Out Of State Regs-1 Bird

[eddie234]

With the several post recently about Turkey numbers and NR hunters and bag limits just remember you can set a self imposed 1 Turkey limit.


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[Kingwoodsman]

100% good. Think it would be just as good

[Wigsplitter]

I'd be for the one bird non- resident I travel 2-3 states per year and that's getting to be the norm- I love to turkey hunt so I'll continue to go

[aclawrence]

Honestly if I'm traveling out of state and I was successful enough to kill one turkey I would be pumped up. Also I'd probably immediately want to try to kill another one. I'm not opposed to a lower out of state limit. I think it depends on the state.


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[TonyTurk]

in most states, residents kill more birds than non-residents.  Only limiting the non-residents to one bird makes no sense to me.  If you are dropping the limit to one bird, drop the limit for all hunters.

This doesn't seem like a measure that will help turkeys much.  It might help resident hunters "feel better" because they see fewer out of state license plates in their neck of the woods.  Just my two cents.

[Tom007]

I realize the OP is about reducing limits on non-residents, but I feel if this is all about protecting diminishing Turkey populations. I feel that everyone should be a part of the answer/solution. Bag limits should be adjusted across the board for all if the numbers dictate same since the results will affect the entire Turkey fraternity. Heading off this drop in numbers now will hopefully stabilize our resource to enjoy in years to come.

[PalmettoRon]

Not that I want this to happen, I definitely don't, but if the goal is to reduce the effects of turkey hunters on turkey populations, go old school and eliminate the Spring season entirely. Fall adult gobblers only. That would do it.


There are a number of less severe measures that would help. Better predator control is of course one. Eliminating decoys especially strutting jakes and gobblers would probably help. I know some pretty inexperienced guys who routinely kill gobblers using strutting decoys who are terrible callers and woodsmen. I doubt they would have much success without a decoy on an open field.

Hopefully the turkey numbers can be stabilized so that our kids, grandkids and their kids can enjoy this great sport for years to come, but it would appear the best days are probably behind us.That doesn't mean we still can't have very good days ahead. I just don't see things going back to hearing a dozen or more gobblers on the roost at times.


As the human population continues to grow and the inevitable sprawl advances here in SC, I personally now see areas paved over and developed that once held all kinds of wildlife. That will continue and in some areas it is happening at a rapid pace. Habitat loss will continue to be an issue.

Hopefully the wildlife biologists will have more of a say in hunting and fishing regulations in SC and elsewhere rather than politicians and admin types in the DNR.

I'm open to change if it is based on sound science and not on money or some state representative or senator who seemingly knows all. Our turkey laws here in the past have been based on anything but science.

The vast, vast majority on this board love this sport, love this bird and are willing to sacrifice to some degree to afford future generations a chance to enjoy what we all enjoy.

[redleg06]

There's plenty of things that COULD be done to help but the easiest (cheapest as well) is to reduce bag limits...so that's what they'll usually go with first, for better or worse.  If that's what needs to happen then ok but it can't be the only thing that happens or it's just a bandaid, IMO. 

Obviously there's a lot more turkey hunters than there were 5-10 years ago and the traveling turkey hunting has increased in popularity also...we've all heard how good that is for the sport and it's needed etc. That might be true IF AND ONLY IF those increased numbers/additional revenue funnel back into helping wild turkey and not just in "research".  I mean use the increased numbers to improve habitat specifically for turkey, use some of it to procure more public land opportunities (possibly through Walk In Hunt areas like you see in some of the states),  actively trap predators,  burn in a way that is more beneficial to turkey (meaning 15-50 acre parcels instead of 2000+ acres at a time) etc.    I'm aware of the fact that all of the things I'm suggesting require a lot of money and manpower, both of which are limited, and you're talking about a lot of public land...So set up volunteer programs for both donations above and beyond license fees, and also actively engage the public with habitat improvement projects. I, personally would donate a couple hundred dollars a year if I knew it was going right back in to my public land for the species I hunt and If there was a specific way to volunteer to go put in work in habitat improvement (specifically for turkey) on the land I spend time on, I'd volunteer my time....Same way I would if I was on a private hunting club. I'd donate time and money to improve the areas I hunt.   The point is, I think there's a desire for people to do something but not a lot of good avenues for the guys that hunt public or even on hunting clubs in some cases but that's what it's going to take- guys getting out there and doing something about it.

