Spring Turkey Season Tips

Hunting is generally a fall activity, however, there are a few spring hunts in Idaho that provide a great opportunity to get outside and enjoy the warming weather. The general turkey season opens April 15. With turkey populations currently very high, there should be plenty of opportunity to put one on the table. However, since many turkeys spend most of their time on private property, be sure you know where you are hunting. If you want to hunt on posted or private property, you need the landowner's permission. Most property owners with turkeys are willing to allow hunting because growing turkey populations can lead to a messy situation for some landowners. Landowners interested in welcoming hunters in the Panhandle Region are encouraged to call Fish and Game at (208) 769-1414. Fish and Game can connect landowners to hunters benefiting both during this exciting season. Due to the keen senses possessed by wild turkeys, hunters dress in complete camouflage, use decoys and dozens of different calls that imitate turkeys, to attract them into range. While these techniques can be very effective at fooling turkeys, they can have the same effect on hunters who might mistake them for the real thing. Hunting is statistically a very safe pursuit. Yet, the use of complete camouflage clothing and the call of the quarry pose specific concerns for the safety of turkey hunters. The National Wild Turkey Federation offers guidelines on the safe use of decoys while hunting turkeys, as well as other safety tips hunters should consider. A detailed list of turkey hunting safety tips is available on Fish and Game's website at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/hunt/?getPage=132. Turkey populations declined in the early 1900's, nearly reaching extinction following a century of habitat change and unregulated harvest. The few remaining turkeys lived in the most inaccessible habitats. By the Great Depression, only 30,000 wild turkeys were estimated to remain in the U.S. The regeneration of forest stands after the depression set the stage for the resurgence of the wild turkey. Today, thanks to hunters, game agencies and wildlife conservation organizations including the National Wild Turkey Federation, more than 7 million wild turkeys roam the continent, with populations large enough to hunt in every U.S. state except Alaska. Today, around 2.5 million sportsmen stalk wild turkeys in the U.S., even in states without native populations; including the Pacific Northwest states.