Do Biologists Listen to Hunters? Reality is, wildlife managers listen more than many believe — but hunters have to listen in return, too Although such situations can be frustrating, officials say open dialogue is the key to bridging the gap between hunters and biologists. Butler believes that starts with giving hunters real-world numbers. “Here in Mississippi, we have great deal of data on what real hunters see and hear while in the field based on the observations they record as a part of our Spring Gobbler Hunting Survey,” he said. “Over the past 20 years, hunters in Mississippi hear between one and two gobblers per hunt, on average. Hunts in which more than four gobblers are heard only happen on about six to eight trips out of every 100. Most properties only harvest about one gobbler per 500 acres, on average. These numbers don’t sound eye-popping, but they’ve been pretty consistent through time and should help us all really appreciate those rare days when the woods are on fire and
Post: 19 September 18:45
