Turkeys in ETX... CB

[Brute 23]

News Release
Media Contact: Steve Lightfoot, 512-389-4701, [email protected]
Jan. 22, 2015


TPWD Proposing Changes to Turkey Hunting Regulations

AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is considering closing spring eastern turkey hunting in 11 East Texas counties, restructure the season in two other counties and extend the youth-only fall turkey season. The recommendations are among a brief slate of proposed turkey hunting regulation changes for 2015.


If adopted, hunting season for eastern turkey would be closed in 11 counties (Angelina, Brazoria, Camp, Fort Bend, Franklin, Harrison, Hopkins, Morris, Titus, Trinity, and Wood) and on National Forest lands in Jasper County.


While closed, TPWD wildlife biologists will evaluate the prospects for future eastern turkey restoration compatibility and restocking efforts. The agency's goal is to reopen hunting should the eastern turkey populations in the affected counties become capable of sustaining harvest.


TPWD is also proposing to restructure the existing spring turkey hunting season in Wharton and Matagorda counties. The proposal would continue to allow for a 30-day spring only, one gobbler season and eliminate mandatory harvest reporting.


In an effort to expand hunting opportunity for youth and reduce regulatory complexity, the department is proposing to expand by 14 days the late youth-only season in counties having an open Rio Grande fall turkey season, to run concurrent with the late youth-only season for white-tailed deer.


Comments on the proposed rules may be submitted by phone or e-mail to Robert Macdonald (512) 389-4775; e-mail: [email protected], Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, Texas 78744.



Comments may also be submitted through the department's Internet web site http://www.tpwd.texas.gov in February once the proposals have been published in the Texas Register and at the following public meetings.


Public hearings are scheduled for Tuesday, March 3 at 7 p.m. in Zapata at the Zapata County Technical and Advance Education Center, Room 128, 605 N. US Hwy 83, and in Lufkin at the Angelina County Courthouse, 159th District Courtroom, 215 E. Lufkin Avenue.


A live online public hearing via webinar will also be held at noon on Friday, March 6. Details and instructions for participation in the online public hearing webinar will be made available on the TPWD website.

http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showt ... ?t=1323362

 

[Bigfoot]

I'm not CB, but what happened to the turkeys? I only saw 3 poults here this spring, but been seeing huge flocks all winter.

 

[cow pollinater]

I'm not CB, but what happened to the turkeys? I only saw 3 poults here this spring, but been seeing huge flocks all winter.

I think they all came out here. I had eight toms and twenty three hens strolling through my corrals yesterday.

 

[TexasBred]

Remember back in the 70's and 80's there was a lot of talk about trying to stock Eastern Turkeys into East Texas. The cost of the birds was astronomical. Never knew if they ever had a hunting season or not.

 

[highgrit]

I'd be willing to give a hundred hens to you guy's in TX. We seem to be over run with turkeys the 3-4 years. And the last few springs have been wet and cold. Which is supposedly bad for the poults.

 

[M5farm]

I had never seen a wild turkey until I was about 22 and was in three notch Alabama. We never had any here. In the early nineties me and my uncle started buying wild turkey eggs at our local chicken auction. Supposedly they were from Alabama. I would incubate them and we would split the poults and get them big enough to turn loose. I figure we turned out about 75 to 100 birds over a couple years. We now have a nice population all over this area. I don't know if what we did got them started or the migrated here.

 

[Brute 23]

I'd be willing to give a hundred hens to you guy's in TX. We seem to be over run with turkeys the 3-4 years. And the last few springs have been wet and cold. Which is supposedly bad for the poults.

Its not all of us. We have quite a few in our area also.

Apparently there was a shortage at one time. A place we lease for hunting and cattle was stocked by TP&W (called some thing else then). The land owner along with several neighbors agreed to not hunt them for X amount of years. The spot where they originally released the turkey has tons of birds roost there still. We can see flocks of 60-80 birds.

Apparently restocking can work under certain circumstances. Hopefully it will work for ETX.

 

[Bigfoot]

My grandfather started the wild turkey population here. He did the same thing. People say that won't work, and it evidently doesn't work with quail. No doubt my turkeys are defended from the ones he turned out.

 

[greybeard]

If adopted, hunting season for eastern turkey would be closed in 11 counties (Angelina, Brazoria, Camp, Fort Bend, Franklin, Harrison, Hopkins, Morris, Titus, Trinity, and Wood) and on National Forest lands in Jasper County.


