# Would you like to see a 2 bird spring limit, and could your area support it?



## Martian (Apr 28, 2011)

Firefighter said:


> Public land? No. Private land? As long as there is leftover permits for the area and a mandatory internet check is completed, Yes.


I agree w/FF here, I have private 3 plots of land to hunt, one is mine, and the other 2 are 35 miles apart. I would prolly hunt on different parcels. Or if 2 were allowed, maybe that could be part of the law, not from the same piece of land


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## whitetailfreak8 (Nov 3, 2009)

Thirty pointer said:


> Have to agree , what they would do is lump a large area that has ample turkeys in part of it and ruin it for the other half .That's what they do with deer with these huge DMUs


That's where the mandatory checks come into play shrink down these large areas.


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## backstrap bill (Oct 10, 2004)

dead short said:


> Must not be Huron, Tuscola, or Sanilac....


It's Huron, and I stand corrected, it was open last year. Prior years it was closed on public. Hopefully this year it will be open again. Thanks for the heads up.


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## old graybeard (Jan 19, 2006)

I think it's fine as is. Why ruin one of the most successful programs we have?


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## srconnell22 (Aug 27, 2007)

old graybeard said:


> I think it's fine as is. Why ruin one of the most successful programs we have?


I've heard the statistic that MI is #7 in the nation in harvest for turkey. I would be interested to see the bag limits were for the top 10 harvest states. 

I was talking with a friend the other day and he was saying there are some states that allow up to 5 birds for a spring season. It would be interesting to see where MI ranked among those states with a one bird limit.


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## timbrhuntr (Feb 4, 2009)

I'm not a Michigan resident so i just go with what is available but on the farm I hunt it is not uncommon to see over a hundred birds in the fall and on several occasion I have had a dozen toms in front the of me and could have easily shot multiple toms but can only shoot one in the spring makes sense to me lol


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## Old Shortstop (Jun 6, 2006)

I would not support it as I don't think my area can handle it. The birds are fairly migratory in my area as it is usually fairly sparse in the spring, but I have birds everywhere in the fall. We don't have a fall season though.

I also like check stations for turkey, deer & bear. I think it is the only way we get a good handle on the real harvest and slows down people filling tags for friends. 

D.P.


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## rightnow (Jun 12, 2010)

Would see big improvement in the quality of deer and turkey hunting with a mandatory check. Many "backwards" southern states even have mobile apps to check an animal. It sends you a confirmation number via text and email. That's as accurate data as you can get. You can then break it down by state total, county or wildlife management area.


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## Nitro225Optimax (Feb 13, 2011)

rightnow said:


> Would see big improvement in the quality of deer and turkey hunting with a mandatory check. Many "backwards" southern states even have mobile apps to check an animal. It sends you a confirmation number via text and email. That's as accurate data as you can get. You can then break it down by state total, county or wildlife management area.



I actually agree with this to a point, but someone like my father can barely figure out a smart phone and would just have to drive to a check station. Could affect a small number of hunters in the low tech/aged population.


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## Tron322 (Oct 29, 2011)

I think it should be the call of biologists in each region if they are in the field and know the numbers of Turkey present.

Here in NW Michigan I can see it OK after a weak winter or two...but after a hard winter or two I wish the biologists could close it or really reduce tags.

Like others have stated "it ain't broke, don't fix it...don't touch it". That's what will work best.

Weak winter here and it's nice seeing so many birds around.


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## vandykejon (Mar 30, 2007)

WMU05 said:


> Michigan has some outstanding turkey hunting. I don't think I'd mess with the bag limits.
> 
> Turkey hunting lends itself to partner hunting. Start bouncing around and calling for other hunters once you've got a bird down and you get to extend your season.


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## TrapperJohn (Jan 14, 2001)

Had way more turkeys up here in Antrim and Charlevoix counties back before the "234" hunt was offered. I think one is enough and go even farther to limit the number of hunters in the third hunt like it used to be!


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## flockshot (Feb 23, 2007)

To double up on trapper Johns point. I think straight over the counter would be a death blow to southern birds on public lands. Keep it as is. Work on habitat and access before we start talking about punching another ticket.


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## QDMAMAN (Dec 8, 2004)

How about a Hunter's Choice Spring Tag option.
Choice A - ANY bearded bird, but just one.
Choice B - 2 birds AT LEAST (1) 1.25" spur on the first tag and AT LEAST (1) 1.5" spur on the second bird.


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## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

"So, would you like to see a 2 bird spring season? Do you believe your zone could support it?"
*Yes & Yes*


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## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)

No & no.


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## SWMbruiser (Jan 25, 2012)

QDMAMAN said:


> How about a Hunter's Choice Spring Tag option.
> Choice A - ANY bearded bird, but just one.
> Choice B - 2 birds AT LEAST (1) 1.25" spur on the first tag and AT LEAST (1) 1.5" spur on the second bird.


