Yep. Coon populations are thriving with the help of legalized deer baiting.

Actually, the feeders just make it super easy for me to find the coons to remove before the turkeys nest. ;)….possums, too. Greenfields draw skunks and armadillos like flies. There’s pros and cons to everything.

I hated this push back on the opener before but now I’m furious over it. Contractor I work for has a big shutdown that starts on…. You guessed it March 25th ( 7- 12’s for 7 days) I accepted it and thought, well at least I can take my daughter the youth weekend and get some time in the turkey woods. I was told we’d be starting on Saturday the 23th now to make sure we can be finished before Easter Sunday. I’m disgusted.
So this year I’ll get to miss what would be my first two weeks of turkey season. Thanks Chuck

It opens when one walks out

Unless you mash the download button then you get this:
https://trace.tennessee.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=10876&context=utk_gradthes

Ive been busy all day. I'll try to read it by monday.

Why as it pushed back to March 15 from March 20 back in 2005-2007. (Don’t know the exact time frame)
It’s been March 15 for almost 20ish years, how many years was it March 20?
Why was it opened earlier, Hunter pressure or actual data? Hunters jumping up and down on FB about birds been gobbling for 3 weeks even up here. Heck they been gobbling all winter long they just haven’t been in the woods to hear em. Back in mid January had 4 wearing it out on the limb and on the ground.

Plus it went from 6 birds to 5 birds back in the early 90s. Was that a typo for a few years?

The study mentioned could there be any biases, seems there is lot of that these days

Honestly, I don’t trust either side to be honest.

Here’s another question

What is the quality of a study in a population that is so susceptible to outside influences. From spring nesting success to predators and so on.
How’s that incorporated into a relative short time frame study?
Does it also take into account other studies

How does one remove personal biases and projections. I’m convinced there is always some underlying influence in studies.

I could be way wrong, but I do find it interesting supposedly there is no biases.
10-15-20 years ago I’d be right there with y’all. Heck I wanted to killem all myself. I was as greedy as anyone ever was.

None of this is being greedy…it was March 15 then March 20 now March 25…if you don’t fight this, next thing you know it’s mid April like Tennessee or even first of may. Try hunting in south bama then.

Also, speaking of bias…my rebuttal is what do these biologists have to gain other than having the bias of wanting an increase in turkey populations. It’s not like you or me who want that plus want to kill a bunch of em. Their goal is long term survival of the population. The fact that the same results coming from multiple states increases the power of the study as it increases the randomization and generalization of the study. Fact of the matter is, we are being forced to hunt with bullcrap laws that have no justification other than pride of the officials who don’t want to admit they are wrong.

I grew up being taught hunting deer over corn was as bad as spotlighting. I remember GWs shutting entire clubs down because they found a corn pile. They claimed it was an unfair advantage same as hunting at night. When it came to turkeys decoys were considered unethical and not allowed until 2005. What changed?? Who sales the most decoys and feeders? The local Warden might have nothing to gain but the ones sitting behind a desk just might.