Turkey
History of the Turkey
Wild turkeys apparently were very abundant during the 1800s in Arkansas, based on reports by early explorers and settlers. Early Arkansans readily utilized turkeys for food on a year-round basis; this over-exploitation combined with habitat destruction resulted in diminishing numbers of birds as the state became more settled.
By the early 1900s turkeys had been eliminated from large areas of the state. With the formation of the Game & Fish Commission in 1915, regulations protecting turkeys were implemented, but turkey numbers continued to decrease, such that turkeys probably reached their lowest point in historic times during the 1930s. Efforts to restore turkeys were initiated soon after the formation of the Game & Fish Commission. Hen turkeys were made illegal to harvest in 1918; state game refuges were set up in the 1920s; and pen-raised wild turkeys (many raised at state game hatcheries) were released at least as early as the 1930s. None of these or other early efforts resulted in restoration of turkeys on a statewide basis.
In a mid-1940s survey of Arkansas game animals, an estimated 7,000 turkeys remained in Arkansas, mostly in the Gulf Coastal Plain and along the Mississippi River. Large areas, including most of the Ozarks and Ouachitas, had no turkeys left.
Amendment 35 to the state constitution in 1944, which restructured the Game & Fish Commission, called for the restoration of native wildlife species, including wild turkeys. About this time, wildlife managers realized that wild turkeys rather than pen-raised birds were needed to restore populations. The perfection of cannon netting techniques in the early 1950s-where a large net is propelled over a flock of turkeys attracted to bait-resulted in wildlife managers being able to capture wild turkeys in large enough numbers to efficiently restock depleted areas.
Since 1932, approximately 6,400 wild turkeys have been stocked in 73 of Arkansas's 75 counties, with the bulk of that number translocated between 1960-1990.
A large percentage of stocked turkeys were captured on Brandywine Island near West Memphis in the 1960s and 1970s. This effort has resulted in turkeys being restored to almost all suitable habitats in Arkansas, with present populations estimated at around 125,000 turkeys.
Turkey Hunting
Turkey hunters will find several quality hunting areas on the Ouachita National Forest.
The walk-in turkey hunting areas were developed as a result of requests from turkey hunters throughout the state of Arkansas. The hunters asked the U.S.D.A. Forest Service for a place to hunt free of disturbance from motor vehicles.
The Ouachita Mountains, with the highest turkey population in the state, have seen the number of hunters increase dramatically during the last 10 years, making it difficult for serious turkey hunters to find an area away from traffic.
In cooperation with the Arkansas Wild Turkey Federation and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the Ouachita National Forest is establishing areas where hunters walk in to hunt. These walk-in turkey hunting areas will be managed to provide a quality hunting experience.
All maintained roads leading into each area will be closed to motor vehicle traffic from early spring to late summer. In some walk-in areas, road segments and primitive forest roads will be permanently closed and revegetated to improve turkey habitat and to control erosion.
The Forest Service will post signs along the boundaries of each area to inform the public about motor vehicle restrictions.
The Ouachita National Forest walk-in areas are part of a U.S. Forest Service program announced in 1989 to improve wild turkey habitat on national forest lands. "Making Tracks" is also designed to provide a surplus of wild turkeys for stocking and introducing into suitable areas throughout the nation.
Restricting traffic will protect turkeys during the critical nesting and brood rearing seasons. Other habitat improvements will include prescribed burning and establishing water holes and food plots for the turkeys. These same projects will improve the habitat for more than 100 other species of wildlife.