Turkey Hunts Open April 15

Spring wild turkey hunts in most turkey hunting units will begin April 15. General hunts for bearded turkeys are held in units 8, 8A, 10, 10A, 11, 11A, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 31, 32 (except the portion of that unit in Payette County) 32A, 33, and 39 beginning April 15 and running through May 25. General hunts run May 1 through May 25 in units 1, 2 (except Farragut State Park and Farragut Wildlife Management Area), 3, 4, 4A, 5 and 6. April 15 is also the opening for controlled hunts in some units. Other controlled hunts begin April 22 and May 1. Hunters must have applied for controlled turkey hunts by February 15. Hunters may take two bearded turkeys in the spring but only one on any single day. Turkey tags cost the same as they did after April 30 last year, $18 each. (One turkey of either sex is allowed in fall hunting, so a turkey hunter has a potential for three birds in one year.) Current information can be found in the 2001 wild turkey proclamation booklet, available at license vendors, Fish and Game offices and on the Internet at http://www2.state.id.us/fishgame. The booklet explains seasons and rules in detail as well as offering maps showing the distribution of turkey populations in Idaho. Wild turkey populations have done well in recent years in Idaho with an aggressive transplanting program. Hunting participation has grown to match, from a few hundred hunters in the 1980s to around 17,000 in Idaho last year. About 5,000 turkeys were taken in last year's spring and fall hunts combined. A mild winter assured little or no winterkill in turkey populations while brood conditions were excellent across most areas of Idaho last year. Good numbers of birds are expected wherever wild turkeys are found in Idaho.