[dirtnap]

numbers drop and preparing to take opportunity away from hunters, is a prime example.

I could hop on the soap box about this but one thing is very clear to me-  when a state gets popular on social media, number's start to drop in the years to follow.  I'm not going to name the states here but most of the states with the biggest drops in population are also the ones that were/are most popular on the facebook forums, hunting forums, and now youtube. When people start flocking to area's in mass, it takes an incredibly high level of reproduction to keep up with all of the extra guns. For a bird that already see's 70-80% nest predation, that's a tall order if you have a bad hatch due to weather or whatever else.

This is a very accurate statement.

[WW]

Let's just all quit turkey hunting for at least 2 years...that will help the population quickly recover. Maybe even 5 years, then we can get the original limits back and have a restart. But we need to ban all social media and the cigar smokers on youtube

[RutnNStrutn]

But we need to ban the cigar smokers on youtube

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[TurkeyReaper69]

Would you guys be cool seeing a 1 bird limit for out of staters? I live in NJ, but have never hunted here. I do 100% of my hunting out of state and I'd be totally fine seeing this. Just keep the tag/license around $100-150 and not $250 or $300 for 1 bird.

What do you think?

Just read through the thread and this is the most interesting comment? Why do you not hunt in the state you reside in? This just strikes me as odd and I am curious to know. Sorry for being nosy

[turkeyfool]

Interesting point! I moved to the Midwest for college and stayed there until 2020. Didn't know a thing about turkey hunting, but I was still-hunting with my bow along the Miss. river in December one morning and a bird hammered like 5 yards from my face. I decided at that point I would try turkey hunting and killed one with my bow (no blind) that spring. I had no idea what I was doing, but loved it. Since then, I've just been traveling, but it's really more to extend my season than anything. I try to be anywhere it's around 45 degrees at first light. Don't really have particular states in mind although I have a few I go to in late May. So I've never actually hunted in my home state

[makestomstremble]

I see people on here suggesting stop hunting for at least two years, ban the "cigar smokers", etc. Sorry, but these ideas sound crazy to me. I don't know about other people, but I just enjoy being outdoors in an area that has gobbling turkeys, with just a chance to tag one. To hang it up for two years is not  an option for me. Instead of banning these guys or that, I suggest we spend our time/resources finding out why our recruitment/nesting success is down so much. Then figure out from a scientific standpoint how to improve these areas.

I have chosen a profession that requires me to be on call 24/7, to leave I have to make special arrangements for someone to cover for me. If it were not for the "cigar smokers" I'd never get to see an Osceola come wading through water in Osceola country, or dozens of other interesting locales that I know I'll never get to visit first hand.

[ruffbritt4]

Everyone here seems to agree that they would keep hunting out of state for the chance at a single bird. Removing multiple tags for NR would be the low hanging fruit, only saving a very small percentage of gobblers from being harvested. As for the cigar smokers.. I hold Dave to the highest regard. Sure he takes plenty of birds off the landscape, but again is that really impacting the population? He loves the bird more than he loves to kill em, and surely does his fair share to give back to the resource. There are a handful that I can think of that take advantage of the wild turkey, he is not one of em.

I believe the timing of harvest has more impact than the harvest itself. New techniques (strutter decoys) are increasing in popularity and killing birds the first week of the season that would otherwise survive past the seasons end or until their hens are all bred and nesting.

One final note.. if there's one thing the decline of the ruffed grouse in my part of PA taught me, its that animals can withstand disease/predation with the necessary habitat. Without it, they can become few and far between. Does this apply to turkey? I think so..