Turkey Season Summary - Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Turkey Season Summary - Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Turkey Season Summary - Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
T U R K E Y C O N S E R V A T I O N I N A R K A N S A SContinued conservative seasonsshould result in better gobblersurvival and more hens being bred.Photo courtesy of the NWTF.Setting the seasonshow does it work?Overview: spring season regulations processCreating and adjusting regulations for each turkeyseason is a year-round process. As soon as oneseason ends, the harvest numbers are examined andpopulation surveys are conducted. Spring harvestnumbers are only a part of the total data used todetermine season recommendations. Gobbling surveys,hunting surveys, brood counts and other research toolsare analyzed as well. Even though harvest totals maystabilize, poor reproduction can still cause the populationto decline.Survey results are reviewed by members of theWildlife Management Division’s Turkey Team duringsummer. Team members meet in August to discussSummer months Turkey Teammembers collect and review surveyresultsAugust Team members discuss preliminaryrecommendations and present to chiefof Wildlife Management DivisionAugust Public meetings held todiscuss probable changes and getpublic inputpreliminary spring season recommendations and topicsof concern for public meetings. A summary of theteam’s meeting and recommendations is then providedto the chief of the Wildlife Management Division forapproval.The preliminary regulations package is sentto commissioners and public meetings are heldthroughout the state to discuss probable changes andgather public response. After public review, proposalsare formally presented to the Commission during itsSeptember meeting. After another period of publicreview, commissioners approve or amend the proposalsat the Commission’s October meeting.September Commission meetingProposed regulations presented toCommissionOctober Commission meetingCommissioners amend or approveproposed regulationssummer late summer fall2 2 2 0 0 6 - 0 7 T U R K E Y S E A S O N S U M M A R Y
2007 spring turkey regulationsThe Turkey Team presented its preliminaryseason recommendation and material forpublic meetings at the Commission’s Augustbriefing. The team stressed that spring turkeyharvest was probably going to continuedeclining, based on continued poor turkeybrood production and poor gobbler survival.Public meeting overviewPublic meetings were held at 11 locationsacross the state Aug. 29, 2006. Presentationssummarized the data relevant to the recommendationfor a conservative 2007 season.Biological information such as recent declinesin spring turkey harvest trends, below averagebrood production for the last 4-5 years, variationsin spring season length, recent declinesin gobbler/hen ratios (an index to gobblercarryover), peak gobbling and breeding datesand many other variables were explained. Thepresentation also included a harvest modelindicating where our turkey population wouldstand had more conservative seasons been usedduring recent years with poor reproduction.T U R K E Y C O N S E R V A T I O N I N A R K A N S A SOne hundred out of 131 respondents to public meetings were in favor of a conservative2007 spring season. Photo courtesy of the NWTF.Ninety-four people attended the meetings.Participants were specifically asked whether theywould support a three-week season (instead offour weeks) and a later opening date. Thirtyfiveparticipants responded, either orally or inwriting, with about 85 percent in favor of theshorter season and almost as many in favor ofa later opening date. Many who commentedrequested more conservative seasons or baglimits than those proposed (a two-week season,one-bird limit, etc.). A total of 131 commentswere received at public meetings and throughe-mails or letters. Slightly more than 100 ofthose who commented were in favor of theproposed conservative season (or a more conservativeseason), while 29 were opposed (mostlyrequesting earlier opening dates).2007 spring season recommendation:September commission meetingThe Wildlife Management Division’s 2007spring season recommendations were for specialyouth turkey hunts to be open April 14-15,followed by the regular season to open April 16and continue throughMay 7, 2007 in mostturkey zones (April16-29 in zones 1A,4, 4A, 5A, 9A). Thedivision recommendedthat zone 17 open thespecial youth huntApril 7-8, followedby a regular seasonApril 9-29. This seasonformat was unanimouslyendorsed bythe Turkey Team at itsAugust meeting. TheWildlife ManagementDivision stressedthroughout the processthat the only real wayto effect turkey harvestis to reduce the seasonlength. Delaying the*The WildlifeManagementDivision stressedthroughout thewhole processthat the only realway to effectturkey harvestis to reduce theseason length.2 0 0 6 - 0 7 T U R K E Y S E A S O N S U M M A R Y 2 3
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- Page 7 and 8: Figure 2. Spring 2007 turkey harves
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- Page 29 and 30: The National Wild Turkey Federation
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T U R K E Y C O N S E R V A T I O N I N A R K A N S A SContinued conservative seasonsshould result in better gobblersurvival <strong>and</strong> more hens being bred.Photo courtesy of the NWTF.Setting the seasonshow does it work?Overview: spring season regulations processCreating <strong>and</strong> adjusting regulations for each turkeyseason is a year-round process. As soon as oneseason ends, the harvest numbers are examined <strong>and</strong>population surveys are conducted. Spring harvestnumbers are only a part of the total data used todetermine season recommendations. Gobbling surveys,hunting surveys, brood counts <strong>and</strong> other research toolsare analyzed as well. Even though harvest totals maystabilize, poor reproduction can still cause the populationto decline.Survey results are reviewed by members of theWildlife Management Division’s <strong>Turkey</strong> Team duringsummer. Team members meet in August to discussSummer months <strong>Turkey</strong> Teammembers collect <strong>and</strong> review surveyresultsAugust Team members discuss preliminaryrecommendations <strong>and</strong> present to chiefof Wildlife Management DivisionAugust Public meetings held todiscuss probable changes <strong>and</strong> getpublic inputpreliminary spring season recommendations <strong>and</strong> topicsof concern for public meetings. A summary of theteam’s meeting <strong>and</strong> recommendations is then providedto the chief of the Wildlife Management Division forapproval.The preliminary regulations package is sentto commissioners <strong>and</strong> public meetings are heldthroughout the state to discuss probable changes <strong>and</strong>gather public response. After public review, proposalsare formally presented to the <strong>Commission</strong> during itsSeptember meeting. After another period of publicreview, commissioners approve or amend the proposalsat the <strong>Commission</strong>’s October meeting.September <strong>Commission</strong> meetingProposed regulations presented to<strong>Commission</strong>October <strong>Commission</strong> meeting<strong>Commission</strong>ers amend or approveproposed regulationssummer late summer fall2 2 2 0 0 6 - 0 7 T U R K E Y S E A S O N S U M M A R Y
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