While closed, TPWD wildlife biologists will evaluate the prospects for future eastern turkey restoration compatibility and restocking efforts. The agency's goal is to reopen hunting should the eastern turkey populations in the affected counties become capable of sustaining harvest.


TPWD is also proposing to restructure the existing spring turkey hunting season in Wharton and Matagorda counties. The proposal would continue to allow for a 30-day spring only, one gobbler season and eliminate mandatory harvest reporting.

None of those counties are CB's county (or mine) . Some of the counties listed are in Northern East Texas--some are further down past Houston close to the coast. A few are further East of me over toward La.
I haven't seen a turkey in my county (San Jacinto) in years, but I know there are a few here in the National Forest.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I read them already, they had closed Tyler county a few years ago I haven't seen one since Rita.
Have been hunting Trinity still a few birds there by the time they reopen the season I will be dead,
or to old to chase them. Most likely will hunt Caldwell or San Augustine county this year.
The only sustainable populations over here are in National Forest. You can forget paper company land
there management practices here are horrible, coon has trouble scratching out a living.
They released some on my place years ago even had tracking devices on them.
Had a small flock of a dozen or so that hung on in neighbors and my bottom until Rita.

It is a shame what I have seen happen to East Texas in my lifetime.
We don't have a third of the deer anymore, might as well close squirrel season as well
hardly any of us left. That is a dying sport, quail are gone along with the turkey.
Seldom see game anymore .

 

[Bigfoot]

Totall don't want to hijack the thread, but do you think less people are hunting? I ask because Wednesday night at church we came to the conclusion that not many people in our area hunt anymore. We came to the conclusion that it would be less and less in the future.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Totall don't want to hijack the thread, but do you think less people are hunting? I ask because Wednesday night at church we came to the conclusion that not many people in our area hunt anymore. We came to the conclusion that it would be less and less in the future.

I know there are less here.
Used to be for food not anymore.
I didn't know you were supposed to eat beef until I was a teenager.
It is also becoming very expensive especially in Texas due to leasing.

 

[jedstivers]

It's not that way here, it's more and more it seems and they are spending lots of money on rough ground.
Of course it's duck, deer or turkey hunting. Still a good bit of squrirrel but the only money spent in that is dogs, 2-3000 for a good dog.
Almost no quail, rabbit or coon hunters. But we have no quail or rabbits either.

 

[Bigfoot]

Leasing has changed the dynamics of deer hunting for sure. On other species, I haven't seen a truck parked indicating somebody was small game hunting all season. The quail are gone here to, but we have plenty of rabbits and squirrels. I just never see anybody hunting them.

 

[greybeard]

There's almost always someone squirrel hunting near me--I'll count 5 or six pickups along the road between here and the next farm-to-market road most weekends and some weekdays. them tree rats is everywhere in this bottom.

Coons? Yes but I only know a couple of people that hunt them anymore.

 

[chippie]

Fire ants are reducing many ground nesting species of birds. Quail are just about non-existent where I live. There is several thousand acres of prairie with patches of trees across the road from us that backs up to Brazos Bend State Park. No one hunts on it. When we moved here 21 years ago, I would hear quail calling all of the time. I hardly hear them anymore.We used to have turkeys too, but I haven't seen them in years

 

[Brute 23]

I think TP&W has put out stats showing the decline of hunters over all but in that there is a significant increase in female hunters. They show the deer population on the climb. In the areas that have pretty strong deer herds they are increasing the amount of deer you can kill every year.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Plenty of deer and turkey here. Squirrel has no closed season and no bag limit.

Quail are gone here. There used to be the most abundant game. I read a long write up about deer being fed corn out of feeders. Quail eating it and there being some type of fungus on it from sitting in feeders. They pointed out other ground birds who have not had a decline in population. Don't remember which birds.

 

[greybeard]

Not a ground bird of course, but there sure ain't no shortage of crows here around and on my place....................but I'm blaming all these other declines on chupacabras.... :2cents: :nod: :tiphat:

 

[Caustic Burno]

Talked with the biologist yesterday about the releases planned.
They released some on my place back in the 90's, said this go around they are
only releasing on 10,000 acre tracts. I ask him that he did know most of those tracts don't have
suitable habitat. Told him didn't matter if they release enough neighbor and I will end up
with some of the survivors as we have suitable habitat. The few pockets that survived from the last
release will end back in the same pockets due to habitat.