Turkey Season Summary - Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

Looking OutFor Arkansas’s longbeardsConservation education is one of the mostimportant missions of the ArkansasGame and Fish Commission. Thevery future of wildlife conservation hinges oneducated and informed citizens – without them,who will speak for wildlife? To help educatethe general public, we have increased educationstaff and programs, built nature and educationcenters, published award-winning Web sites andmagazines, and sought innovative ways to reachout to a changing audience.We also have increased our efforts to workwith and educate Arkansas hunters andlandowners. Programs such as the DeerManagement Assistance Program, federal FarmBill programs and the National Wild TurkeyFederation’s Hunting Heritage State Super Fundhave been developed and implemented, andprivate lands biologists have been added to theAGFC to help landowners with managementdecisions.Despite all the improvements in educationand technology, we still look for new avenuesto inform our hunting public about the manyprograms taking place year-round to monitor theturkey population and improve wildlife habitatand hunting opportunities throughout the state.This annual report is much more than simpleharvest numbers; it is a tour through some ofthe AGFC’s many surveys as we follow the wildturkey throughout the year.If you are interested in helping conservehabitat and promoting the future of turkeyhunting in Arkansas, I encourage you to joinus in our conservation mission. We constantlyseek participants for hunting and observationsurveys and are always open to feedback from thepublic. If you would like to voice your concernsabout the turkey season or turkey habitat inArkansas, please plan to attend one of our springturkey season public meetings in August. If youcan’t attend a meeting, we’re happy to acceptyour comments through letters and e-mailsyear-round.The wild turkey holds a special place in thehearts of many Arkansans. With the help oforganizations like the National Wild TurkeyFederation and hunters throughout the state, wehope to keep it that way for the next generationof hunters.Scott Henderson, AGFC Director