Commission Proposes Earlier Turkey Season

HOT SPRINGS — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission heard the first reading of a proposal to change the 2027 Arkansas turkey hunting season date structure at Thursday’s meeting, held during the second annual Generation Conservation Summit at Hot Springs Convention Center and Bank OZK Arena. The proposed change, if approved, would move turkey season one week earlier for the vast majority of Arkansas turkey hunters.

The change reflects the wishes of the Regulations and Resource Management Committee after robust discussions following a presentation by former commissioners Jim Hinkle and Ken Reeves on Wednesday.

“The thrill of turkey hunting is getting to call at a gobbling turkey; there’s nothing like it,” Reeves said. “When you hit that call and one gobbles right on top of it, that’s what we live for.”

Hinkle reiterated the statement, speaking to the number of changes turkey hunters have endured in the last decade.

“I think this is a minimal change that we are asking for,” Hinkle said. “And certainly, if you came to us a year from now and said, ‘This didn’t work; it hurt our population; Ken and I are going to be for going bac. We’re for the birds.’”

The proposed season dates will be as follows:

Zone 1 — April 12-May 2, 2027
Zone 1A — April 12-20, 2027
Zones 2 and 3 — April 5-25, 2027
Zone 2A — April 5-13, 2027
Youth Turkey Hunt, Zones 1, 1A, 2, 2A and 3 — April 3-4, 2027

No other regulation changes concerning turkey hunting are being considered in the current proposal.

The Commission will gather public comment on the revised season through a survey at the following link: https://agfc1.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0UhKPBHRp0BBNVI

They are expected to consider action on the regulation following a 30-day comment period.

Education Chief Mary Beth Hatch revealed the artwork for the 2027 AGFC Conservation License Plate. The new artwork, created by AGFC art director Greta James, depicts an American alligator in a cypress swamp and is the 11th license plate she has designed for the AGFC.

Click here for a video about the American alligator and its recovery in The Natural State.

Arkansas Conservation License Plates cost an additional $35 over the regular cost of vehicle registration, with $10 used for processing fees and the remaining $25 directly supporting conservation education programs, scholarships, internships and land purchases for conservation in Arkansas. The program, which began in 2000, supplies more than $1.1 million per year for conservation in Arkansas.

Commissioners also heard a presentation from Clint Johnson, AGFC Quail Program coordinator, who shared an overview of his program and the status of northern bobwhite in Arkansas. According to Johnson, the program revolves around managing and restoring grassland habitat that benefits quail and many other bird species with declining populations across the Southeast.

“Northern bobwhite are what we call a brush obligate grassland bird,” Johnson said. “If you remember anything we say here it’s these three words: grass, weeds and brush. … Quail need bunch grasses that grow in clumps to offer a mix of cover and bare ground … weeds are all those native wildflowers and broad-leaved forbs that produce the seeds the birds need … brush gives escape cover from predators and severe weather.”

Johnson then compared various habitats prominent in Arkansas, which hammered home the lack of these ideal conditions for quail. Much of Arkansas’s landmass may have one or two of Johnson’s ideal grass-weeds-brush mix, but rarely will a property have all three in the abundance needed to benefit quail.

“We’ve lost 99 percent of our native grasslands in Arkansas,” Johnson said. “But we’re implementing programs for private landowners to help bring these conditions back and we’re working on public land to restore these areas where we can.”

Johnson then showed comparisons of some public areas where quail have declined over the last 20 years, illustrating how patchy, old field and prairie habitats were slowly overtaken by forests, hindering quail production, and some of the work that’s been done in the last five years to restore grasslands. Herbicides, prescribed fire and forest thinning were critical components of restoration work as well as maintenance of these habitats. [CLICK HERE FOR PRESENTATION]

In other business, the Commission:

• Approved a budget increase of $3.5 million to complete work for the renovation of the Charlie “C.B.” Craig State Fish Hatchery in Centerton. The project is well ahead of schedule thanks to dry conditions and a highly capable contractor, and the appropriation will enable crews to continue working toward completion during the remainder of the fiscal year while construction conditions remain excellent.

• Approved a 0.5-acre utility easement with the Yell County Water Association for the installation of underground water transmission pipes through a corner of Petit Jean River Wildlife Management Area.

• Approved a minute order to provide legal defense and pay for outside counsel, if needed, for AGFC staff acting within the scope of their official duties in a federal lawsuit recently filed by two former employees of the agency.

A video of the meeting is available on the AGFC’s YouTube Channel.

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CUTLINES:

TURKEYS
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission proposed a change to move turkey season a week earlier throughout most of the state beginning in 2027. AGFC photo by Mike Wintroath.

WOMAN SPEAKING
AGFC Education Chief Mary Beth Hatch presented the artwork for the 2027 AGFC Conservation License Plate at Thursday’s meeting. AGFC photo by Mike Wintroath.

MAN PRESENTING
AGFC Quail Program Coordinator Clint Johnson highlighted the management needed to restore and maintain northern bobwhite habitat. AGFC photo by Mike Wintroath.