Late Start Turkeys!!
Wisconsin
Some here have kinda blamed the late start on the "Youth Hunt" and the little ones getting cold - so we'll move it back a week! Looks like everyone was getting a little cold! LOL
Below is a copy of my WDNR chat with Agent Dawn or Agent:" From the horses mouth!"
Dawn sez:
Starting with the 2017 spring turkey season the opening date will be the third Wednesday in April instead of the Wednesday nearest April 13th. Here is some background on the change to the spring turkey season start date, which may be useful if you receive questions from hunters about the change.
Dawn:
The change to the spring turkey season start date was designed to provide a more consistent opener for a variety of reasons, including making it easier to plan hunts, improving odds for better weather with a later start date and providing an opportunity to hunt over the Memorial Day holiday weekend each spring. This turkey season change was voted on as Question #4 at the 2015 Spring Hearings and received favorable votes in all 72 counties. The change to Administrative Rule NR 10 was subsequently made via Clearinghouse Rule “CR 15-024”.
Dawn:
QUESTION 4. Establish a more consistent opening date for the spring turkey hunting season (2017)
Dawn:
The first spring turkey hunting season opens on the Wednesday nearest April 13 and continues for seven days. The five additional hunting periods all begin on subsequent Wednesdays and also continue for seven days. The current opening day can fall during the second or third week in April, sometimes resulting in a full week of variation from year-to-year.
Dawn:
The youth turkey hunting season is always on the Saturday and Sunday before the regular season and the timing of that opener can also vary by a full week in some years. This proposal would establish that the first spring turkey hunting season always begins on the third Wednesday in April. Some people have expressed an interest in having a more consistent opener for a variety of reasons including it may be easier to plan hunts, some think the later opener would provide more consistently better weather, and an opportunity to hunt over the Memorial Day weekend would always be available during the last hunting period. This variation in timing of the opening day is not important for any purpose related to the management of wild turkeys and is simply a matter of hunter preference.
Dawn:
3074 yes votes, 756 no votes, majority - yes, counties approving - all 72.
Patrick:
WOW - quite the response- Is there more?
Dawn:
No. We were getting questions and given this information as the general background.
Dawn:
Thank you for contacting us and have a great day!
Patrick:
Thanks Dawn - You guys do an awesome job!
Dawn:
Thanks!
Chat Session Ended, Goodbye
So there ya have it!
Looks like question #4 from the 2015 Spring Hearing paid off after all for the citizens who voted in favor. Who says the WCC doesn't work sometimes!! :^)
So one of the main points is so more can get out on the last season, memorial day? I know my nephew cannot go this Sunday because of church and Easter. 100% chance of storms Saturday. Makes no sense moving the seasons back a week. Some years it's cold, some it's warm. The youth get 1st crack at em and noone is forced to put it for 1st season. I've been watching tom's strut for over 3 weeks.
Barely over 3000 votes out of an state that has such a huge number of hunters should decide nothing. There must be a better way to survey hunters. I really wish they would move the spring meetings to winter meetings. I just don't have time, as is the case for many outdoor people, to get there in April. I know, not showing up is my own darn fault. The hearings just get lost in an array of outdoor projects and activities in April and I end up forgetting all about it even if I would find the time. I am all in favor of good weather for the kids and the youth hunt in general but I sure hate the season being moved one week later for the rest of us. I love early seasons for turkey with bow in hand. I lose interest by the later seasons as the fish are biting if I have time to play. Plus the weather heats up and the bugs are starting to get hungry.
Talked to several hunters this morning that are not happy about the late start.
A consistent season opener, warmer weather, and the ability to plan ahead? I disagree. The season opener was always that weekend. The ability to plan ahead was always available. You could look a full year in advance, and know when the seasons were. You still have to draw a season, so there were no guarantees without a preference point. The only viable answer was weather. Yes, it will be warmer for the youth if a week makes a difference? I'll kill a bird in any season, so it doesn't bother me, but weather seems to be the only real selling point. I wish I would have read that question better, but I'm certain I was not in favor for no other reason than I start seeing birds strutting in late March. There were days when it was cold for the kids during the youth opener, but I've been cold myself the third and fourth week as well. Weather is part of the game. I'd think the later hunt would appeal to the northern tier of the state, but perhaps a split is in order similar to the duck season with a North and South opener being one week apart....due to differing climates.
All in all, I just want to start hunting, and this years seems like it's dragging on terribly!
Good luck tomorrow kids!
The main problem was the turkey seasons were damn near perfect. Well the DNR can't have that, so they had to meddle.
I think the turkey seasons are perfect. I have talked to a lot of turkey hunters the last few years and let me tell you for everyone thats not happy I have at least 10 that are. Heading up Monday to open shack. Plant apple trees and turkey hunt . Maybe a couple old fashions.... Good Luck this weekend to anyone taking kids out.
Pete-pec, you nailed it. I agree with your post from beginning to end. Weather is part of hunting, like it or not. (We live in Wisconsin, not Alabama.) I've sat in the cold and snow many early seasons and would not give that up. It's just part of the memory.
