Unofficial but record harvest looks likely for NC

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
on a serious note Nc is unique in the southeast.

We were last in line to get habitat occupied by turkeys and should trail the infamous population decline the other states are whining about by years and years.

or at least i hope so.
 

wolfman

Old Mossy Horns
I keep thinking that decline is upon us but it seems to keep pushing out. I thought last season was it simply based on my experience of hearing one gobble on opening day and not another peep the entire season on private land. This season was complete opposite. The most vocal season I've experienced in years even though the gobbling wasn't within my property lines. I already think next year will be another increase based on the birds left behind and seeing a few jakes.
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
I keep thinking that decline is upon us but it seems to keep pushing out. I thought last season was it simply based on my experience of hearing one gobble on opening day and not another peep the entire season on private land. This season was complete opposite. The most vocal season I've experienced in years even though the gobbling wasn't within my property lines. I already think next year will be another increase based on the birds left behind and seeing a few jakes.

it sure was easy for me to believe the population was way down based on my before work honey holes being dead.

of course the fact that everyone else in the woods tagged out the first week reminded me that i was the problem not the turkey population. :)

turkey and deer hunters tend to base population estimates on their limited direct observations. the facts are a tad more complex.

we are lucky in NC now after lagging for decades.
 

turkeyfoot

Old Mossy Horns
Wilkes and Burke done hammered some jakes very high harvest for those counties on jakes I know lot people in those were complaining about lack of mature birds guess lot of settling went on
 

wolfman

Old Mossy Horns
Wilkes and Burke done hammered some jakes very high harvest for those counties on jakes I know lot people in those were complaining about lack of mature birds guess lot of settling went on

If I recall, Wilkes is traditionally tough on Jakes. I like to play with harvest stats and look forward to comparing this years. As a % of harvest in Wilkes for Jakes:
2017 - 21%
2016 - 41%
2015 - 33%
2014 - 32%
2013 - 19%
 

turkeyfoot

Old Mossy Horns
If I recall, Wilkes is traditionally tough on Jakes. I like to play with harvest stats and look forward to comparing this years. As a % of harvest in Wilkes for Jakes:
2017 - 21%
2016 - 41%
2015 - 33%
2014 - 32%
2013 - 19%

Oh trust me I know this all too well kinda sucks wh 1/3 to nearly half harvest is jakes its really large county with tons good habitat figured the total harvest would have been up more after that last year 41% jake harvest. I love the stats as well good way to pick good spots for next year and just enjpy seeing the trends compard to what I saw firsthand
 
Last edited:

wolfman

Old Mossy Horns
Statewide jake harvest was 12.4%

Top 10 counties:
Iredell 30.7%
Gaston 29.6%
Stanly 29.0%
Alexander 26.3%
Currituck 25.8%
Lincoln 23.8%
Cabarrus 23.2%
Catawba 23.2%
Hoke 23.1%
Davie 22.6%
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
so wolfman, has the jake harvest as % went up statewide the last couple of years?

Reason I ask is the statewide week long youth week would seem to be tailor made for killing jakes. wonder if it show up in the numbers.
 

wolfman

Old Mossy Horns
This must have been the year of the 2 year old. I'd say a significant drop in % Jake harvest this year from seasons past.


RHj8zO6.jpg
 

jug

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Good work wolfman. I am glad to see Harnett is up there with Chatham and Moore county.
 

NCST8GUY

Frozen H20 Guy
I honestly would have bet 2 weeks ago (judging from friends comments) that the entire harvest would be down, and some places near decimated.

This info makes me think the warm February may have a roll in the difficulty of hunting long beards, but not necessarily the amounts of them?
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
It wasn't the best season for us, but it was very clear just by looking on here that they got slaughtered opening week.

With turkey populations there are the have's and the have not's. It is interesting to see that the county winners and losers are not isolated to the same areas of the state. They are scattered across the state relatively evenly. That tells me it is the local conditions (habitat, predation, etc.) that makes the difference.
 

jug

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
turkey hunting is as politics used to be: It's all local.
True . As with all types of hunting. I can remember guys coming up from all over to deer hunt Northampton county only to be disappointed. Hunting between Garysburg and Seaboard was horrible compared to the hunting on the river sides of Jackson and Margarettsville.
 

wolfman

Old Mossy Horns
I just noticed 6 more birds have been registered since I downloaded the file. I'm not going to attempt to find them. Took too long to populate my excel sheet.
 

Lucky Clucker

Old Mossy Horns
I think they put what numbers in NC that they want to. I don't believe some of the numbers in some of the counties and gameland that is posted.

Sent from my VS425PP using Tapatalk
 

turkeyfoot

Old Mossy Horns
I'd say with the fast growing popularity of turkey hunting those numbers are spot on, now how long they last another question
 

Lucky Clucker

Old Mossy Horns
And they would do that why?
I hunt and live in and go through some of the areas and rarely see turkeys when not hunting.I ride and walked several miles this past year, talked to several hunters and others. Hardly any heard and seen.Of course there are some areas that have good amounts of turkeys.but they not as thick as some think.

Sent from my VS425PP using Tapatalk
 

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
I hunt and live in and go through some of the areas and rarely see turkeys when not hunting.I ride and walked several miles this past year, talked to several hunters and others. Hardly any heard and seen.Of course there are some areas that have good amounts of turkeys.but they not as thick as some think.

that's all well and good but has nothing to do with the quoted question. Or are you saying that your anecdotal observations are why you think the NC WRC falsifies harvest data?

I think they put what numbers in NC that they want to. I don't believe some of the numbers in some of the counties and gameland that is posted.

what I asked is why would they want to do such a thing? For what earthly (or other earthly) reason would they "put up" false numbers?

just really curious as to why you think they would do that
 
Top