Want to improve your hunting next year

[LittleJohn]

Since our Spring season has came and gone. Want to start thinking about the next year season and to take some nice Toms. Then I urged you to hunt this fall and take your limit of hens. Turkeys is like deer,got to takes the Doe's out and what good eating to help the Bucks grow bigger and to keep a good ratio well Turkeys are the same,the hens are getting well populated,makes it harder to call the big boys in. The hens will eat up so good. Yum,Yum. Think about it.

[skin_dog1]

Actually, turkeys are quite different that deer. If all 4,700 members kill their limit of 4 hens this fall then we'd see one hell of an increase in the fall harvest. I doubt the dept wants that many hens killed. The limits are set high cause not that many people kill turkeys in the fall, not because everyone needs to kill that many. Enjoy the season, just remember turkeys have to be managed differently from deer because they are different.

[Multidigits]

Actually, turkeys are quite different that deer. If all 4,700 members kill their limit of 4 hens this fall then we'd see one hell of an increase in the fall harvest. I doubt the dept wants that many hens killed. The limits are set high cause not that many people kill turkeys in the fall, not because everyone needs to kill that many. Enjoy the season, just remember turkeys have to be managed differently from deer because they are different.

You can kill up to 10% (either sex) of the flock without harm to the resource. We're not killing anywhere close to that now, nor will we do so in the near future because fall hunting is not that popular with most folks.

[jeff ward]

i agree with multi. we need to take a few more hens out..

[skin_dog1]

OK, quickly lets use some rough math

Lets assume the hen to tom ratio is 100:1 and your local flock has 200 hens and 2 toms(no way it's that skewed, but lets assume). those toms breed half of those hens and those 100 hens succesfully hatch and raise 100 poults(again, way off but lets assume). half of those poults will be males and half hens so after both adult toms are killed during the spring you will be left with 200 adult hens, 50 jenny's and 50 jakes or a ratio of 250:50 or simplified 5:1. After just one spring of killing all the adult toms and no hens your sex ratio was improved from 100:1 to 5:1!!!!! I'm no biologist, but it seems like simple math to me. Even if half those jakes are killed their first year your ratio is still 10:1 which is way better than most hunters think it is. We all know that not all the adult toms are killed and no where near half the jakes are killed. Our ratio's almost have to be closer to 2 or 3:1 than what most people think. After the second season using the above scenario of a ratio of 10:1 with a population of 250 hens and 25 jakes lets assume those 25 jakes breed all 250 hens and they raise 250 poults -125 jenny's and 125 jakes. Now we have 375 hens and 125 jakes cause again 100% of the adult toms were killed. Were' left with a 3:1 ratio. Pretty exciting huh!!!! I'm not saying don't kill hens no more than I'm saying don't kill does but it's not neccessary to slay every female critter you see just to have good hunting. I'm gonna kill several does each year, and If I get the chance I'll take a couple hens this fall, but it won't be to better the flock! It'll be to better my pot!

[Multidigits]

Killing a few hens in the fall doesn't hurt anything, no matter what math you use. A certain part of the flock is excess and it will have no effect on spring populations.

[sirgiovanni]

We put out about an acre or two of Chufa to try and better our season next year. :D

[skin_dog1]

Killing a few hens in the fall doesn't hurt anything, no matter what math you use. A certain part of the flock is excess and it will have no effect on spring populations.Are you sure?:eek:

[Multidigits]

Are you sure?:eek:

Basic turkey management.........nothing new here. Tried and proven many times over.

[skin_dog1]

Do you even read my frickin post or do you just see I wrote something so you have to disagree? I'm agreeing that it doesn't hurt to shoot some hens. Did I say anywhere that we shouldn't shoot em cause it's gonna destroy our flock? NO! All I meant and thought I spoke pretty clearly was it's not neccesary to kill a ton of hens so we can have good hunting. I don't want to see every turkey hunter in the state grabbing gun or bow and hammering the hens cause I don't think that would be a good thing. This ain't some high fenced texas ranch! Good day!

[Multidigits]

Do you even read my frickin post or do you just see I wrote something so you have to disagree? I'm agreeing that it doesn't hurt to shoot some hens. Did I say anywhere that we shouldn't shoot em cause it's gonna destroy our flock? NO! All I meant and thought I spoke pretty clearly was it's not neccesary to kill a ton of hens so we can have good hunting. I don't want to see every turkey hunter in the state grabbing gun or bow and hammering the hens cause I don't think that would be a good thing. This ain't some high fenced texas ranch! Good day!

Have a good day. BTW--turkeys are tuff to keep in with a fence, even a high one. :D

[WBBP]

Littlejohn, your comment that the turkeys need to be managed like deer is not true. Deer, unlike turkeys have few natural predators to control their numbers and the weather in KY "most" years has little affect on our deer herd, but one heavy spring/summer rain event can nearly decimate a local hatch.......

Encouraging hunters to fill their limits with hens in the fall to help with the gobbler harvest the next spring is not a good management plan for most areas, since most areas are still trying to grow their flock.

