So are we being lied to or manipulated? These are the data that the Dept uses to indicate harvest trends. Keep in mind that the WHOLE survey technique changed in 2017
Harvest data:




Harvest data presented to claim the sky is falling




Harvest data without survey change




Days per kill before survey change



Days per kill with survey change




Just thinking

Countdown to CNC response in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

This would be the most updated harvest data

So it takes more hunter days to kill less turkeys is the way I read that. If that data is true we either have less turkeys to kill or a lot of newbies that can’t kill a turkey skewing the numbers.

Both

Looks like there's a big decline from 2015-17.....Isnt this the same time they started the Feb 10 deer season extension??

What occurred between 2000-2010 that caused such an increase in the amount killed followed by a drastic decline??

Without the change in data collection methods, hunter success and harvest would be cycling "normally"...........

Exactly!

Gobbler, are those graphs you listed based off the old survey and game check?

Any chance there is one of these graphs for the number of burn permits issued annually over the same time frame?

The left and right side of this line are not apples to apples…….there was likely a variable change in the early 2000’s. That initial low point for 1979 may likely just be from the initial rebounding of turkey populations……I think 1985-02 is your normal trend line…..Something changed after that.

2017 was the changeover, I believe that was his point.

Doesn’t matter much, that ain’t what they used to change the dates.

Decoys became legal in 2005 I believe. Aside from that, Turkey populations cycle more so than other animals. Without looking back, I'd imagine there were a couple of years of good spring "hatching" weather + the legalization of decoys, which resulted in a peak right there.

This is the tie frame they changed survey methods



Alabama Hunter Survey Reports. No GC. They still do a phone survey but changed everything from a mail in in 16-17.



Au Contrair!! The Graph that showed harvest from 07 to 19 was quoted over and over that at the public turkey meetings "we have seen a 61% decline in turkey harvest". I asked one of the presenters of this information (in a public forum) if they didn't think that 1) 07 wasn't peak harvest (answer was yes) and 2) didn't they think this was somewhat disingenuous and misleading (answer was NO!).

Other interesting facts from this particular survey report. in the 2016-17 report it is highlighted in various colors and noted at the bottom of the turkey pages that 2016 harvest was lowest harvest since 1981 and highest harvest per hunter effort ever recorded.....hmmm Wow, kinda alarming isn't it!! What was WAY MORE enlightening and reflects on the survey more than harvest is that NOWHERE did they note or highlight that:
deer harvest was the lowest recorded since 1982 and deer per hunter effort was highest since 82....... No sky is falling proclamations nor efforts to change the limit
squirrel harvest was lowest ever recorded and 2nd highest squirrel per hunter effort......
dove harvest was 2nd lowest ever.....
rabbit harvest was lowest ever.....
raccoon harvest was lowest ever.....
woodcock was lowest harvest ever recorded.......
etc.................
Kinda makes you think there may have been some form of agenda they were working!

Nope, don't see highlights or any note of declines in deer harvest

Now if someone can just tell me how to post images in a smaller format

When they first changed the starting dates, I asked one of the board members alittle bit more about why they did that. He immediately referred to the, at that time not completed, Auburn study. He said the CAB was aware of the problems and had to do something.

A few days later I asked a State biologist about the ongoing study and his response was that it wasn’t a good study. I then told him that management decisions were being made because of it already. He was very shocked and disappointed.

The stats listed are like all stats, used for fluff to support their argument.

If decoys were legalized in 2005 then I think the effects of that can easily been seen below where I circled the harvest from that time period. We leveled back out eventually at a lower baseline level but its obvious that they were impactful…..That peak of 72,000 in a bit of an anomaly because of it…….Looking at this I think I would have made decoys illegal again before messing with dates and bag limits……I believe people would have probably been less pissed off. IMO that might have been a better first step anyways.

Now about that burn permit graph I mentioned……..

There's lies, damn lies and statistics. All they've done is have a pre-conceived outcome, then chosen the necessary data to support that outcome. They're from the government and they're here to help us