Does Population Instability Affect the Way You Hunt?

In the July-August issue of Turkey Call Magazine, NWTF Turkey Call Editor Matt Stewart posed a question to the NWTF’s members and encouraged feedback. Below is the column and some of our members’ responses as summited to turkeycall@nwtf.net.

At a recent hunt, a director of wildlife suggested turkey hunters have a killing problem … it’s all we think about, it’s our entire goal. Whatever the limit is in our state or the states we hunt, we aim to harvest that many turkeys. In today’s world, with declining turkey populations in some regions, that’s a slippery approach to take.

Big picture, in terms of the well being of turkey populations, taking fewer gobblers in the spring (many states have realigned season dates and bag limits to ensure that’s the case) before moving on to call for or help new hunters get started could be the best route. Many of us do that anyway.

But it’s also our right to hunt turkeys as much as we choose while staying within the bounds of the regulations. If I want to hunt 10 states and take two, three, or more, turkeys from each state if the bag limits permit, it’s allowable. I’m abiding by the laws of each state, regardless of the current status of that state’s turkey population. Still, is there a responsibility for the turkey hunter to become more of a conservationist with the way things currently stand?

I’d love to get your input on this question and how you approached this past spring season. Was your goal to kill a turkey every time out or was it something else? As I get older and wiser (debatable on most days), I’ve come to grips that I am not a turkey killer. I just enjoy hunting turkeys and spending time with others in the field. And there’s absolutely nothing against the hardcore hunters who have honed their skills and can kill a turkey just about anywhere you drop them. Turkey hunting exploded because of outdoorsmen/women who committed to becoming exceptional hunters. There’s an art to it, a game of strategy and woodsmanship that must be mastered to become an extraordinary hunter.

I'm a turkey killer.  And we need to be conservationists now more than ever.  We need to be better armed with science to thwart arguments against hunting in the first place.  Killing more turkeys spread across greater geographical areas is probably much better than killing a limit in the same 3 square miles.  So yes, there is more of a responsibility, AND that does not equate to killing fewer birds.

I just wanted to say how much I appreciated reading your Foreword in the latest edition of Turkey Call.  In reading the article, it made my wife and me feel like we needed an intervention.  YES, we have a killing problem!  We are blessed to travel around the US (Kansas, Missouri and Colorado) to hunt turkeys, as well as our home state of Louisiana.  Each year, we set a "goal" of the number of turkeys I want my wife to kill.   My wife is the hunter, and I am blessed to be her toter (I tote her stuff everywhere! LOL!!!).  We, too, aim to kill the limit of the state we are in.  That has to change, and your article has helped us "see the light." It seems every year each state is facing declining turkey numbers due to predators or hunting pressure.  Although we abide by all state and federal laws, "killing" turkeys should not be the object of the game.  It should be the total enjoyment of the sport. It seems that each time we do not achieve our desired goal on a particular hunt, the pressure increases on the next hunt to achieve that "goal" of killing the intended number.  Us, like yourself, have seen a huge increase in the number of hunters in each state, and have seen, or heard of, unethical practices to kill birds as these new hunters are quickly finding out how hard it is to harvest a bird.  They see these birds in fall at their deer feeders and think "there's nothing to this!  Just put some corn out and shoot them!".  That is killing and not hunting.  I really like the term Conservationist you used in your article and want us to adopt that word in our life.  I never thought about what all it took to be a Conservationist as I just thought they were folks that worked for organizations like DU or NWTF, but we want to be a voice for turkey conservation in our area.  

My wife, Kayla, and I just started turkey hunting in 2010.  We were not allowed to hunt them in Louisiana as they were in the end phases of a reintroduction plan.  We were deer hunting in Illinois and kept hearing all these turkeys gobbling and making all kinds of noises, so we decided to give it a shot.  The outfitter was kind enough to allow us to return in the spring and she killed one on our first hunt.  He came running in to my pathetic call and we have been hooked ever since. In fact, we really don't deer hunt anymore as the thrill of it has been replaced with the thunder chicken!

I am 64 years old and have never written to anyone regarding an article or anything like this, but this is such a point on article, I felt compelled to do so.  Please keep up the great writing and know that if nothing else, your article changed two turkey hunters/killers to Conservationist.

