That just plum sucks that a turkey hunter cant even hunt his or her own state just by buying a resident tag. I guess Im spoiled here in Mo, but it seems like the hunters could help make new hunting laws for the ones that left out. It would be hard for me to call SD home if I couldn't hunt turkeys. I know thats a lame excuse but goodness, is the deer hunting like that too? Just hard for this missouri boy to see, b ut I never had too. Come to Mo and I'll hook you up brother

Well, like I said... if I wanted to drive 4-5 hours to the west side of the state, there are unlimited resident licenses for Black Hills spring turkey.

If you want to hunt anything outside of the Black Hills area, it's a drawing.

As for deer... there are many, many more tags available and you'd be hard-pressed not to get one.

If it wasn't for this darn baby on the way, I'd get a lot more hunting done... just don't tell the wife I said anything, lol!

I understand how it is, I'm raising my 6 yearold grandaughter. Its tough to just take off and go when the itch hits ya. Congrats on being a daddy, just wait till he or she gets old enough to hunt, good times. My little one is just now trying out the 410 and loves shooting the 22.

Good to hear... I'm excited, but it's already been life-changing and she isn't even here yet, ha. Thanks for the congrats.

A Deer Lease
 

....is income for the landowner, in between loggings.

They were select cutting an area I hunt a couple of years ago and I thought the birds had left the area till one gobbled at the air brakes on a log truck coming out. Never can tell but don't dismiss it.

Living in Alabama you get use to cutting. The regulations on cutting (I think they are Federal rules) require timber cutters to leave a certain amount of timber per acre. They also have to leave drainage ditches/water sources with a certain amount of timber to prevent erosion.

A lot of the smaller WMA's here in the state have lots of clear cut. The creek bottoms are left in standing timber and that's where the birds roost. They like to feed in the cutover and when the stuff starts to thicken up a bit the hens love it for nesting.

I have hunted property when the logging has been going on - got to admit it did cut some hunts short due to vehicle traffic - but it didn't stop me from whacking a bird or two!

They don't leave the territory at all.......

JW

We had a thinning job done on my cousins land a few years ago.Didn't seem to bother the turkeys or deer.

I have shot some nice gobblers on land that been selective cut. You may find some nice gobblers that still hang out there because it makes good nesting areas. I shot one of my biggest gobblers next to a choppings area.