Just got this little write up via email on this dude’s opinion. Sounds like he’s drank several glass of the dominant gobbler cool aid theory. The way the article reads he fully supports it and spoke to CAB at the last meeting. It blows my mind folks of influence support this crap without a lick of research to back it. Maybe he can provide the research and biologists names other than Chamberlain that support the CAB recommendation. I’d specifically like to see the dominant gobbler research!!

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/ALDNR/bulletins/2c7d91b

I read the email
What a load of crap !!!

Same playbook the Dems are using, feed the huddled masses plenty of propaganda. The last article they shoved in our faces, they tried to spin it: we didn't take their recommendations at face value, we fought for a compromise. Like the morons actually did us a favor! You won't see that research because it doesn't exist!!!

I spoke with GW in South GA last week.

Apparently, there is some research and science to this dominant gobbler theory.

Well I guess all that believe that will not hunt till late April

"Mr. Hawley" is a close personal friend of mine and has been for most of my life. You will never meet a more dedicated and studied hunter and conservationist of the wild turkey.

If Mr. Hawley wants anyone to believe what he writes, tell Mr Hawley, to post up all this peer reviewed research, data compiled from the study, as well as the study parameters that he is believing. Evidently, that seems to be too closely held for the general public to see or review. Maybe it contains national secrets and is classified. I'm all about science and research, but unless it is available for review and dissection, everything that he and others are writing and saying, is nothing more than someone's personal opinion. My opinion after spending 40 years hunting and fishing is that when the dominant gobbler is killed, others will move in and take over his harem and handle the breeding. I do not know how many times in the last 40 yrs I've only had a single bird gobbling in an area that I knew had multiple birds. Once I finally killed him and got him out of the way, the next weekend, there were 4 or 5 gobbling in that same area. This "killing the dominant gobbler hurts breeding success" stuff is BS. If you think that a subordinate gobbler or a subordinate buck won't take the opportunity to breed any hen or doe that he runs across and will stand still long enough for him to do it, you haven't spent enough time in the woods to state your opinion.

I've not hunted turkeys for 40 years or as extensively as abolt300 or others on here, but I have heard this exact thing throughout the entirety of my time chasing turkeys.

Very well stated
My experience is seeing a area thriving with turkeys and them get hit hard by predators and nearly disappear then the predators get hit hard by man and the turkeys come back strong
This thing with nesting habitat I will never understand because I’ve seen turkeys pick the stupidest places to nest
Like on side of a road or field or just a well traveled area when there will places in these area to offer more cover and concealment
It appears only a select few are worth listening to and the rest of us have no clue what we’re talking about even though we’ve spent 40-50 years in the woods

The dominant gobbler theory is a load of crap. Have seen it play out a bunch if you kill the strutter the others will gladly start jackhammering his harem of hens in his memory .

If you will be so kind, tell him to publish the research data that supports this theory on his wild turkey report. Until I see the research that backs this unproven theory, I'll stand my ground that the changes proposed are a feel good measure with zero research to support the proposals. In my personal opinion it's politicly driven and Chuckie pushed stupidity!!

Your friend may very well be a good man, I'm not saying he isn't. What I am saying, is if he has the research to support what he believes, put it out there for the public to see! He has the platform to do so! If he's going to use his influence and platform to persuade the CAB to limit the amount of time I get to spring hunt in my home state, he can fully expect to catch some flack from those that aren't brainwashed with this crap that no one will publish. From everything I have heard and seen it is nothing more than unproven theory and personal opinion. I do not support change based off of feel good measures to a time tested system that has created the best turkey hunting in the south.

Do you believe us peasants that don't have his influence and platform aren't dedicated, studied and conservationist of the wild turkey?

The "avid turkey hunter" survey along with picking a few select biologists or researchers certainly lends credence to this.

It's as if the average, common hunter isn't needed. Just the upper crust.

Just like with the special, select groups who were picked and invited to discuss deer hunting and the February extension. It's always about a select group. Always has been, since the 1800s and the sporting clubs in certain parts of the state -- those clubs having the moneymen, the wealthy hoity-toity, the landowners and barons -- through today's time with pretty much the same thing.

Push turkey season back to make room for extending deer season again. Wouldn’t be surprised to see this. This equals more money in the woods and a hunting season no surrounding state has. Out of state license money$$$$$$.

Whatever's biologically best is fine with me.

However, show proof that changes will be biologically best. Not theories or anecdotal "Aw, you know if we kill just three gobblers a year we'll have more!" We've stopped "all that slaughter!" of bucks but don't have more bucks out the wazoo. We can't stockpile ducks with a 1- or 2-mallard limit. We still don't have more quail despite having (checks notes) almost no quail hunters anymore along with a lower limit than 15+ years ago.

If we will have more turkeys with a lower limit, that's fine. But show the proof.

Because if the limit is cut to four a season, the next step for the "Do something!" and "No one needs ...!" crowds will be to reduce it again to three. Or two. And it never goes back. Ever.

That is exactly right

Exactly, and it won't take till the next weekend to get the party started , just a couple days and the subordinate gobblers will be banging every hen that moves. Who's to say they don't breed some hens while the boss is still alive?

Ya better go tell him people are calling his hand then. About300 is correct, not Mr. Hawley.

Bingo

Jakes will hav sex w hen if they don’t get there butt beat

I been to KS and seen group 15-20 jakes - on property I was hunting - they were all the man as a group - the few gobblers that were there got run off

The subordinate will get some nookie at some point and a lot more often if dominant bird dies

So the woods shut down when dominant bird dies ??? Interesting - I guess the dominant bird must hav never died in the past - how hav we exsisted this long??? 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Most of us are not qualified to run the state hunting and I know a lot about hunting - but give me something better than that dominant gobbler hoowey

Mr. Hawley should probably stop turkey hunting, I mean the way he talks so highly about his own hunting skills, he must've killed hundreds of dominant gobblers over the years. Has to be horrible for the turkey breeding in his area. It's pretty funny they actually believe not using decoys for the first 10 days is going to save the life of a bunch of dominant gobblers, b/c everyone knows that is the only possible way to kill one.