Would you support moving the seasons to make sure all or the vast majority

CRC

Old Mossy Horns
of breeding occurs before the regular turkey season opens if the science has shown or will show hunting occurs before peak breeding?
 

CRC

Old Mossy Horns
Interesting.

Former turkey biologist Mike Seamster always claimed NC's season opened too early
 

Scrub

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
Good Lord.....I want to hunt at peak times......it’s hunting. Sounds like a liberal season wait till they breed and then you can try and hunt them.
 

lasttombstone

Kinder, Gentler LTS
Good Lord.....I want to hunt at peak times......it’s hunting. Sounds like a liberal season wait till they breed and then you can try and hunt them.

Just for the sake of discussion, does not "hunting" during peak times become more shooting the "hunting"? It seems that it takes more hunting skills to be successful when it isn't the breeding season. No argument, just questioning.
 

jug

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Interesting.

Former turkey biologist Mike Seamster always claimed NC's season opened too early
I have personally talked to Mike Seamster several times back in the late 90s and he never said that to me. He told me the season was situated fine for NC but he did say that the Turkey hunting would be or could be better later in the season. I have never found that to be true.
 
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CRC

Old Mossy Horns
He was on record as saying the youth season opens a week too early I do believe.
 

ol bob

Six Pointer
Anytime you see a hen with poults before the season goes out the season did not come in to early I've seen it two times in the last 5 years in western N.C.
 

Scrub

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
Just for the sake of discussion, does not "hunting" during peak times become more shooting the "hunting"? It seems that it takes more hunting skills to be successful when it isn't the breeding season. No argument, just questioning.

I love hunting the rut as I’m sure everyone else does during deer season. No different here instead I’ve got a mouth call versus a grunt tube. Turkeys are difficult enough to hunt somedays if you sounded like a dying duck they’d come running in and the next day if you sounded like a pro they’d go the other way.
 

CRC

Old Mossy Horns
To align wild turkey hunting seasons in North Carolina with the second peak of gobbling when the majority of hens have begun incubation, Wildlife Commission biologists historically suggested opening the spring season statewide on the third Saturday of April
.

So, the wild turkey season for youth-only hunting in 2015 actually opens on the first Saturday in April, while the statewide season opens on the second Saturday in April.

 

Wildlifer

Old Mossy Horns
I love hunting the rut as I’m sure everyone else does during deer season. No different here instead I’ve got a mouth call versus a grunt tube. Turkeys are difficult enough to hunt somedays if you sounded like a dying duck they’d come running in and the next day if you sounded like a pro they’d go the other way.

except those are 2 completely different breeding strategies. Turkeys are the only birds we hunt during the breeding season.
 

Hevi 13. Anson

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
I could care less if they moved it a week back other than the temperature. Our log books speak for themselves from 4/4 to 4/24 we put 7 longbeards and 27 jakes in gun range killing 2. From 4/25 to 4/30 we had 8 longbeards and 1 jake in gun range killing 3, missing 2 so I cannot see it affecting our hunting much at all. With this being said I'd rather hunt when it's cooler and snakes are slower
 

turkeyfoot

Old Mossy Horns
To be 100% honest every one is right in this thread. Hunting is better by opening season earlier for the hunter. Now by opening season later Its better for the turkey population so you try find some middle ground that is good for both sides. Lets be honest a good portion of NC hunters are relatively newer hunters many say less than 20 years experience and have been fortunate to experience a population on the upswing and as long as it lasts your not gonna get any changes in season. Now when and it will happen the numbers start to decline as they already have in some west and NW counties that used to be hot spots we can revisit this and my guess is you'll get lot more support like 3/4 of southeastern states have come to realize. There is no getting around NC being diverse state with coast to mtns. I can for sure yell you it opens to early in mtns with youth week added but I can't speak for piedmont or coastal areas. I can every single year hear some the best gobbling after season goes out in mtns the kinda gobbling you hear during that first peak scouting taking into account what birds are alive. Its really not right how many gobbler groups I've called up in early seasons and were talking areas where bird numbers are slimmer than eastern NC they just haven't split like they should. Basically enjoy it while its here I would bet my house that in most our lifetimes we'll see the same decline others have then hopefully our leaders will adjust accordingly and not wait till to late like say Arkansas
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Anytime you see a hen with poults before the season goes out the season did not come in to early I've seen it two times in the last 5 years in western N.C.
One thing to keep in mind is that nest predation is very high. One nest might be hatching when another hen is just starting over. As predation has increased (and it has considerably), the nesting season has been spread over a longer period.
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
well we all know that nothing will change given the historic success of this season. past that SC serves as a positive example IMO for trying things to hedge against a decline.
Great post @turkeyfoot
 

Ol Copper

Twelve Pointer
To be 100% honest every one is right in this thread. Hunting is better by opening season earlier for the hunter. Now by opening season later Its better for the turkey population so you try find some middle ground that is good for both sides. Lets be honest a good portion of NC hunters are relatively newer hunters many say less than 20 years experience and have been fortunate to experience a population on the upswing and as long as it lasts your not gonna get any changes in season. Now when and it will happen the numbers start to decline as they already have in some west and NW counties that used to be hot spots we can revisit this and my guess is you'll get lot more support like 3/4 of southeastern states have come to realize. There is no getting around NC being diverse state with coast to mtns. I can for sure yell you it opens to early in mtns with youth week added but I can't speak for piedmont or coastal areas. I can every single year hear some the best gobbling after season goes out in mtns the kinda gobbling you hear during that first peak scouting taking into account what birds are alive. Its really not right how many gobbler groups I've called up in early seasons and were talking areas where bird numbers are slimmer than eastern NC they just haven't split like they should. Basically enjoy it while its here I would bet my house that in most our lifetimes we'll see the same decline others have then hopefully our leaders will adjust accordingly and not wait till to late like say Arkansas

Wise words in this post.
100% nailed it.
 

Scrub

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
Easier way to do it if you were trying to boost numbers would be change the season limit to 1-bird instead of 2.
 

Scrub

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
I guess I'm seeing it thru rose colored glasses since there are plenty of turkeys on my land and bordering farms. Had a good hatch last spring so that boosted it as well.
 

Buxndiverdux

Old Mossy Horns
A statewide opener has always seemed a little “off” to me when we have such a diverse state. Spring is much earlier in the coastal plain than western NC. It wouldn’t hurt to have a staggered opening to coincide with the pace of the green up. I suppose a staggered opening would put more pressure on the coastal plains, like deer, but it may be worth a try, to help some piedmont birds recover.
 
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