APR 12, 2021   |   Voice of Leadership Panel

Give and Take

By Matt Stewart

Editor - Turkey Country Magazine

Responsibility comes with the territory. As conservationists and hunters, we are responsible for using our natural resources wisely, and that comes with a laundry list of items — whether it be the land we use or the game animals we hunt.

It’s our responsibility to know the current climate of the state(s) we hunt, including its regulations, ongoing wild turkey research and more. The NWTF’s annual Spring Hunt Guide https://www.nwtf.org/hunt/article/2021-spring-hunt-guide can help with that, and we encourage all hunters to review state overviews in the guide and then refer to their state wildlife agency’s official website and regulations before heading afield this spring.

There’s no doubt, 2020 was a banner year in terms of the number of hunters who hit the turkey woods. That’s great news for state wildlife agencies, which depend on license sales for revenue, and for conservation efforts, which are largely funded based on each state’s hunting license sales and a cut from national firearm and ammunition excise taxes.

A rough estimate from reporting states in the fall of 2020 showed that nearly three-fourths of states saw an increase in hunter numbers last spring. That same unofficial survey also came with a similar increase in wild turkey harvests in reporting states. More hunters, more harvests. It goes without saying.

Even before the pandemic hit and resulted in an increase in hunters and harvests in many states, wild turkey reproduction and declining populations were being studied in some areas of the country. A few states already had regulation changes in the works, moving season dates back or limiting harvests in the early season to allow for more breeding to take place.

In 2020, South Carolina, for example, limited the number of gobblers a hunter can take in the first week of the season and delayed the start of the turkey season in certain state zones. For 2021, Tennessee has reduced its statewide bag limit and delayed the season in certain areas and counties. Arkansas made similar changes by shifting its season back and limiting harvest in the first seven days statewide.

Several states are also instituting or changing the requirements for game check-in procedures, whether that be online, by phone or otherwise. Reporting of harvests has historically been low, but it’s critical to help state wildlife agencies with harvest data.

These types of changes are our responsibility to know as hunters. We’ll still hunt with the same fervor in the spring, celebrate our success and share those stories, but we’ve also got to practice responsible recreation. That takes on two meanings in today’s climate: staying safe and healthy while being outdoors with others and understanding how each of us affects wild turkey management for future populations.

It’s a give and take that has lasted for more than a half century. In the beginning, we gave back more than we took. For the sustainability of wild turkey hunting at its current levels and to see populations flourish again, it’s likely time we examine our internal inventory.

Does that mean taking a new hunter on his or her first hunt instead of tagging out this season? Or does it mean abiding by your state’s regulations and making sure others do the same? Maybe it’s just a matter of getting more involved with a local NWTF chapter to help fundraise for conservation. After an unprecedented 2020, these are all questions each of us need to consider in 2021.

Matt Stewart, Editor

Turkey Country Magazine
mstewart@nwtf.net

2020-2021 The Hunting Wire Voice of Leadership Panel

The Voice of Leadership Panel is an appointed six-person group of outdoor industry leaders who have volunteered to contribute their voices on key hunting and outdoor recreation issues to inform, inspire, and educate participants within our community.

  • Jim Curcuruto, Hunting and Firearms Industry Consultant
  • Mandy Harling, National Director of Hunting Heritage Programs, National Wild Turkey Federation
  • Jenifer Wisniewski, Chief, Outreach and Communication, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
  • Joel Brice, Vice President, Waterfowl & Hunter Recruitment Programs, Delta Waterfowl
  • Makayla Scott, Montreat College Shotgun Team
  • Cyrus Baird, Manager of Government Relations, Safari Club International

Facilitators:

  • James “Jay” Pinsky, Editor, The Hunting Wire
  • Peter Churchbourne, Director, NRA Hunter Leadership Forum