[mossyhorns]

"Without harming the resource" is biologist's lingo. It simply means that the flock will stay at or above a sustainable level. It has nothing to do with the quality of hunting. Missouri is an example of a state that (at least at the beginning) cared more about the quality of turkey hunting (as measured by hunter satisfaction in areas such as number of gobblers heard per day) than exploiting the resource.

[turk2di]

"Without harming the resource" is biologist's lingo. It simply means that the flock will stay at or above a sustainable level. It has nothing to do with the quality of hunting. Missouri is an example of a state that (at least at the beginning) cared more about the quality of turkey hunting (as measured by hunter satisfaction in areas such as number of gobblers heard per day) than exploiting the resource.
Missouri knew that great quality hunting equaled more hunters, which meant more MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!

[Multidigits]

You might not know that Missouri is about the only State game agency that is in a sound financial position because of their revenue generating tax on consumers in their state.

They are not dependent on NR license sales or even resident license sales. No sinister plot here to draw in millions of hunters off the backs of their turkeys. Sometimes mother nature throws a curve ball and game agencies have to deal with it the best they can.

I doubt that any state game agency doesn't want happy hunters, and that includes happy turkey hunters. For the most part, I beleive Ky. is one of those states. Outside of the Louisville area, it seems that most people are happy with what we have here and that most still believe the KYDFWR is still doing a good job with the management of the resource.

That said, it's sure tuff to make sure ever single hunter hears enough gobblers to keep him happy. Probably dang near impossible. One guy might be happy to hear one, and others might need to hear 20? I'm happy just to hear a couple at about 25 yards sometime during the season, be it 21 days or 23 days. Even if the dang bird doesn't gobble, if he comes in, I'm still happy.

[kycurhunter]

Do you even read my frickin post or do you just see I wrote something so you have to disagree? I'm agreeing that it doesn't hurt to shoot some hens. Did I say anywhere that we shouldn't shoot em cause it's gonna destroy our flock? NO! All I meant and thought I spoke pretty clearly was it's not neccesary to kill a ton of hens so we can have good hunting. I don't want to see every turkey hunter in the state grabbing gun or bow and hammering the hens cause I don't think that would be a good thing. This ain't some high fenced texas ranch! Good day!

good god the turkeys are taking over as it is...they trash a woods. where I hunt it looks like a herd of mexicans with rakes have been turned loose in the woods. I can't even harvest enough morels to make a mess for the dern things all I can find are the stems that are left when the turkeys eat them all.

We need to be able to harvest a hen in the spring. THEY NEED THINNED OUT A LITTLE...

Good god folks I love to hunt them and am all for protecting our population for the future but there is NO shortage of the things.

I raise and hunt competition squirrel dogs and am in the woods alot and the turkeys put the hurt on the food in the woods in an average year. I think we need to look at the big picture of things where wildlife is concerned...not just our feathered freinds....

If we all took our yearly limits and added a bird or two to it (due to limit increases) the turkeys would still thrive. When you are seeing over 100 birds roosting together at times that should tell you that we have plenty...

The number we have now it sure isn't a great undertaking to harvest a couple of longbeards in the spring no matter how good or bad a hunter and caller one is.

that is my veiw and I am sticking to it.

[letmfly]

Hey, My great great great great great great great second cousin was Mexican!

[Valley Station]

KyCur,
Dang it, tearrin' up the woods, eatin' all the mushrooms.
We can get yah some help.
Now were is it we need to send these "less than the cream of the crop" Peabody turkey hunters ???

[skin_dog1]

good god the turkeys are taking over as it is...they trash a woods. where I hunt it looks like a herd of mexicans with rakes have been turned loose in the woods. I can't even harvest enough morels to make a mess for the dern things all I can find are the stems that are left when the turkeys eat them all.

We need to be able to harvest a hen in the spring. THEY NEED THINNED OUT A LITTLE...

Good god folks I love to hunt them and am all for protecting our population for the future but there is NO shortage of the things.

I raise and hunt competition squirrel dogs and am in the woods alot and the turkeys put the hurt on the food in the woods in an average year. I think we need to look at the big picture of things where wildlife is concerned...not just our feathered freinds....

If we all took our yearly limits and added a bird or two to it (due to limit increases) the turkeys would still thrive. When you are seeing over 100 birds roosting together at times that should tell you that we have plenty...

The number we have now it sure isn't a great undertaking to harvest a couple of longbeards in the spring no matter how good or bad a hunter and caller one is.

that is my veiw and I am sticking to it.

You're definately entitled to your opinion, but it ain't like that in most of the state. I've only hunted turkeys in KY for 3 springs and I've taken 5 birds in 5 different counties. I've only killed 2 fall birds, mainly cause I'd rather deer hunt in the fall. I do spend a right fair amount of time in the woods year round and I have never seen a flock of 100 birds in KY. I've seen larger flocks in KS up to 160 birds, but no where near that here. I've seen 60 birds in a flock and thats a right nice amount, but I doubt anywhere in the state needs thinned out. If you think your place does ten I'd be glad to come up next spring and help out especially if I can add county #6! I'm also sure plenty more people here would help this fall. I'll bet turk2di would love to come harvest soem birds for ya. Whats the address?

