Our Ruination

[Gooserbat]

It not fanning, decoys, tss, leafy suits thermacells or bag limits.  It's US or imho our desire to be recognized so we advertise our achievements and in doing so we popularized the secret spots, the more lethal methods and the ins and outs of every detail.  In short we have forgotten about the responsibility of being what a turkey hunter was.  A hush-mouthed semi hermit who would pry information from the school bus driver, mail man and the Jehovah's Witness and know where the turkeys were crossing the road.  They wouldn't tell you three things, where the crappie were biting, where the morels were at and where to find a gobbling turkey.  They were on the other hand mentor's and guides to those who put in the time to show interest but not merely those who sought information.

My rant is over now you can go watch YouTube and Facebook and see the WMA signs and know what you shouldn't.

[Tail Feathers]

For most of us, the days of freely sharing info have passed, if we did much at all.
For some, the lure of fame and money from viewers hasn't slowed their spot sharing.
The internet and cyber-scouting have increased the traveling hunters by the thousands, adding to the pressure in many former hot spots.  Former being a key word.  Now one can be chastised for naming a state, much less a WMA.  I don't see it changing much in the near future.

[3bailey3]

The oldtimers I knew growing up told you nothing! might gave you a tip like sit still! First club I was ever in every member came back and said they didn't hear a thing, after I had heard about 10 in every direction! One morning I killed one first thing, we all got back to camp and they said heard you shoot, what you get! I said shot a dog that had been roaming the property, after we finish breakfast I pulled gobbler out the back of truck! I loved the look on those guys face!

[Lcmacd 58]

Almost every hunting sport has these guys.... i waterfowl hunt ... had a guy ask me if I really didn't ever shoot a duck....during turkey season ....my hearing is terrible... I couldn't hear a cluck or gobble if it was right behind me.... but ya gotta love fried turkey bites

[Tom007]

Being a "Solo" turkey hunter, this is pretty much how I operate. My motto is "Loose lips sink ships". Other than my wife,(for safety reasons), no one knows we're I turkey hunt. It took me too long to find my spots. If I do lose one, it's usually due to a condo replacing my roost trees. If I feel I'm being followed in the morning on way to my spot, I'll divert! LOL. All kidding aside, it's true, the new turkey hunters seem to be in it for the notoriety and fame. I'm in it for one thing, the one-on-one challenge chasing the greatest quarry on earth. Yup, it seems the "Good Old Days" are gone, those of us that were lucky enough to have lived them will treasure the memories. Be safe, spring is right around the corner!

[ScottTaulbee]

I'm on both ends of the coin here, I have a few, and by few I mean 4 guys that I'd consider good friends and we swap info and talk turkey hunting. 2 of them I met off here and we're all in different states. One I met off here and he is about an hour from the house, and the other lives a couple hours from the house. Other than that, I'm not telling a soul about where I'm turkey hunting, or what I heard, minus my small kids. I agree and have said it for years, we as hunters, are our own worst enemy and also the biggest predator/driving factor of the decline many are seeing are us also. Many want to chest thump or want fame, growing up, if I knew a turkey hunter, the most you'd get is " I've had a good season".


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[deerhunt1988]

Well said, its forever changed the sport. And there is no going back at this point. Future generations will never get to have the turkey hunting opportunities we had before this YouTube/Social Media era. A few wrecked it for the entire future generation. Demand is greater than ever, which leads to higher market prices than ever. Which leads to folks getting priced out of their leases, clubs, etc. I'm seeing more and more hunting clubs starting to sublease turkey rights or make you pay extra if you turkey hunt.  The greater demand leads to ever decreasing draw odds for hunting opportunities. All this just leads to more and more open public land crowding.

The ones I see defending their social media heroes fall into one of three categories.

1.) New turkey hunters who were influenced by their heroes. These turkey hunters don't know "how good things used to be" therefore think the current state of things is normal. They don't have the old school turkey hunting mentality of closed lips.

2.) Those who aren't affected by the surge in turkey hunter numbers/public land pressure. These folks have plenty of private land to hunt of their own. Don't have to venture out to public land if they don't want to.

3.) Those who profit off there being more turkey hunters. Basically the INDUSTRY. It is in their financial interest to ever increase the number of turkey hunters. Hunting quality and opportunities be danged.

