How do they benefit by changing the season dates??......They benefit by NOT having to change the other things that are influencing wildlife populations……the things that effect someone’s bottom line…..Its choosing the fix option that has the hunters foot the bill through a shorter season and lower bag limits….
Man, I wish I was smarter... That doesn't make any sense. They vote on things the department and hunters propose. What proposal was pitched to them that would "influence wildlife populations" did they NOT vote on - must have missed it. Which change will make a difference to turkey populations? Where is the data? (I know you struggle with that one) They hear all kinds of crazy stuff, most without ANY data backing things up.
The department makes recommendations, the CAB discusses the issues, gets public input and makes a proposal. This was the proposal made by COB member Cagle:
I move that the Conservation
4 Advisory Board recommend the following
5 turkey season and bag limit changes
6 beginning with the 2022 turkey season
7 and continuing thereafter:
8 Move the start date for a 45-day
9 turkey season to March 25th;
10 Prohibit the use or possession of a
11 turkey decoy or fan during the first 10
12 days of season;
13 Lower the annual harvest limit from
14 5 gobblers to 4;
15 Furthermore, once these season and
16 bag limit changes go into effect, the
17 Conservation Advisory Board urges the
18 Commissioner to establish a "Turkey
19 Study Committee" to support the Wildlife
20 and Freshwater Fisheries Division's
21 efforts to increase the wild turkey
22 population in our state, review existing
23 turkey research, recommend areas of
151
1 study for future research, and present
2 their findings and recommendations to
3 the Conservation Advisory Board.
Do you really think the CAB came up with that out of thin air? or maybe the Department made recommendations... and maybe they heard - for months - from constituents. As you well know there were folks hitting them up with reccs from no changes to a 3 bird limit and Ap1 - Ap 30 season. This was their compromise. I still don't think it will make a difference but this is what they agreed to proceed with. BTW, wonder if the department put together the Turkey Study Committee yet - one not made up of department biologists.
