MDC concluded years ago that the fall hunt doesn't hurt the turkey population. Some of us enjoy the fall hunt. What does hurt is wet springs, predators and pesticides. We can't do anything about the wet springs, but the trapping season should be open first week of Nov. It would help eliminate a ton of skunks and coons. Blame monsanto and farmers on the other no till is a joke, there's no ponds now before no till we had wildlife now we have poison food/feed.

I've been told by some wildlife biologists that the wetter springs we have been having has been contributing to excessive poult mortality.

Another wildlife researcher at Auburn has been putting up some interesting stuff on social media over the past few weeks. His students have been putting out artificial turkey nests with trail cameras over them. So far based on their findings, he said that cage traps and dog proof traps will only get about 37% of the predators affecting the nests and you would need to use footholds of other traps to get the other 67% affecting the nest which were mainly coyotes and gray fox. Definitely some food for thought regarding trapping to help turkeys. Habitat was the ultimate factor though.

Well 37% is better than nothing. Hopefully it will help. I'll keep trapping what I can.

Nate,
I agreed with MDC years ago, however years ago we had tons of turkey. I love to fall hunt. Targeting adult gobblers in the fall was one of my favorite hunts. I haven’t fall hunted since 2010. I killed a gobbler and a hen that season and felt bad that I did. Population bounces back I’ll go again, but I don’t look for it to happen.
I’m speaking for North Missouri.
Biologists have completely quit using common sense when making regulation decisions. I’m all for wildlife research, however common sense and public perception need to come into play. Since the beginning of time it has been illegal to harvest hen pheasants. Guarantee there wasn’t a research study used to justify that regulation. It just makes sense. The turkey harvest in my county has declined nearly 70 percent from our peak. Large blocks have none or next to zero turkey.
I’m not saying that stopping the harvest of hens will cure the decline. I’m saying it’s logical not to kill hens when the population is steadily declining.
MDC refuses to acknowledge predation as a cause of decline as well.
Then they want to double the length of the season by going to all day hunting when the population is in serious long term decline.
We need hook and bullet biologists and administrators again.

Not sure what happed here but seeing larger flocks this year then in the past years, if the summer goes well for them they will explode if the winter is mild, fat cats this fall for sure.

Claycreech
I think you mean well but fall hunting nor spring hunting is not the problem. When they first opened season for turkey hunting there were not a ton of birds and there was a lot of pressure and the birds continued expanding. Partly/ maybe the predator were not proficient at killing them. (Animals eat what there used to eating and what's easy to catch) the hunting pressure is way down compared to the hay days yet the pop. Has declined. Wet springs and habitat destruction(not loss) Is a big problem.

Cooperate farming is the use every acre that can be possible to use with no regard for wildlife, I was shocked to see so much slash and burning the last trip I headed South through NE.

2003 =130.021 permits. 58,421 birds
2019= 93,471 permits . 38776 birds
2019 fall1952 birds
Missouri

A lot of counties don't have fall seasons though.

Lots of yard birds here

Yes, 7 out of the 114 counties don't have a fall season. So that = ,17.5 birds per county that are open in missouri. That seems very unlikely to be the problem.

I must have missed the part where I said Missouri. 178 of 254 counties in Texas have wild turkey seasons.

Didn't see any Texas comments about fall hunting.but must of ruffled some feathers. SORRY

Dr./biologist lovett e. williams claims in one of his books, that in(florida) if it came down to wild hogs and turkeys, the turkeys would starve the hogs out. Not sure bout TX.