Question On Restraint...

[2thDoc]

You'll never convince me that more birds are wounded or lost because of TSS.
The same asshats would take shots too far with lead, hevi, or whatever as you know of plenty of lost birds before TSS.
As far as judging all turkey populations with the same wide brush....it's a difficult pill to swallow even for me since I don't have a "turkey problem."
But, wildlife is held in trust by the State and they're not mine so I swallow the pill.

not blaming TSS (but blaming TSS) bc it comes with the odd assumption of longer, lethal shots. Its how it is marketed. If you dont think this is true, you are missing the boat. Wounded turkeys need to be in the discussion before you go cutting my season bc of humans. Its been said a lot in here lately with how humans act. Too bad you cant control them or mandate them into morality.

I think a lot of turkey stuff is turkey hunter's fault.

and I am absolutely against any financial incentive for private land mgmt specifically for turkeys.

[scatter shot]

According to the title of the thread I thought it was gonna be about car seats.

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Instead of beating an old dead horse.

[Smilee]

Better chance to see a bald eagle than a strutting turkey in some areas of the state.

I will get the boys on a bird but doubt I try to kill one until maybe the last day. Worked out that way last year.

[Timberman22]

I will try and kill my SC limit like i always do. However, like others have said I leave more than I take and I have multiple properties to hunt. For example, my small farm I normally have 3-5 Longbeards. I will only shoot 1 off my place and it's normally whoever gets 1st shot, either me or my son. Another property is 900 acres and normally hear 10+ birds on it and I fill my tags here.

I completely understand what we're up against in terms of over harvest especially if you had 8 members on that 900 acres. They would wipe them out on an annual basis.

It's a shame we can't have restraint and regulate harvests based on the available resources by common sense. I know this didn't answer the OP question. I love to chase them too much to rape the resource!

[joshua2]

Seems to me most are in favor of not killing turkeys in the month of March anymore. What does the masses say we do with the youth seasons? You can’t keep letting younguns shoot them 2-3 weeks before everyone and that not affect everything.

[duckshootringer55]

I have not hunted the farm for the past three years in a row until approx. April 10.

Even Lovett Williams (decades ago) said March 15 in the southeast was too early to be killing our gobblers and data has proven that to be so as of late.

I don't think everywhere needs a bag reduction from 3 to 2 birds but everywhere does need a later start date.

Like Ricky said, self regulation goes a long ways but you can't control what your asshat neighbor who kills 6 birds off his 100-300 acres does and what you don't know, well, you don't know!
That said, by all assumption I will likely kill my last SC March gobbler in the coming days and I'll possibly kill my last 3 bird bag limit.

But, my conservation efforts will continue and habitat will improve at OGP and other smaller properties.
Killing 60% of the statewide harvest before they ever get the opportunity to breed is no good and I truly believe the later start date will point us in the right direction to see 90's population numbers again in areas that can support it.

I am afraid a lot of people will call foul when they don't see improvements but if they don't, I suspect it's habitat related in which case is beyond the control of SCDNR.

There is an interesting bill being brought to the House relating to habitat mgt.....I'm interested in seeing where it goes.

This is what I think also

[duckshootringer55]

Needs to be opening later. April 5th or 10th. Limit of 2 or 3 won’t matter i agree with others on here I just kill one or 2 off a place depending on how many you have. I’ve got a few different smaller spots. Make your land good deer and Turkey habitat, trap a few predators, and use your Brain a little and your area will be ok

[Tater]

What’s with all these pussies that have no clue how to shotgun a beer?

[JBtflo]

Seems to me most are in favor of not killing turkeys in the month of March anymore. What does the masses say we do with the youth seasons? You can’t keep letting younguns shoot them 2-3 weeks before everyone and that not affect everything.

Youth seasons were created because adults were too selfish to take kids with them or let them shoot "their" turkeys.

[Tater]

And if the OP weren’t from Bama I would ding his spelling, but I know the struggle is real.

[Calibogue]

What’s with all these pussies that have no clue how to shotgun a beer?

