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Turkey hunting is a mixed bag in state Saturday, Mar 29, 2008 By Joe Mosby Turkey hunting in Arkansas is a mixed bag, even more than deer hunting. There are pockets of good turkey action each year and areas of few turkeys. These can vary widely year by year, but statewide, the numbers of turkeys checked by hunters have been down for a couple of seasons. The spring 2008 season is shaping up to be very much a mixed bag - and that was before major flooding hit the state. Zone 17 along the Mississippi River, the eastern and north-central Ozarks, the northern portion of the Ouachitas and the southern Gulf Coastal Plain counties along the Louisiana line, in that order, held the best prospects for this spring, according to Mike Widner, turkey program coordinator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. "Flood water from the recent rains will interfere with hunting, at least during the early part of the season, in Zone 17 and some other areas," he said. Two-year old gobblers should be relatively abundant in Zone 17, the eastern and north-central Ozarks, the northern Ouachitas, and lower Ouachita River area, Widner said. "Two-year old gobblers contribute heavily to spring turkey harvest when they are available," he added. "The western Ozarks, northern Gulf Coastal Plain and southwest Arkansas are still behind the 8-ball, as continued below average hatches will continue to result in poor harvests in these regions," he said. Widner went on to say that some areas may be up slightly, some down slightly, with overall harvest similar to 2007. "The steep decline in spring harvest that we've seen in recent years should not occur in 2008, but it could start back up if we don't see some better reproduction soon," he warned. The shorter season in 2007 apparently helped carry over more gobblers than had occurred for several years. "Those birds should contribute to gobbling activity and harvest in 2008. Near normal temperatures during March appear to be resulting in a later green-up than last year and sporadic gobbling to date. Gobbling should improve soon, as birds reach their first peak, and again later, as hens head to the nest in late April," Widner said. Because of the recent flooding, the eastern Ozarks would appear to be the bright spot right now, according to Widner. In the mountains and uplands of Arkansas, turkeys often nest close to streams, so out-of-bank flooding in April and May can be detrimental in these areas, Widner said. In southern states, wet weather is mostly associated with increased efficiency by predators in locating nesting hens and breaking up nests. Turkey reproduction tends to be better in dry springs, although other factors can come into play. Flooding and other weather-related factors are only one piece to the puzzle in terms of successful turkey reproduction each spring, Widner stated. "Nest predator numbers, the physiological condition of hens and the number of adult hens available to nest are other factors that are important," he said. Spring Turkey Season: - Zones 1, 2, 3, 4B, 5, 5B, 6, 7, 7A, 8, 9, and 10 - April 12-May 2. - Zones 1A, 4, 4A, 5A and 9A - April 12-25. - Zone 17 - April 5-27, 2008. Spring Turkey Season Youth Hunt: - Zones 1, 1A, 2, 3, 4, 4A, 4B, 5, 5A, 5B, 6, 7, 7A, 8, 9, 9A and 10 - April 5-6. - Zone 17 - March 29-30. -------- Joe Mosby is the retired news editor of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Arkansas' best known outdoor writer. His work is distributed by the Arkansas News Bureau in Little Rock. He can be reached by e-mail at jhmosby@cyberback.com. |
