Ze coons!!!!!......Ze coons!!!!!!............

That’s why were gonna make it 20 coons instead of 15………

It's all gonna boil down to a math equation in the end Frankie…….There is some ratio that exists that says for every “X” amount of coons that are taken out, 1 additional gobbler is created……For the sake of this thread lets call it 3 coons……That would seem reasonable if you think about how many nests those three coons will mess up and we’re talking about just netting one single additional gobbler from those nests……..Heck, let’s say 5 coons just to be even more conservative with our estimate.

So for every 5 coons taken out we produce 1 gobbler and our incentive is set at 20 coons per 1 hunter that gets to hunt the early week and have a chance at killing a bird. That means that for every 1 hunter that takes advantage of the incentive we are producing 4 extra gobblers……Keep in mind that every hunter who earns the incentive isnt going to kill a bird so we’re really talking about 4 gobblers being produced for every 0.5 additional gobblers being killed……or another way of saying that would be 8 additional gobblers for every 1 that gets killed…..

Like you say though, every coon isnt going to count so lets just say that only 50% do…….plug that back into to our equation and we’re still sitting at WAAAY more birds being produced than what is being taken…….

Now, I’m just using an educated guess to make up the numbers I’m using in this scenario…….The question is……”Would the “real” numbers work whatever they may be??.........What are the real numbers??”

Another way of looking at it Frankie is that its really just going back to the season dates we had before but making folks do some trapping to earn it……….Heck, some of y’all are wanting to go back to those dates and get nothing in return for it……

I have no doubt that you would get mixed reviews from the public with passing such an incentive. The guys who are willing to get out and trap to help the resource would love it……The guys who just want to show up on opening day to kill stuff would most likely be ones complaining.

I've a seen good many pay the fine no problem instead of doing work days .

Just out of curiosity what percentage of nests are lost due to coons..?
Do y'all really believe there are now thousands of more coons now then there were when trapping was profitable...? Every forum I visit its the same story. Coons, Coons, Coons. What about crows...?
What about some of the real reasons populations are down across this country...?

In the eighties when I believe most would agree was the hay day for the wild turkey, but then again most probably weren't even born. Were there pop up blinds..? Were there corn feeders there to help spread disease and make predators more successful...? Were there gobbler decoys...? Did we have cell cameras to let you know what food plot to sit on and when...?


Turkey hunting/ killing is now the cool thing to do. It's to the point that any yahoo that " Ive always wanted to try turkey hunting" can walk smooth out of Academy with a place that holds turkeys and be a instant Facebook/ Social media turkey killing Profesional.

Just my thoughts over what I've seen the last 38 years in the spring woods.

The great state of Alabama was the last southern state to allow the use of decoys and now one of the first to regulate its use. I'm not a resident of Alabama but I'm proud of their decision to do so.

You left out flying cats. They were shot on site.

We can jump around and talk about the myriad of things that effect turkey populations but none of that changes the fact that trapping will still create a positive impact across many areas of the state…….and were talking about a game where a 1% or 2% percent change may be all you need to see growth despite all of the other factors…….

Did you them on your cell camera....

KP, I agree with your general sentiments, but the 80s were not the "hay day" for me at all. We didn't kill a single turkey on our place from 84 to 89. There weren't any left because of so much timber being cut in the area. They started coming back in 90 and we haven't had a year without turkeys since then. Those turkeys started using the pine plantation when it was 11 years old; I seldom see that these days.

I seldom see it mentioned, but the big difference in habitat between now and then is that today the site prep work is done with herbicides; back then it was done with dozers. The dozers made a habitat that was very attractive to both quail and turkeys, and I think the loss of that method has had a more detrimental effect on both birds than any other factor.

There’s a number of factors impacting turkeys…… Which one do you think is the most realistic for us to be able to change though?

PCP. ,,,, timber cutting is what done it in around here. Only thing that changed .

Pop had his clear cut before he died and that was the last nail . That was 11 years ago it's starting to turn around .

It seem timber affect predators too . After pop his out timber cut our chickens caught hell. With in Few months after the we caught , trapped or killed 50 some thing possums and it was 30 some thing coons .

Theres a spring that starts behind the hose and runs a couple miles to a creek . I guess they fallow ed it to the pen .

Poorcountrypreacher my friend. Timber cutting has been around way longer then you are I. Yes, it has changed dramatically over the year's. I live in and hunt in Livingston parish Louisiana. I am part of a 12,000 acre hunting club in whch I've hunted since 94. In 1943 a census was done in Louisiana looking for what was left of the turkey population in our state. There were very few locations where they were found. One of the concentrations was the exact location of my club. These are native wild turkeys and have never been restocked. These birds have existed even though they have been poached since existence. They have survived the timber cutting changes and the rest that has been thrown at them.
There were many years where we killed approximately 30 a year on that place even though the habitat was being constantly lost. The timber company ( Weyhaueser) cut ditches and drained the hardwood flats so they could be cut and planted with pines. What habitat they haven't destroyed hurricane Ida took out the rest. I would bet we have less than 3,000 acres that would hold a turkey on 12,000 acres.

There are big differences from where you live compared to where I live. Our pines are planted in rows like corn and are so thick that they are not even penatratable until they are thinned. We have been blessed with Chinese Privit and Tallow.

That is one big difference I see in our two areas. I've hunted your central Alabama area for the last 3 years. I know the difference. Cental Alabama per acre has way more turkey habitat.

We lost a week are two a few years back to help the population. Do I think it was a good idea. Yes I do. We typically killed 80 percent of our birds the first 9 days of the season. We did have somewhat of a come back until this year. We killed 10 turkeys this year and everyone was killed in the first 9 days.
Several of those were killed due to the reasons I mentioned in my post above.

We had an extremely wet spring 2 years ago. So, I knew what we were facing. On a positive note I saw 27 jakes this spring.
I could go on and on.

Habitat is always key

While planting today I thought about this thread and all the critters I’ve seen at the farm the past 15-20 yrs I’ve hunted it. Plenty of coons and hawks along with a pair of bald eagles and immatures. Yesterday I saw a hen with poults that could barely fly. She had them out in the wide open. We’d burned it down a few weeks ago so there wasn’t anything out there worth eating I thought. 20 hrs ago Thai place was absolutely loaded with birds. Turkeys are making a comeback around here the past few years but I’m wondering why they kinda disappeared.

I just think it was perfect storm coming together caused by a variety and cumulative happenings.

I’m betting it is a myriad of things mentioned.

The one thing I can’t understand. Why do hunters get a pass as a predator?

Wellllllll,,,,,, we don't really since we have seasons and limits.

But nothing is better than self regulating. The state can help but it really comes down to the hunters.

We are the biggest predator by far.
What technology has done to turkey hunting/killing is to me the biggest problem, but most folks don't want to hear that. They want to blame on it everything else. In my mind we wouldn't be having to deal with lowered bag limits and time afield if it wasn't due to technology and the social media look at me ordeal.
Question is what can be done...? I have no clue other than at least what Alabama has done in terms of decoy limitations. Another big step would be getting rid of corn feeders.

cartervj   ,,,,,

Made me have a thought . We/most hunters don't take their place in nature as a predator, imo.

In nature a predator will hunt out any competitor and kill it .

Most hunters don't

Because we don't shoot hens. Shooting gobblers has near to zero effect on turkey populations in every area I've hunted in Alabama.