WRD Public Meetings Talk Turkey, Antler Regs, Doves

By Jan. 20, there were 624 people who participated in WRD’s public meetings, either through attendance at one of the eight venues around the state, through Facebook Live or by making a comment by email. At press time, there was still time to make comment, and results were still rolling in from WRD online surveys regarding turkey and dove.

As suspected, the hot topic has been possible regulation changes to address a decreasing turkey population. WRD Assistant Chief of Game Management Tina Johannsen was at several meetings and wanted comment on several regulation change options. For starters, she presented the idea of enacting a statewide daily bag limit of one gobbler. Currently, hunters can legally shoot their limit of turkeys in one day. However, she did add that this option wouldn’t necessarily carry over a pile of gobblers.

“The primary goal with these turkey regulations is not just to reduce the number of gobblers killed,” said Tina. “We are finding out with turkeys that they have a very complex breeding cycle, and the primary goal is to reduce disturbance during peak breeding and when hens are first getting on those nests. The fundamental problem is there aren’t enough poults getting hatched, not enough poults making it into the huntable population each year. What’s causing that? We are trying to reduce disturbance during that key time in the woods, and we are also trying to reduce overall harvest on gobblers.”

Tina then presented three different options under discussion to lessen overall foot traffic in the woods.

• Allow only one gobbler during the first 10 days and reduce the season bag limit to two.
• Reduce the season turkey bag limit from three to two.
• Allow only one gobbler during the first 10 days of the statewide season and keep the season limit at three.

“Most of those making comments agree the population is declining and changes are needed, and there were lots of discussion on what those changes should be,” said Tina.

In another effort to reduce the footprint in the spring woods, WRD is looking at an option to keep all WMAs closed to hunting until the second Saturday in April. This would include quota turkey hunts.

“The goal is to minimize disturbance to breeding birds; having any quota hunts during that period would be defeating the purpose,” said Tina.

In buck news, WRD floated an idea of simplifying existing statewide antler restrictions. Currently, one buck must meet a standard of 4 points on one side. What was brought up for discussion is allowing that one “quality” buck to have either 4 points on one side or a 15-inch outside spread.

“What that is going to do is allow you to shoot those big 6-pointers that anyone can tell is an older buck but doesn’t meet the current antler restrictions,” said Tina.

Tina Johannsen, WRD’s assistant chief of Game Management.

It was noted that Dooly and Macon counties would remain unchanged.

A possible October dove season was brought up for discussion. If that happens, WRD would have to delay the first and/or third season start to provide the opportunity.

“Right now everything is still in the discussion phase,” said Tina. “The proposed regs will be sent to the Board in late March, although the date is still TBD because of COVID. Then the final proposed version will be up online, and we’ll have three public hearings and one virtual in mid April, so hunters will have a second chance to comment on the final version of the regs.”

If you were one of several hundred who emailed a response, it was noted.

“I read literally every single email that came in, and I tabulated the input. I want hunters to know that those emails do get read,” said Tina.