Turkey hunting 2024

[tynyphil]

I grew up on SW Ok and mainly hunted quail dove and rabbits. I didn’t even know deer was a thing. I didn’t start hunting deer until I bought my 80 acres N of Okemah about 10 years ago. I have quite a bit on it and me and family harvest only 2 or 3 every year not even putting a dent in the population

 

[ElmerFudd]

Gonna try and change the subject back to turkey. I had a little extra time today and did some quick scouting. I didn’t see any birds, but it looks promising. I only had about an hour to look around. On the drive home, one Tom and two Jakes crossed the road right in front of me. I’m definitely getting turkey fever now. It appears to me that the turkey population is looking pretty good. Maybe the bag limit will increase to at least two birds in the near future. What do you guys think? Are y’all seeing birds?

 

[tynyphil]

Gonna try and change the subject back to turkey. I had a little extra time today and did some quick scouting. I didn’t see any birds, but it looks promising. I only had about an hour to look around. On the drive home, one Tom and two Jakes crossed the road right in front of me. I’m definitely getting turkey fever now. It appears to me that the turkey population is looking pretty good. Maybe the bag limit will increase to at least two birds in the near future. What do you guys think? Are y’all seeing birds?

Yes the group seen on camera on my place consists of at least 30 birds. A lot of Toms. I just hope they keep hanging around til season opens.

 

[retrieverman]

Gonna try and change the subject back to turkey. I had a little extra time today and did some quick scouting. I didn’t see any birds, but it looks promising. I only had about an hour to look around. On the drive home, one Tom and two Jakes crossed the road right in front of me. I’m definitely getting turkey fever now. It appears to me that the turkey population is looking pretty good. Maybe the bag limit will increase to at least two birds in the near future. What do you guys think? Are y’all seeing birds?

Turkey populations seem to be a lot like doe populations. Some locations have more than others, and I don’t believe the state needs to make any bag limit changes based on isolated locations. I would love to see the state go to a combined season one buck limit, and I’m definitely against a two tom limit.

 

[ElmerFudd]

Turkey populations seem to be a lot like doe populations. Some locations have more than others, and I don’t believe the state needs to make any bag limit changes based on isolated locations. I would love to see the state go to a combined season one buck limit, and I’m definitely against a two tom limit.

I also don’t think that the state should or will make any changes to bag limits based on isolated locations. If it could be proven that the turkey population had generally increased state wide, would you still be against a two tom limit? I’m not saying that it should happen next year, but if the turkey population steadily increases over the next several years, I’d like to see the limit increased. I’ll save my thoughts on buck limits for later in the year, but I mostly agree with you on a one buck limit.

 

[retrieverman]

I also don’t think that the state should or will make any changes to bag limits based on isolated locations. If it could be proven that the turkey population had generally increased state wide, would you still be against a two tom limit? I’m not saying that it should happen next year, but if the turkey population steadily increases over the next several years, I’d like to see the limit increased. I’ll save my thoughts on buck limits for later in the year, but I mostly agree with you on a one buck limit.

There’d have to be a chit ton of turkeys before I’d be on board.

 

[Dorkus]

Heck, I want it back to three which we had until a few years ago.

 

[tynyphil]

So I’ve yet to bag my first turkey. Once I do and cook it up and have a taste my thoughts on bag limits may change. I trapped and tried beaver and decided I didn’t need to do that until I’m VERY hungry and options are limited. I’m a don’t kill it unless you’re gonna eat it kind of guy. Of course there are exceptions like nuisance or trouble causing critters.

 

[retrieverman]

Heck, I want it back to three which we had until a few years ago.

I look at it this way. I know of 11 people that will probably be turkey hunting around my place on approximately 3200 acres, and this doesn’t take into account the land used by a guide service since I have no idea what they’ll be doing. So far this year, I’ve seen 7 toms and about 30 hens on cameras, and unless the properties around mine have turkey populations I don’t know about (which I sincerely hope they do), the numbers don’t really add up.
I’ll be honest and say I actually know very little about the breeding habits of wild turkeys. Will that long tom from a mile or two away migrate over looking for hens to breed like bucks do during the rut?

 

[Dorkus]

I look at it this way. I know of 11 people that will probably be turkey hunting around my place on approximately 3200 acres, and this doesn’t take into account the land used by a guide service since I have no idea what they’ll be doing. So far this year, I’ve seen 7 toms and about 30 hens on cameras, and unless the properties around mine have turkey populations I don’t know about (which I sincerely hope they do), the numbers don’t really add up.
I’ll be honest and say I actually know very little about the breeding habits of wild turkeys. Will that long tom from a mile or two away migrate over looking for hens to breed like bucks do during the rut?

I will compromise and go with two in different counties but I am in the camp that the ODWC was completely off base by cutting the limits and dates so drastically. To be honest, the date change is what really angers me.

It was a knee jerk reaction by them and I am confident we will never see the reversal. Bureaucrats doing what bureaucrats do when there is no accountability.

Notice they have never published data from the hunter survey they took a few years ago. They gave summary comments but never showed the data. I have been tempted to submit a FOIA request for it but have never gotten around to it.