Are There Really Fewer Turkey Hunters

We hunters hear it all the time, "Hunter numbers are declining." But, are hunter numbers really declining? Are the number of turkey hunters declining as well?

This week, Andy Gagliano and Cameron Weddington host Dr. Will Gulsby and Dr. Marcus Lashley to discuss hunter recruitment trends, particularly for turkey hunting. Marcus Lashley presented research indicating an aging turkey hunter demographic and scrutiny of national survey data suggesting a decline in hunter numbers, while state-level data presented by Cameron Weddington showed increases in many states.

Listen in!

Click here to view the spreadsheet containing all of Cameron and Andy's stats used in the show.

Click here to view the episode on YouTube.

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How Harvest Statistics are Calculated with Roger Shields

This week, Wild Turkey Coordinator for the state of Tennessee, Roger Shields, joins Cameron and Andy on the show.

They discussed Tennessee's wild turkey population, including concerns about rainfall impacting hatch success, the value of citizen and staff observation data, and trends in brood surveys. Roger provided insights into harvest management, the results of banding studies indicating sustainable harvest rates, and the methods for gathering harvest and hunter effort data, emphasizing the importance of CPUE. Roger also addressed the process of setting regulations and the considerations beyond biological data that influence the commission's decisions.

Hit the Ground Running - A Turkey Hunt

Andy Gagliano and Cameron Weddington discussed Cameron Weddington's challenges with their new chicken flock due to mycoplasma and its potential implications for wild turkey populations, referencing anecdotal evidence and a Canadian study finding mycoplasma in wild turkeys. Cameron Weddington then recounted a difficult three-day turkey hunt in a new state, detailing a tense encounter with two gobblers on a steep cliff that ultimately led to a successful shot after a strategic and risky maneuver. The hosts, Andy Gagliano and Cameron Weddington, also looked forward to a New Zealand turkey hunt and shared listener predator stories.

• Podcast Introduction and Personal Updates Andy Gagliano and Cameron Weddington began the Turkey Hunter Podcast episode 520 by discussing personal happenings. Andy Gagliano joked about opening chipmunk season at their house, while Cameron Weddington shared the story of their new flock of chickens after a disastrous first attempt involving a disease called mycoplasma(00:00:00).
• Cameron's Chicken Misfortunes and Mycoplasma Cameron Weddington recounted the unfortunate demise of their original nine chickens due to predators and ultimately, the introduction of four new chickens carrying mycoplasma, which wiped out the entire flock (00:00:00). They described the rapid spread and severity of mycoplasma, even in asymptomatic carriers, and the lengths they went to disinfect the area to protect local wild turkeys (00:01:34) (00:04:44).
• Potential Impact of Chicken Farming on Wild Turkeys Cameron Weddington reflected on how their experience with mycoplasma made them consider the potential impact of large-scale chicken farming and the spreading of chicken litter on wild turkey populations, especially given the prevalence of diseases in domestic poultry (00:03:39). Andy Gagliano concurred, noting that turkey populations in areas with significant chicken farming often seem lower. They referenced a discussion at a turkey convention where definitive evidence was lacking but anecdotal evidence suggested a negative correlation (00:05:43).
• Mycoplasma Research and Turkey Hunting Season Status Cameron Weddington shared findings from a Canadian study in Ontario that detected mycoplasma in a significant percentage of hunter-harvested wild turkeys. They also mentioned an article on the NWTF website discussing mycoplasma as a viral disease found in wild turkey flocks. With spring turkey season concluded in all US states, except possibly Michigan which ended on June 7th, the hosts transitioned to a story about a past turkey hunt (00:07:12).
• Cameron's Challenging Turkey Hunt: Initial Attempts Cameron Weddington recounted a memorable three-day turkey hunting trip to a new state, highlighting that previous visits were short and often affected by weather (00:08:29). They described leaving on Easter night after a busy day with family and arriving in the early morning to begin hunting (00:09:39). The first morning hunt involved an unresponsive gobbler that seemed more interested in running with jakes than hens, leading to a long day of hiking without further success (00:11:44).
• Cameron's Challenging Turkey Hunt: Roosting and Morning Setup After a long day, Cameron Weddington located two gobblers roosting together on the steep side of a 250-foot cliff, about a mile away from their initial location (00:15:53). They strategically set up the next morning on the top of the ridge, about 30 yards from the edge, anticipating the turkeys to fly up to the flat top to strut (00:16:58).
• Intense Encounter and Missed Opportunity Despite setting up in what seemed like a prime location, the two gobblers remained below the lip of the ridge after fly-down, responding intensely to Cameron Weddington's calling and drumming nearby but staying out of sight (00:20:47). The presence of another caller across the canyon prompted Cameron Weddington to call, eliciting a strong response from the turkeys (00:22:48). The turkeys drummed and gobbled close by but did not come to the top, creating a tense standoff where Cameron Weddington could hear them but not see them (00:24:59).
• The Decisive Move and Successful Shot Realizing the turkeys were unlikely to come to the top, Cameron Weddington decided to crawl towards a tree to get a visual, despite the risk of being seen (00:27:16). By slowly and carefully moving, they managed to get within shooting range but still could not see the entire birds due to the steep incline (00:28:29). In a final, precarious move, Cameron Weddington leaned over the edge and managed to get a shot at a small portion of one gobbler's head, resulting in a successful kill (00:30:47).
• Recovery and Reflection on the Hunt Cameron Weddington described the relief of finding the downed turkey hanging by its wing on a sapling, preventing it from falling down the entire cliff (00:31:54). They recounted the intense emotions of the hunt, highlighting the challenges of hunting turkeys in steep terrain where they could be heard but not seen (00:32:54). Cameron Weddington reflected on the importance of roosting birds and being adaptable during the hunt (00:34:52). They also affirmed the ethical nature of the headshot given the limited visibility (00:35:59).
• Lessons Learned and Future Strategies Andy Gagliano and Cameron Weddington discussed how even small elevation changes can significantly impact turkey hunting, emphasizing the importance of considering the terrain from a turkey's perspective (00:37:02). Cameron Weddington shared a key takeaway from the hunt, planning to set up slightly over the edge in similar terrain in the future to better see turkeys that pitch down the side of a hill (00:39:38).
• Upcoming New Zealand Turkey Hunt and Listener Stories The hosts looked forward to their upcoming turkey hunting trip to New Zealand in 82 days (00:40:45). Cameron Weddington shared predator stories submitted by listeners, including one about a coyote being shot while sneaking into a turkey decoy setup (00:43:45). They encouraged listeners to continue sending in their predator hunting stories (00:46:31).
• Podcast Closing Andy Gagliano thanked the listeners for tuning in to the podcast and wished them a wonderful week . Cameron Weddington echoed the sentiment and said goodbye .

