Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk ALTurkey Talk -- Beards and Spurs The Numbers

Ikillbux I respect your opinion and can understand your frustration. I get the same feeling sometimes when hunting private land. The one thing you are wrong about, is the impact predators are having on the population. You might not see it or notice it, but I can assure it's real and a problem. Nearly every study that has been conducted in years past to the most recent is clearly showing this to be a serious problem. When hens aren't successfully hatching and raising a clutch then there will certainly be less resources available. You combine that with all time hunter participation and you have a recipe for poor hunting experiences.

Parrothead posted a pretty telling write up about were we have been across the country and we are now, nothing has changed except for less predator control, more hunters and less resources. There is one fact here, people that can control hunting pressure, habitat management and predator numbers have birds to hunt. No matter what the State DCNR decides to do with season and limits it's not going to change the fact that they have failed miserably at managing the states resources!!! The delayed season and reduced limits has been proven to have no positive impact on the population and it does not work!! They aren't going to spend the money or seek other alternatives to improve hunter satisfaction. They have so much more at their disposal they can do rather than what they did or plan to do.

For the love of god I can't understand why so many people think a government agency is going to fix this or anything for that matter. All one has to do is look at the repeated failure after failure and realize it's a pipe dream!! Our government in all branches is agenda driven and so corrupt no wonder why they fail at nearly all they do. I also don't understand why our biologist in this state and others keep looking for some big unknown as to why we aren't producing turkeys. As noted above it's right in front of their face!

I will also add you have numerous outlaws in this state that consistently kill over the state limit every year to point it's concerning. They have no regard for the resources or their fellow hunters in my personal opinion. There is no enforcement of the current law or limits. I can't tell you the last time I have seen a GW or been checked by one!!

Can a hen effectively defend her nest from a coon/possum or is it over for that site once its found out? If that's the case, its a true miracle of nature that any nests are successful with as many of those rodents are prowling around.

Guess we need to start arming hens. #armthehens

Someone posted a video on here awhile back that had a camera on a nest from clutch through hatch. It was incredible the amount of predators that visited that next.

You know of a tract that killed 225 gobblers on 1500 acres? That is a gobbler per 6.66 acres. I am not familiar with a population that is that high for gobblers hens and jakes total. even 75 per 1500 is a gobbler per 20 - maybe what the total population is on most places I am familiar with that is excellent.
4 per 400 is more realistic of good turkey densities. I am familiar with a place that killed 16 on 3,000 acres and had at least 15 left at the end of the season that were still gobbling so undoubtedly more. That was a high harvest in alabama to me - a gobbler per 190 acres. Good places should sustain a gobbler per 1-200 acres in most years.
Winter flocks are good indicators of populations but are also reflective of LARGE acreages. These winter flocks of 50, 75, 100 birds spread out in spring over thousands of acres. On one property I work with, in the heyday, I saw 2 flocks of 30+ hens/poults, one flock of 30+ gobblers and one other flock of 75 hens/poults I got pictures of in one afternoon in deer season in one field (ironically called the 200 acre field along a large creek). That is the most turkeys I have seen in a small area and is close to a bird per acre in that field. Funny that in the spring there were 3-4 gobblers gobbling along the creek bottom, same as there was most years. This place is about 1,500 acres and still kills about what they killed in the 90's - 5-7 gobblers per year. What I saw was probably the spring turkeys for the 5-7,000 acres surrounding it.

Lol, you know me well enough to know you gotta read carefully on something like that.

I said a "rate of" 225 per 1500 acres. That was actually 3 birds off 20 acres, extrapolated to 1500 acres. I told you I was lying with statistics.

I just got some info from game amd fish - 80 folks got caught over bait the first 8 days so that only small scale sample size w limited wardens - u prob had at least 8,000 folks doing that - maybe many more. Also heard many folks were caught hunting early or before season. Thats trashy! With predators and all the outlaws - turkey dont hav a chance

I heard several guys talk about killing over the limit - loser idiots - only one they impressing is their ignorant self and the dummies they run with

When they become extinct - it will be because of greedy bassTurds - Reap it!!! Where did all the sportsman go??? Sad!!

That must be those Montgomery Co birds.......

Squeaky is right. I haven't seen a warden in the Bankhead forest in several years. I will add that back in the day it was common to see 1 atleast drive through weekly. I also live right next door and I don't even see them passing by. We need less talking about this and that and more action.