The end of Wild Turkeys in Washington

[BOWHUNTER45]

The whole issue comes down to this ...The landowner !! I never hunted fall turkeys in Washington ...Nothing gets me excited about turkey hunting more than hearing the birds in the spring ...They make some cool sounds in the fall but its all about gobblers for me ...Best thing to do is not support them by buying tags and do not go on a fall hunt ...just like everything else . they keep taking but there is no giving ...pretty sad I have not bought a license yet this year and for me to not get excited about hunting there is a serious problem .. I am tired of all their crap  It was so much fun back in the 90s when a lot of chapters got started ...now it is joke ....give a little to make a lot !

[Wacenturion]

The whole issue comes down to this ...The landowner !! I never hunted fall turkeys in Washington ...Nothing gets me excited about turkey hunting more than hearing the birds in the spring ...They make some cool sounds in the fall but its all about gobblers for me ...Best thing to do is not support them by buying tags and do not go on a fall hunt ...just like everything else . they keep taking but there is no giving ...pretty sad I have not bought a license yet this year and for me to not get excited about hunting there is a serious problem .. I am tired of all their crap  It was so much fun back in the 90s when a lot of chapters got started ...now it is joke ....give a little to make a lot !

Ding, Ding, we have a winner............

Or if you do go on a fall hunt, especially with a kid, teach him the right way.  Be patient and take a gobbler only.  Teaches taking an individual bird rather than flock shooting.  Even if the kid goes birdless, it teaches him or her what hunting is all about...being a responsible hunter and enjoying th resource.  

[Tom Tamer]

One big problem has been WDFW's Mick Cope ... he would talk to the NWTF State Board Of Directors (BOD), and even when the BOD stated that they didn't want the liberal seasons and bag limits, he would still go off by himself and have them implemented so he didn't have to deal with any landowner complaints ... plus it brought in more money to his department by doing so.  He just doesn't care about the resource ... just about not having to listen to any complaints from landowners.   
 

Nail on the head, but then Al you and I were there to witness that horse crap. Just like I'm sure Wacent and Yelp saw that flippant attitude as well.

Try going higher as well..........hint, hint.  Mick only takes marching orders.  It wasn't too flippant when I managed the program as they couldn't stop efforts.  Only when reorganization came along and they convinced the then newly appointed pinhead Director it needed to be back in Wildlife Management did the program turn south and stop.

Funny how that Director always used "best science" in his management hype.  Yet when Wildlife Management took the program back they kept me as far away from the Commission and turkey issues as possible.  I didn't exist.  Yet I was the resident expert with 20 years of turkey experience and planned everything, and I mean everything, in that time period.  When there was a turkey issue before the Commission, Mick Cope was giving the presentation and recommendations.  In all fairness to Mick, he knew absolutely nothing about turkeys.

It wasn't meant toward you, I think you know that it was the era after, which is when I got involved, and correct Mick knew nothing about turkeys, Agreed the NWTF is nothing more than a middle man, but I was witness to a few times where volunteers had ideas on trap and transfers and they shot it down even when we had a viable answer, not enough money, OK we volunteer gas , rigs and man power, Nope! No one is certified to fire the rocket nets, we'll find someone, and a few of us volunteered to get qualified,NOPE! A DFW rep has to be present and we have no money, 1/3 of all turkey tag money by law goes to Turkeys ONLY, NOPE. That kind of stuff is how the WDFW played us.

[Tom Tamer]

The whole issue comes down to this ...The landowner !! I never hunted fall turkeys in Washington ...Nothing gets me excited about turkey hunting more than hearing the birds in the spring ...They make some cool sounds in the fall but its all about gobblers for me ...Best thing to do is not support them by buying tags and do not go on a fall hunt ...just like everything else . they keep taking but there is no giving ...pretty sad I have not bought a license yet this year and for me to not get excited about hunting there is a serious problem .. I am tired of all their crap  It was so much fun back in the 90s when a lot of chapters got started ...now it is joke ....give a little to make a lot !

That is sad, I find myself in the same boat, here it is May10 and I am setting at home and not hunting, the amount of turkeys being seen in my area and well this crap weather it gets hard to go out after a sport I love so dearly. the DFW wants them gone completely so they don't have to hear about them pooping on someone's porch in the spring after they got fed corn all winter.

[Wacenturion]

Tom...you're correct.  I knew what era you were referring to.  Just trying to shed some additional light on it.

[idahohuntr]

I don't see much of a problem with turkey management...and really I hope WDFW isn't putting much effort or money into managing them...its great we can hunt them, I like the liberal seasons but they need to focus on deer/elk management not turkeys. If they become a problem for a landowner give him a box of shells and call the foodbank    If turkey numbers decline substantially and sportsmen in the area want restrictions fine...no relocation or efforts by wdfw to re-establish or build numbers though...let NWTF pick up the tab if they want to do something for them.

We ARE seeing a substantial reductions in flocks and this is why Hunters are calling for restrictions. The NWTF( volunteers at least) did try and pick up the tab for re-establishment and re-location but the WDFW refused us on every angle. That is fact. The State hasn't the spine to put out a decent program for dealing with the farmers issues and did NOTHING to partner with anyone to try and work out any kind of resolution. They upped the liberal seasons especially the either sex fall hunts and will not take any advice on changing. Myself I think I will start putting in for those fall tags and then burn them. Couple bucks out of my pocket to help a hen make it to spring to breed again.

Sounds from what you are saying the state is dealing with the farmers problems...they made liberal fall seasons and flocks are declining.  Problem solved.  I realize there are great differences across the state, but where I'm at I see flocks of 100's in the fall and I usually take folks out so we can shoot several birds if we want and I don't really spring turkey hunt but working up on my place I hear turkeys gobbling every 5 minutes in the spring.  So, I guess I'm just not seeing much of the problem you are.  How do you propose keeping farmers happy AND restricting harvest/building flocks back up??

