Changes coming in N.C. Turkey season?

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
^^^^ blow up in a good way hopefully, I know I'm happy with it now.

in theory, the NC turkey flock could have a down turn in population like other states have had once they peaked out,,,,,,,from that middle chart you can see we are on a continuous population increase,,,,,don't know when/if we will peak,,,,,,could be a few years,,,,,,,

NW Georgia in the 1995-1997 timeframe had turkeys like you wouldn't believe,,,,I haven't seen flocks like that hear yet (50+ birds in one field) so maybe we are years from peaking,,,,,,,,,,,

or according to some we are in a crash and need to start restocking NOW!!
 
Last edited:

nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
not the 70's, but 1985 population density gives some idea,,,,

fakAfpoGU2ObkStibbLaZRMH2M8BErouUYr27AXV19pHJsErv9rVJCHG7Fy9vGZH-PcChfuwDmFcfg=w367-h220


or the estimated populations 1970 through 2015,,,,

26V5e6uVu98wQ21k2ZhXHh-t29k4P5p4sy6m-8UfEDJF6KMwfY3CshcADUSZ8UYNnyHVp2-P0f9b2w=w406-h220


or the kill stats,,,,,,,,

5JTrlTQV-gx0mFOxW8QSM8VxRT5xUGb6426GvxG6r3WBvGmIi4Z4kM12bOxD-R7caZu1NKa7VMqTDQ=w406-h220



despite the doomsayers and "sky is falling" crowd,,,,,this fellow thinks we are in the heyday of North Carolina turkey hunting,,,,,,,,,may blow up in a year or two,,,,,but it's been a great ride so far
Yeah, and the same could be said for deer also. We have lived through the expansion "explosion". Most that are hunting them on here wasn't in the crowd that either traveled to the coast or the mountains to hunt them in the late '60s and early 70s. They have lived in the cream of the crop so to say. Now that it has peaked they really think the sky is falling.
 

turkeyfoot

Old Mossy Horns
All we can do is enjoy the good times which are now no way to know how long it'll last but I'll take it as long as possible just hope when the decline does start we will learn from other states like Ark and take some pre-emptive actions
 

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
woodmoose, 50+ birds in the Spring would be crazy

can't remember if it was spring summer fall or winter,,,,just remember the sight of those turkeys in those fields down there on the farms we worked at,,,,,crazy number of birds,,,,you'd come over a ridge in the woods and flush 10 off of the top of it,,,,,,,,,

need to take a ride down that way and see what it's like now, 20 years later
 

hunter

Eight Pointer
Contributor
the data I have,,,your a week late,,,,,first spring seasons were in 1968 and started 13 April,,,,,,,,ran for a week,,,,,,,,,season was in piedmont and coastal plain (closed in mountains),,,,,,,it was 1972 when they started the "3rd Saturday" seasons (around 20 April),,,,,,,

You are likely correct as I was thinking about the seasons in the early 1970s right after the WRC got serious about building the turkey population and hired Wayne Bailey to oversee it. I believe he was the one to propose the later start date for the reasons I posted. He likely had others but I don't recall them.

Also, I believe the years the seasons you mention were in play there were still some fall seasons open. Think Bailey worked to shut those down in tangent with the later spring start dates.
 

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
You are likely correct as I was thinking about the seasons in the early 1970s right after the WRC got serious about building the turkey population and hired Wayne Bailey to oversee it. I believe he was the one to propose the later start date for the reasons I posted. He likely had others but I don't recall them.

Also, I believe the years the seasons you mention were in play there were still some fall seasons open. Think Bailey worked to shut those down in tangent with the later spring start dates.



you are correct Sir,,,,Wayne Bailey worked at the NCWRC July 1, 1970 through September 30, 1980 and the last Winter (fall) season was in Dec 70-Jan 71,,,,,,,,,he shut them down fast,,,,,,,,,,
 

TarheelTurkey

Six Pointer
I doubt it happens I would be for starting the middle of April and ending middle of May I do believe it would result in a better overall population, as for the complaint about its too hot to hunt not worried a bit. LOL I deleted the text but two days ago had two separate text from guys watching gobblers strutting and gobbling one was with a hen . Text came from two separate counties


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

wturkey01

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
you are correct Sir,,,,Wayne Bailey worked at the NCWRC July 1, 1970 through September 30, 1980 and the last Winter (fall) season was in Dec 70......


You're correct.........and I can remember a bunch of "Henny Pennys" saying "the sky is falling, the sky is falling" when we went to a spring-only season. They said it would never work because we're shooting them while they're breeding!!

I've often wished some of those old farts were still alive to see Wayne's "failures"!! :cool:
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
i do have a question. where besides the OP is the thought that the season was changing coming from?

anyone of you connected NCWRC care to comment, how about it NWTF members ? who is pushing this and why?
 

dhsten

Ten Pointer
i do have a question. where besides the OP is the thought that the season was changing coming from?

anyone of you connected NCWRC care to comment, how about it NWTF members ? who is pushing this and why?

My cousin works with NCWRC hasn't mentioned it and forwards me every email concerning turkeys.
 

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
i do have a question. where besides the OP is the thought that the season was changing coming from?

anyone of you connected NCWRC care to comment, how about it NWTF members ? who is pushing this and why?



no where as far as I know,,,,,,but sure made for a fun conversation!!
 

brown trout

Button Buck
i can only hope i have heard and seen more turkey in the two weeks after season the last year than in season here in wilkes
 

hawglips

Old Mossy Horns
I'm looking forward to the data we'll be getting from the collared turkeys study the NWTF and NCWRC are funding.
 

hunter

Eight Pointer
Contributor
i do have a question. where besides the OP is the thought that the season was changing coming from?

anyone of you connected NCWRC care to comment, how about it NWTF members ? who is pushing this and why?

No change is going to happen with the current director. He is big buddies with the former commissioner that pushed hard to get the seasons where they are now. The NWTF might be interested in that they opposed moving it earlier for a number of years. The former commissioner got mad at them for meeting with the NC archery folks to talk about how bad it was for the commissioners' rule making to be going against the GWs and Biologists. He got enough other commissioners to go along to move the season earlier. This is part of the same crowd that got in trouble with Perdue for having closed meetings and saying they were only beholding to the people that appointed them. Not to the resources or to the hunters and anglers. In spite of their oaths of office.
 

CRC

Old Mossy Horns
That former commissioner got flack for trying to get an earlier start to the season so they used kids as an excuse to get it enacted.
 
Top