Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting TN Turkey Season

Not by themselves, no, you're right. But they are in the equation. And for me, it's something I can do.

You need to include birds of prey on your varmint list. I've personally seen them kill a poult.

No doubt on the Raptors! Last year at my place in NE WI, I heard a commotion at the end of my driveway out at the road. There was an eagle screeching, crows cawing, turkeys putting... it was quite the racket! I walked down there and saw hens trying to keep their polts together and get into the woods across the road, an immature bald eagle was up in a tree making all kinds of noise and there must have been 50 crows flying around making all kinds of noise too. There were so many birds that I started looking around to see if Alfred Hitchcock was nearby! As I walked up, the eagle took off, the crows left and all the turkeys made it across the road into the woods on the other side.

I don't disagree. Not even a little. But, like I said.............. I'm going to act upon the things that I can. As STUPID as it is to have federal protection on an entire class of predators and as badly as I'd like to............. the getting caught part just is not worth it. I obey the law, no matter how stupid it is.

That's commendable, but my beliefs are a little different. You definitely have to be happy with the image you see in the mirror. Just because it's the law doesn't make it right.

Understood.

I am.

The original run of (flat) "hollow point" ammo shoots EXCEPTONALLY well in my 592M. It's not as crazy about the varmint hollow point.

This thread is about Tennessee turkey populations not the ammo you dream about shooting a predator with.

Thanks for that.

You might as well look into predator hunting as a replacement for turkeys. I saw the turkey calls at Academy the other day. I thought, if the population doesn't get better, I don't see a lot of this stuff flying off the shelves.

Who'd have thought 10 or 20 or 30 years ago we'd be where we are today with the declines in turkey populations ???

I live the entire rest of the year for April and May. Whatever I can contribute............ I'm gonna do my dead level best

Who would have thought Ruffed Grouse in Pa, Ohio, West Virginia, etc would have almost winked out. Although Pa seems to be slowly getting better. Yet none of the Commissions gave it much thought until it may have been too late. Turkeys are almost considered big game and have a large following. Most likely they will work on it sooner.

I see far more Canada Geese in fields than I do turkeys. Years ago, the lakes around here were filled with ducks and Canada Geese were an unusual sight. Now, Canada Geese have pretty much displaced ducks and and taken over. And they are in the fields where I used to see turkeys. When I would drive to work 10 years ago through Suffolk and Isle of Wight, I'd see turkeys in the fields, and an occassional dead one that had been hit by a car. In the last couple of years I drove to work that way before I started working from home, I saw mainly geese, and only an occassional turkey. And these geese are here year round. I know some experts say bird flu is spread by waterfowl crap and that turkeys are at low risk since they don't use the same areas. But they do use the same areas.

Turkey numbers in Virginia appear to be stable according to our DWR. But I certainly do see fewer in places that used to have quite a few.

There seems to be a lot of things going on. Growth - woods here are constantly being cleared for apartments or shopping centers. Several farm fields arouind here have for-sale signs in them marked "Zoned for commercial." I do see far more coyotes in the last few years. My neighbors say we have one in our neighborhood. And I saw one in a local Walmart parking lot. And I see their tracks on the trails where I hunt. Raptor numbers have increased exponentially. Geese ARE [bleep] in fields turkeys use. Add there is a multitude of other things going on.

The grouse situation is TRAGIC. They are functionally extinct on our property............where there used to be TONS of them. If the same thing happens to the turkeys..........may as well shoot me.

Take up goose hunting.

Sad to say but turkey's are not the only game bird on the decline, ducks are as well. Don't know if the game and fish departments will admit it but the duck seasons around here and part of Arkansas have sucked for several years.
Snow geese seems to be taking over everywhere.

At least the snow geese actually migrate in and out of here. They and Canadas cover the fields and water here in winter. The snows leave, many of the Canadas stay. The Canads stay and breed and [bleep] all over everything.

Canada Geese, the federally protected non-migrating migratory nuisance species. There's enough of them in this area to feed all the hungry people and more.

Used to. A LOT.

Sold all my dekes several years ago.

I was coming back into the states at Minot, ND from a moose hunt up in the NW corner of Saskatchewan. There was a big bird flu panic going on at the time, 2017? All the waterfowl hunters coming through had to surrender every bird carcass in their possession and there were dumpsters full of dead birds! The smell was pretty bad! Thankfully, there was no moose flu and I rolled right through. I did see, and hear, a lot of very pissed off waterfowl hunters!

There you go....

A turkey man you will never be.