Lowest harvest totals in last 12 years

[davers]

Pls post a pic. I'm not familiar with any black hawks.

I didn't have a camera at the time of the sighting.

 

[JR in KY]

Oklahoma is also down.
My friend that owns a Hunting Lodge has cut the Limit down to 1 Tom. They did 2 for many years.
www.Canadianriverhilton.com

 

[GrandSlammer]

I knew when this thread started somebody would show up to d*ck measure and say if you can't kill birds you don't know how to hunt. Congratulations, you finally showed.

Not a single person has talked about anyone else’s hunting abilities. We’re talking about the population of turkeys.

You’re the type of people that is exactly what is wrong with the world today and exactly why very few post on here anymore

 

[GrandSlammer]

Anything that is having a detrimental effect on an entire population, in a dozen or so states is a "major issue" regardless of what anyone may think.

“Detrimental”?
I see over 26,000 reasons it’s not “detrimental “.
Population down, yes. But far from detrimental and needing to hit the panic button

 

[bgkyarcher]

“Detrimental”?
I see over 26,000 reasons it’s not “detrimental “.
Population down, yes. But far from detrimental and needing to hit the panic button

I don't recall anybody mentioning a panic button, other than you. Whether you want to admit, or not, there is a regional wide issue with the turkey population that has been going on for 5+ years. Multiple states are investigating in hopes of discovering the main problem, be it predation, or disease. Hopefully they don't find any disease issues. Predation and habitat can be corrected, to an extent. I for one, hope they eliminate killing of hens in the Fall.

 

[cedar creek]

No doubt that the number of turkeys overall is down in Ky. Some say that the harvest numbers are staying close to the same that the numbers are there. Only thing with that statement is the amount of hunters is maybe triple what it was 15-20 yrs ago. When the woods have 3 times the hunters we had back then we can still have about same harvest numbers even as total population is decreasing . Way too many hunters saying the same thing about not seeing as many while hunting and when just driving around. Turkeys have a hard time making it considering so many things. We should all agree weather, predators, hunters, habit and disease all factor into the decrease.

Well said

 

[GrandSlammer]

I don't recall anybody mentioning a panic button, other than you. Whether you want to admit, or not, there is a regional wide issue with the turkey population that has been going on for 5+ years. Multiple states are investigating in hopes of discovering the main problem, be it predation, or disease. Hopefully they don't find any disease issues. Predation and habitat can be corrected, to an extent. I for one, hope they eliminate killing of hens in the Fall.

I’ve admitted it several times. I know the population is lower than it has been the last 5 years. We were told not to get used to those high harvest numbers when we were putting them up. All you hear is the negative and how bad it is when many states would love to have what we have here. Sure, let them look into it and if they find something doing harm, do what we can to fix it. I’ve always pushed for no harvest of hens at any time. Turkeys are a very finicky bird and it takes a lot for a hen to raise little ones. There’s always going to be ebbs and flows of a turkey population

 

[bgkyarcher]

I’ve admitted it several times. I know the population is lower than it has been the last 5 years. We were told not to get used to those high harvest numbers when we were putting them up. All you hear is the negative and how bad it is when many states would love to have what we have here. Sure, let them look into it and if they find something doing harm, do what we can to fix it. I’ve always pushed for no harvest of hens at any time. Turkeys are a very finicky bird and it takes a lot for a hen to raise little ones. There’s always going to be ebbs and flows of a turkey population

You admit it, then turn around and dismiss it "ebbs and flows". A 5+ year downward trend in population is not "ebb and flow". And again, we're not just talking about Ky. This is throughout most of the country, certainly all of the Southeast US.

 

[EdLongshanks]

No doubt that the number of turkeys overall is down in Ky. Some say that the harvest numbers are staying close to the same that the numbers are there. Only thing with that statement is the amount of hunters is maybe triple what it was 15-20 yrs ago. When the woods have 3 times the hunters we had back then we can still have about same harvest numbers even as total population is decreasing . Way too many hunters saying the same thing about not seeing as many while hunting and when just driving around. Turkeys have a hard time making it considering so many things. We should all agree weather, predators, hunters, habitat and disease all factor into the decrease.

Agreed. You can’t base an assessment of the entire population solely on harvest numbers. Good or bad. That’s not how this works.

 

[muddhunter]

Especially when they are probably killing 1 or 2 more that get away to feed the coyotes than they EVER check in. Shooting them all day and all night off the roost, over corn piles, and baiting them in for the coyotes and bob cats, running atvs through the nesting season all over the place.

Yep this is what "ya get when" you beg every one on the planet, we need more hunters, to just come and "hunt". They'll kill'em all soon, its been done before.

I’ve never known anyone to shoot a turkey off the roost (day or night). Does that really happen? Seems like anytime I’ve gotten within rifle range (let alone shotgun range) they are busting the hell out of there. I can count the times on one hand that I’ve slipped in on one that was roosted over me. But I didn’t know they were there till they flew down.

 

[Redlined]

Not a single person has talked about anyone else’s hunting abilities. We’re talking about the population of turkeys.

You’re the type of people that is exactly what is wrong with the world today and exactly why very few post on here anymore

Are you delusional or selectively ignorant? One of your first few posts in this thread was saying the birds were out there and that people were lazy and just needed to walk more.

Pro tip: Holier than thou attitudes ruffles feathers. When you get called out on it don't get butthurt.

 

[mudhole crossing]

I started turkey hunting the spring of ‘96. Bird acted diff back then and I thought it was because there wasn’t many turkey at that time. If a Tom answered u could get ready because he was coming. The 2nd turkey I ever killed I was walking a ridge and one answered me on the other side. He was about 1/2 way of the hill. So I went down about halfway and he went all the way to the bottom and to me. It’s took him about 35-40 mins but he covered a thousand yards easy. Now days hunting the same places u have to go to them a heck of a lot further than back in the 90s.

 

[riverboss]

Do we have a turkey number decrease?
Yes we do! Let's just take that it's going to get better attitude all by itself!
Sounds smart doesn't it?
I would sooner kill one bird in the spring as not kill any in 5 more yrs! Something needs to be done and the sooner the better!

 

[mudhole crossing]

I’m willing to give up a Tom tag if it will help. Obviously it will help but there’s a lot more to be mulled on and decided on about this decrease. Where I hunt is still ok but I want the whole state of ky to be ok as well. I hope this can be resolved sooner than later.

 

[bgkyarcher]

I’m willing to give up a Tom tag if it will help. Obviously it will help but there’s a lot more to be mulled on and decided on about this decrease. Where I hunt is still ok but I want the whole state of ky to be ok as well. I hope this can be resolved sooner than later.

I’ll hunt the same regardless. I take kids and others every hunt. I love to hunt them. I usually get my second bird the last weekend. This year was bad. Only killed two, and one was a bearded hen. I’ve averaged around 6-7 a year the last 15 years or so. I don’t recall only killing two prior to 2000.