I'm here. Let's get started. . . .

Couple things you should know, I'm here to participate until productivity fades because I welcome discussion. I'll gladly discuss anything turkey with anyone but when someone doesn't like me "because of his face" then I really can't help, I'm having to roll with what I have. *insert the face only a mother could love idiom* I have never admitted to being perfect. I have made mistakes. I am not afraid to say I was wrong when necessary. I listen.

I will defend what I do because I know it has more positives than negatives. Notice I did NOT say it comes without negatives. Everything comes with some degree of negativity unfortunately. A bulletproof engine does no favors for the mechanic right?

There are essentially 2 rabbit holes we can enter when discussing social media and turkey hunting. Hunting Culture and Increased Pressure. These 2 topics may converge at certain points but for the most part, can stand separated.

The degradation of the HUNTING CULTURE specifically surrounding the hunting of turkeys was the foundation of the Pinhoti Project and that continues, always will. I watched daily as the traditions and values brought to this "game" eroded (I signed out of social media entirely a year prior to Pinhoti due to being unable to stomach the disrespect). The values and principles described by the likes of Tom Kelly, Kenny Morgan and Gene Nunnery were being neglected by newcomers (and some not so new) to the sport. They were making a mockery of something I held very dear. It was appalling. Then I realized they may not be totally to blame. The VHS tapes and magazine articles I learned from were nearly extinct. Mentors are difficult to find. YouTube was the craze and it was saturated with the mockery I was witnessing. And as it was put to me "you fight fire with fire." Social media was the most efficient vessel to deliver the principles that were being ignored. I aimed to serve up a platform that could expose newcomers to the sport "the right way"- this was my opinion of course but one I felt most passionate turkey hunters could relate to. I have done that to the best of my ability. The before mentioned authors were doing this very thing in their writings, warning us of the perils we would face if the principles evaporated in time and there were no morals to sway our actions during the Spring. If anyone takes issue with me inconveniencing myself with a God-forsaken camera for every one of my Spring mornings for the last 4 years in the name of saving turkey hunting, the traditions that accompany it and the principles that it should be practiced by then by all means- grab the gear and try your hand at it. It must be done; I hope you recognize that. Because as I type, I'm sure there is some idiot taking a picture of a dead gobbler in Central Park in front of now newly enraged anti-hunters or some hot bikini model kissing the face of a decapitated longbeard. Get started, there are no off-days. I could go on for pages here and I'm certain it will eventually be demanded when the critics that refuse to slow down and see the big picture scream for such.

I'll move on toward the next rabbit hole- INCREASED PRESSURE and double back to something I mentioned before that could be seen as hypocritical, goodness knows there has been enough hypocrisy thrown around as of late. I wanted a platform that could assist in saving turkey hunting, the traditions that accompany it and the principles that it should be practiced by- is the increased pressure doing just the opposite? Absolutely not. Has the attention of YouTube turkey hunting caused more pressure? Absolutely. Does the increased pressure fall solely at the feet of YouTube? I just don't see how that can be so. Mapping software is giving more confidence than ever before. It's hard to miss an application deadline because agencies are sending email reminders. License sales are up across the board including fishing. Outdoor recreation as a whole has exploded over the past 2 years! Just look around- you're hard pressed to find a kayak on the shelves. Rock climbing, hiking, and heck anything outdoors is the most popular thing. In other words, the people were on their way to a national forest near you regardless of their streaming preferences. I for one am glad some of them found their way to the hunting license counter. The bigger question is, why do hunters hate other hunters? Recruitment is a positive thing. I'll start briefly with the stereotypical response on why that you probably expect - funding through license, guns, blah blah blah means conservation dollars. More hunters= more money. The pot of federal money that is "runneth over" now due to gun/ ammo/ etc sales doesn't make it's way back into the states hands unless they have the sale of a hunting license to provide so it in turn can be matched. So the more license ALABAMA sales the more of that "free" money the agency has to work with. Okay, stereotypical response number 1 out of the way. And number 2- talking big picture- we are still a minority to the population. We as hunters are not growing as quickly as the population. More important than the funding, in my opinion, is the voice. The average hunting license buyer is growing older every year, there will eventually be a cliff. I hope this increased interest has curbed that drab, long standing statistic. It's easy to ignore because it is so "big picture," we don't see our hunting rights infringed upon in the south after all, while the rest of the nation has seen a steady decline in hunters the southeast has held stable or even increased. Kudos to us! A ban on trapping in New Mexico barely goes noticed in Alabama. A very similar law hit the desk to your east in North Carolina, a little closer to home. The whack jobs in Oregon just introduced a direct threat to hunting and then the clown administration attempts to "back door" us, attempting to make it impossible to travel across state lines with ANY meat or carcass. As I digress from this 2nd stereotypical response just realize the larger the voice we have as hunters of any variety the more insulated our lifestyle will be from the attacks that are sure to come.

