Season Dates

[ICDEDTURKES]

It is pretty well known the NWTF and local biologists have pushed for later and later season dates East of the Mississippi once they view the bulk of the breeding is done.. We used to start mid April but slowly have been pushed till the end of April.. With that being said, most years our MI season only starts a few days to a week behind a southern State in NC and KY.. But oddly enough before WV.. Many western seasons open early considering their geography.. So much so in certain years, birds have not even broke into breeding flocks from their bachelor and hen poult groups.

So in your home state, do you believe season dates are appropriate. Do you feel as if they help to save your from henned up gobblers or late season gobblers that have a waning interest in their female counterparts.

[mfd1027]

We're definitely on the waning interest end of things down here in So. Fla. (Big Cypress). I had a good friend call me last night that found a nest a wk. ago with a hen already setting on it. He did say he heard quite a bit of gobbling which tells me that hens are getting harder to come by. Our season starts Mar. 3rd so 2 wks to go. This is a year in year out scenario down here. This happens to be our dry season and that probably has more to do with the biology of why they breed so early down here in the Everglades. I know this all seems crazy to the guys that have seasons that don't start for another 2 months. It's makes for some tough hunting.

[redarrow]

I kinda like our season dates here in Mi.Tom.

[guesswho]

Our season is so long it's fine the way it is. Most years you catch all periods of the breding cycle.

[ICDEDTURKES]

Our season is so long it's fine the way it is. Most years you catch all periods of the breding cycle.

Same here.. You can kind of watch everything throughout the season unfold if you are lucky enough to spend enough time out there. We start about when the boys really start mingling with the ladies and are kinda sortin things out in to breeding flocks.. Late May some years, we are in that you better kill em in the first 30 minutes after flydown when testosterone is high cuz the rest of the day your gonna have to kill him with his drab red head pecking grasshoppers in a field. But with that being said the last few years, the last week has been some of the best gobbling.. Birds roosted with not 1, but 5,6 hens showing things arent over..

I kinda like our season dates here in Mi.Tom.

[Splittoe]

Here in Louisiana in the past 5-6 years they moved it a week up and I've liked it. It used to be the last saturday in March and now it seems to be the second to last saturday. It has resulted in calling in more pairs and groups of gobblers instead of singles.

[Hoobilly]

I like catching the opener down in Tn and Ky...seems they are easier for me to call in and kill...

here, its hit and miss. I think our weather around here has a lot to do with how the season shapes up...sometimes its rain rain rain.
I wonder if Indiana would be better to split the state into 2 sections as I am farther north, the birds down southern Indiana may be getting better weather and doing more breeding way before they do up here.

[Cove]

I like ours just the way it is here in GA.

[devastator]

yep,some years want it earlier and some later.good post