I like to shoot the bastards as much, if not more, than anyone. I love to feel their cold dead head in my hands. I am preaching and trying to practice. It’s hard, and I never said it was easy.
I own a place that is slam full of turkeys and I haven’t had a gun there yet. I’m no saint, but I thought it might help to discuss the matter at hand
Them that don't know him won't like him, and them that do sometimes won't know how to take him
He ain't wrong, he's just different, and his pride won't let him do things to make you think he's right
They don't put Championship rings on smooth hands
I’ve seen more Jakes this year than I have in a long time. I rotate out properties each year, some places get 1 or 2 birds killed and others rest for a few years.
Killing one a year is generally enough for me. I enjoy going without a gun and just calling. I've had some incredible interactions and learned a lot in those instances.
I understand your thought process completely and agree they will take more of a hit this year with all the extra time. We heard 17 different birds on the roost this morning and had 9 longbeards within 30 yards from daylight until 11:00. There is not a shortage on our place but I feel overall the population is declining. I used to see birds strutting in fields everyday while traveling but rarely do I see that anymore. I have also had some run ins with some thick groups of Jake's which is a great sign for next year.
I've got as many big birds as I've ever seen...I'll be there in the morning again, as usual, doing my "catch and release" hunting...Lots of fun to me to mess with them and I like the excitement and challenge of working one up and fooling him.
This makes it 11 years since I killed a Gobbler, and I've called up as many as anybody...It's a fact, once you kill a bird, you'll never hear him gobble again...I just love being in the woods.
Plus, it's so much easier to get around in the woods without a shotgun.........
A great start to slowing the decline would be to scrap the Tss and decoys. They are crutches, period.
I’ll be happy to get one and let ‘em ride from there.
We’ve had a long dry spell around here and the turkeys just started showing up in any numbers again last year, so I’d like to see the numbers go up some more. They certainly have nothing to fear from me.
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Foothills Golden Retriever Rescue
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"Keep your powder dry, Boys!" ~ George Washington
"If I understood everything I said I'd be a genius." ~ 'Unknown'
There is substance to this, and I personally feel like a concerted effort needs to be made to improve overall nesting habitat as well as increased predator control. The people who have turkeys and do this will continues to kill them, but USFS populations and state WMA will continue to decline, as well as heybo landowners who don’t give a rats ass. The clubs that allow “limits” will continue to decline, and there is much merit to NOT killing them early based on all of the science. Good for you Boozer, but it will take many more to make an impact.
Last edited by Palmetto Pride; 04-03-2020 at 09:00 PM.
“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance” - Thomas Jefferson
I appreciate the intent of your post. However, you kind of lost me with the “assess the situation”. Not busting on you, just saying if you think we should all “let one more live” why don’t you commit to a limit of two. I’m actually planing to do this myself because I’ve been thinking the same thing. Every bubba in the world is gonna turkey hunt this year. Again, I agree with you. I think it’s everyones right to kill 3, but, I plan to only take two off our land. On a positive note, we have a ton of Jakes. I called it a pack of 6 and had a blast just watching them.
If I am lucky enough to shoot a second turkey this year I will stop there. I also believe that we will impact the overall turkey population if we don't exercise some self restraint due to the current conditions.
Pretty well known that I don’t turkey hunt, but I can’t seem to make a right (or left) turn on a rural road in Clarendon, Orangeburg, Calhoun, Colleton, Dorchester, or Berkeley county without seeing a truckload of em on the edge of a field.
Be proactive about improving public waterfowl habitat in South Carolina. It's not going to happen by itself, and our help is needed. We have the potential to winter thousands of waterfowl on public grounds if we fight for it.
Unless you have been laid off there shouldn’t be extra time to hunt.
I’ve hunted Public all week, and sitting in the truck at the gate waiting on some yahoo to stop beside me and proceed to follow me in like Thursday am. The amount of traffic that’s been in a small general area has been overwhelming, and could almost attest to that of a public dove field.
I’ve had almost a dozen jakes and super jakes in range all week with no true mature Bird, However I could only imagine a lot Of these guys are killing these young birds and multiple birds allready as this tag system Leaves room for 2 birds 1 shot mistake and run and gun from speculation of less officers in the woods due to Covid procedures. So yea I understand your statement, However if I have the opportunity from now until the end of the season to harvest 3 I will Not hesitate killing my limit.
Last edited by dhall1693; 04-04-2020 at 04:48 AM.
I've seen more game wardens this week than I've ever seen in my life.
I’ve killed two on different properties. I’m seeing more turkeys than ever where I hunt and I’m the only one hunting. If I was hunting one small property I might be a one and done hunter.
I have 3 other buddies I hunt public with. We have been hunting and sharing intell with one another for a few years. During the season we talk almost daily. The amount of people (I don’t use hunters or sportsman because of the gross lack of courtesy) is pretty surprising compared to years past. I/we haven’t been disappointed in the birds. We have yet to see anyone else carry one out yet. All that said I know what you are saying and agree. I always have an extra tag at the end of the year for Managment purposes
"Think A Guy Like Me Worries About Percentages?" Tin Cup
"Some get spiritual cause they see the light, and some cause they feel the heat" Ray Wylie Hubbard
"P.S. I love turkeys. Mostly just hate those who hunt em." Glenn
Our workforce of 9, have been divided into two groups. If someone in one group gets it we won't have to close. I'm working 20 get payed 40. Hunted yesterday, had not turkey hunted in 2yrs. There were 4 trucks on the road where I wanted to start, I never seen a truck in there before, but I usually don't hunt this early in the season
I've seen a lot of birds around Spartanburg Co. They are being push out by new sub divisions full of Yankees, not hunting pressure. Woodlots and fields are disappearing at an unbelievable rate.
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