Question On Restraint...

[darealdeal]

Seems some of the people here would kill a roosted bird while still in the tree.

[Catdaddy]

Seems some of the people here would kill a roosted bird while still in the tree.

.....with a light.

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[trkykilr]

I figured that I would wait until the season was over to answer this poll. Sometimes my excitement overrides my intent, but this year I was able to hold off on a third bird. I killed a really nice bird on opening day (3/22), and did not carry a gun again until 4/19. I killed my second bird on 4/22 and hung it up in SC for the year. Along the way I’ve had a couple of successful out of state hunts, with one more still to go.

The main focus of my season was to try to get my 7 year old son on one. We were not ever able to kill one, but we had some really close calls and I think he learned a lot along the way. I know I did.

My daughter took a back seat and didn’t kill an SC bird this year, but did kill an Osceola during S Florida youth season. I did take her in Greenville County on the last day, but couldn’t kill one.

I got to tag along and see a few killed by buddies, but not as many as normal.

Without getting into the fray on the other two threads, I think each of us that turkey hunts knows that we need to show some restraint in what we choose to kill. There are a ton of factors that have gotten us to where we are, and not all of it is under our control. The efficiency with which we kill them is off the charts, then you have predators, habitat loss, male decoys, blinds, weather, and the list goes on and on and on. I control what I can control, and try to be a positive influence through support of research, sharing my experience with those that ask or care, and manage the properties that I influence based on the recommendations of biologists that I trust.

With the rapid reduction in the number of acres that can support birds and the population growth in SC, sometimes I feel like we may be pissing in the ocean, but I try to do what I can. Living over an hour from the private places that I influence makes trapping and burning when it is right particularly difficult, but I have certainly seen a difference in the populations because of it. It is going to take a lot of work by a lot of folks, our legislature being most important, if we are going to have a huntable population of these things in 20 years. I’m still not sure that will be enough.

I’d say put the limit at 2, 1 for out of staters, start the season a little later (maybe 4/5), and outlaw fanning. In my opinion, that would give us the best chance.

[UPSTATEWATERFOWLER]

I didn’t read all of the comments in this thread because there are just too many. I don’t think I’ve noticed the word Bushhog mentioned in this thread. People have been bushhogging for many years so I’m not suggesting this is our “problem”. However, another way to help is to hold off on bushhogging your food plots or hayfields until June. I know this, but could not “restrain” myself from bushhogging a path around my overgrown clover plot last week. I don’t allow hay to be cut until June but felt I needed that path cut. I almost hit a hen and about 7 or 8 young poults. I know better and shouldn’t have done it but thought “what are the odds?” If you don’t have a cattle operation, holding off cutting fields is a small way to help given our current downturn in numbers.