[drakebuster43]

As turkey hunters what can we do to help? My hunting buddies and I have seen a decline for years now and would love to help change that. We should all ban together and get involved writing letters or calling whoever we need to. Might not help but atleast we can say we tried.

[270Shooter]

I'm relatively new to turkey hunting and I have far more to learn about them but they are probably the most exciting animal I hunt, I don't think I look forward to any season more than turkey season, there is just something about hearing a gobble in close that just gives me the shakes every time. I simply cannot get enough of them. I primarily hunt and area where only one bird is allowed (Yakima county) and have taken two toms here in three years of hunting. I have recently been exploring klickitat county and that is where I will try to fill my second tag. Though there are more birds in klickitat than Yakima county I have discovered many people I talk to say that it is nothing like it used to be. And it has been tough down there for me this year, but I'm not too worried I just blame that on learning a new area. I think that the fall hunts should end or at least be greatly reduced. I will never hunt a fall bird and although I've never done it, I don't see how it can compare to calling in a fired up gobbler in the spring. I doubt that the wdfw will ever reduce or end the fall season because it is a big money grab for them and everyone knows that is what they are all about.

[bearpaw]

As turkey hunters what can we do to help? My hunting buddies and I have seen a decline for years now and would love to help change that. We should all ban together and get involved writing letters or calling whoever we need to. Might not help but atleast we can say we tried.

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[Tom Tamer]

As turkey hunters what can we do to help? My hunting buddies and I have seen a decline for years now and would love to help change that. We should all ban together and get involved writing letters or calling whoever we need to. Might not help but atleast we can say we tried.

Just that make our voices heard, if you want to through the NWTF more power to you, my experience they don't care unless you help them bring in money, but once you ask them to help they blow you off, run you off or just plain ignore you. Not the volunteers mind you but the Org. And as Wacent and TD can probably agree with that is even back to the National Org. I went back a few years ago an championed, lobbied what have you to as many of the higher ups in the management I could and got no where. Our state President did as well and got no where. Partly because we don't account for enough money being put in on a national level to warrant help from them. Don't understand that thinking but that is what it is, and the WDFW will just blow them off too with all the suggestions and ways to help.

Idaho hunter, the problem is with the liberal tags and unwilling landowners, the problem birds AREN'T declining, the public land birds are and just like any species they go to safe zones, so we chase the ones on Public land down on to private no hunting areas and they stay there. And the landowner keeps complaining about bird issues but doesn't do what is required to curb the problem. Because the DFW blindly gives them depredation money because of bad regulations and some sort of guilt tri because of the non-native label. So these liberal tags are not doing what they intended to do. Also these bag limits were put into effect long before these recently established flocks had see a Harsh winter like that of 2008 and the few after that. If bag limits were left alone Mother nature would have taken care of the Over burden by itself.

[bearpaw]

Idaho hunter, the problem is with the liberal tags and unwilling landowners, the problem birds AREN'T declining, the public land birds are and just like any species they go to safe zones, so we chase the ones on Public land down on to private no hunting areas and they stay there. And the landowner keeps complaining about bird issues but doesn't do what is required to curb the problem. Because the DFW blindly gives them depredation money because of bad regulations and some sort of guilt tri because of the non-native label. So these liberal tags are not doing what they intended to do. Also these bag limits were put into effect long before these recently established flocks had see a Harsh winter like that of 2008 and the few after that. If bag limits were left alone Mother nature would have taken care of the Over burden by itself.

You hit the nail on the head. All this extra hunting is killing the birds that don't cause problems and encouraging more birds to move to the private lands. If they want to solve the problem I would suggest permits on the problem private lands only.

[buckfvr]

Does anyone know how many are killed in a hay barn when no one is looking

Some of these guys deal with it themselves.  They dont want anyone on their property for any reason.  ANd they dont want birds in their hay................

[bearpaw]

Does anyone know how many are killed in a hay barn when no one is looking

Some of these guys deal with it themselves.  They dont want anyone on their property for any reason.  ANd they dont want birds in their hay................

I don't see a problem with giving them tags to deal with it themselves so they don't have to have hunters come on their property. But it does no good to kill the birds on the Little Pend Orielle refuge because some guy has turkeys in his hay somewhere else. 

[idahohuntr]

Idaho hunter, the problem is with the liberal tags and unwilling landowners, the problem birds AREN'T declining, the public land birds are and just like any species they go to safe zones, so we chase the ones on Public land down on to private no hunting areas and they stay there. And the landowner keeps complaining about bird issues but doesn't do what is required to curb the problem. Because the DFW blindly gives them depredation money because of bad regulations and some sort of guilt tri because of the non-native label. So these liberal tags are not doing what they intended to do. Also these bag limits were put into effect long before these recently established flocks had see a Harsh winter like that of 2008 and the few after that. If bag limits were left alone Mother nature would have taken care of the Over burden by itself.

You hit the nail on the head. All this extra hunting is killing the birds that don't cause problems and encouraging more birds to move to the private lands. If they want to solve the problem I would suggest permits on the problem private lands only.

I take hunters out and kill several birds per year in these liberal fall hunts.  ALL on private land.  Not all areas of the state are equal as I mentioned earlier and so I still am not seeing the problems you describe.  Also, it is not difficult to find private land to hunt for turkeys in the fall in my area...any of the folks I know with private land and lots of turkeys aren't that picky about letting guys hunt fall turkey...they'd shoot you if they saw you deer hunting on their place though

[huntnnw]

wont hurt my feelings