Where has it shown minimal improvement? SC just recently lowered the bag. Hasn't been long enough to evaluate results. AR just shortened the season a couple seasons ago. Again. Not long enough to draw any conclusions.

I'm not looking for an argument with you, but the short, later seasons have been in effect for long enough to see a difference in Arkansas. At least 5 years. We have no more turkeys on our place for it. Or any place I personally know of. 16 day seasons suck. Terribly. Alabama is leaps and bounds ahead of our AGFC in the simple fact you guys are being proactive. I just hate to see a repeat happen in Alabama that happened here- biologist's opinions being overshadowed by political bs. For no real gain from any standpoint. Me and a buddy make several trips to Alabama before our season. Turkey hunting is deeply engrained into the culture- something we don't have here. I just hate to see you guys lose it gradually.

Ok. I will play along. Besides burning...any suggestions?

What are your thoughts to the declining numbers?

Any biological reason to NOT lower the bag limits in addition to the other management steps you suggested?

Where has it shown minimal improvement? SC just recently lowered the bag. Hasn't been long enough to evaluate results. AR just shortened the season a couple seasons ago. Again. Not long enough to draw any conclusions.

AR just shortened the season a couple seasons ago. Again. Not long enough to draw any conclusions.

AR backed up season and limited it to 2 weeks in 2012 and their gobbler harvest, population densities, poult production, and hunter satisfaction has increased since.

Where has it shown minimal improvement? SC just recently lowered the bag. Hasn't been long enough to evaluate results. AR just shortened the season a couple seasons ago. Again. Not long enough to draw any conclusions.

There have been several threads regarding this and my position on it can easily be found here

http://www.aldeer.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1451766&page=6

We should NOT have to justify why NOT to change the limits, especially decreasing them. We should have to biologically justify (NOT with some computer model) why lowering them would be a good idea.

I'm not searching thru 43 pages for your opinion.

It is funny that weather was only mentioned in only this one post but it is the MOST important driver of nest and poult success there is - and the only one we have NO control over. I tend to agree here as well as with Troy. The last dry spring/summer we have had (good nesting and poult production) was 2007 and it was an EXCELLENT hatch in central/south AL. I have clients (in several central al counties) that will tell you they have never had more turkeys than they do now and it is mostly due to intensive predator control, despite moist/poor nesting seasons. SO... In MY order of importance - 1) spring weather, 2) nest predators, 3) everything else as a small percentage contribution. This is for the State as a whole. Habitat plays an extremely important part but turkeys are adaptable to a variety of habitat types, especially if it is broken up and diverse. I agree with Troy that corn has NOTHING to do with any actual or perceived decline. I think Corky used the increase in baiting in AL as a tool to get his point across which was deceitful at best.

BTW, the idea that the State bios don't care is a pretty poor theory. As Biologists, we all dedicated our careers, education and money to this field. The problem is they have no more control over Statewide populations than anyone else. You can't control weather, pretty much can't control predator populations across the State as a whole, so all that is left is trying to help landowners learn how to manage correctly and control habitat and predators on small pieces of the State. They DO have control of seasons and limits but turkey populations in AL are NOT impacted by our current season and bag structure so that tool will have NO impact on population densities regardless of what some will say! Just MHO

I'm not searching thru 43 pages for your opinion.

And I am not advocating lower limits. I just don't follow your logic

If we all agree that numbers are down, lowering the bag limits are the first logical step to consider.

Y'all are always looking for ways to set us up or have us back peddle. It's sickening. When y'all set us up it's cute and funny to pick on the state guys. When we do it back we are considered deceptive or liars.