[GobbleNut]

2.) Those who aren't affected by the surge in turkey hunter numbers/public land pressure. These folks have plenty of private land to hunt of their own. Don't have to venture out to public land if they don't want to.

3.) Those who profit off there being more turkey hunters. Basically the INDUSTRY. It is in their financial interest to ever increase the number of turkey hunters. Hunting quality and opportunities be danged.

Yep, and #2 and #3 are often, if not always, the same group of people.  The one begets the other.  It's a great gig if you can get it.  Once they do, it seems that all concern for the "little people" (and the resource) just sort of fades into the background.

It is not just limited to turkey hunting, however.  Turkeys are just the tip of the iceberg.  The problem is magnified ten-fold (or more) with big game hunting...especially in the west.  It's the old "I got mine so screw you" attitude that seems to come with the territory. 

[Greg Massey]

All I can add is if it had not been for 2 of my friends back 40 plus years ago sharing information and helped me I probably would have never got into all this turkey craziness. One of these friends put me on my first turkey I killed on public ground... Great memories ....

Most of all our early years of turkey hunting, most all the turkeys were on paper mill public ground, that you could buy a permit to hunt. This was after they finally opened a season for turkey hunting. Most people back in those days deer hunted these public areas and didn't turkey hunt and would share information with us about seeing turkeys.   

SO loose lips / mouth or not, I think these guys for sharing information...

SO what's right or wrong.....

[joey46]

Times change. When you decide to "get over it" the better things can be.  ADAPT and be glad for the opportunities you still have. Thinking Youtubers etc will ever go away is a fantasy.

[arkrem870]

Adapt = hope you get drawn!

[eggshell]

I am somewhere in the middle. When I started (53 years ago) there was no social media and everyone met at the check station (which I ran). It was a close to the vest group. I have always helped people learn and I give tips to people in the field if they are out doing their work. I don't fear fair and polite competition, but these younguns that are practicing charge of the light brigade turkey tactics with camera in hand. Well they can go suck an egg, a rotten one at that. Ask me at the coffee shop or somewhere when your not hunting where I'd recommend trying and you will get one answer....in the woods. I detest moochers, but I am more then willing to help someone struggling, but putting in effort. Yes, I am one of the lucky ones that has a good chunk of private family land with almost exclusive access. Still I have lost most of my other spots to leasing, the new crowd and whatever. I don't ever see it getting better and I'm glad I am an old man that has seen the best come and go.

[GobbleNut]

I am hoping the silver lining to what we are seeing...that is, increasing hunter numbers and decreasing turkey numbers...is going to reach the point where the "fad" of wanting to be a turkey hunter caused by all the social media attention (and the associated "industries") is going to reverse itself.

I have mentioned the "law of diminishing returns" before. My hope is that once turkey hunting for the masses becomes so hard that success rates begin to plummet, a lot of the "fad hunters" will quit and move onto something else. Unfortunately (as eggshell and others have pointed out), some of us are old enough that we probably won't still be hunting when that day comes along.  We can all hope it is sooner rather than later. 

To wit, I am already seeing it happening around here to a degree.  I know a few folks who have already thrown in the towel who were pretty avid turkey hunters.  It's gonna take a whole bunch more of them doing that to make a dent, however.   

[eggshell]

Gobblenut, Many locals in our area have thrown in the towel. Some still hunt the first day or two and maybe a weekend day once a season and that's it. They hope to get a quick easy green bird and if they don't they quit going. What I notice is more traveling hunters. Still there's enough locals to fill all the available spaces. Our local bow shop  started up a contest and that brought some money hunters out of the wood work. For years I never hunted my own birds behind the house, because I had plenty of others. The last three years I killed my spring birds walking out the back door. I just decided it was time to not fight the crowds and stay home. Between my neighbor, mine and the inlaws I have about 200 acres around the house. When ever this and my cousin's farm gets run over I am hanging up my spurs.

[Greg Massey]

I was talking with a call builder yesterday and I have to agree with him and others, we have lived through the best times of turkey hunting.

Now it is about adapting to the changing times or stopping all together. I have very few years left in chasing gobblers.

I do see somewhat of a rebound of turkeys in my area ... Had turkeys on a farm this year, that in the past had no turkeys.