Spring has always been turkey time for us. This year more than ever there is unprecedented attention on the wild turkey and its apparent decline.  We wade into this topic from 3 perspectives, discussing the hype, hunting, responsibility, and reality.   With firsthand experience managing turkeys and turkey habitat, Mitt and Chris point out that turkeys are in fact doing very well in places.  This success could be replicated on a larger scale, or could it? 

We make several references to studies and commentary previously discussed on The Wild Turkey Science podcast as well as The Mossy Oak Gamekeeper podcast.  We encourage you to listen to those as well.  We also mention our friends at Apex ammunition, the are local guys to our area that make an exceptional product.

For our 12th episode we bring in Jack Robertson. As an owner and developer of the Hogeye Camera system Jack is in the fight against the wild hog as much as anyone.  Not only are they leaders in the advancing technology to get rid of hogs, but he travels extensively to help private landowners, farmers, corporations, and government organizations understand and eliminate wild hog invasions.  If you've seen those videos of a trap dropping on an unsuspecting sounder of  hogs, you were probably watching a Hogeye camera system.  Check out www.hogeyecameras.com to see more on their products.  You can follow them all social media platforms as well.  Instagram is @hogeye_cameras and facebook is Hogeye Trap Cameras.  

Jack also hints to an upcoming cost sharing program here in Mississippi that we will be following closely!  

On episode 11 we bring in a very respected member of the trapping community.  Chip Davis is one of us, a woodsman and habitat manager from the Ms Delta area that happens to have nearly 40 years of trapping experience.  He has also served twice as president of the Mississippi Trappers association as well as served on state and national trapping boards.  Chip not only brings the boots on the ground knowledge, but experience in advising those who make policy.  This talk is thought provoking in areas of ethics, management, and recruiting new trappers.   He can be found hosting other podcasts occasionally at www.trappingradio2.com and is the owner and developer of the Expand-a-pan.  

Also check out the find a trapper resource at www.mstrappers.com this is a great resource for landowners who would like to add trapping to their management plan but may not have the time to do it themselves.   

Enjoy!

The old fashioned deer camp is a dying tradition.  Not just the hunting club or lease, but the club where you have a camp cook, cabins and a bunk house, and the infamous skinning rack.  We talk with guest Shane Grantham who lives this lifestyle with his family as they are now 3 generations deep in the Dancing Rabbit hunting club in east central MS.  

In the first episode of 2023 we briefly discuss the Christmas freeze and the foodplot recovery so far.   That leads us to unpack a few things about how much deer actually depend on winter plots here in the south as well as the undeniable efficacy of feeding corn, for better or worse.  It's an open ended discussion this time, we hope you enjoy. 

We address the question of when to harvest does, but take a deeper dive with a discussion about whether to harvest any does or not.  What goals you have, and the specifics of your property may dictate that you do not take any does in a particular season.  How your actions create a culture on your property and how that culture impacts hunting quality.  

A first hand story of a fall from a climbing stand, complacency, and God's grace and healing on the road to recovery. 

We get a behind the curtain look at commercial deer processing from our own Chris Herring.  In addition to being a forester and land manager, Chis owns 2 commercial deer processors and tells us what goes on behind the scenes, how your deer is processed individually, as well as some common issues that could lead to mix ups and how to avoid them.  

 This week we discuss some fundamentals to setting up a hunting tract.  Things to consider when prioritizing projects, things you might not have thought of, and how to take advantage of cost share opportunities.   As recreational values outpace timber value, its important to look at your property through a different lens to realize the full value of it. 

On this episode we step back from the technical management topics and we focus on what our purpose is for doing the podcast.   While we have a common purpose of sharing knowledge and experience, we discuss some different perspectives around that.  From the desire to invest in the next generation the way others have invested us, to pushing back against trends and culture shifts in hunting social media platforms, and the unified goal of seeing the best management practices applied across the landscape to improve the quality of wildlife and insure the sustainability of these resources that we treasure so much.  We are conservationists and woodsmen, that defines our purpose on this platform.