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 S2006-07 wild turkey stockingsWild turkeys were abundant when Europeansettlers arrived in Arkansas. By the early1900s, however, turkeys had been eliminatedfrom most of the state. When the AGFC wascreated in 1915, regulations protecting turkeyswere implemented, but populations continued todecrease.Efforts to restore turkeys began soon after theAGFC was formed. Harvest of hen turkeys wasbanned in 1918; state game refuges were builtin the 1920s; and pen-raised wild turkeys (manyraised at state hatcheries) were released beginningin the 1930s. None of these or other earlyefforts resulted in restoration of turkeys on astatewide basis, and turkey populations reachedtheir lowest point in history in the 1930s. By themid-1940s an estimated 7,000 turkeys remainedin Arkansas, mostly in the Gulf Coastal Plainand along the Mississippi River.The perfection of cannon-netting techniquesin the 1950s allowed wildlife managers tocapture large groups of wild turkeys andefficiently restock depleted areas. Since 1932,nearly 7,000 wild-trapped turkeys have beenstocked in 73 of Arkansas’s 75 counties, withmost birds relocated between 1960-90. Effortshave resulted in turkeys being restored to almostall suitable habitats in the state. While stockingefforts continue, they are low-priority projects,mostly on large tracts of reforested lands ineastern Arkansas.Turkey stocking requests from the public andwithin the AGFC are reviewed annually by theWild Turkey Team and staff of the WildlifeManagement Division. Twelve stocking requestswere reviewed in 2006 through site visits andaerial photography. Five sites were recommendedfor stocking (Table 1). The remaining seven siteswere declined because habitat was rated insufficientor marginal for turkeys.The AGFC attempts to trap wild turkeys fromareas with high densities of birds and in areaswhere hunting is either restricted or not allowed.Distance between sites and available trappers areadditional factors used to decide where to trapturkeys.In winter 2006-07, AGFC personnel hada difficult time capturing turkeys, primarilybecause of a good acorn crop in central andnorthern Arkansas and feral hog use of baitsites on Choctaw Island WMA. Forty-oneturkeys captured with six rocket net shots werestocked on four sites. Three sites were consideredfinished, and two will be completed in 2007-08.Turkey trappers included David Henley, AltonCase, Matt Mourot, Kiah Gardner and MikeWidner. Others, including numerous NationalWild Turkey Federation (NWTF) volunteers andAGFC personnel, assisted with baiting, trapping,transport and release of birds. Mr. Ben Mense,Refuge Manager, graciously allowed trappers totake 18 wild turkeys from Holla Bend NWR forrestoration efforts.Table 1. Wild turkeys stocked in Arkansas during winter 2006-07.Adult Juvenile Adult JuvenileCounty Site male male female female Total Status* Source**Arkansas Hampton Reservoir 2 3 5 2 12 C 1, 2Arkansas Benson Lake 2 1 6 2 11 C 1, 2Lee Dutch Slough 4 0 11 0 15 C 1, 3Chicot Big Creek 0 3 0 0 3 I 2Crittenden Horseshoe Lake - - - - - I -Totals 8 7 22 4 41* Releases designated C are complete; those designated I are incomplete and will be stocked next winter.** Sources (trap sites) include: 1 = Camp Robinson, Pulaski and Faulkner Counties (12 gobblers), 2 = Holla Bend NWR,Pope County (3 gobblers, 15 hens), 3 = Jamestown WMA, Independence County (11 hens)Figure 1. Wild turkey stockings in Arkansas.l 1990sl 2000-06H Winter 2006-072 8 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