[turk2di]

good god the turkeys are taking over as it is...they trash a woods. where I hunt it looks like a herd of mexicans with rakes have been turned loose in the woods. I can't even harvest enough morels to make a mess for the dern things all I can find are the stems that are left when the turkeys eat them all.

We need to be able to harvest a hen in the spring. THEY NEED THINNED OUT A LITTLE...

Good god folks I love to hunt them and am all for protecting our population for the future but there is NO shortage of the things.

I raise and hunt competition squirrel dogs and am in the woods alot and the turkeys put the hurt on the food in the woods in an average year. I think we need to look at the big picture of things where wildlife is concerned...not just our feathered freinds....

If we all took our yearly limits and added a bird or two to it (due to limit increases) the turkeys would still thrive. When you are seeing over 100 birds roosting together at times that should tell you that we have plenty...

The number we have now it sure isn't a great undertaking to harvest a couple of longbeards in the spring no matter how good or bad a hunter and caller one is.

that is my veiw and I am sticking to it.
I want to hunt where u do! Sounds like a part of Missouri in Ky;)

[Multidigits]

I want to hunt where u do! Sounds like a part of Missouri in Ky;)

I thought Missouri was in decline????

[turk2di]

I though Missouri was in decline????
I imagine there will a new record set over there.......again! But if not, i'll b man enuf to admit im wrong!

[skin_dog1]

I imagine there will a new record set over there.......again! But if not, i'll b man enuf to admit im wrong!Weather sucked opening weekend and everyone I talked to said it was real slow the second week .Spring came early and when we were there it was REAL green. Things have picked up alot from what I hear. I do know that the only morning we hunted when they were gobling was friday before the weather set in. It was something else! I'd never heard anything like it. I do plan to go back and help em set a record in the future.

[turk2di]

Gotta buddy that lives near Bolivar Mo. He's a deliveryman. He always see's lotsa turkeys, but he said this year it was ridiculious.

[Xi Bowhunter]

You're definately entitled to your opinion, but it ain't like that in most of the state. I've only hunted turkeys in KY for 3 springs and I've taken 5 birds in 5 different counties. I've only killed 2 fall birds, mainly cause I'd rather deer hunt in the fall. I do spend a right fair amount of time in the woods year round and I have never seen a flock of 100 birds in KY. I've seen larger flocks in KS up to 160 birds, but no where near that here. I've seen 60 birds in a flock and thats a right nice amount, but I doubt anywhere in the state needs thinned out. If you think your place does ten I'd be glad to come up next spring and help out especially if I can add county #6! I'm also sure plenty more people here would help this fall. I'll bet turk2di would love to come harvest soem birds for ya. Whats the address?

There are huge flocks of birds in my area. We sure don't have a lacking bird population in the daviess co, ohio co area. I don't know where you hunt, but chances are you have big flocks gathering somewhere in your county that you just don't know about.

[turk2di]

I imagine there will a new record set over there.......again! But if not, i'll b man enuf to admit im wrong!
Im wrong!........

[Gobblergetter2.1]

If i get a chance, ill take a hen this fall, but no more than 2. I tried to better my odds last year by planting chufa. It turned out great, but it didnt get hardly any use. In fact, most of the chufa rotted. However there were (and still is) a TON of deer using it.

[aceoky]

If i get a chance, ill take a hen this fall, but no more than 2. I tried to better my odds last year by planting chufa. It turned out great, but it didnt get hardly any use. In fact, most of the chufa rotted. However there were (and still is) a TON of deer using it.

I'd guess the huge acorn crop had something to do with that, this year, I'd guess they'll "hit it much harder"! :)

[bcdh1]

There are huge flocks of birds in my area. We sure don't have a lacking bird population in the daviess co, ohio co area. I don't know where you hunt, but chances are you have big flocks gathering somewhere in your county that you just don't know about.

I hunt in Warren County and last year while duck hunting me and a buddy saw over 350 turkeys in one field. It was a corn field and i think 3 or 4 big flocks came to it to feed. We tried to hunt them, but the birds on my side of the fence flew down into the woods, walked the ridge and came out with the other birds in the field. I would think they ate everything over there in a couple of days, but they kept doing that for at least two weeks.

[Valley Station]

Flock of 350 turkeys? That's is a dandy.
Dang, so that's where they all went to, Warren county.

[Multidigits]

We've had that many at times in our field as well, not in one group, but several groups, all feeding on soy beans. Most of the edge was stripped clean. The farmer wasn't happy about it.

[aceoky]

We've had that many at times in our field as well, not in one group, but several groups, all feeding on soy beans. Most of the edge was stripped clean. The farmer wasn't happy about it.

"Balance" is what we're actually faced with, a balance between what the habitat can support in a healthy manner , and what the farmers can "live with" as far as damages go, true for deer and turkey, I'd guess???