H4820 Turkey Bill, Senate Subcommitte next Thursday.....

[Calibogue]

The H4820 Turkey Bill has passed the House "as written" without any amendments and this is quite monumental.This would not have happened were it not for hunter support and all of the phone calls, emails, and personal conversations with House members by concerned hunters in support of this H4820.
It is now going before the Senate first in subcommittee of the Senate Fish, Game & Forestry Committee meeting onThursday, April 4, 2024, at 10 a.m. in a room TBD atthe Gressette Building at the State House complex.
On their agenda is H4820, a bill which will amend turkey seasons (agenda attached).*
The current version of that bill can be found here: https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess125...bills/4820.htm
If you support these changes to benefit turkey populations in South Carolina, you can go to the subcommittee meeting, sign up to speak and give a brief testimony regarding your position on the bill.*If that is not an option, you can voice support by calling or emailing committee members.*
The membership of the committee is attached.*
Subcommittee members are highlighted but it is absolutely appropriate to reach out to ALL the members of the full committee & even your local Senator at this point in time.*

These Senators need to get a better understanding of the amount of public support for change and the real declines in turkey numbers seen around most of South Carolina.
By reaching out and letting them know that you support the bill as currently written and would like to see them pass it with no amendments would be very impactful.*
You can let them know the bill is based on science, data and professional recommendations.
It has the support of turkey hunters across the state that are looking for substantive changes needed to improve the declining turkey populations that we are experiencing in much of SC and across the Southeast.

Senate Fish, Game & Forestry Committee

Chairman George "Chip" Campsen, III ChipCampsen@scsenate.gov
Senator Brian Adams brianadams@scsenate.gov
Senator Sean Bennett seanbennett@scsenate.gov
Senator Tom Corbin tomcorbin@scsenate.gov
Senator Ronnie Cromer RonnieCromer@scsenate.gov
Senator Tom Davis TomDavis@scsenate.gov
Senator Mike Fanning mikefanning@scsenate.gov
Senator Stephen Goldfinch stephengoldfinch@scsenate.gov
Senator Brad Hutto bradhutto@scsenate.gov
Senator Josh Kimbrell joshkimbrell@scsenate.gov
Senator Thomas McElveen, III thomasmcelveen@scsenate.gov
Senator Mike Reichenbach mikereichenbach@scsenate.gov
Senator Scott Talley scotttalley@scsenate.gov
Senator Kent Williams kentwilliams@scsenate.gov
Senator Tom Young, Jr. tomyoung@scsenate.gov
Senator Tameika Isaac Devine tameikaisaacdevine@scsenate.gov
Senator Deon Tedder deontedder@schouse.gov

[raybird]

Does anyone know Chip Campsens’ stance?

[flockbuster]

Thank you.

[davisd9]

April 10 started in zones 3 and 4 is silly. Should have left it at April 1 and if they felt the need to make a change implement the 10 day rule. Also, the only turkeys not killed are going to be that 3rd tags that only a very small majority of hunters even use, something to do to make it look like you are doing something.

[pluffmudder]

There does need to be change to address the decline in the wild turkey population in SC. That being said, I will be sure to voice my opinion that I do not support a later start date. Thank you for sharing this.

[flockbuster]

Serious question. Why do y'all not support a later start date? Everything I've seen from wildlife biologists supprts starting later.

[Coastal Woodie]

April 10th is not too late for game zone 4. Coastal NC has had a later start date for several years and it has worked out great. Horry, Georgetown, Marion, Darlington etc, are not much different.

[Duckman#1]

April 10 is bullshit

[Duckman#1]

And the people that I’ve talked to that know that their talking about say April 1

[tman]

Should've made it 4/15

[Duck cutter]

Probably should just cancel season for a few years

[BRR]

April 10 is bullshit

Agreed, but if it means it more hens get bred before some dipshit shoots the preferred breeders over a male turkey decoy and or out of a blind I can live with it.
Seems like the only way to defeat the decoy and tent crowd to some degree....

[Duckman#1]

Agreed, but if it means it more hens get bred before some dipshit shoots the preferred breeders over a male turkey decoy and or out of a blind I can live with it.
Seems like the only way to defeat the decoy and tent crowd to some degree....

I got no problem getting rid of male decoys.

[FEETDOWN]

I'm convinced that if you put 10 turkey hunters in a room and asked what sort of season framework/limits/ methods they want to see happen you'd get 13 different answers......

[SaltMuck]

I’d vote for 4/1-5/1, 1 bird limit.

[BMAC_ducks]

There has been a lot of research on this by more qualified individuals than most on this board. While its a huge change from going from mid March to early April, if you look at the research the breeding season is the same state wide from the upstate to the lowcountry and tends to be around the first of April. The reasoning is so hopefully more hens get bred and therefore hopefully more turkeys to hunt. If more hens are bred before the gobblers are killed, this does not mean that those poults will even survive. This is essentially just so there is a chance that hopefully there are more poults and then its off to the races on their survival which is still slim to none. Again its important to know that the research being conducted and the recommendations aren't coming from tree hugging peta liberals but by turkey hunters and killers. As long as there is a sunset clause, why not look at this as a way to possibly curb something before wild turkeys become the way of the wild quail.

[wiz18]

Simple math, boys. Later the start date the more hens get bred. NC has been pushing the opener back and back on the recommendation of our biologists (one of them being my best friend) for several years and the data shows it’s helping tremendously. NC starts April 13th this year.

And while I’ll agree habitat loss (cutting down hardwoods forests to make room to house Yankees, and clear-cutting pine stands to build houses for Yankees) is doing the most harm, a later start date is the only logical approach that can be made at the state level. Banning male decoys would suit me just fine, but I don’t see the state pushing that. They still need a few turkeys to get killed in the name of “hunter retention”

[Tater]

Everyone’s a biologist.

[BRR]

I got no problem getting rid of male decoys.

That would be my preference and leave the season alone. But apparently we live in a world now where hunter success by whatever means outweighs the resources success....

[Duck cutter]

Simple math, boys. Later the start date the more hens get bred. NC has been pushing the opener back and back on the recommendation of our biologists (one of them being my best friend) for several years and the data shows it’s helping tremendously. NC starts April 13th this year.

And while I’ll agree habitat loss (cutting down hardwoods forests to make room to house Yankees, and clear-cutting pine stands to build houses for Yankees) is doing the most harm, a later start date is the only logical approach that can be made at the state level. Banning male decoys would suit me just fine, but I don’t see the state pushing that. They still need a few turkeys to get killed in the name of “hunter retention”

Can we start a bill to ban Yankees? I promise you I will call my reps for that one.