Since the predator thread turned into a discussion of this, I'd sure like for someone to enlighten me as to how a lower spring gobbler limit is gonna actually increase the overall turkey population? And also some real facts as to how a later season is gonna help?

What I have learned at Auburn and thru personal experience is that it takes very few gobblers to breed the hens. Gobbler said there is research of a single gobbler breeding more than 20 hens in one day. I was surprised that one gobbler could accomplish that, but gobbler don't lie. So how can killing some of the gobblers before all of the hens are bred make any difference in the population? Research has shown that a hen needs to be bred only once to remain fertile for the season, so what is the issue? The only way that more gobblers will result in higher reproduction is if you have a place where all the gobblers are killed before all the hens are bred. I am sure that doesn't happen in any place I hunt in AL because I always hear gobbling until the end of the season and after. It just defies common sense to me.

In all my classes at Auburn, and all the meetings and such that I've been to, I've never heard any Auburn professor express concern that there are not enough gobblers to breed the hens. This seems to me to be an idea that is completely out-of-state in its origin. Maybe there are places in the USA where this is a problem, but I just can't believe its a problem here. If there is evidence to the contrary, somebody please present it and I will shut up.

I have not read any of the recent research on the timing of breeding in AL, but my experience leads me to believe that most of it occurs early in the spring. I've read countless articles that tell how a gobbler roosts close to his hens, flies down and then breeds them all, then is ready to go looking for more later in the day. I call baloney on this.

I've been in the position many times to see a gobbler interact with the hens that are roosted close by early in the morning. While magazines may tell us he breeds them all, I can count on one hand the number of times I've watched a gobbler actually breed a hen. Their normal behavior during turkey season is to fly down, strut for the hens, and be ignored. He will follow them wherever they go, but actually scoring doesn't happen that often. The few times that I've actually seen it happen has always been the first week of the season, and it was always just one hen who was willing. I've talked to wildlife biologists in AL that told me they haven't observed actual breeding many times either.

I've read accounts of people in Yankee Land that have big flocks of turkeys that spend the winter on their farms. The turkeys stay there because its the only place not covered with snow. These people often observe breeding taking place, and often multiple hens in the same morning. I'm suspecting most of our breeding takes place before the season when the turkeys are still bunched up. Assumptions like this can lead to conclusions like thinking the gobblers sit on the eggs, so I invite anyone to present evidence that proves this wrong. One thing I feel sure about - actual breeding is relatively rare, and the research that says a hen needs to be bred only once is almost certainly correct.

So how is a lower limit, shorter season, or later season gonna affect reproduction in any way? Hey, we gotta talk about something next 7 weeks.