If there is such a concern about killing dominant gobblers before Ap 15, why would you have a youth season before regular season? Also, wonder if those pushing the closure of season before incubation peak (mid April) will hold off themselves and neither kill one or call one up for someone else before peak nest incubation. If the future of our turkey population is at stake like they say, they should be leading by example! Just sayin'
Carry on

Amen!

I wonder how they came up with the only bird breeding before April 15 is the dominant gobbler. I'm guessing after April 15 the dominant bird let's all the subordinate gobblers get a turn.

From what I have seen there is no such thing as a dominant gobbler. They move around way to much in the spring and a different turkey may be the same place you heard the dominant gobbler the day before. Jakes run gobblers off often as well surely every adult turkey should be dominant in comparison to jakes but they sure run and act scared sometimes.

All the dominant gobblers were killed off years ago and now our turkey population is declining because there are no gobblers off breeding age left

What about killing a dominant gobbler in the fall?? Hmmmmm, not buying the BS coming from Chuckie’s mouth!

My comment was tongue in cheek.
I guess I need to start filming hunts to turn in so they can see how many times a non dominante gobbler breeds a hen. In my experience. Quite often.

If we see poults first week of May I’d venture to say the “peak incubation” is sooner than A15 around here. And it’s likely later than that in the northern 3rd of the state. Have I ever advocated a southern zone?

Jakes can breed if that’s what’s left on property

It's asinine to say that a hen will only breed with the dominant gobbler in any given area. It's also asinine to say that peak breeding is the same time all over the state. Peak breading ain't the same in Jackson county as it is in Baldwin county.

Sounds like they are believing their own bullchit when the rest of us dont

So, if I got this straight. When the dominant gobbler gets killed no other male turkeys breeds the hens, so the hens don't produce any offspring that year?? How does the dominate gobbler breed hens that aren't in the group of hens he is with??
I'm thinking Chuckie and the CABbies need to go to a singles bar to do some research on how males and females pair off for the evening. All of the guys (or gobblers if you will) don't sit around watching just one guy swoop in get a hot female (hen if you will) breed her. Then run back in and repeat the process while the Guys (other gobblers) and other females (other hens) just sit around waiting for the one strutter to grace their presence. Chuckie and the CABbies need to go back for sex ed classes.

The Dr.Turkey guy said most sub dominate and Jake’s don’t have swimmers to fertilize a hen. They are more than able to do the act but are shooting blanks. That’s what he said on a radio interview in Mobile.

He’ll say anything to get on the radio or a podcast.

Most of the pine ridge merriams genetics came from a group of stocked turkeys that only had a couple of jakes. Flock went from a couple dozens to hundreds in a few years. Started getting it done that first year.

He has no research to support either one of those statements. If you listen carefully nearly everything he portrays as a fact is cached is with a sneaky “what we are thinking” several paragraphs before.

oh I don’t believe him. I was just saying what he said as referring to some of the post about Jake’s breeding. According to his line of thinking. There should not be any turkeys on hard hunted public land. If Ole boss keeps getting killed opening weekend for a few years then they gonna run out of turkeys. That don’t make sense to me

Fun4all nailed it ,most people wouldn’t have kids if this was true . Just seen n case I’m gonna shoot the non strutters first .

Pen and pencil pushers at a desk know nothing and never will. I personally do my part for the turkeys and I always will. The pay is 0 but don't mind it.

That makes a lot of sense. I've always said that if the turkeys on our place drop enough in number that I think hunting them could harm the flock, I wouldn't need the state to tell me to back off; I would make that decision myself. If Mr. Sykes and others really believe it's harmful to hunt before 4/15, then they should lead the way and restrain from hunting until then. It will be interesting to see if that happens.

It would be the height of hypocrisy for him to try to force the late date on the entire state if he is in the woods Saturday morning.