I do not think we as turkey hunters have a turkey killing problem. The sole reason we’re out there is to harvest a bird. Even if it doesn’t happen a hunt is still an enjoyable experience and something new is always learned along the way. That’s how most of my time in the field goes. I try to tag out each season but usually only fill 1 out of 2 tags by seasons end. I try my hardest to fill both tags but late season gobblers are tricky and I haven’t been able to do that yet except just one time. My states regulations make hunters that kill a bird during the first week of season, sit out until the second week to go for the second bird. Many years I’ve killed a gobbler on opening day, always a Monday, and then can’t hunt again until the following Monday. I feel I’d be able to tag out more often if I was able to hunt more that first week. But hunting pressure sets in over the rest of the week before I can legally hunt again and birds get a lot more difficult to find and call in. 

Also, it seems the majority of hunters don’t tag out. So the hardcore ones, or turkey killers, are a small majority of the hunters in the woods. Habitat improvement and removing predators is what will help the turkey population the most I think. Scaling back on the number of hunters or those that try and tag out each season won’t make a difference in my opinion. 

Yes, I do believe we have many hunters who are possessed to kill as many wild turkeys as possible. I am in no way opposed to the lawful pursuit and harvest of wild turkeys. But isn’t it just as important to be able to enjoy the property you’re hunting, the far away howl of a coyote, the morning sunrise, and yes the gobble of the wild turkey than collecting another beard or set of spurs to thrown in a box somewhere?. During my career as a federal wildlife biologist and also a member of NWTF’s Technical Committee, I frequently was contacted by individuals wanting to hunt eastern Montana. I was always glad to point them to some public land where they might find success. What I found disappointing was the number of instances where a hunter would add, they really wanted to kill a turkey quickly as they were planning to hunt in Wyoming and South Dakota and wanted to get to those other states as soon as possible. All of these states have landscapes to enjoy. It isn’t always about killing a bird. Some of my most prized memories are the experiences enjoyed in the field.

Did I fill my tags this year? I did (2 in Montana). I did make it out on several days and some days could have easily killed a bird, but chose to pass. I wanted to experience another morning listening to a gobble or the sound of dancing sharp-tailed grouse or just listening to the sound of the wind blowing through the pine trees.

I appreciate the attention NWTF is giving to the current realities of our turkey flocks. The latest being your letter welcoming opinions on our turkey hunting culture. 

In a word, we have a killing problem. 

When turkey numbers were flush and healthy; this was not as evident as today. 

My mindset in life has often been, "Walk while others run and run while others walk." 

Today, turkey killers seem to be running everywhere (literally multiple states) and if found without a full bag limit these folks deem their turkey season a failure (or at least not as successful as their buddy who just posted on Instagram that he filled his!). 

With a society so addicted to social media and the fleeting affirmation that is offered, there is no wonder that many hunters (myself included) post a picture of a successful hunt to get some degree of satisfaction. Boil this down and one is left with pride. Lord forgive us. The whole SM discussion is sticky. I want to be careful on taking the good and avoiding the bad that arises from social media. 

I harvested my first turkey during the fall season on the afternoon of October 30, 1999 in Lebanon, TN at the age of 13. I miss the early 2000s in which there were fewer turkey hunters and more turkeys. Fewer selfies sought and more good stories lived. 

An optimist and welcomer, I do believe though that our "turkey hunter tent" is big enough to welcome in as many new turkey enthusiasts as are called. 

Now as a 36 year old with my first personal farm purchased in 2021, I am much more eager to grow turkeys than kill turkeys. From our 110 acre parcel in the Spring of 2023, we harvested 2 gobblers. We passed on 2 other gobblers and my wife had a big bird put the slip on her within 15 years. 

Success to me is a sunrise listening with a companion, echoing the first owl I hear and hoping to hear that turkey gobble on the ridge or in the bottom nearby. Seeing turkeys is common on our farm. Others are not as fortunate. There was a time in my life where I would never imagine there would be a question of harvesting turkeys, much less seeing turkeys. 

Early on, we, in awe, referred to those few individuals we've met who could kill a turkey about anytime they wished. "That man can kill a turkey, " we'd say. With great respect we would listen, learn and literally sit at the feet of these wise woodsmen. Folks who could enjoy their coffee knowing he was still out there with feathers looking like a slight gleam of oil had been applied, as Col. Tom Kelly shared. 

