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Thread: Here ya go.....

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2001
    Location
    Hampton Co., SC
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    10,122

    Default Here ya go.....

    Discuss....

    http://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/turkey/index.html

    Cliff notes (copy and paste from PDF)...

    2
    Executive Summary
    Act 41 temporarily sets a March 20 to May 5 statewide season for hunting wild turkey on
    private land by suspending until July 2019 Section 50-11-520 which historically prescribed the
    wild turkey season in South Carolina. This had the effect of opening the season 10 days earlier
    and increasing the number of days in the season by 50 percent for 34 of 46 counties in the state.
    In an effort to mitigate increased harvest rates associated with the increase in season length the
    Act reduced the bag limit in most o
    f the state from 5 gobblers to 3.
    Act 41 is
    co
    ntroversial among some hunters and legislators. The controversy is due to
    concern for negative impacts on turkeys related to the earlier opening date and increased season
    length for most of the state. The Act required the South Carolina Dept of Natural Resources
    (SCDNR)
    to conduct an analysis of the turkey resources in the state
    and report to the legislature
    by November 1, 2018 recommending any changes to seasons and bag limits. SCDNR
    accomplished this during 2015-2018 by compiling turkey harvest and hunter effort data, turkey
    recruitment data, and by conducting a major 4 year
    field study to determine the timing of
    gobbling activity and nesting chronology.
    Unlike other
    game
    birds,
    wild turkeys are hunted during spring, a timeframe coinciding with
    reproductive activities such as breeding and nestin
    g. There is a delicate balance between the
    timing of spring gobbler season and the timing of nesting because hens must breed in order to
    successfully nest. Given this period’s biological importance, wildlife managers and legislators
    are challenged to avoid negative population impacts due to harvest while simultaneously
    providing quality hunting opportunities.
    Total turkey harvest under the new season framework (Act 41) increased in spite of a
    declining trend in harvest prior to the new season and poor turkey recruitment during the 3 years
    of the new season. The increase in harvest is likely due to the increase in season length afforded
    to most of the state and not incre
    ases in turkey abundance.
    This is supported by an increase in
    hunter effort and decrease in efficiency as demonstrated by increased time (effort
    ) required to
    harvest a gobbler during the new season framework.
    The attempt to mitigate increasing harvest ass
    ociated with the season length increase by
    reducing the bag limit from 5 to 3 appears to have been unsuccessful because the percentage of
    hunters who harvested 3 birds nearly doubled under the new framework
    (94% increase)
    . This
    essentially negated
    any net reductions in harvest gained by limiting the few hunters who killed 4
    or 5 birds under the previous 5 bird bag limit. While the 3 bird limit is an important component
    to improve South Carolina’s turkey population, in this case, season length appears more
    important. Finally, there has been little controversy associated with the bag limit reduction.
    Gobbling activity exhibited significant daily variation across
    the turkey reproductive and
    hunting seasons. Compared to an unhunted study area, gobbling activity was immediately and
    negatively affected by the onset of hunting via a combination of gobblers being killed and
    disturbance from hunters. Based on the “natural” gobbling distribution documented on the
    unhunted study area and the chronology of gobbing activity on hunted areas, the hunting season
    could begin 2 weeks later with little effect on the amount of gobbling available to hunters
    through mid-
    May
    . Furthermore, our data indicates that gobbling activity at the beginning of a
    season with a later opening dat
    e would be substantially greater than it is on March 20, providing
    hunters with higher quality opportunity and giving turkeys more time for successful breeding.
    The 4
    -year nesting study
    found an average nest initiation date (egg-laying) of April 9 and an
    average nest incubation start date of April 22. Nesting success was poor during the study with
    only 13 percent of hens successfully rearing a brood to 15 days. The
    re should be concern that the
    current March 20 opening date for turkey season occurs 20 days p
    rior to average nest initiation
    3
    and 33 days prior to average nest incubation start date
    . Based on these dates
    approximately 60
    percent of the annual gobbler harvest occurs prior to average nest initiation under the March 20
    opening date. Hunting activity not only immediately and negatively impacts
    gobbling through
    gobbler deaths, but additionally these males are lost from a reproductive standpoint which could
    affect successful reproduction by hens.
    Male wild turkeys are dramatically different both physicall
    y and behaviorally than females.
    These differences are driven by sexual selection in which one sex, in this case the hen, chooses a
    mate based on characteristics that may improve her reproductive success and the fitness of her
    offspring. The removal of dominant males by hunting prior to breeding may disrupt the natural
    process of selection, with potential implications for reproductive fitness (genetics) in the
    population.
    The decline in turkeys in South Carolina and other southeastern states has been well
    documented. Although causes of this decline remain uncertain
    , they may include changes in
    habitat and forestry management practices, fire suppression, predation, and potentially the timing
    and intensity of hunter harvest. However, the only factor that can be managed from a regulatory
    standpoint is hunter harvest activities
    , which are typically dictated by season framework and bag
    limits.
    It is important to note that the study areas for the gobbling and nesting research are in the
    lower coastal plain and for that reason should represent the earliest gobbling and nesting activity
    in the state. Therefore, parts of t
    he state fa
    rther north may have gobbling and nesting timing
    distributions that are somewhat later which could increase any negative effects of early
    season
    opening dates.
    4
    Recommendations on Spring Turkey Season and B
    ag L
    imits in South Carolina
    The average start date for spring turkey season among the 15 southeast states is April 3
    and the average closing date is May 7. Average season length is 36 da
    ys. Average bag limit is
    2.8. Many southeast
    ern
    states have concern
    s with their season opening date and a recent meta
    -
    analysis suggests most Southeastern states open spring turkey seasons an average of 15 days
    prior to the predicted
    average
    nest initiation
    date.
    Notably, several states have recently adjusted
    seasons to later start dates.
    The white paper entitled “Establishing Opening Dates for Spring Wild Turkey Hunting
    Seasons” which was adopted by the Southeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
    (SEAFWA
    ) Board of Directors in October 2016 recommends opening spring seasons concurrent
    with average date of nest initiation. Applying the data from this 4-year nesting study to the
    SEAFWA white paper would yield a recommended season opening date of April 9. Benefits of
    this recommendation include; reduced risk of illegal female harvest, diminished risk associated
    with early gobbler harvest, hunter exposure to quality gobbling activity, and increased
    responsiveness of gobblers to hunter calls. Similarly, thi
    s white paper indicates that conservative
    seasons should open concurrent with or following average date of nest incubation which would
    yield
    a conservative opening date of April 22. Benefits of this approach include minimized risk
    of illegal female harvest
    and elimination of risks associated with excessive early gobbler harvest.
    Based on the SEAFWA recommendations on season timing, a 4-
    year field study recently
    completed in South Carolina documenting the timing of gobbling and nesting, as well as the
    avera
    ge season length and bag limit among southeastern states, SCDNR offers the following.
    SCDNR Recommended Wild Turkey Season Structure
    Season Dates:
    April 10 to May 15 (36 days)
    Youth Day:
    Saturday prior to April 10
    Bag Limit:
    3 gobblers per season, no more than 2 per day
    Rationale
    -
    April 10 start date is in keeping with the
    S
    EAFWA recommendation to begin the
    spring turkey season concurrent with average date of nest initiation (egg-
    laying) which reduces
    potential negative effects of early gobble
    r harvest on the reproductive success of hens. It also
    reduces the likelihood of inadvertent/illegal harvest of hens when hunters encounter and attempt to
    harvest gobblers because hens actively involved in the nesting process are less likely to associate
    with gobblers. Season length and bag limit are average among southeastern states.
    Liberal Alternative Wild Turkey Season Structure
    Season Dates:
    April 5 to May 10 (36 days)
    Youth Day:
    Saturday prior to April 5
    Bag Limit:
    3 gobblers per season, no more than 2 per day, no more than one (1) prior to April 10
    Rationale
    -
    Early season bag limit adjustment is an effort to mitigate April 5 start date which is
    prior to average date of nest initiation (egg
    -laying). This should partially mitigate potential
    negative effects of early gobbler harvest on the reproductive success of hens. The likelihood of
    inadvertent/illegal harvest of hens increases because fewer hens are involved in nesting activities
    and still associating with gobblers. Season length and bag limit are average among southeastern
    states.
    Last edited by Calibogue; 12-11-2018 at 06:19 PM.
    \"I never saw a wild thing feel sorry for itself. A small bird will drop dead frozen from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself.\" <br />D.H. LAWRENCE

