Interesting, In the Upstate this year, I saw less hunters out than I can remember since I started hunting in SC (1995). And I went out to listen, scout, or hunt almost everyday. But that could just be in the areas I hunt. Union, Spartanburg, Laurens. Laurens was a top 6 county for hunter numbers in 2023. And maybe they're hiding their trucks better. In the early 2000's there seemed to be a hunter by every other tree around my property. Did not encounter a single hunter, whether seeing or hearing (calls or shots), on adjacent properties on all but 1 of 4 places I hunt regularly. Early morning at gas stations full of hunters getting coffee, snacks. Saw 1-2 other trucks at most in mornings this year.
Here's the problem related to hunter density (from a very credible publication):
SC residents increase 2001-2016: 893,000
Farmland converted to development, residential, or other urbanization 2001-2016: 280,000acres.
Less amount of huntable land even with roughly the same amount of hunters...equals increased hunter density on huntable land.
Last edited by FULLCHOKE; 05-20-2024 at 02:56 PM.
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Well there’s also 2 million extra people in SC today than 30 years ago. That’s a 57% increase in population with less than 1% hunter increase. That number is nothing and what yall are perceiving as the “huge hunter increase” is actually hunters being condensed in less area available to hunt.
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Last edited by TXFowler; 05-20-2024 at 03:34 PM.
Hunting is way more easy, and people would follow social media heroes to the end of the earth..
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False. The general public may have less access, my point being is in my part of the world 20-30 there were thousands of acres that went virtually unhunted during turkey season. You can twist the data how ever you like but this is a fact. I’m talking about ACTIVE turkey hunters. Not folks that received tags because they bought a hunting license
There is absolutely more people hunting turkeys today than there was 20 years ago. I don't need any data to tell me that. It's plain to see all across the US. Not just here at home.
Exactly
That is a loss off 4.7% of FARMLAND. By that, they meant income producing agricultural land. Yes, you see turkeys there but ag fields are not ideal turkey habitat. If what that article states is correct, 280000 of 6,000,000. That does not include timbered land, which I believe is around 11,000,000. So just for fun let’s say we lost 500,000 of timberland and farmland to development, that equates to a 2.9% loss of 17,000,000 of undeveloped land.
280,000 sounds big, but in the grand scheme of thing it’s not a huge loss. It’s not ideal to any hunter, but not devastating.
I think
85-90% of our population lives on 10-12% of the state’s total acreage.
3% loss of habitat does not equal 50% loss of animals
The last several years of DNR turkey reports give figures on hunter numbers and hunter effort. But hunter density is relative. I own 380+ acres never more than 2 hunters and they are together only one shooting, so practically one hunter. Another 1200 that only 2 can hunt. Another 1000 that only 2 can hunt and 1 hunter only hunted twice, for less than 3 total hrs( no kill). And I know of 6000 acre tract, with optimal, highly managed habitat, had 10 total hunt days over 4 days, not sure of kills but not many. No more than 5. If the hunter density numbers and how much people are hunting or killing are as crucial as you make out, I should be able to walk across the turkeys on this property,, but you can’t. Yes it’s better than most but not what it has been and could be.
In contrast I have a small, 160+ tract with 400 next door( about 3/4 mile of property border). I’m alone on 160+, the 400 is part of club with multiple leases, it has 60-70 members who have access. The turkeys there are as good or better than my other properties.
This is a biological issue, what biological issue? I haven’t a clue. But scientists are working theories, and right now they seem to be disproving more theories than they are proving, but that is progress by elimination.
The legislature and and us hunters need to settle down, quit calling for drastic changes that won’t fix the issue until the science and data point in the right direction.
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