| Author | Message | ||
| Turkey576 |
If the state of Virginia were to let us choose between all day hunting in the spring or hunting on Sunday which whould you choose? Do you think we will ever be able to hunt all day? Thank you all for your input. | ||
| HODY |
Both of these points were debated last year, and I think that after a lot of posts the consensus was to NOT approve either. I would like to see Sunday Hutning on one hand, but that would add a whole lot of pressure to the birds, as would all day hunting. So I would have to say right now my opinion is NO to both. Just my 2 cents. | ||
| Ryan Tucker
|
I have said this before, but in Kentucky several years back I was a big proponet for all day hunting. If I could go back and do it again I would say no to it. Over time the increased evening pressure seemed to effect the birds, and I would rather it not be that way. Although, moving the cut off from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. might not be a terrible thing. That one hour can be some good hunting. | ||
| TScottW99
|
I have to say NO to both also. | ||
| Gobbler Getter
|
I say no also. we've got a good thing here and I would hate to mess it up with more pressure on the birds and more hunters traveling in to the state. My two cents. Kevin | ||
| gobbstopper1946 |
Gentleman Ever since we've had a turkey season we've been able to hunt all day and on Sundays. If I'm not mistaken several years ago Va. had a lot more turkeys than Tn. Now I think Tn's. population is greater than Va's. Our turkey population is growing in leaps and bounds, so how can all day hunting affect the population. We can take as many as 4 gobblers in the spring and one in the fall season thats a pretty hefty limit. One thing we don't have, which could affect our population for the bad,is a long fall season. We generally have a three day season. Another for the good is, we have to use a shotgun or bow, no 200yd shots in tn. Every year the our turkey harvest goes up,the proofs in the puddin. I just can't believe all day hunting has any effect on the turkey population. The proof's in the puddin. Just my opinion, good luck to all. GS... | ||
| gobbstopper1946 |
Sorry I didn't mean to serve two puddins. GS... | ||
| shopson |
A couple hours after the roost gobbling and most hunters are headed to the house anyway. | ||
| turkeypicker |
I agree with gobbstopper. I am able to hunt almost every morning here in SC, so I do very little afternoon hunting these days. However, a lot of "blue collar" folks like to hunt, and AM only hunting makes it tough on them. There's no biological reason not to have afternoon hunting. This is evident by high turkey populations in states like SC, GA and TN where all day hunting is permitted. The social perceptions of issues like pressure hurting the gobbling, etc. should not be the basis for setting seasons and bag limits on a public resource. Also, there's strength in numbers when it comes to hunting. Higher pressure may make the hunt more challenging for us, but the strength in numbers assures the hunt will be there for my grandchildren. Some anti's would have it otherwise. | ||
| GN |
I said most of the following last year, but some of you were not around then, so here are my thoughts. In my opinion Virgina's hunting in the spring is very good because ofthe midday cutoff and because the birds have not been harassed in to hush-mouth (stopped gobbling) due to all-day pressure from hunters. I think Tennesee's quality of spring hunting and that of Kentucky has fallen off very dramaticlly in the last few years because of the bird's reactions to the enormous amount of hunting/calling pressure. There are a lot more birds being killed in each of those states, but that may be mostly due to the fact that we have five ,perhaps ten times more hunters after them than was the case five years ago...(anda lot of jakes get smacked thatmight have rec'd a pass in the old days)...the story I hear from lots of very good hunter s in Tenn and Ky is that "the birds do not gobble like they used to"...and also that after the first week ofthe season you have to really get back in the wilderness to find a free gobbling bird after an hour of daylight. Is it becasue there are so man y hens that they do not have to gobble to attract hens? Not in my view... I think they do not gobble as much because most , if not all the time, when they do have a tendency to gobble freely and often during the season, somebody shows up with a call and messes wit h them...from before daylight till they fly up at night. Now I am notsayiong it is impossinbleto hear a bird gobble duringthe day, but there dangsure aren't as many doingit as used to .If you have had the luxury of hunting where birds are not pressured, i think yo u will find they gobble early and often and still gobble all day throughout the season...but the egg is scrambled, so to speak, in those states where all day hunting exists and I doubt it will ever be changed back. So I live with it there. But if I was able to keep it the way you have it in Virginia, I would keep your spring season just like it is...plus you will not draw hunters from al over the country in to your public lands to hunt the spring birds because most out of staters(I Think) will spend the licence money in an "all day" state because they think there chances of success are increased with all day access to he birds...I would dramtically shorten the fall season in Va though. GS 1946 is correct, I think, in that the fall season has greatly retarded the growth of the Va population, but now Tenn and Ky are so smart they ae opening fall seasons as well(revenue is a wonderful thing to a game manager)....I suspect the lines on the graph will cross and the population will stabilize or decrease in both those states if he fall kills get out of hand....These are just my theories. They have not put me in charge yet. PerhapsI am wrong. good night. | ||
| TScottW99
|
