Arkansas takes away our fall turkey hunting ...AGAIN

[Arkansaslongbow]

Last year, we hunters who live in Arkansas bought hunting license that had our fall archery tag for turkeys, they published the hunting regulations stating the season for them {5 months oct 1 thru feb 28 1 bird} BUT 7 days before season started the game commision publicly warned hunters that the season was closed due to the numbers being down; the fight was on but it done no good; NOW found out that they have done it again this year not allowing bowhunters or gun hunters to have a fall seaon...   :mad:

I am not one to fuss but have talked to the state president and he stated that our turkeys numbers have taken a small hit but the population was healthy and the information that the AGFC(arkansas game and fish commision} has does not suppport them closing the season;

Looks like I will have to pass thanksgiving turkey again this fall; I don't mind a reduced season but to completely take away the season because the numbers are down seems unfair to me; quail numbers have been down for years here but they haven't taken away their season..  

[BradLantz]

our turkey population is NOT healthy - ask around how many poulets/chicks people are seeing and the answers? few and far between

continued long spring seasons, 2-3 tom limits and a continued ignorance to wild hogs and predator control = a diaster

AG&F are always reactive and 5 years behind on what's happening in our state IMO.

Also, I've heard plenty of rumors of AG&F trapping birds and trading to other states

once you lose a season (a season BTW that had like a .5% impact on total turkey kills each year) you rarely get it back

[bolong]

I will agree that our turkey population is definitely down and with the AG&FC managing it they could very easily wind up like our quail.

[buckster]

ouch!

[stevemfwills]

sorry too hear that...they are talking about extending ours.what is your spring bag limit.ours is one bearded bird and fall is whatever..

[Dave Lay]

Arkansas has as said above always been reactive, but our commision board is appointed good ole boys and usually have no real management experience, I know of a couple ag&f bioligsts that are VERY frustrated,as alot of thier suggestions go unheard . we need a board of elected officials who would have to answer to the people. Look at Missouri, they have such superior turkey and deer management to us,alot could be learned from some of our neighboring states, if we have no impact on the turkey population with a fall hunt, why not let us hunt them, and like said above take a better look at the overall picture .. Ark. has always been really lame with thier game management

[arky714]

On my farm the turkey population is down 90 percent they should have closed the spring season too...might be too little too late..Iam in the woods almost every day..10 years ago we hade over 70 turkey that lived on this farm..now you see very few...the fire ants have almost destroyed all small ground living wildlife...if you don't believe me  come role in my horse pasture for 10 minutes,,,get to meet mr fire ant first hand..Dave Weiner...Bonnerdale

[mwmwmb]

I agree that we needed to something. But to close the fall season will have little if any benifit. Last year was the first year I had a turkey in bow range.

[SkottyBoy]

I have yet to do the research on declining numbers of turkey but NE Arkansas does not seem to be affected. At least not where I hunt. And do fireants really play that big a role?  They are in all the costal states in the southeast and up into south Carolina. Seems to me we have an over abundance of coons, wild hogs, and wild cats all of which are targets when I am in the woods!  I think we should raise restrictions on hogs and hunt them year around. Just my 2 pennies.

[arky714]

I did not know there were any restrictions on hogs in arkansas.see hog shoot hog...

[SkottyBoy]

Sorry, should have been more specific.  I hunt WMAs, no access to private land of my own.

[ridgerunner_sc]

Sorry to hear about the fall season being down ..
Here in South Carolina we have no fall season..due to deer baiters...When I lived in NY I loved Hunting fall turkeys its really a very special time...

[hill boy]

I'm sure the population is down in places but I seen hundreds last year in northern arkansas and I'm not exagerating.I haven't looked at the amount of turkeys that bowhunters tagged year before last but it is very few on an annual basis .A large percentage that are harvested by bow would have died from natural causes anyway.The reason we don't get to hunt turkeys with a bow in the fall is because the big money gun hunters cry that if they dont get to blastem with a gun then we shouldn't be allowed to hunt them with a bow.Arkansas game and fish represent are government well by making ludicrous regulations and trying to take credit for anything the public does on it's own.I wish we could get them to manage the mosquito population they could elminate them.

[D.A. Davis]

I too saw bunches and bunches of turkeys last year in the Fall.  A big problem we've got in Arkansas is an over population of predators.  The G&F are begging people to take up predator hunting to help stop some of these turkey nest raiders.  My grandson and I are going to try and do what we can this year to thin some of them out where we hunt.