We have sportsmen who can't even count/see points on a buck and you expect them to be able to differentiate spur length? I am assuming I didn't catch the humor in the typed response


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## birdhntr (Jan 25, 2014)

I would leave it the way it is.Comparing Michigan to others states is misleading In the south public land is limited and private lands are very large parcels and plantations that are huge with little or no access.Then you have the midwest like Kansas which has a two bird limit in certain zones but the harvest is about the same as Michigan.but doesn't have near as many people in the state as we do,and they don't have a ton of public land and a lot of hunting is thru public access programs and unlike Michigan land ownership is in Large parcels there.If where you hunt is plentiful then share the bounty and take out a guest or maybe introduce the sport to a new hunter.It's important to pass the torch as no one lives forever and someone else will need to carry the flame and to understand the value in conservation


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## DEDGOOSE (Jan 19, 2007)

QDMAMAN said:


> How about a Hunter's Choice Spring Tag option.
> Choice A - ANY bearded bird, but just one.
> Choice B - 2 birds AT LEAST (1) 1.25" spur on the first tag and AT LEAST (1) 1.5" spur on the second bird.


Bwahaha that's a SA remark I would make.


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## METRO1 (Oct 8, 2009)

No to 2 birds but yes to being able to hunt the whole season instead of seasons being broke up into short seasons.


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## lilsean95 (Mar 6, 2007)

I get 2 tags every year One for me and One for my wife she love hunting. So, I hunt my bird and later in May we hunt her bird it is awesome. I get to call for her and I get to watch her shoot them in the face!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It also does not hurt to have 750 acres that I can hunt all private land.


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## jasonmeekhof (Jan 21, 2012)

I wouldn't support a second tag in this state. Right now we have tremendous opportunity for hunters with a well managed population. You can go just about anywhere in the lp and have a reasonable chance of finding a nice bird on both public and private land. If you want to hunt more take someone who has never hunted before. Turkey are the ultimate "gateway drug" when it comes to getting people hooked on hunting. The weather is comfortable and it's very interactive. The only real regulation change I would be for would be an archery tag that allows you to hunt all the season dates. Iowa does this and it wouldn't effect populations much because participation on such a tag would be low.


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## QDMAMAN (Dec 8, 2004)

SWMbruiser said:


> We have sportsmen who can't even count/see points on a buck and you expect them to be able to differentiate spur length? I am assuming I didn't catch the humor in the typed response


That's why they make binos!


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## Highball28 (Oct 17, 2014)

Firefighter said:


> Public land? No. Private land? As long as there is leftover permits for the area and a mandatory internet check is completed, Yes.


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## plugger (Aug 8, 2001)

In the NWL the turkey population is way down. We do not have a fall season here. I think if there were to be a second tag available it should be for the last half of the last season.


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## Nitro225Optimax (Feb 13, 2011)

I know I will catch a lot of flak for this, but I am generally against giving special hunting privileges to private land owners. They own the land, not the animals. Want to control populations, invite more hunters to hunt the land.


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## flockshot (Feb 23, 2007)

Two tags would totally upset the public land lottery system as well. We have good populations because of this system. It's the one program everyone generally agrees is run right and well. No to changing it. Again. Habitat and access if you want to change anything.


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## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

rightnow said:


> Would see big improvement in the quality of deer and turkey hunting with a mandatory check. Many "backwards" southern states even have mobile apps to check an animal. It sends you a confirmation number via text and email. That's as accurate data as you can get. You can then break it down by state total, county or wildlife management area.


For deer hunting mandatory checks are proving to be useless. Some states like Pennsylvania for instance have a mandatory call in for a harvested deer. The recently went to a survey based system similar michigan to estimate their yearly kill because of non compliance from deer hunters. They actually still have the call in but ignore the numbers as crazy as that sounds. If you read deer forums for places like missouri and Iowa there are alot of complaints about hunter compliance or even falsifying information on mandatory checks.


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## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

flockshot said:


> Two tags would totally upset the public land lottery system as well. We have good populations because of this system. It's the one program everyone generally agrees is run right and well. No to changing it. Again. Habitat and access if you want to change anything.


Most of this state you can hunt on state land for the month of may.


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## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

I think the two tag allowance is justifiable in certain areas. Lots of states do it with success. I agree there are areas that can't handle it. Where I live You can't drive by a field without seeing turkeys. At times as many as 150 in a field in the winter. Between me and my two sons we shot 3 toms in one single spot opening day. We saw over 30 birds including 7 toms in that field. It isn't even close to being the best field in the area we were hunting. We came home two watch several turkeys in our backyard after the hunt.