Later, "he is a turkey killer" became part of the dialogue and along with this phrase a frenzied spirit among some was born (or maybe just revealed). "Unbalanced" is a word I might use to describe this population of our turkey hunting culture. If a man is honest with himself, we've all been unbalanced at times in our life pursuits. May we/I do better and help each other. 

On one hand, to anyone who has tried (ask my wife), you just don't go step out and kill a turkey. On the other hand, you ain't done nothing if you've killed a pile of turkeys without any thought of tomorrow. 

From day 1, I've been a Mossy Oak guy. The cool guys wore Mossy Oak and revered the hunting tradition. Now the cool guys have made it popular to think as much about planting rates, burning, and habitat as toting one out. The Gamekeeper crew has done for conservation what they originally did for hunting turkeys. NWTF has done a good job too, of course. 

Everything, regarding habitat, I do on our farm is with the turkey in mind. I lay awake at night wondering how those three two year old birds I saw are doing this Summer. I felt like my girlfriend had broken up with me when I found the tail feathers of a hen and feared her lost poults. I felt like I had won a new truck when I saw them all a week later flush out of the road into the trees! 

The wild turkey has been called "America's Last Great Game Bird" by some. I for one never want to see this land of liberty without an abundance of wild turkeys across the landscape. For hunting, killing, eating, viewing, growing, caring, photographing, listening and loving, this one's for the birds. 

My opinion, for what it is worth, is that there is a definite “problem” among the turkey hunting population of having a kill at all cost mentality. I know far too many turkey hunters who have an obsession with chasing a number. They want to kill as many as they can. Why they do this, I don’t know. I feel it is some need to validate to themselves or others that they are some superior outdoorsman. 

I am 43 years old and have had much success as a turkey hunter. I consider myself quite good (or lucky) at it. I’ve never understood the desire to kill as many as possible. I will admit that many years I do kill my limit of two birds here in Arkansas. However, I make a conscious effort to only take one bird from the private land I hunt and try and take the second on public land. In doing so it helps conserve the population on the lands I have access to. I don’t know if it’s the biology degree I have or the simple fact that I was simply raised to conserve the outdoors as much as possible, but killing at all cost has never been a mindset of mine. I, however, often feel in the minority.

I feel that the sport of turkey hunting is far more about the experience than it is the kill. Too many hunters will go to any length to kill and use any tactic to simply kill a turkey. This is harmful to the sport in the long run. I feel tactics such as reaping are simply too easy. It takes little skill and leads to many birds being killed that otherwise wouldn’t have. I respect anyone that hunts within the rule of the law. It’s not my place to tell anyone how to hunt. However, I wish the authorities that be would take a more discerning look at their state’s regulations. Why? I circle back to my first sentence. Most the hunters I know (especially the younger generation) want to inflate their ego with killing as many turkeys as possible. Many times legally, many times illegally. Turkeys are poached more than any other game animal. It’s the elephant in the room that doesn’t get enough attention. When you couple this with tactics such as reaping, the bird will slowly decline. It’s simple fact.

I hope I’m wrong in my opinion of “the turkey hunter population”. I fear I am not.

Problem or obsession with turkeys? In my case it’s both, but not about killing them. My problem is not enough time and my obsession is with the hunt. Do I want to fill my tag(s) every year? Of course, otherwise I wouldn’t buy them. But my season can be a success without pulling the trigger. Spring 2023 was that kind of year.

In Wisconsin we have an early weekend hunt for first time turkey hunters called Learn-To-Hunt. Every new hunter hunts with a qualified mentor on non-public ground only. This hunt is often the highlight of my season and this year was just that. My 15 year old student was a smart, responsible, and determined young man. The first day brought snow, 40 MPH wind, temps in the low 40’s and no birds. He hunted the entire day with no complaints. Day 2 brought better weather but still no birds responding. Late in the afternoon a flock entered the field a quarter mile away. They slowly made their way toward us and with 10 minutes of shooting time left, Gaige bagged his first gobbler. What an excited and happy young man. My season was already a success!

