Turkey Season Dates

[Kevin]

LITTLE ROCK (AGFC) - Commissioners with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission approved an 18-day spring turkey season. The season framework was approved after a review of recent harvests, brood surveys and gobbling chronology data along with input from turkey hunters.

Commissioners also removed two zones on Arkansas lands east of the Mississippi River. Zone 17A, which included adjacent Tennessee lands and Zone 17B which included adjacent Mississippi lands, will now be in Zone 17.

The spring 2011 turkey season youth hunt will be April 9-10 for the entire state.

The statewide spring turkey season will be April 16-May 3 in zones 1, 2, 3, 4B, 5, 5B, 6, 7, 7A, 8, 9, 10 and 17 and April 16-26 in zones 4, 4A, 5A and 9A. Zone 1A will be closed.

The bag limit for the spring season will be no more than one legal turkey taken per day and no more than two legal turkeys taken during the season. Youth hunters may only take one jake during the season, either during the youth hunt or statewide hunt, but adult hunters will be limited to mature gobblers only.

 

[jncviper]

I like the mature gobble restriction, I hope it really helps boost the population of mature gobblers and maybe in a few years we can have some decent turkey seasons!

[Kevin]

Yeah and we have to get rid of these recurring ice storms too. I think that would really help.

[mpoor]

Turkeys can recover quickly, until they do, I'm for bustin crows! I did'nt know that the ice hurt the population.

[Derrickb]

I seen 25 Turkeys Down in Black river bottoms behind Powhatan ive never Actually Ever turkey hunted been thinking about going i got quite a few places i have seen alot of turkeys just never tried it...Maybe i can get one of oyu guys to go with me call one in

[Kevin]

DB, I got a late start on turkey hunting myself. For some reason, I didn't get into it until my senior year of high school. You will love it! It's one of the funnest types of hunting you'll ever do. Just purely exhilarating when you get a hot gobbler coming in

[jncviper]

Kevin you started when I did.  I have yet to take a turkey but I am completely addicted!  I am already getting that spring fever! Is it April yet?

[buckaroo]

I have seen lots of turkey in my days of hunting but have yet to kill one i hunted opening day last year and the area i was in i never had any fly down or gobble but my buddy told me to stay in the area untill 8:00 a.m. well i did and i heard him shoot at 8:05 he then called me asked if i had any birds i told him no and he said get up here right now he held his phone up and i heard 3 different birds gobble so i went up and sure enough they were tearing it up very exciting we called a little and they just got lock jaw but you can bet i will be out opening day this year for another try one other thing that is some of the best wild game i have ever eaten much better than tame turkey he fried some breast meat and made us some yukon gold bake potatos and some yeast rolls man what a meal. I pretty much keep my hunting down do deer these days it takes a lot of prep to do it right but i can see why people get so jacked up about turkey hunting it lots of fun the only draw back to me is snakes are out good in April and i hate snakes.

[mpoor]

Turkey hunting is a lot of fun, except for the turkey hunters. It seems to be hard to get on a bird that someone else isn't on. But with a bow, in the fall, if there is a season, blind hunting birds is great. Turkeys are helpless from a blind, and you are right, wild turkey is fine eats.

[Kevin]

Yeah it's tough hunting public land, but if you can find your way to something private, you can about chase turkeys all day long.

I do SEE a lot of turkeys in the fall, but rarely HEAR any. Just a few cuts when they are close. Kinda takes the craziness out of it when they don't get fired up like they do in the spring.

Not sure about the turkey population here in Southeast Wyoming, but I'm considering making my way up to Montana next year for a hunt. Have a good number of turkeys there.

[mpoor]

I get to hunt in Kentucky in the winter/spring and they have lots of turkey too. Spring is a lot more exciting action, but bustin a bird with a stick is a rare treat.

Here in Arkansas I am seeing several turkeys while hunting and I have seen some as I'm driving around too. I travel quit a bit with my job and I'm always rubber necking for some game. A fella I work with told me he is seeing a lot of birds on his deer lease too.

[Fly Tier]

We use to have alot of birds around here on the surrouding properties,and I agree, I believe the last two years of ice storms have took it's toll on the birds here.And when the people around here don't get out and check their fields before they cut their hay,they brush hog over alot of the nest.I heard the guy down the road has done that the past three years and he wonders why he hasn't seen any turkeys.

[dukslayer]

I think alot of the population issue has to do with predators. There arent nearly as many predator hunters as there used to be mainly due to the fur market. I personally enjoy trapping and hunting predators it's like christmas when u run a trap line cause u never know whats going to be there. Does anyone else share this view?

[buckaroo]

I know the coyote population is at an all time high never seen so many you can even see them right in the middle of the day i pop every one i see i dont care if its opening day of gun deer  season .