 6 per fall but the county next to us is 1 per fall. But you just simply can't hardly find a place to turkey hunt in my county. People complain we have to many turkey but they will not let you hunt. I have been turkey hunting here on Fort Campbell for over 25 years and our turkey population has only increased over the years. Now is that because a few of us fall hunt? I doubt it but it sure as heck hasn't hurt the population. A piece of property will only carry just so many deer or turkey . Is it the fact that all of the old hens have gotten to old to breed and that's why you see lower numbers on the hatch? I have seen a lot of small flocks of 4 or 5 old hens an no poults with then. I believe age is a factor but I ain't that educated in the art of turkey life spam to full buy that completely. This is just my opinion and we all know what those are worth. Me I'll keep on hunting them.
I will kill a fall hen. The biologists here say its fine so I'll defer to them. As far as harvest numbers go fall turkey harvests in Kentucky are surprisingly low. Not a lot of fall hunters. I think a dozen fall birds were killed in my county last fall as compared to the hundreds of birds killed in the spring.
If some wanted to held the turkey population they should get out and whack every coyote, and any other nest robber around.
Here in NY we can kill 1of either sex but typically I will not shoot a hen or jake unless I ate tag soup in the spring. My daughters love to help me prepare the birds and then devour it so I try to get them one bird a year. IMO if your population is strong I don't see a problem with it but just be careful as not to kill very many. I don't see a lot of people in my area fall turkey hunting either. As long as your doing it legal and with respect to the birds and the population than to each his own.
Quote from: hunter62 on September 25, 2014, 04:47:21 PM
fall a good time for turkey meat and wing bones
Pretty much sums it up. :icon_thumright:
I guess it really does depend on where you live and populations. Personally I find myself either deer or predator hunting since the season overlaps and never really fall turkey hunt. Unfortunately here in NY numbers are on a decline and have been for years so I wouldn't think of hunting turkey anyway, especially hens. Years ago while deer hunting there would be flocks of turkey walking by while deer hunting, but sadly I can't remember the last time I've even seen a turkey in the fall woods.
When birds were often seen and large flocks were common, it was easy pickings but now they are not and sadly nobody sees a correlation. We all know there are many reasons for a decline in turkey population that occur naturally but nobody wants to acknowledge that over harvesting can be a factor too.
Biologists in my state give a 1 bird limit with a county by county season dates and weapons allowed, low harvest rates and hunter participation, the meat is good, wingbones, time in the field with friends and family... How can you go wrong? This post motivated me to go to my states DNR turkey harvest summary and do a little research. Indiana has hovered around a 12,000 bird harvest for the last decade. Fall hunting isn't destroying the flocks. The biggest fluctuation in population comes from cool, wet weather in the spring. Life is good. If your really want to save a turkey and boost populations.. Get a 22-250 to thin out the predators and create some new habitat.
Quote from: VaTuRkStOmPeR on September 23, 2014, 05:38:00 AM
Dead hens don't lay eggs and turkey numbers are rapidly declining throughout the country.
No hens for us and gobblers are saved for the spring.
This...
Quote from: Spring Creek Calls on September 21, 2014, 09:00:01 PM
I will take either this year as a there is an abundance of poults in my area. I love hearing all that turkey talk from a fall flock.
Same here!!
My personal opinion is that the taking of one hen (Ohio's fall limit, and where the original poster hails from.) from a healthy population will not hurt one thing. It also saves the gobblers for spring. an NWTF study showed that as long as fall harvest does not exceed 10% of the population, population numbers will maintain or increase. Most states come nowhere near the 10% mark as specifically targeting fall turkeys is exceedingly uncommon due to most guys chasing deer, waterfowl etc. You are absolutely right, dead hens don't lay eggs, but the 49 other hens that were with the hen I shot will. I just don't see shooting an occasional hen as a detriment. Yes if you invited 10 of your buddies and you all shot hens, then you may see a decrease. I think habitat effects the population more than any other factor
We shoot hens every fall 8 to 10 of us, never hurt our spring hunts ever may even help. without all the hen competition makes it easy pickings . We shoot big toms in the spring pass in the fall .
And our fall season starts Monday .
I'm gonna fall hunt with my bow. I just enjoy it, always have. Can take hen or gobbler in my county. ( Ohio )
The Coyote always takes the blame when you talk declining turkey populations. And I'm sure they get their share.
Want to see more poults next spring? Get Ya a half dozen dog proof traps and thin out the coons and opossum. Very easy to set and bait. Those two are the biggest reason for decline if you ask me.