My son, Andy, had a tag for second season. Andy has cerebral palsy which limits his ability to safely handle a firearm so we team hunt. I hold the gun and through some backyard engineering, he fires it from a button on his wheelchair. Scouting had failed to discover any birds in one of our locations until the day before the hunt. Dawn of opening morning got us pumped as a couple toms sounded off in a nearby woodlot. At 11:00 AM a gobbler emerged and Andy harvested his 5 th bird in 11 hunts – 23#, 10” beard, and 7/8” spurs. Awesome! Of all the hunts over all the decades that I’ve chased these critters, the ones with my son are truly special – bird or no bird.

I wasn’t able to fill my tag this spring but it doesn’t really matter. I love the scouting,

strategizing, calling, and hunting with a good partner who shares my passion. I’ve had my share of multiple bird seasons so if there’s not one in my freezer when the population is declining, that’s OK. At 75 I’m grateful for every season.

I may be a little unusual. I didn’t start turkey hunting until age 59 and I will be 70 going into next spring’s season. I like everything about turkey hunting including your magazine. Killing is not my game anymore. I have been duck hunting for 50 years, and getting the limit, I hate to admit, was important. Turkey hunting is different. There are so many more enjoyable things about the hunt than the kill. The scouting, the sounds of the woods coming alive, and of course watching the often humorous behavior of the males of the species in courting mode.

I didn’t shoot a bird this year for the first time in 9 years and yet I was able to guide a young man to his first tom on his first hunt. I don’t know which of us was more excited. I was also able to guide a great friend who had just lost the love of his life to his first tom in 10 years. I thought I was going to cry from sheer happiness for him. And finally, my wife who has become my serious hunting partner got her bird towards the end of the season. How could a guy be more blessed!

I look forward to many more seasons in the woods and success will come in many different ways.

My personal opinion; we have an unhealthy obsession with killing, and that includes turkeys, deer and wildlife in general.

In 2009 we purchased some land fulfilling a lifelong dream of mine. Initially I thought I would become a great hunter but quickly discovered that land management was my true passion. Unfortunately, this property is an island surrounded by one family who owns many hundreds of acres. One member of this family is the best hunter I have known and to be honest, he has helped this city boy in more ways than I can count. The downside, he lives to kill wildlife and for this reason I call him the Exterminator! He scouts, runs trail cameras and goes out long before the season even starts to locate birds. Once the season starts, he systematically starts killing toms. If he can’t personally shoot, he invites friends, family members and even “introduces” new hunters to turkey hunting. That’s great except no tom turkeys ever live past the season; all are killed, every - single - year. Every morning of the season, except Sundays, he will be hunting and texting me at the same time. I can hear him calling to birds and yet he will be asking if I can hear any other birds and where they are located. He kills one and immediately goes after the next one. The standing joke in our family is if I don’t get one on opening morning, I can forget it!

Let me say I know that he isn’t breaking any laws BUT it hasn’t made owning this property as fulfilling as I had hoped. It’s hard to put so much time into TSI, planting food plots, setting prescribed fires, etc. just to sit on the back porch and listen to the slaughter.

How did I approach this past season? I was fortunate to have the most exciting turkey hunt of my life on opening morning. After that I was done, preferring to sit and listen on the back porch with a cup of coffee. However, this year like many in the past few years, was quiet, very quiet. Our turkey numbers are down and we miss watching the flocks of toms, hens and their poults parading around the house.

For thousands of years, we have been smarter than the animals we have pursued. Now you can add modern weapons, special chokes, titanium shot, cell game cameras, reduced habitat and liberal game limits to the mix and wildlife doesn’t stand a chance.

We have always been hunters, now it’s time for us to learn how to be CONSERVATIONISTS.

From my perspective, the obsession is with be outdoors. Away from the hustle and bustle of everything we all deal day to day. Yes, I enjoy killing a big tom and telling the stories that come from that hunt. But getting away is what feeds my soul.

I work on a federal wildlife refuge and numbers have been down for years. We abide by state regulations and as numbers go down, hunters continue to show up wanting to take their state limit on the refuge. I frequently ask myself if there were one gobbler left on the refuge, would many of the public land hunters shoot it and I can honestly say yes. I think many would take the last one and go hunt somewhere else. It seems like these days with the slams and state slams, there is a large emphasis on killing and making a cross country game out of it. I think we have a problem on a larger scale of promoting hunter ethics, the purpose of hunting regulations and ensuring the public realizes that game numbers of any species are finite and susceptible to overharvest.

