JF Griffin - Index

JF Griffin - magazine - Index

Tennessee
TContinued from page 30
urkeyPopulations
can sustain at least a 10
percent fall harvest, which
means our harvest numbers
indicate we are not harming
the statewide population.
The agency uses the
quota system to ensure the
highest harvest pressure
is in counties capable of
sustaining additional harvest
opportunities.
Weather
In 2007 we had our first
major drop in the harvest
in the history of the turkey
program and it appears that
weather was to blame. The
2007 opening weekend
season was 17 degrees
above normal and our
opening weekend harvest
was 400 birds above 2006.
Then the second weekend
(Easter weekend) the temperature was 19 degrees below
normal followed by the third weekend, which was 12
degrees below normal. Subsequently, the harvest was down
probably because of changes in the birds’ daily movement
patterns coupled with fewer hunters afield. However, the
rest of the season rebounded near the 2006 daily harvest but
never really caught up.
The 2008 spring harvest was down but again the
weather was the primary culprit. Compared to 2006, the
2008 season harvest was down 6,230 birds (18 percent) but
the opening weeks of 2008 had horrible weather. Opening
day was down 1,903 birds (31 percent of the lost harvest)
but storms passed through the state all weekend. The poor
opener and five other days in the first two weeks of 2008
accounted for 79 percent of the difference between 2006
and 2008. On those six days, Nashville International Airport
reported 7.17 inches of rain.
The spring storms
finally did subside and by
mid-April the season had
stabilized and the harvest
was higher over this last 2/3
of the season than during
the same period in 2006.
Had it not been for the first
two weeks of bad weather,
2008 may have exceeded
the 2006 season.
The poor weather in
opening weekends can be
very important to overall
harvest. The harvest decline
over the last two years
can almost entirely be
attributed to poor weather
conditions.
Conclusions
Turkey harvest in
Tennessee declined in 2007
and 2008 when compared
to the record year of 2006. However, there is no evidence
that the decline is a response to a decrease in our turkey
population. Liberalization of our spring and fall turkey
regulations has led to the desired effect of adding hunting
opportunities for our sportsmen but there is no relationship
between our regulation changes and the harvest decline.
The agency closely monitors our turkey population trends,
so we will be aware if there are large, negative trends in
the turkey population and be able to adjust our regulations
accordingly. ♦
78 2008 Hunting & Trapping Guide