2017 Georgia WMA Turkey Hunting Special

On paper, WMA turkey harvest numbers took a nosedive during the 2016 spring gobbler season. However, in reality, news of the lowest-recorded WMA hunter-success rate (5.3 percent) in the last 12 years may not be so bleak.

“We expect WMA hunter success to go down some because of the overall declining trends we’ve seen in reproduction the last several years, but much of the WMA decline we saw last year was very likely the result of DNR changing to an online harvest reporting system,” said Kevin Lowrey, wild turkey project coordinator with WRD. “Last year was the first time WMA turkey hunters were required to report their harvest online rather than at the WMA check station. I would imagine that since Game Check was brand-new last year, it resulted in a number of harvested birds not getting reported. Hopefully, the system is now more familiar, and this spring we will not have the same issue.”

With one turkey season and one deer season of Game Check under hunters’ belts, hopefully we’re fixing to enter a time where we’ll have access to the most accurate WMA harvest and hunter information we’ve ever had.

The chart below shows a long list of WMAs that offered turkey hunting during the spring of 2016, along with each WMA’s harvest and hunter numbers.

WMAs can differ greatly in the turkey hunting opportunities they offer. Some WMAs offer quota hunting only, while others are non-quota and open the entire state season. A handful of WMAs offer quota hunting during the first part of the season and then have a general hunting season during the second half of the season. Some areas offer adult/child hunts only. Make sure you refer to the 2016-17 Georgia Hunting Seasons & Regulations booklet before turkey hunting any WMA.

WMA Quota Hunts: Feb. 15 is the last day for hunters to apply for a 2017 WMA turkey quota hunt—general and adult/child hunts. You’ll need to apply online at www.gohuntgeorgia.org. Just click “Hunting,” and scroll down to “Quota Hunts.”

If you only want to earn a “priority point” so you can use them in a year or two to gain access to the more difficult WMAs to get on to, you can do that, too.

This year’s quota-hunt choices are listed on page 38. These are the same choices you’ll see when you go online to apply. Some of these hunts require no priority points, while others require several. At press time, GON was still waiting to hear from DNR’s licensing unit to get priority point information.  DNR’s priority-point table gives hunters a great idea on how many priority points to use when applying for a specific hunt. If we do receive that information prior to Feb. 15, we’ll post it at www.gon.com on our “Turkey” page.

Adult/Child Quota: Thirteen WMAs or PFAs will host a youth turkey hunting opportunity in a quota environment. In order to apply for one of these, the youth must have an online username and password when going to the WRD quota-hunt system. Adults must accompany the child on those hunts but can’t do the shooting.

Non-Quota: There is some non-quota WMA opportunity where the turkey hunting can be pretty impressive. On page 39, you’ll see a ranking of the top-20 WMAs where non-quota hunting opportunities took place last year.  You can find some real gems amongst this list of WMAs. Interestingly, the 700-acre Otting Tract boasted the highest hunter-success rate for non-quota WMAs. The 22 hunters killed four turkeys for an impressive 18.2 percent hunter-success rate.

“Otting sits atop Lookout Mountain on the banks of the Little River and is mostly wooded (oak-hickory-pine forest) in a landscape with scattered agricultural fields,” said Adam Hammond, WRD biologist. “The WMA has thinned and burned woodlands, managed fallow fields that are typically managed in rotation with prescribed fire, and cutovers that provide quality nesting and brood-rearing habitat. Combine that with relatively low pressure, and you’ve got a winning combination.”

There’s lots and lots to think about on these four pages, but don’t think too long. The 2017 Georgia turkey season will be here on March 25, and the quota-hunt deadline is Feb. 15.

Mark Williams, of Blackshear, shot this tom on Little Satilla WMA last April.