Y’all got something totally different out of that than I did, if those are your take aways.

Oh - well - I honestly only made it thru about 1 1/2 of those videos. Just a little boring and a lot of talking over each other.

I’m just saying - if you want academia and government to solve something, pull up a chair for a long wait. A WILDLIFE biologist ain’t going to consistently push, and push, and push - killing other wildlife. And then apply for more grants, etc., etc.

The posts in this thread saying these guys are like Fauchi are way off the mark. Even Chamberlain, who I respect as a researcher but disagree with his theories, is not in this for the money and will NOT be at any disadvantage for research funding regardless of his position on the "dominant gobbler theory". As long as turkeys are declining, and probably if they are not, he will get the same research grants and funding. Gulsby and Lashly are honest, smart wildlife researchers looking for answers. They also will get funding regardless. If there are good questions, there is funding. Gulsby's research money is private.
I know these guys and they are looking for answers and the podcast is an attempt to provide folks with the latest research information. Like me, they are highly focused on research results and eye "anecdotal" information with a skepticism. Anecdotal info is about all we have regarding predators. They readily admit that it can work BUT that habitat makes a MUCH more substantial impact. For instance, predator control in crappy habitat will have very little impact and predator control on good habitat can have large benefits. BUT the data is still lacking. Bottom line, these guys aren't doing it for the money. Myself included, if that were the case, we would have picked a different field to practice. How many of yall have dedicated your education and career to the wildlife field where money is short and hours are long??

I know, and am one, who DOES push predator control, "killing other wildlife" for the wildlife we want. I know plenty of others.

So why are we making season and limit reductions based off of insufficient data? That's my problem with all of this. I understand standing up for colleagues, and I always respect what you have to say gobbler, but when they start taking away my opportunity to hunt, I've got a problem with that.

I don't know who died and made Chamberlain the turkey biology czar, but his theories are nothing more than BS theories. Until we have legitimate evidence, he needs to back off and quit pimping himself out online. That is purely a money grab for good ol #1. He is negatively impacting the hunters who are truly the only ones who do the dirty work of habitat management, predator control, ect. when it comes to preserving and proliferating the species.

The very first video I watched they literally said that trapping was very beneficial and recommended doing it. 🤷‍♂️

Make sure you kill chicken snakes and other egg eaters whenever you see them as well. They are a nest predator we tend to ignore

I’m with gobbler on this one. Knowing them both, and having spent time with Lashley at MSU, their primary concern is the turkey. They’re only sharing information with the public as the science suggests. Now do I agree with every scientific theory from prominent researchers? No. That’s why they’re theories. BUT, data has been pretty consistent on habitat being a larger contributor to nest success than trapping. That doesn’t mean trapping should be overlooked. It’s a piece to the puzzle, and I encourage it as part of an overall management strategy. I understand a lot of hunters are limited in resources, scope or authority to manipulate habitat through timber stand improvements and burning. These guys aren’t the bad guys here. They’re only sharing what they know has been replicated and suggested through scientific trials.

That's what I've been saying for years. I believe that the theories were used to justify what our leadership in the dcnr had been wanting to do anyway. It doesn't benefit the department for a single hunter to kill 5 turkeys. I think the changes are actually going to hurt overall turkey populations instead of helping them.

Whether that's right or not, nothing is going to change it. Discussing it just makes me sadder, so you guys carry on

They capitalized on an opportunity when a prominent researcher had ideas that supported what they wanted.

Every year I try to kill at least the same number of nest predators as turkeys. It takes less effort than killing the turkeys and should benefit the hens. I see poults after turkey season and that is the data that is pertinent. I guess I am better at killing egg eaters than the dominant gobblers.

Im not one BUT in the eyes of a government biologist or admin in the GFC, limits and season dates are presumed to be all the tools they have. I have heard, ad nauseum, " we cant control habitat, weather, predators, etc, across the state but we can limit harvest" in light of a real or perceived decline in a species. Now, I think that is WRONG and there are plenty of other things they can do. Make baiting illegal again, manage their management areas better, make decoys illegal, simply make it harder to kill one. But that is the route they are taking. There has been a decline across the southeast and it should be addressed but we don't know why. That is what the research is trying to find out. It may not be alarming in most areas.......But it might.
I believe Chamberlain believes that the dominant gobbler theory is real and limiting early harvest can increase reproduction. He may or may not be right. That is also being researched. It is possible that it holds some merit. I don't think so but I am still open to see what the research says. It is NOT out of the realm of possibilities and there are some compelling data from other gallinaceous gamebirds that show that it is possible. There is a lot we don't know about reproductive biology, social structure and physiology. That being said, it may not be a money grab but it is an ego boost for him....and he has one

Trapping makes a hell of a difference, anyone who says otherwise doesn’t spend enough time in the woods

Factors we can control in order of importance . ( my opinion )
1. Trapping
2. Habitat management
3. Fanning or reaping ( I have done it twice out of state ) fun but not good for the turkeys long term imo.
4. Ban fall hunting and hen killin period. ( this one is a no brainer to me )

5. Make all CAB members take a simple multiple choice test to make sure they know the difference in a red snapper vs a blue gill or a buzzard vs a wild turkey . If they fail they are immediately replaced with someone out of the crowd that attended the meeting bc they actually give a crap about our states wildlife .

I’d flip 1 & 2 in your list. Just because we get them hatched doesn’t mean they’ll make. The next 14 days is critical. That’s when the avian predators really get a bite. They need that early brooding habitat with good overhead protection but a clean surface with plenty of bugs to eat.

And just to clarify, I’m a huge proponent of trapping. The guest from OK, I think it was Elmore, said that his family property in GA responded positively to trapping.

Legalize shooting raptors. We’ve got too many dang hawks and you know they do a number on poults. If it wasn’t illegal I’d kill every one I came across.