If you think dave owens from pinhoti aint a real turkey hunter you are nuts

I think the latest THP video from georgia should serve as fair warning as to what could happen here. It sounds like the hunting in Georgia is pretty terrible. The wmas are dominated by quota hunts and there is very little actual open public to go hunt. Piss on all that but it won't shock me a bit when stuff like that is presented at cab meetings as a way to fix the Turkey population.

I have a love/hate relationship with the youtube guys. I mean if I could make a living doing what they do, I'd do it in a heartbeat and so would everyone else here. Anyone that says otherwise is lying. And I enjoy watching them...but I hate what it's done to turkey hunting in general. I wish they'd at least be more vague about where they are...not even mention a state.

ya, i saw that & was thinking the exact same thing - thought it was interesting that GA published all their stats online to "justify" that model, too ... thought I heard Aaron say they were going to see this Dr Chamberlain dude

nothing, good or bad, done on just WMAs will change anything about turkey hunting across Alabama

I took off work Tuesday and Wednesday because of decent weather days. I hunt public in NW Florida. It is the worse pressure I have seen in years. There were more people there in the middle of the week than I have ever seen and heard. But hey, what do you expect, it is public. Makes me think twice about going ahead and paying a couple grand to hunt somewhere decent. It seems it is going to take that much around these parts.

Can't really comment on the WMA/National Forrest situation because I hunt private. Turkey hunting in general is more popular. Just try and buy Apex shells after April 1st if you don't believe.

As always there are those that are outlaws. The last 3 years I have run off or caught red handed 4 different turkey poachers. They are typically dropped off and call for their ride when they get through poaching. Very hard for the game wardens to catch. If you are not hunting a tract of property, it is safe to assume someone else is.

Too many hunters for sure. It’s almost impossible to lease good turkey land. Almost.

Every year for 20 years I would ask a guy at work if he would lease me the turkey rights on his 900
acres. He always said no but if he leased it he would offer it to me first.

Last February he came in my office and asked if I still wanted it. I tried to sound calm when I said YES.

I got a young guy at work that hunts with me a good bit to go in on the lease with me. It’s a turkey
hunters Paradise.

We only hunt it when we both can go. We have hunted it 5 times and killed 4 gobblers this year.

Dreams do come true.

You have given me hope. I have a guy I ask every year, going on 10 years now. Maybe, just maybe.

I used to be fortunate enough to hunt a similar type place. We’d take 10 a year easily and had plenty leftover. My buddy died and it ended, that place is lucky to have 1or 2 gobblers on it these days.

Y'all don't know how good you have it in alabama. When I lived in pennsylvania, I hunted public land. There's some decent hunting up there but WAY too many people. After I moved back home the first thing I did after renting a house was start looking for private land and I never stopped. There's land out there to be had but you have to have money in hand when you find it.

I think Rinella got it right!

https://www.themeateater.com/hunt/big-game/the-case-against-hunter-recruitment

“If you think dave owens from pinhoti aint a real turkey hunter you are nuts“

He is a attention whore like the others. Pimping public land for profit....yet the profit is peanuts. If you think what they are doing is good for turkeys and turkey hunters your nuts. Turkey hunting going viral/ fad is a Got Dang shame. Get ready for more regulations.....and for those of us that have been traveling for years and years get ready for more quota, high licenses, and more intrusive regulations. Data is be compiled by wildlife managers on this very issue. You think Wisconsin permit applications nearly doubling the year after Pinhoti pimped it is a coincidence? You think Mississippi having a 30+% increase on the exact wma/forest after THP pimped it last year is a coincidence?

Good for you Oldbowhunter - that’s awesome - great story - having them makes the fun possible and that sounds like the 650 I use to hav

I would hav settled to just still hav the WMA in chocktaw county - I could take multiple off that yearly

Kinterbish was a goodun..probly one of the best there ever was..i only hunted there a few times when i was a little feller..but they was critters galore there

Kinterbish was in south Sumter. WMA’s are mostly private owned, and the landowner graciously lets the state use it for public hunting. The state didn’t sell anything, the landowner took it out of the system for whatever reason. Could have changed owners and new owners took it out.

SW AL is a big void of public hunting. We had Scotch, and due to - let’s just say - some issues that were unnecessary - the family took it out of the system. And I don’t blame them. Now - it is high dollar clubs the average man just cannot afford. A sad story to be sure. Hunters lost in the end.

People respected your truck at Kinterbish - it had bunch of birds - the last year I was there I tagged out and at end of season I prob knew the location of a dozen gobblers and knew land very well

Had no idea that how WMA works turkey247 - good info

It’s funny - I prob had 1/2 dozen places like Kinterbish turkey hunting (good place w turkeys) and I think - this will last for ever and it over in no time 🤣 nothing lasts w turkey hunting it seems - I always looking

You need turkey hunters to keep the train rolling on habitat management but there is a line where there are too many hunters. No matter how well you manage the land it will only carry so many birds.

You just gotta move from "the public" to "the private"

What the heck is the difference in “private” and “public”. If I don’t hold a dead bird tomorrow there will most likely be one less
For the rest of the season