o.k. going to say something else... G.N. I agree with you so don't take offense ;-) As for the SC and other Tn guy... the differnce is some of us Virginia folk really like to fall hunt. (i'm one of them) I don't wont' to give up fall hunting or have only three days of it so I can hunt all day in the Spring. Like stated above we have a good thing going here... why fix it if it ain't broke  | ||
| GN |
none taken, scott...I will admit I am selfish and sort of want things run my way. GN | ||
| Ryan Tucker
|
Yea, I think it is important to understand geography and how the culture of an area plays into it. I would rather the fall season not be during deer season here in VA. I don't think to much of the idea of shooting turkeys incidentally while deer hunting. I personally don't think fall turkey hunting will ever hold much interest to me, I like the ducks to much and I miss the gobbling. That doesn't mean I don't go in the fall, but the guys in this state take it serious. You have to respect that. When I first moved hear I would say I am a turkey hunter and guys would say so am I. What I should have said is I am a spring turkey hunter, because though some do both fall and spring, fall only turkey hunters are an entirely different species. As for the guys that mentioned states that have all day seasons, and high turkey populations. They have limited fall seasons, and though the birds are there the quality of hunting on a day to day basis is not the same as states that have half day hunting. Virginia no doubt would benefit if they did not take so many young birds each fall, but it is a big part of this states heritage. So that should be respected just like in South Carolina where despite biological evidence that would suggest other wise about turkey numbers the bag limit is still placed at five per hunter for the low country so that it will continue with the tradition of liberal seasons and limits. That is a big deal down in SC. So I respect that, and take advantage of it every year I can. In my opinion as I stated before the best thing that VA could do would be to remove fall turkey season from the deer season. That way you could preserve the fall hunting tradition to those who really want it. The fall turkey hunters! The bonus would be a considerable amount of "oh look what walked past me while I was deer hunting" dead turkeys would be saved. The state made a step in this direction a few years back when they removed alot of the season from the deer season, and the harvest statistics reflected this move. | ||
| gobbstopper1946 |
I don't think hunters put as much pressure on turkeys as some think. I do believe that the real pressure comes from crows,coons,coyotes,bobcats,opossums,cats,dogs,skunks and owls. These predators live with the wild turkey 365 days and they do take their toll. The turkey hunter is just a short time visitor and does not have near the capabilities to insert such pressures. As far turkey hunters disturbing nesting hens, I doubt it, we're not the only ones in the woods. I know here in Tn.we have hikers,bike riders,trout fisherman,campers, and horseback riders. All can't wait to get into the woods and enjoy spring. If I'm the "Other Tn. Guy" Mr. TS99 referred to, I would like to say that I'm NOT against fall hunting what so ever. I'm for a fall season, I just think it needs to be kept in perspective according to the current population. As a matter of fact I harvested my the biggest gobbler with a bow last fall season. Here in Tn.the TWRA is taking it slow and easy with the fall seasons, maybe they've seen mistakes other states have made. Right now not all our counties are open to fall hunting. One more thing, I welcome the non-res hunters. Tn. takes in a lot of revenue from out-of- staters. This money or at least some of this trickles down to programs that benefit the Tn. sportsman. Good afternoon. GS... | ||
| turkeypicker |
I understand the Fall hunting tradition. Fall hunting was allowed down here until we had some bad hatches in a row and the population plumented in certain areas. I did not have a problem with doing away with the Fall hunting. I personally like to work gobbling birds in the Spring. But that's just my preference. If you are harvesting too many birds, you have to cut back somewhere. I would rather have the all day hunting than fall hunting. Here in SC we have so many hens it's tough to bag a bird early sometimes. If I get on a bird gobbling on the roost, but lose out to a harem of hens, I'll often leave and come back about noon. I've bagged a lot of 11:00 to 1:00 birds after the hen goes to nest. I would not have had a problem with the DNR reducing the bag limit to 3 birds as Ryan stated either. As a matter of fact the DNR did propose cutting to a 3-bird limit when the population went down, but Bubba legislator killed the proposal...go figure. Politicians managing turkeys. They can't even manage our budget, but they are experts at managing our wildlife!? As for the five bird limit though, I hunt the upstate, and we have check stations. I'm here to tell you there are very, very few hunters that bag more than 3 birds, and even fewer that limit out. I'm not sure if it's even high enough to make a real harvest reduction if the limit were cut to 3 birds. Perhaps it would reduce harvest, but I'm doubtful. I think it may help reduce the jake take in the piedmont area. They do kill a lot of jakes, and I imagine a tighter limit may encourage hunters to wait for the big birds. Regardless, I'm all for the reduction to 3 birds. If you are fortunate enough to bag 3 birds, you ought to be happy. | ||
| daddyjan |
I love bow hunting fall turkeys ...you talk about a challange man they are tuff to get in to bow range,ido bust flocks in the fall and i have done it in the spring but it is not my favorite tactic.I get to start chaseing turkeys a full two weeks early then gun only hunters so a shorter season ??maybe .full day hunting probaly not i like those birds to cool down and get comfortable for the next day.Sunday hunting deffinetly not that is the day i like to come home from church and not hear gun shots and not be afraid to take my family for a walk in the woods..just my humble opinion...JMF |