Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk ALTurkey Talk -- Beards and Spurs Dr. Chamberlain

So awhile back this guy mentioned that he usually only heard one bird gobbling every morning where he hunted in Georgia.

This begs the question....

What kind of a piss poor biologist and turkey hunter do you have to be to have studied and supposedly turkey hunted your entire life that at middle age the best property you can drum up holds an average of one gobbling bird?

Food for thought. This is the guy driving turkey management in the United States. #gobblinglects# I make stuff up

The problem I have with his stuff is everybody wants to take anything that leaves his mouth as the absolute gospel. He has been on numerous podcasts I listen to (meateater, southern outdoorsman, turkey hunter podcast, rolling thunder podcast) and has done a lot of interesting studies with great data. However, when it comes to the season and bag limit stuff he just spews bs and people eat it up. No doubt the guy is intelligent and knows a hell of a lot about turkeys but people need to stop drinking his kool-aid so to speak.

There was only one bird gobbling on our property at the beginning of season this year. Killed him and lo an behold another one started gobbling a week later.

Ole Doc has drummed up enough funding and research money to get him through retirement. He is a very good salesman on top of his academia intellect.

first thing i heard of this guy say was age had nothing to do with spur length...didn't need to hear anymore of what he didn't know about turkeys...I'm sure there is some smarts there somewhere

Where is this clown from? I see he went to Virginia Tech then MS St. That may explain part of why he's a dumbarse. I'm guessing he's a Carolina boy who thought he knew about turkey hunting and some ol redneck from AL showed him up in the turkey woods. Since then, he's never recovered so he's set out to lead a life of ruining our turkey hunting rights and destroying our turkey populations in AL.

He does seem to be an expert self marketer though. I have no idea who proclaimed him to be the end all know all turkey whisperer, but he seems to have quite the following. Lots of sheeple loving all the fresh BS he is spewing. He is the YETI of turkey biologists

Does age have anything to do with sput length?

When was the last time you saw a jake with spurs an inch long? I forgot you haven't seen any jakes so you wouldn't know. This is just more common sense Ben

I have never seen a jake with long spurs. We have not seen a jake in 3 seasons but have a group of 4 right now!! I have killed several gobblers with no spurs at all, Have killed several with one long spur on one leg and a small bump on the other. Have killed some with double spurs. Maybe you can provide me with the the absolute break down on how long a spur is every year so we can all accurately measure and age turkeys? I have seen studies where 2 yr olds have 1.5" spurs which I would have thought would mean an older turkey?

One of the best turkey hunters I’ve ever been around has a jam up place that has lots of gobblers but he went several pretty mornings in a row without hearing a turkey so you can’t really judge his turkey hunting prowess or knowledge based on that.
I guess I’m in the minority but I think chamberlain makes a lot of sense on several things.

DISCLAIMER.....If I lived in south alabama I’d be bitching just as much as anybody about postponing the opener but I’ve said for years that Alabama should have at least 2 or better yet 3 zones and open the season accordingly. Extreme north Alabama’s season should be about the same as Tennessee’s

I’m not saying he’s wrong or right because chances are he’s a little bit of both, but experts will always give you the best case scenario answer. Just like Fauci when they asked him how to best slow the spread of the China virus, he wanted the whole world shucks down. It wasn’t practical nor what was best for all of us but it was the best textbook answer to the question which was asked. I look at Chamberlain the same way, states asked him what’s the best way to guarantee we have a sustainable population of turkey to hunt and he tells them to back the season up and make it shorter. They asked a specific question and he answered it, I don’t think anyone would agree that backing the season up and shortening it makes it a little harder to kill birds. I agree that predator control and habitat are a huge role in turkey management but the state can’t make people trap or manage their property to specific standards so season and bag limits are all they have left to manipulate. Now, would I have rather they outlawed decoys and afternoon hunting, absolutely. Chamberlain is a scientist and he will answer questions in the best way scientifically possible, with an absolute answer.

The stuff Chamberlain says on dominant gobbler theory is bull crap, but what he said about spur length is true... He is only saying that spurs break off / grind down way too often to accurately age a turkey. He even says that jakes are the exception to this rule. Chew the meat and spit out the bones when it comes to Chamberlain.

I listened to him on a podcast the other day and something he said really stuck out to me. He stated, I am a turkey hunter, and I am all for being in the woods and getting to hunt as much as anybody else.

But you have to be smart with the resource and make sure that it sustained. All of you guys with young kids that you take hunting. Don't you want them to be able to enjoy hunting as much as you?

I think what he says makes a lot of sense. No one wants to lose days in the woods, me included, but if missing a week now insures that I get a 4-5 week season in the future, and my kids will get to chase turkeys 10-20 years from now, then I'm willing to do my part.

Last thing I read was that Alabama was looking at opening day on April 1 and pushing it into the first weekend in May.

That’s just it! Any half decent person who cares about turkeys would do their part IF there was proof, or science behind his theory.

Ask someone who breeds Turkeys how the hens act. Dominant Gobbler theory = 100% garbage. The hens will give it up to whoever is next in line. Nature just doesn't work like that how many times have you seen 2-3 Toms running up to a decoy and fighting over it. Why? They thought they were going to get a piece. That's why.

Use common sense.

Dr Chamberlain is the next Dr. Turkey just like Dr. Deer. He'll be pushing someone's products here shortly. Probably start with a Gold Chufa Blend from Mossy Oak Biologic

Birds are declining for a variety of reasons. I have plenty of Turkeys on my place because I manage for them including trapping. But I am also not going to take the deer hunter's argument and say that there is nothing wrong and this would constitute gubberment intrusion and we should be able to shoot whatever we want when we want because it's "my land", blah blah. No limit needed. Blah Blah.

If my neighbors are having trouble I'm willing to participate in on the solution.

Nothing ever comes back from progressive changes. Ever.

It’s just an opinion at this point - we all have opinions.

I want my 3 boys to enjoy turkey hunting also, but for the southern 1/3 of AL, enjoying chasing turkey means hunting in March - period.

Absolutely and needs to come in March 15th.

So the question becomes will it? Is there data to support that shortening the season and lowering the limit will ensure your kids get to hunt?
How about this : if we ban cars, we can ensure no one will get hit by a car again. Willing to do your part?
If we ban deer hunting we can ensure your kids will get to see deer 10-20 years from now. Want to do your part?
I have the same data to make those arguments as the department does for shorter seasons and lower limits

I don't think you can answer that, until you have some data. Which means something has to change in order to find out, otherwise it is hypothesis and theory all on paper.




I don't know if you mis-typed or what, but this makes it sound as though you are for trying shorter season and lower limits.