Public provides wide range of comments on closing of 2009 fall turkey season
UPDATE: AGFC commissioners have voted to close the 2009 fall turkey season at their Sept. 24 meeting in Little Rock.
Turkey hunters are providing the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission with valuable feedback on a proposal to close the 2009 fall turkey hunting season. Arkansas’s turkey population has declined in recent years because of a series of poor spring hatches. As a result, Emon Mahony of El Dorado, commissioner with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, has proposed closing the fall turkey hunting seasons this year.
After an article asking for comments was published in the agency’s Arkansas Outdoors newsletter, the AGFC received 40 email comments on the proposal. A summary of those comments is found below:
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*In favor of closing all fall turkey seasons
*In favor of closing the fall gun turkey season only
*In favor of closing the fall archery season only
*No opinion on closing fall seasons
*In favor of retaining current fall archery turkey seasons
*In favor of retaining all fall turkey seasons
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17
5
1
1
6
15
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At this point, 23 comments are “against” closing some or all of the fall turkey seasons, while 21 comments are “for” closing some or all fall turkey seasons. Total opinions added up to more than the 40 total responses because some respondents gave more than one option or opinion on fall seasons.
Other, more specific comments related to fall turkey hunting included: allow only male birds in fall (6), vacation for fall turkey hunt is already set (3), corn feeders are causing problems (2), shorten the archery season (1) and enjoyment of fall turkey hunting (1).
Although the AGFC had requested feedback on fall turkey hunting, respondents commented on many topics related to spring turkey hunting. These included the following comments:
Predators are a problem (7), need a one turkey bag limit in spring (6), eliminate jake harvest (4), weather has been a problem for nesters (4), shorten the spring season (3), open the season on a Monday (3), spring 2009 was bad, few birds (3), close the spring season (2), lengthen the spring season (2), Keep Zone 17 regulations as they are (2), habitat problems (2), Allow only ½-day hunting (2), Keep the current 3 week season length (2), adopt heavy fines for turkey violations (1), illegal hunting is a problem (1), turkey numbers are high (1), stock more turkeys (1), add 1 more weekend to the youth hunt (1), current management is not enough (1), the late season opener is OK (1), the 2-bird limit is OK (1) and youth seasons are being abused (1).
Fall archery hunting for turkeys is scheduled Oct. 1 through Feb. 28 in all turkey zones except zone 1A. Hunting with modern shotguns or muzzle-loading shotguns is allowed Oct. 26-Nov. 1 in turkey zones 3, 5B, 6 and 17. All other turkey zones are closed for fall firearms hunting.
Both turkey gobblers and hens are legal game in the fall season. Less than 5 percent of the turkeys checked by Arkansas hunters are taken during fall hunts. Last year, 118 turkeys were checked by firearms hunters and 388 by archery hunters.