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Summer Turkey Soup

Andy and Cameron discuss concerns about a potentially poor turkey hatch in the Southeast due to rain, the impact of weather on past turkey seasons, and the resilience of turkey populations. They also highlighted the importance of turkey observation surveys and the increasing restrictions and pressure on public land hunting access, referencing Oklahoma's new regulations.

They also examined trends in turkey harvest numbers, changes in fall hunting regulations in states like New Jersey and Michigan, unusual coyote behavior during turkey season, predation on turkeys, Mississippi's new wild turkey stamp, hunting accidents and safety, proposed changes to Arkansas' turkey hunting zones and penalties, and the need to understand the drivers behind high harvest numbers. The favor of the week this week is to share predator stories from this spring's turkey season with Cameron and Andy. 

Listen in!

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Hunting Pressured Turkeys with Darrin Dawkins

Andy Gagliano and Cameron introduced Darrin Dawkins, who discussed hunting pressured turkeys, noting increased hunter pressure as a key factor impacting turkey behavior. Darrin Dawkins shared his experiences and observations on changes in South Carolina hunting regulations, the importance of hen imitation and using varied calls like trumpet calls, and aggressive hunting strategies for pressured birds, while Cameron and Darrin contributed insights on regulation changes, hunter behavior, and turkey population trends.

Darrin shares some incredible turkey hunting tactics. They also touched on the influence of social media on hunting and the call-making philosophy of Darrin Dawkins.

If you would like to purchase a call from Darrin, please reach out to him at 803-230-3085. The best way to purchase a call from Darrin is to stop by his booth at Unicoi in Georgia in January of 2026.

Listen in!

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Hunting Osceola Turkeys from 2025 Unicoi Callmakers Show

This week, Cameron and Andy play the Hunting Osceola Turkeys roundtable discussion from the 2025 Unicoi Custom Callmakers Show that was held in January in Helen, Georgia.

The panel for the roundtable includes Darrin Dawkins, Lon Trice, Larry Stephens, Lamar Williams, and Mark Prudhomme. The panel discusses differences in Eastern and Osceola turkeys and the differences in hunting them as well. 

This is a great discussion, and one that even experienced turkey hunters can pick up some helpful hints by listening to. Listen in!

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2025 Mid Season Update

Cameron and Andy are back after some unscheduled time off from the podcast. In this episode they explain what has been happening in their worlds that has kept them from posting shows regularly this spring and they share updates about their seasons.

Andy's spring season is over now, and Cameron is squeezing in one last hunting trip for the spring. But, what happened between preseason and now? Listen in and find out.

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Join us this week as we dive into a successful turkey hunt that Cameron experienced earlier this season. We also discuss a few audio mishaps and fun memories in the turkey woods. 

Hopefully you can pick up an idea or two from this live hunt to help you on a future turkey hunt. 

Hunting Pressured Turkeys with Patrick Wightman

This week, Patrick Wightman, a research scientist with the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, joins Cameron and Andy this week to discuss what turkeys do when they get pressure put on them by hunters.

Patrick has done hours and hours of research on this topic, and he shares his insight with us in this interview. This is an interview that we feel everyone will glean some useful information from because private and public lands alike can receive a great deal of hunting pressure.

You'll want to grab a pen and piece of paper before you start listening to this one because there are some great nuggets to take away from this episode that will help you to find and harvest pressured turkeys.

Listen in!

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Hunting Pressured Turkeys with Cameron and Andy

This week, Cameron and Andy take on the topic of hunting pressured turkeys. They share their approaches to hunting pressured turkeys, and talk about how some private ground is just as pressured as some public ground. They also share some stories of encountering pressured birds and what they learned from those encounters.

This is the first of a new series on the topic of hunting pressured turkeys. This is a very informative and fun episode. Listen in!

 Buy some merch and great sounding The Turkey Hunter diaphragm turkey calls from our Shopify store by clicking here: https://theturkeyhunterpodcast.myshopify.com/

Join our Patreon group and get additional content, discounts on merch, and other great perks by clicking here: https://www.patreon.com/TheTurkeyHunterPodcast80