BritChaser
Well-known member
Citing low turkey numbers, the powers that be have cancelled the fall season.
No Fall Turkey
- Thread starter BritChaser
- Start date
westksbowhunter
Well-known member
And reducing spring NR turkey hunters. A step in the right direction. I like many of the changes they are making with turkey hunting, banning trail cameras on public land, and soon to be a baiting ban. A serious reduction in NR deer hunters needs to be on the agenda. Cut that by at least half.
I think that we’ve pretty well bottomed out, and even the state realizes that, and they can’t make money off of a resource that we don’t have. KDWP has been making some much needed adjustments as of late. Lord willing, we’re beginning the slow climb out of the pit for our wildlife, and our hunters.
BritChaser
Well-known member
A place I've hunted for years had a flock of 130-140. The spot we hunted them often had 60 or so birds near our set up. This year we saw a total of 8 birds.
akp
Active member
I'm hunting a ranch in Oklahoma that had about 10 guys hunting it back in 2003-2005. Hard to say how many birds were using the place back then. Hundred or better probably. I have had it to myself the last several years. Best I can tell is there is a group of 2 jakes and 4 hens using it right now. About a 2 mile creek bottom.
Bob Peters
Well-known member
I have turkey hunted MN WI and SD. I've always seen birds and had chances. Sad to hear what has happened to the turkey populations in other states. I know that podcasts and youtubes I watch used to say the state they were in or had hunted in. Now they won't do that, I think hotspotting even at the state level led to large increases in out of state hunters traveling to certain states. In our country(USA) license sales may be stagnant or declining. That being said the people that do hunt there is a goodly number that have great wealth and don't work a 9 to 5(don't ask me, I haven't figured out how to join that class yet). They travel to hunt and add a strain on the resource. Combine that with a decline in turkeys in their traditional strongholds and many from the southeast travel to the midwest/west to hunt. They kill a lot of birds. Add decreases in habitat and drought and it's a bad recipe. I see the trend in all of wildlife management of tightening belts, reducing seasons, non-resident seasons and bag limits. I don't pretend to have all the answers, but this is where I see things at now.
gimruis
Well-known member
Says a lot right there, if you are there every season for years and the numbers have dropped that significantly.
I never really understood why there was a fall hunting season for turkey anyways. They aren't in the strut, so calling or decoying them wouldn't be a strategy. Plus don't people hunt upland birds, waterfowl, and deer in the fall? Why waste your time hunting a turkey in the fall when there is a spring season during the strut.
BritChaser
Well-known member
I've had some fun fall hunts which involved stalking and ambushing, and I learned some things about turkey behavior in the process. Aged out of that haha.
birddude
Well-known member
This is a fairly uneducated guess. I'm very skeptical of any states DNR's response for severe decreases in wildlife numbers. When I hear phrases like overhunting, predators, etc. I always suspect that they either do not have any idea what's the cause or they are not saying for political reasons. Destruction of habitat is a broad term designed to take in a lot of different areas of destruction without pointing the blame for what is usually the # 1 cause by far. I do not know the reasons myself although I have my theories. But I will say that a decline of 60 birds to 8 birds will not be helped by stopping the fall season. I don't have any idea how popular fall seasons are in other states, but where I'm from there are very few killed in the fall.
gimruis
Well-known member
I agree, it doesn't seem very popular at all, and I just wonder why there's a fall season to begin with.
The one aspect of the fall turkey hunt I've noticed, at least here, is that a hen is legal. Can't say I agree with that. So if the fall hunt had hens being legal, then its a good idea to eliminate the season. Hen turkeys keep the population going, just like hen pheasants do.
BritChaser
Well-known member
Yes, hens have been legal in the fall KS season. Hard to believe now, but not that many years ago the fall limit was six. The most I ever took in the fall was three and only by accident: forgot to put the chokes back in after cleaning. That was a three-fer at close range. Shocking when it happened.