Be aware that the Dept is going to give you stats about the winter mortality of turkeys, and they would prefer hunters bag ( and purchase tags for) birds that they say won't make it through the winter anyway.
I have never shotgun hunted a Turkey in the fall. But have tried when Bow hunting for Deer. Just never see enough in spring or fall here to kill. But I try and do my part. Killing Yotes Coons Possums and Skunks when I see them. I carry a rifle on my side by side everyday on the farm. If I see them they get shot.
I am not above killing a nuisance animal, but the thought of “bounty” killing or trapping and pitching a critter to save a different critter that I’ve placed a superficial value on seems incredibly wasteful. I also can’t imagine that would send a great message to the Anti’s. I think a utilitarian approach would benefit everyone. Need to increase the value of fur-bearers through an acceptance in popular culture.
The only thing i can think about hen culling is the available food over winter issue. If you cull before winter where there wont be as much food your flock will fare better and your gobblers will fare better. Less mouths to feed. My guess.
Back when turkeys first were reintroduce to ky you couldn't shoot hens! We had turkeys out the ass! Flocks of birds everywhere, no fall season just a spring season that was set on purpose when birds were henned up tight, Play forward we now can kill 4 in the fall and 2 in the spring and season has been dialed in to accommodate the hunters. Hens are far game in the fall and poachers eat turkey all yr long while most of us hunters never lay eyes on a conservation officer, used to be officers were everywhere and tickets kept the masses honest. When's the last time you were checked? I can't rember it's been so long, and that's fine for me as I'm not going to do anything on purpose to chance loosing my license! But you give alot of people a chance to get away with it and it's going to happen! If giving up the fall season for a few yrs improves the numbers then I say go ahead, some are saying it's not right but the same ones will support shorter deer seasons for gun hunters and throw out the idea of antler spread limited and not blink a eye! The turkey population is down, it might not be in your hunting areas but it is in alot of others, being selfish instead of supporting each other is just ignorant.
I've really never understood why people would want to restrict fall turkey hunting in KY. Participation is very limited and legal harvest is miniscule. If you dont think your local population can sustain fall hunting then don't hunt. No one is going to hold a gun to your head and force you to kill 4 birds in the fall. If they aren't there, you're not going to kill them anyway. As far as illegally harvested fall turkeys, the best way to stop that is to ban baiting for deer.
Baiting for deer IMO is the number one reason the population is down, but it's not going away untill it starts causing disease to spread threw out the herd! It's not the turkeys that get checked in that's the problem, it's all the ones that get shot and never checked that are hurting the population! Corn makes it alot easier for the opportunity, I know one area and one guy who kills turkeys every time he get the chance no matter what time of the yr. Everyone knows he does it he's been reported but they never have done anything to him.
I'm not sure20 yrs 15 maybe longer! But from my experience you put turkeys in front of hunters for 5 months and no one can hear you shoot, turkeys are going to die!
The county that I once lived in Tennessee has nearly it's whole turkey population depleted and baiting with corn for deer and turkey are illegal.
So you want to eliminate things that may help beginning hunters be successful??? We all know the "type" of hunters we are when we first start hunting. Turkey hunts can be "super easy" without reaping or using a male decoy. The ole ambush is just as successful. Sometimes, turkeys run from Male decoys and come only to hens, then what? Sometimes, reaping scares a gobbler to death and he runs off, if you hadn't have reaped he probably comes in for the kill. Your reasoning is elementary and would do nothing for a turkey population. Every advantage you can think of for a turkey hunter can be argued the opposite, like long range shells and guns. A person may take a shot at 70 yards because they're confident in their combo, they miss because that's too far. Otherwise, that bird may have came to 40 yards if you hadn't shot and spooked it. See how easy that is?
