Spring turkey outlook
By Brian Wakeling, big game supervisor, Arizona Game and Fish Department

Spring turkey hunts this year have the potential to be really good–or, really bad.

Turkey populations do not typically respond to dry winters the way most wildlife populations do. Overwinter survival, and hence spring populations, are highly dependent on winter food availability. Last fall, most areas of the state had good production of mast (acorns, pinyon pine seed and other seeds). This provides the food that turkeys heavily rely on throughout the winter. Couple ample food resources with an already robust turkey population, a good poult crop last spring, and little snow to limit their access to food, and there are likely to be excellent turkey populations in most parts of the state.

A year ago the Arizona Game and Fish Commission authorized a record number of spring permits for 2005, and hunters harvested a record number of gobblers. The number of permits offered in spring 2006 is another record. Many people are reporting encounters with large flocks of birds in areas where there have not been a lot of turkeys in the past.

Now for the bad news. The incredibly dry winter may result in turkeys breeding less predictably and moving to places that they normally don’t inhabit until the snows melt later in the spring. Although abundant, turkeys might not be easy to locate because they may not be calling actively, and they won’t be where they were in recent springs. And, despite the precipitation we received in March, it is possible the Forest Service may need to restrict access to some areas to deal with fire dangers. Check before you head out.

If you have a spring tag, be persistent. Turkeys will still be responsive during the spring season, and they will still come to calls; they may simply be quieter and more elusive than they usually are. If you are having difficulty finding turkeys, try a little higher elevation than what you are used to hunting. Consider varying your techniques by using a variety of calls, and try calling in mid-day as well as in mornings.

The only portion of the state where wildlife managers indicate that turkey populations have been lower recently is north of the Colorado River. For the past several springs, hunt success has been low on the Kaibab. However, hunt success jumped up this fall and the population is in good condition. The birds will be there, the odds just won’t be stacked in your favor.