I am amazed living in Louisiana how restricting game laws and bag limits is met with anger and dissent for trying to protect the resource. The selfishness of many hunters now is a major problem in my opinion.

I am glad the NWTF is working to coordinate research for trying to halt turkey population declines and hope there may be a way to educate the public and promote conservation for future generations.

I shot my first turkey in 1977 when I was 41 years old. I shot number 269 this spring at 87 years old. I guess that makes me a turkey killer, but I think of myself as a turkey hunter; retired 25+ years which allows me to hunt many states. I have only been on one guided hunt, all my turkeys are eaten. I could care less about the beard length; I just like hunt them.

A very good question to ask. Most people I know that are passionate about turkeys, are hunters and conservationists first; and not just killers!

Myself personally, I am a hunter dedicated to protecting and preserving the best habitat I can, which leads me to better hunting opportunities. 

I own 200 acres of pine timber in North Florida, that I have been working on habitat improvements since I purchased the first parcels 11 years ago.  We have always had turkeys on our property, and we have had many opportunities to harvest (killing) birds over the years. But we have also worked hard on improving the pine stands with mechanical means and using prescribed burning. As such, we now see a lot more turkeys during the hunting seasons and see a lot more poults each and every spring. Also, quail have benefited greatly as well, not to mention a better habitat for deer, small game, birds, and pollinators. 

As a hunter, I still end up "killing" something, but the goal is always to make the habitat better for the future.

I love the wild turkey and consider myself to be an avid turkey hunter, but I do not believe I would be characterized primarily as a turkey killer.  My goal is to engage with the wild turkey in its environment, on its terms, but killing a bird is never a necessity.  My home state of Pennsylvania allows two gobblers to be killed in the Spring season, but I never purchase the 2nd gobbler tag.  I just believe that killing one of these magnificent birds is enough.  I will often continue to go out and listen to them, or hunt just to take photos, but I feel no need to kill a 2nd bird.  I have also hunted Spring gobblers in Kansas and Wyoming, both of which allow the killing of 2 Spring birds, but despite hunting with an outfitter, I have always stopped the killing at one bird and continued to hunt the remaining time with my camera only.  I love eating wild turkey, I love to hunt them and my goal each Spring is to kill one, but only one, regardless of how many are allowed.

First, an introduction to my voyage into pursuing wild turkeys.  I did not entertain hunting spring turkeys until I retired in 2016.  That fall while deer hunting, I encountered numerous birds, and with bone chilling autumn weather, my aging physique informed me I might enjoy warmer conditions in the Appalachian Mountains.  So, my first venture into the world of turkey hunting was the following spring of 2017, and I was hooked!

Am I obsessed with killing a gobbler in the spring?  No.  Here is my success (and my son) at harvesting birds.

2017: 1 bird
2018: 2 birds called in for my son
2019: 0 birds
2020: 1 bird called in for my son
2021: 1 bird
2022: 2 birds
2023: 1 bird

8 gobblers harvested over 7 years by father and son.

Here is why I enjoy hunting wild turkeys in the spring.

1.        Time with son
2.       Spring weather = wonderful, comfortable naps in the woods
3.       Flora changing before my eyes (bare hardwoods, then buds, then young leaves)
4.       Migrating birds (I take my glass and bird book with me and have added several species to my count)
5.       Hearing gobblers and learning
6.       Chance to harvest mature gobbler

In 2022 I attended my first NWTF banquet.  Afterwards I immediately joined the chapter, The Little Switzerland Strutters in Highland County, Virginia, and discovered NWTF is much more than turkey hunting.  My chapter has Jakes Fishing Day, Wheelin’ Sportsman Trout Rodeo, holiday care packages, supported 4H and local high schoo FFA.  Several of the members don’t even hunt, so an obsession with killing is not an element of their passion and involvement with NWTF.

Ultimately, each of us makes our own decision each season, because, outside of season dates and regulations, it can’t be mandated to us. What decision did you make this past spring?