Agree. I don't know why exactly, I guess just a different mindset about deer and turkeys.

Once again, turkeys are easier to hide.

Our own PCP likes to reference the fact that a case has never been made against anyone in this state for killing too many turkeys in a season. I can easily believe it's true. In the past, it would've been impossible to prove. The officer would literally have to see the offender with 6 different birds to know they went over the limit. Without tags or a checking requirement, that case can never be made. If Game Check makes it possible to enforce the law that's always been on the books, I'm all for it. Some of you guys that want to argue the accuracy of the numbers are somewhat missing part of the point, I believe.

One of the main points, perhaps THE main point of "GameCheck" and "harvest records," that has been promoted by the DCNR is that DATA accumulated from the numbers reported, where the "harvest" is high-low-etc., and other trends according to the DATA will help them provide better management ideas.

It's never been about enforcement or catching the bad guys. That is a secondary result of the check system. From Day 1 the mantra has been DATA DATA DATA and being progressive like 'Merica with more DATA.

They said that at the onset of the voluntary "harvest" record check stuff years ago and have maintained it.

So, yeah, in a state with such a long, storied and ballyhooed history of turkey hunting, strong populations and such, seeing just 9,150 or so reported is a joke. And if you triple that based on the "whhoooeee, 31% for deer is great!" mindset it's still a joke.

I don't believe they'll change season length or bag limit after one year.

What I'd like to see, though, and believe will happen with deer and turkey is more enforcement on violators and zero tolerance. We've had four, five years of voluntary and now mandatory. Anyone who doesn't know this by now is either stupid or doesn't care, or both. If I hunt in Kansas or Iowa or another state that has been doing this kind of check-in system for years, I know damned well they don't give two chits about me claiming ignorance and I'll get cited if I do something wrong.

As long as the data for deer and turkey info is used for biologically-positive benefits to the resource and hunters then I'm good with it. If it becomes political -- which it will be, and always does because some people and politicians suck -- then it'll be time to raise hell.

... and ticketing speeders on the highway is really about keeping us safer. The revenue generation is just a secondary result. They can promote the changes however they like. It really is killing two birds with one stone. It's data collection coupled with a tagging system that makes old laws now enforceable where they weren't in the past. You can't tell me that both benefits were not considered when they drafted this concept.

Of course enforcement was part of the decision. That's a no-brainer.

But IMO it wasn't, and shouldn't be, the primary factor. Data for better management has been touted as the driving force behind the check system and is promoted as the reason for it in other states that have been doing it much longer. I don't recall anyone with the DCNR using enforcement as a primary factor for GameCheck over data-collection for management decisions, unless I missed something.

But yes, enforcement is a factor. Just IMO not the primary factor.

Tell me how its harder now to kill 10 turkeys this year than it was last year? its not. Joe rule breaker kills a gobbler takes it home and never checks it in. The enforcement aspect of game check has NO teeth. Heck, We even had a couple members admit that they didn't check in their turkeys for various reasons. PCP has been saying for a while that he believes the state is under pressure to reduce the gobbler bag limit and this game check is just a means to an end. I have to say I 100% agree. The DCNR will release a statement saying that the turkey reporting was a success and that the low turkey harvest is evidence of what they had feared. Bad hatches and high poult mortality due to predators has caused a drop in our turkey population, therefore we need to lower the limit to 3 gobblers per season. Even though the gobbler is a surplus bird in the spring and has nothing to do with nesting or poult survival.

What happened to the old "honor" system? I never killed more than 5 then, and I won't kill more than 5 now. When they seem to distrust the same folks that support them, is when I say the heck with it. I was ticketed last year for not reporting a bird at the Lazenby farms turkey rodeo.($100) I didn't try to hide it, the GW's truck was in the front yard of the place. I have a lot of respect for a wild turkey, but you can bet your ass I'll kill as many as I can(up to 5) next year.(knock on wood) I clean and eat every bird I'm lucky enough to play the game with. I might be wrong, but I've never read about limits in the Bible. Don't worry, the GWs already watch me like a hawk! Haha

Some people will be ticketed for not doing their paperwork, but I doubt GC ever catches someone for violating the season limit. My western trip included TX, OK and KS. Only OK requires kills to be reported. The other 2 use physical tags that are not easily counterfeited. Obviously, only one system is about enforcement.

GC is not working at all if enforcement is the goal. A big majority of turkeys go unreported and nothing happens.

You can't have a good checking system without rigorous enforcement. One use adhesive tags must be used.... Road blocks must be a real threat. Just like they did in Missouri.

Having the ability to shoot a turkey..... Write it down on harvest record.....go home and clean turkey.......throw away previous harvest record and Print off a new harvest record....... Boom - you can still kill 5 more.

This harvest data is worth nothing.

I've never known of, or heard of, anyone being arrested for exceeding the season limit. EVER. Daily limit of one, yes there have been cases made.

I, and most GWs in the field, have advocated for a one use, numbered tag for turkeys for decades. It is the only way to enforce the daily and season bag limits on turkeys.

The season bag limit in Alabama is a running joke....

But I think I've also seen where you've posted that lots of folks that CAN kill over the limit actually DO.

It probably hasn't decimated their turkey populations, so what's the point of enforcing such limits if the population can sustain it?

(I could hunt every day and wouldn't kill a limit, for the record)

yes, I'd guess that the majority of folks that in reality CAN kill over the limit, will do so. They have the time and the birds.

I've actually known very few turkey hunters that have the skill, time , and birds/(land) to kill over the limit that don't do it.

Some do like I do and guide younguns or others to do the shooting and you still get to hunt without exceeding the personal limit or breaking the law. I once killed my limit bird ten days into the season. My GW Captain asked what I was going to do now? I carried my seven year old daughter a LOT of mornings after that. We both had a LOT of fun and failed to close the deal that season.

I'm the only one in the state.

Actually, I do know a couple of guys that usually limit out and quit hunting when they do. But there isn't very many. And there are VERY few people who regularly kill a limit all their adult lives; that's limited to a few guys that are farmers or have some sort of job that let's them hunt a lot.

I have killed a limit most years since I retired from my first career, but prior to that I had killed 3 limits. And the days of being able to do that are coming to an end; your skills decline as you get older.

Bottom line - the season limit has almost no effect on the turkey population. It just makes some people feel better.

I wish folks would get as worried about predation and bushhogs and disease and habitat as they are about the limit. We'd have more turkeys in this state than we'd know what to do with and be able to hunt them from February 1 to June 1

I know I'm missing it somewhere, but where can you look at all the numbers by county? Thanks

One of just a handful

I know a fella in Greene County that limited out early every year and quit going. He had the time and turkeys, but chose to quit on five.

I know a fella from Camden that loaded his seven shot Model 12 the night before season and quit when it was empty, no matter if it was three dead or seven. One of the best turkey hunters I've known and had the time and the turkeys.

I stop at 5 dont wanna incur no bad mojo.