Mike talks about why and how hunting seasons, particularly wild turkey season, are established and what could be done to make them better or different based on his lifelong research.
In general, states set the opening of turkey season so that we can hunt when birds are gobbling, as hearing birds gobble is a primary determinant of hunter satisfaction. Some states use data on gobbling activity to help set the timing of their seasons, whereas other states go farther and use data on hen nesting activity to time hunting so that it occurs around peaks in incubation. Unfortunately, many states use neither approach, and simply set seasons based on social and political pressures that often result in seasons opening well before peaks in incubation. Biologists years ago noted the importance of opening hunting seasons after laying and incubation had begun, so this is the most biologically sound approach given what we know about turkeys and their mating system (more about this in the pdf link below, as well as the link to the article on GON).
PDF: Things To Consider When Setting Regs For Spring Wild Turkey Seasons
GON article: https://gon.com/hunting/setting-regs-spring-wild-turkey-season