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## birdhntr (Jan 25, 2014)

I don't think sighting writer flocks would be a good reason to have a second tag.I deer hunt 4 properties,Two north of Hubbard lake and one in Oakland and one in genesee county.All of them are great for turkey in the spring but we never see birds during deer season as the Turkey's are in flocks and heading to wintering areas.I f you had a two tag area it would attract more Hunter's and things could change within a few years.


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## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

birdhntr said:


> I don't think sighting writer flocks would be a good reason to have a second tag.I deer hunt 4 properties,Two north of Hubbard lake and one in Oakland and one in genesee county.All of them are great for turkey in the spring but we never see birds during deer season as the Turkey's are in flocks and heading to wintering areas.I f you had a two tag area it would attract more Hunter's and things could change within a few years.



It would be interesting to see statistics on how many hunters travel for turkey hunting. I used to 15-20yrs ago but I certainly don't now that they are everywhere. I don't think that many people are as interested in spending money to travel for turkeys...especially for a 2nd bird. The birds are abundant in southern michigan. Drive from porthuron to grand Rapids along I 96 and I 94. More fields have birds than ones that dont. I believe There are areas that can handle more harvest. We have unlimited tags now in southern mi and the population is still growing. If we can't have a second bird now at what point can we?


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## flockshot (Feb 23, 2007)

DirtySteve said:


> It would be interesting to see statistics on how many hunters travel for turkey hunting. I used to 15-20yrs ago but I certainly don't now that they are everywhere. I don't think that many people are as interested in spending money to travel for turkeys...especially for a 2nd bird. The birds are abundant in southern michigan. Drive from porthuron to grand Rapids along I 96 and I 94. More fields have birds than ones that dont. I believe There are areas that can handle more harvest. We have unlimited tags now in southern mi and the population is still growing. If we can't have a second bird now at what point can we?


 I understand this logic. But we don't have unlimited tags. Public land , which can be equally good if not better than private at times in high population areas would be ruined if the state went to two tags or over the counter. The pressure on southern rec areas would be insane.


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## Firefighter (Feb 14, 2007)

flockshot said:


> I understand this logic. But we don't have unlimited tags. Public land , which can be equally good if not better than private at times in high population areas would be ruined if the state went to two tags or over the counter. The pressure on southern rec areas would be insane.


If there's leftover permits for an area, what's wrong with first come, first serve regardless of tag status after a grace period?


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## flockshot (Feb 23, 2007)

Firefighter said:


> If there's leftover permits for an area, what's wrong with first come, first serve regardless of tag status after a grace period?


Actually I have no problem with that!! I just don't want to see the quotas removed. But if the quota is 1000 tags. I have no problem with all thousand beinf scooped up.


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## flockshot (Feb 23, 2007)

For me it's a pressure game. Keep the pressure at appropriate levels and I have no worries how that pressure is applied. I'd love to have a late season tag right now lol.


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## multibeard (Mar 3, 2002)

Why screw up a good thing??

Yo can not compare a 5 bird limit in a southern state to Michigan's one bird limit. If we did not have winter I guess you could!!!!


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## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

flockshot said:


> I understand this logic. But we don't have unlimited tags. Public land , which can be equally good if not better than private at times in high population areas would be ruined if the state went to two tags or over the counter. The pressure on southern rec areas would be insane.


0234 hunt is unlimited over the counter today. You can hunt the entire month of may. northern mi is state land or private. Lower mich is private only because we only have recreation areas in this part of the state. This is the hunt I purchase every yr.


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## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

multibeard said:


> Why screw up a good thing??
> 
> Yo can not compare a 5 bird limit in a southern state to Michigan's one bird limit. If we did not have winter I guess you could!!!!



I guess I am not certain it would be screwed up. Lots of guys said michigan deer hunting would be doomed with a 2 buck limit and that wasn't so.

I don't see why you couldn't compare us to a state with a 2 bird limit if our number of birds was the same and the harvest numbers were equal. Southern michigan you could for sure make the comparison. My son's and I took 3 birds opening day of the 0234 season. All 3 birds were loaded with corn from last seasons cut field when we processed them. They eat pretty good down here and there isn't much of the winter where they deal with snow cover south of standish.


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## Lamarsh (Aug 19, 2014)

Of course I'd like to see it, but after speaking with the main bird biologist with the DNR last week for quite a while, he made it sound like it's not happening any time soon. He indicated that they shoot for a general hunter success rate of about 10% when it comes to managing turkeys, and that 10% has been relatively consistent in Michigan recently. If you start to see that increase substantially, you might see the bag limit change. If you see it decrease, you might see the opposite (fall season eliminated, quotas for many counties decreased and draws more competitive, etc).


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