Fact.....
I've taught quite a few that thought they could, well, they can't touch this!

[Tater]

Damn right.

[DoubleSprig]

Historically, our state has trapped and repopulated other states with our turkey genetics, why not ask the favor be returned?
Then also consider the places that hunt fall seasons. For hens. With the aid of canines. - they must have PLENTY to spare right?

Keep on trying and trying new approaches, but whats proven to have worked gave us 5 bird limits and longer seasons. Just keep on trying to get back to those numbers as if it were hunters that reduced bird numbers FROM then.

HABITAT LOSS!

gonna regulate ourselves into veganism.
- and make the unlimiteds’ and federations’ people more and more money. Our dollars going into their pockets and only have taken more priveledges away by guilting and brow beating us into donating more. (what doesnt go the the top guys, goes to private land owners for their habitat or public lands and well just look at the duck draw results to see how well .gov uses their funding.


Hunters have less impact than urban sprawl, predators, or disease. - regulate that stuff and leave us alone!

- Just ask a snapper fishing buddy or NC flounder fishermen to weigh in regarding comercial exploits of a resource.
Look at what housing costs these days, but there is no slowing down the demolition of beautiful hardwood bottoms, prairie tracts, and woodlands.


but its the hunters of this state need to relinquish more opportunity?

[2thDoc]

i think I still sort of stand with DS but he got a little SW338 on that post so I'm not 100% sure.


People are the problem. I am pointing out TSS and tfc but only as analogies to what is going on. More dead turkeys and a lot of hypocrisy...

[FLS]

Seems to me most are in favor of not killing turkeys in the month of March anymore. What does the masses say we do with the youth seasons? You can’t keep letting younguns shoot them 2-3 weeks before everyone and that not affect everything.

I see lots pics of tiny kids, as in too small to hold the gun up, standing over dead gobblers. I believe youth season is mostly an excuse for dad to kill a bird early and junior is just there to make it legal.
As for the poll, I’ll hunt as often as I can and kill as many birds as I can in multiple states. I see more turkeys than ever on the properties I hunt.

[2thDoc]

^part of the people problem. keeping up with the tfc crowd (loose analogy). whose kid can kill a turkey (after wounding a few) at the earliest age.

but, hey, let's put chamberlain on a pedestal and punish the whole crowd.

[DoubleSprig]

i think I still sort of stand with DS but he got a little SW338 on that post so I'm not 100% sure.


People are the problem. I am pointing out TSS and tfc but only as analogies to what is going on. More dead turkeys and a lot of hypocrisy...

Fret not, good doc, you can still be my buddy.

[UPSTATEWATERFOWLER]

I’m down with holding it to two birds for myself. I have two separate tracks I can hunt and neither has a robust population. Our bird numbers where I hunt are down quite a bit so one per tract is about the most I want to take. So as Ricky said, use some common sense and don’t over shoot them IMO.

[GBelly]

"I have 7 gobblers and will only kill 2-3"

while their neighbor says the same thing

and mother nature gonna take a couple for herself

I remember using that same logic not so long ago. Pretty sure it was an incorrect assumption and probably put a major hurting on the area we hunted. I regret using that type of thinking.

As if I was the only one hunting those same turkeys....

[fro]

There needs to be another option, or I went to the trouble of naming my son Michael Wesley Boozer Jr for no reason. #sixtags

Wait, you're tagging turkeys now?

Fact..... I've taught quite a few that thought they could, well, they can't touch this!

Challenge accepted!

and for the record, the turkey population is safe with me and my other two sets of tags....

Dog Doc - You need an option for "will get tags but wont kill a turkey".

Y'all weirdos have made it impossible to afford a good turkey tract or will horde it up vs passing along if one comes available! I am not mad enough at them any more to hunt in a"club" or public. Hope those days are long gone. So I will fish again this year, waiting on that call or 3 to be able to listen to the sounds of spring. By my counting, I have helped the resource more than most by not participating in the past 6-7 seasons other than maybe one or two hunts.

So there you go Boozer, don't feel bad about killing 8-10, just consider those mine and Slim's...