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Providence, SC
    Posts
    1,114

    Default

    I'm surprised the number of users of male decoys are not higher. I'm not sure if its accurate or people are lying about the use. Interesting none the less.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    SC
    Posts
    602

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    39% of avid turkey hunters did not harvest a bird.

  4. #4
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    Jan 2010
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    Greenville, SC
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    That is a lot of Cromers

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
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    York Co
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    4,825

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    Lol

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
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    May River
    Posts
    7,338

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    Damn. Even I Stubbled into on... 39%, really?
    you aint did a dawg gon thang until ya STAND UP IN IT!- Theodis Ealey


    Quote Originally Posted by Rebel Yell View Post
    The older I get, the more anal retentive I get.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
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    Squeaky wheel, meet grease

  8. #8
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    Member of the Tenth Legion Since 2004

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Columbia, SC
    Posts
    2,868

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    Zero issue with this. I'd love to hunt earlier, but if this helps the population for the better, I'm on board.
    I'm going to heaven for the weather and hell for the company.

    Be dangerous, unpredictable, and make a whole lot of noise.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
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    2,192

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    The inadvertent saving the hens from being killed does not pass the smell test for me. Whatever.

  11. #11
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by coonsqualler01 View Post
    The inadvertent saving the hens from being killed does not pass the smell test for me. Whatever.
    I’m with this guy. Who shoots hens?
    Quote Originally Posted by ecu1984 View Post
    Go Tigers!

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Greenville, SC
    Posts
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    Yes. The sentence about saving hens was probably unnecessary.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
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    On the road about 250 days a year
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    3,324

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    https://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley...002/jwmg.21600


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    "I do not hunt turkeys because I want to, I hunt them because I have to. I would really rather not do it, but I am helpless in the grip of my compulsion"
    - Tom Kelly, Tenth Legion, 1973

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
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    248

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    Painting the entire state with the same brush is a
    mistake.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Manning, SC
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    Quote Originally Posted by DJP View Post
    Yes. The sentence about saving hens was probably unnecessary.
    Agreed.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    upstate, sc
    Posts
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    Quote Originally Posted by thms85 View Post
    Painting the entire state with the same brush is a
    mistake.
    Yes. Wonder how Ga has turkeys when their season starts in Mar every year with all those early gobblers getting killed and hens dying as collateral damage? More years than not I’ve seen poults while turkey hunting telling me those birds were bred in March. Also it’s hard for me to believe that only 13%of hens raise a brood to 15 days!! Maybe in that study, but I don’t think that’s caused by hunters killing all the gobblers. Lower the limit to 3 eliminate gobbler decoys and fanning and set the dates where they’ve always been. Use an app that issues a tag that must be filed to transport the turkey with a paper backup. Go to the lower state if you want to hunt 3/15. And raise out of state licenses while you’re at it. Ga big game permit is over 200 I think.
    \"We say grace and we say maam, if you ain\'t into that, we don\'t give a damn.\" HW Jr.

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