So what are the arguments against creating a trapping incentive??

It costs money. That automatically makes it a no go for Chuckie. He's more interested in devising new fees and licenses to increase revenue, than he is spending money to help wildlife and hunters.

Then again he's probably considering it. His proposal will be something like this. For $1000 you could buy a trapping incentive license to participate in the plan. Annual license for $1000 bucks and you get paid $5 for every coon caught. Limit will be one coon per day and you can only submit your catch between the hours of midnight and 2AM, on every 5th Wednesday, and if you live in north AL, you have to submit yours in Mobile and if you live in south AL, you've got to submit yours in Huntsville. Should be a winner. You've only got to catch and turn in 200 coons a year, to breakeven on the license cost. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. There will be a limited number of permits available. Application fee is a non-refundable $200, but in an effort to be fair, Chuckie will insist that if you dont get drawn, that you get preference points for future drawings.

I’m thinking a privilege license to hunt with decoys for 500 and 450 go to habitat restoration.

Lol, that's a good one!

I have a better idea to produce more turkeys - let turkey season run March 15 to April 30 with a 5 bird limit. The opportunity for that much hunting will give landowners and lease holders all the incentive they need to carry out ALL the management practices that will lead to more turkeys.

It's Reaganomics applied to wildlife management, and it's nothing new. Alabama did it for over 50 years and it worked great.

Except it stopped working great or more hunters showed up or something but Turkey hunting in yhe areas I hunt is not what it was 10-30yrs ago

I dont think one bird and few days shift of the season will realistically change anything on the supply side of the equation PCP......That isnt gonna to be the catalyst for thousands of acres suddenly changing from what it is now

How much new revenue are they generating with the stupid "baiting privilege"? There's your funding for a trapping bounties. Although I'm sure he'd come up with some BS excuse why those funds are already vital to the day-to-day operations of the DCNR even though they've only been generating those funds for 2 years...

I have become decent friends with a local game warden (I think he is really a supervisor over several game wardens), what he has told me is that his entire budget comes from license sales, permit sales, and fines (I think the fines count, not positive). His area is and has been several people short staffed. They just don't have the funding to do much more. He told me that now the water patrol is part of the trooper funding (maybe comes from the general fund), though the game wardens still have to police the water ways too. Basically, if we are to have any more/different enforcement the $ has to come from somewhere. With that in mind I doubt they have $ to offer any incentives, unless if comes from a grant or something.

The incentive I suggested in another thread was to allow any resident hunter to start turkey season a week early in exchange for sending in 20 coon tails…….The only cost associated with that on the DCNR’s end would be the “processing” cost…….

That would be a great idea, and super attainable for anyone that half tried. It should be more like 50 tails.

I like mr Steve’s idea

Twenty is plenty enough and it may even be better to go with 15……..If 5,000 people participated at that twenty rate it would equal 100,000 coons being taken out…….That’s close to what was being taken at the height of the fur trapping era. If you jack it up to something unattainable then few will participate……It will also keep there from being any kind of secondary market establish where folks trap for the purpose of selling coon tails to others…..If you reduce the value of a coon tail down to $5-$10 then it wont be worth it for anyone to do. Keep it at $25 or higher and it becomes more attractive……Twenty coon tails at $25 would cost someone $500 to buy which may be pushing people’s willingness to pay for the extra week. That’s the equation you’re dealing with though…….If you don’t set the numbers at something reasonable then it will only end up being mildly effective at best

We are taxed into almost poverty. Funding is there at all levels. They just choose to keep stealing it.

We have lost the best 10 days of the season, in addition to the lower limit, but far more important than that is the trajectory of restrictions. Is there anyone here who believes this is all they are going to do? How long do you think it will be before March hunting is completely eliminated? How long before the limit is 3? 2? 1? Lottery to draw a tag?

With a regulatory climate like this, how many landowners are going to be willing to make the long term commitment it takes to manage land for turkeys instead of money? I'm happy to see people wanting to catch coons, but turkeys are produced when you provide the habitat to grow them, and that costs money.

I don't know what to tell you on that; your place is something of a mystery to me. I've spent the day working on mine about 10 miles from you and there is turkey sign everywhere. Come over in the morning and I will show you the things that I'm doing, and we might even hear a gobbler. Send me a PM if interested.

Where are these additional acres going to come from??.....Timber company land??......Ag land??......Suburban habitat?.......How many additional acres will you burn if they increase the bag limit to 5?

First, I like PCP's idea best!
Second, Lets say I own a couple hundred acres. What if I am a coon/coon hound hunter and manage my land for coons. Maybe I keep hollow den trees, grow lots of corn, hope any turkeys nesting on my place feed the coons with their eggs and poults. Why would I want my hunting license money to be spent by the State for something that goes against what I am managing for on my own land?
Third, I hate the Government spending my hard earned money on what they think is good management. I am generally against ANY incentive programs for what the Government thinks is good. If someone wants more turkeys and thinks predator control is a good investment, let them have at it... Year round.... with no license.

Thanks for the invite. But got to coach soccer tomorrow morning and evening.

The only incentive you’ll ever see is the one inside you that wants a better habitat for turkeys by eliminating predators
If you’re hoping to see anything from this current regime then your living a miserable existence

Clubs needs to add trapping to the list of rules. You must trap xxx to be allowed to kill a buck or turkey. I know folks don’t have time to run traps but seem to have time to belly ache about it. I can’t see the state starting an incentive. Deadeye48 is on it you want predators gone get after them. Social media the photos.