Spot on Pete. I called for my brother 3-4 years ago 2nd season with 2 inches of snow on the ground. Neither one of us had high hopes but my brother shot his biggest turkey that morning, 25lbr. I also filmed the hunt, probably the best turkey hunt I've been on.
I like it just fine. No big deal to me one way or another. A non-issue.
I sure am glad the DNR had to screw with yet another thing. I get 2cnd season almost every year and really have had very few years of poor weather. Had they not screwed with it I would have had a great week of weather last week. But thank goodness they moved it so I can experience the "better" weather this week.
Yes, that second season was originally set up based on the predictability of the weather during that time period.
2nd season looks like rain. Do turkeys burrow during inclement weather lol?, Because where I hunt, I love rainy day hunts. As soon as there is a break in the rain, those strutting zones are hot! They typically are not very pretty when they are wet, or when they roll they become saturated mops, but they are often times easier to hunt. I find them in the open fields even more on rainy days. I sure had six toms marked pretty well, and watched them 3 days in a row walk out to the field on the same trail crossing the fence line from their roosting trees. I'm hoping they do as they did before. I did see the farmer rigging up two of his John Deere tractors to plow his fields, and I'm suspecting he'll try and get that 80 done today, but you cannot kill them by sleeping in for sure!
Agree, Pete. Heavy rain does limit movement but light rains or after a rain definitely causes them to head to the fields.
It's a non issue. Some people like early seasons, some like late seasons. The change will be nice for some up north and it will be nice for the youth hunt. I used to hear a steady stream of griping that the first season was too early.
All 72 counties supported the advisory question. If you were that concerned about it you should have showed up and opposed it. As far as the meeting being in spring and being inconvenient, people would find excuses no matter when it was scheduled.
I could care less one way or another-I'll kill a bird no matter the season structure.
It was a non issue before and it worked. But that's not the DNR's style to leave well enough alone. Give them time, they will screw up turkey management as bad as they have deer.
If you are happy with the season structure than I don't see why there is so much complaining on this thread? If six seasons is what you support, buy a tag for later in May and shoot a turkey then. Is it because you want a chance at unpressured birds early in the season? You can't have it both ways: we love 6 seasons but I want the first crack at them before they get henned up, shot or pressured.
I did see an earlier suggestion to make the Youth Hunt a tag they could use for all 6 seasons until they harvest a bird and that makes a lot of sense vs just a 2 day early hunt.
Be part of the solution and make positive suggestions during the Spring meetings to improve the hunt for all.
"Be part of the solution and make positive suggestions during the Spring meetings to improve the hunt for all."
Yeah the good old spring meetings, because they are sooo effective.
If 6 turkey seasons were near perfect, you should plenty of options to harvest a bird or two. Or was it just the 2nd season was near perfect because it fit your requirements? Get out and hunt, it's what we all enjoy doing. Stop pissing and moaning about what happened to your selected week. Plenty of rain has fallen already and conditions are very rarely ever perfect. It's hunting.
I will for sure be out as much as I can for every tag I have. It just chaps my hide that of all the things the DNR should be working on. They meddled with something that was just fine as it was.
Rut - I have to respectfully disagree on this assault on the WDNR and the late start!
They just followed the "vote" of the people!
It occurred in 2015 and ALL 72 counties agreed to it!
yes, all 3072 yes votes I am told to change state law. Is that true? If so, ridiculous.
Not necessarily ridiculous. Sure, that is a very small percentage of the total hunters but it was a majority percentage of those who took the time and made an effort to voice their preference. Nationwide polls sometimes use samples as small as 1,000 so I would argue that it is representative of the hunting populations desire.
For the sake of the kids hunt I am glad that the state made the opener later. I went for the first season once, never again. Too much chance for bad weather was part of it but the turkeys were just not as active as they were in the third season so I went to hunting third season. Plus it was easier to draw.
I also was out there and setup at least a half hour before shooting time. I eventually learned that you would hear the birds on roost responding to my calls then hear them fly down. Then be pretty quiet till 9:00 ish when they would finally start to respond and come within sight. So after that I would get out so I would be setup around 9:00 and usually be headed home with my turkey between 10:00 and noon. Now, I don't even hunt them, it just got too easy I guess. I honestly had way more fun a couple of years ago when I scouted and went out to help MF get his bird.
I believe they should have left it alone with the 1st season starting the 2nd week of april. You cannot make changes because of weather. There is a chance of snow tomorrow which would be 3rd season normally. First week of April it was 70! The kids have first crack at the Tom's so they should be able to adjust to conditions. I'm hoping this will be changed back to an earlier start next yr.
The last few years I have applied for period 2 as my first preference then period 1. Now that period 2 is the old period 1, I will want one (with 2 being hind tit). I wonder how many others like me will end up increasing the demand for period one and decreasing for period 2. In my zone Period 4, 5 and 6 have left over tags. Still had thousands of leftover 5 and 6 tags as of today.
For the life of me (no disrespect here) but I cannot understand the BIG deal with this! It's one week...you would think it was set back a whole month.
We still have the best dammed turkey season in he US as far as I am concerned and I can try and kill multiple Tom's ...hard to believe!! What an opportunity!