But p!ss on all that right? WHAT ABOUT OUR TURKEYS!?!

Hey! I agree, I like looking at what's happening here at home too. It's easier. More relatable. Question, when was the first time you heard the term poult recruitment or brood rearing habitat? what about poult per hen numbers? Unless you were in the world of wildlife academia, I'm guessing these weren't words used in typical dinner conversation. If you're a concerned turkey hunter they probably are now. Who would be surprised to know that the actual production of wild turkeys has shown dips since 2008 and by 2011 the declines were becoming widespread across the southeast? I'm not claiming to be a biologist or researcher and I'm not talking numbers to make them ring only to what I want to hear. But what I did find alarming was this issue we are facing is nearly a decade old and I don't recall any fussing over it until recently? Why? These issues were put on the desk of directors many moons ago. One professor emailed me a presentation delivered at the Wild Turkey Symposium in 2015 detailing the exact issues that are now "mainstream." This poses the question, if turkey hunting hadn't grown in popularity (regardless of the how- YouTube, Outdoor Channel, Covid, passenger pigeon, etc) over the last few years would these same issues still be sitting stagnant on someone's desk? If the importance of the resource hadn't grown, would we even know we have a "supply" problem? I believe the amount of publicity turkey hunting is receiving comes with impeccable timing. Will I lose some opportunity due to increased applicants? Possibly. It's a price I'm willing to pay to have a larger majority concerned about and willing to fight for the resource I hold dearly. Case in point, new organizations such as Turkeys for Tomorrow don't spring up without a motivated base and the National Wild Turkey Federation doesn't right itself from a multi-million dollar sinking ship without a powerful foundation. I am willing to make sacrifices to ensure that foundation is solid and growing. I like turkey hunters growing in numbers and in motivation. It's turkey hunters who will continue to ask questions until this "supply" issue we face is resolved. I'm also appreciative that avenues such as social media are available to help keep me aware of the problems, the scientific findings, some possible answers or even more questions we could be asking. With enough concerned voices we're sure to stumble upon the correct answers. I also really like that "our" enthusiasm has proven effective in holding some organizations accountable. I see this as a trend that will continue with an informed group of concerned hunters.

My response to the shortened season? Dislike. And here comes an explanation with a lot of "buts" in it. I hate watching opportunity vanish but do applaud the agencies for "doing something" and this appears a stand alone option for now. And as mentioned before, I am willing to make sacrifices. In the same breath I wish we had more answers. I saw shade cast toward Chamberlain- a researcher that has devoted his career searching for funding (and interest) to finding answers that for the longest period no one seemed to want. Now, everyone wants them. But, if we wait on those answers will it be too late for our resource? I become frustrated when other options aren't put on the table to reduce disturbance and harvest. Why are many WMAs so road happy? Lock the gates- widen the roads to alleviate the shortage of brood rearing habitat and "throw away the key." But that is still playing small ball, the majority of turkeys and turkey habitat lies in the hands of private landowners. Can we incentivize timber companies? They hold a lot of property. Why can't NGO's promote more predator control? Why are politics so heavily involved in the decisions that are affecting our wildlife (baiting)? Why can't we mention altering the methods used to kill turkeys without being attacked? Is over harvest really an issue? If eggs are fertilized, does it matter how many we kill? Regardless of how many males we have left in a population post season, I can't see that causing hens to carry 4 poults versus 1 to adulthood. Maybe there is a correlation I am unaware of (very possible). With the increased attention, lets hope we can get the brilliant minds among us to initiate research so we have a bit more solid ground to stand on. I do believe other options exist.

As a more of a "me" perspective; please realize I love wild turkeys. I hunted them for the same number of mornings before Pinhoti Project was a thing as I do now. I didn't work to save nearly as many then as I intend to now. I didn't realize I needed too, much like many I assume. I'm realizing now as a turkey hunter my responsibilities extend further than abiding by my self-assigned principles. I am realizing the cost of my hunting license and a $35 NWTF membership isn't enough. My price of admission was inadequate. I wake every day prepared to work as hard to save turkeys as I do to kill them during the Spring. Will I ever be able to convince some of you that is true? Unlikely. But I refuse to worry myself with those wanting to point fingers and play the blame game- I don't find it productive for the resource. I'm here in this forum because I care. Not about Dave Owens or the Pinhoti Project but about the message that social media has the power to carry to work for positivity for hunting and specifically turkey hunting.

I have just scratched the surface, I am aware. There are pages worth of side streets we could go down. So go ahead. . . let the bullets fly. Which side street would ya'll like to navigate first?