Some folks would complain if they were hung with a new rope!
Thank the Lord and Greyhound we have such a great opportunity!
I'm with Buck and Blood on this one. I just don't see it as a big deal.
Pulling an all day sit today. Seen 7 jakes with 4 of them within 10 yards. Hoping for one of the nice toms I know are around.
It's not a huge deal but when I see Tom's strutting every year in late March in our fields and they push the seasons back a week, that's a problem. The dnr is always about more opportunity so why not have an earlier start, I don't get it. If they pushed the gun deer season back a week when they have muzzleloader to, what would they say?
I guess RJN they did that because of the vote taken in 2015 as it passed in 72 Counties. Now here it appears that the Spring Hearing "worked" as that was the vote, the majority gopt what they voted for!
How isn't I am hearing congrats to the WDNR? Seems if the vote appears "skewered" and not in agreement with some on this forum it is automatically "Off with their heads" "those A$$H****" "That's why I don't even go...waste of time"
Here is something that the majority voted on and nobodies happy! :^)
I just found I need to find a new place to hunt next week as the state parks are no longer open the first 3 seasons as had been the case for 20 + years. With this change to the later seasons park use goes up in May so the turkey season closes on Tuesday May 2nd this year.
I don't see a big deal either...what I have an issue with is I have no idea when/if I will be able to go! With all the kids activities etc I may miss BOTH my seasons. Damn Kids. ;-)
Bucks_n_Gobblers, that is exactly why I would prefer to see one 5 week season with 2 tags. 1 for the first 2 weeks and the other for the last 3 weeks. Between weather, family activities, etc.... it's real easy to miss out on your "weekend" of hunting. It works in the state we received these turkeys from- Missouri - and it would work here as well. Let us hunt when it fits into our schedule, not because we picked a time period before the deadline on Dec. 10th.
Yes, yes, let's hear how many hunters voted that the season structure is great. That is fine, this is just my opinion. Ask those same hunters after their period was rained out if they would prefer the option to keep hunting with that tag for another number of weeks and I bet you would see a lot of yes responses.
Jack Pine, my season is going on right now. There certainly has been plenty of rain. But, I do not wish for a different season, dealing with the weather is part of hunting.
I would not be in favor of a continuous season. My turkey season structure would be . 1st week of April a 7 day archery/cross gun season with a $10 permit. Then 5 week of any weapon depending on what week you draw. Youths have all seasons with $5 tag from age 10-12. No youth season and 2 Tom max per hunter.
"...and 2 Tom max per hunter." I'd support that!
85 % approval rating. Why in the sam hell would you want to change a good thing.
14.5 hours Wednesday. 8.5 hours Thursday. A lot of rain. A lot of birds in the rain. One less bird killed after the rain stopped. I've been successful 3 for 3, four seasons straight. The bow makes it tough, but sometimes you hunt with your shotgun, and I for one have killed them both ways, and don't need to do it with the bow. A continuous season is not what the majority want....including me. The majority are not bow hunters, so we can't think so narrowly. Hunter conflict would be far greater, and that is a commonly talked about topic here. With three permits, you get 21 days to hunt with your bow. If killing one with the bow is important to you, than I suggest sacrificing some vacation. The reward certainly isn't the flesh they give in return. It's the thrill of fooling a bird that's very unpredictable and almost impossible to pattern. Weather is always a factor, but I promise you this. The birds don't seem to be bothered by rain. I saw over 100 birds in two days.
18 gobblers in this little wad. Not long after the rain on Wednesday.
If your going to make it "Youth Season" make it a "Youth Season" and make it - 10-17 years of age!
On structure - buckmaster and Pete - they have it right!! If it aint broke don't fix it...
I agree Pete. I skipped Saturday but I still have over 26 hours in the blind for the second season. I've seen lots of birds but just not the right one in the right spot. For me, I do want to kill it with my bow so I am content to wait. With a shot gun it would have already been over, then I would not be able to be going out this AM.
Bloodtrail- if a kid gets 3 years of the youth season that should be enough, age 10-12. A teenager does not need their hand held while hunting. If they are a slower learner then the mentor will take that into consideration. As far as season structure, keep it to 2nd week of April every yr for 1st season like it had been for yrs.
master baiter .... like normal you don't know what your talking about.
Yes Buck, every time he tries to say something he further proves his ignorance. Like a court jester, he is too stupid to realize his stupidity.
Why don't you ask yourself baiter. You threw your old man under the bus. You have to be the biggest A$$ HOLE. You rip on any hunting that you don't care for. You are a jealous little man. Oh yea..... I would love to get to meet you and buy you a beer .... then we could talk.....
Master baiter try to stay on topic.....We are talking about season structure and the youth hunt.
JackPine...I see your point but if there weren't the season as they are today. I would most likely lose my spot to hunt. That is why the I still like the week seasons. Schedule this year just didn't work out as well as previous years.
I am at the age where my kids are in sports etc and I don't want to miss out on that. I can handle it for a few years ;-)
Good luck everyone!
Neverbait, please pull your lip over your head and swallow.
