Spring Turkey Season Opens Soon - GovDelivery

Spring turkey hunters should see a good mixture of mature gobblers and fearless young toms.

Last season, hunters observed good numbers of two-year-old gobblers throughout most of the state’s Rio Grande turkey range. With good carryover of those birds, prospects are bright for calling in some big boss toms this season, says TPWD turkey program leader Jason Hardin. Read the full forecast.

“Rio hunters should do well this spring,” Hardin predicts. “There will be a good distribution of age classes on gobblers across the Rio Grande turkey range this season. A few jakes were observed across the Rio range last year, so there should be a good number of less wary birds out there.”

Last summer’s rains provided a much-needed bump in turkey production late in the nesting season and hunters can also anticipate seeing a handful of jakes again in the mix this spring.

As for eastern turkey prospects, Hardin indicates growing populations north of U.S. Highway 82 along the Red River from Grayson to Bowie County. “Reports out of the Pineywoods have been mixed and I expect we will see a bump in harvest, but nothing substantial,” he says. “Landowners, managers and hunters who observed eastern turkeys last year will be seeing them again this year.” 

Hunters now have three ways to meet mandatory reporting requirements for harvested eastern turkeys:

1. Use our new My Texas Hunt Harvest mobile app to report your turkey harvest. Download the app now for Android. (The iOS version will be available soon.)
2. Report online
3. Report at traditional check stations

With My Texas Hunt Harvest, you can:

• Log your harvested game animals.
• View your harvest history, including dates and locations of every hunt.
• Eastern Turkey hunters can now conveniently check their harvested game with the app instead of having to visit physical check stations.
• After a one-time login, you can easily access your TPWD customer number for future reference.

Game Wardens will accept app and online turkey harvest reporting as valid means of reporting eastern turkey harvests.This will be the final hunting season that physical check stations will be open as TPWD is transitioning from physical check stations for mandatory eastern turkey harvest reporting to electronic reporting in spring 2016.

Hunters who use the electronic reporting options will be issued a confirmation number upon completion of the registration process. Hunters still have to tag harvested birds.

Learn more about My Texas Hunt Harvest.

Public Hunting Lands offer nine opportunities for walk-in hunts of eastern turkey:

• Region 4 – Dallas/Fort Worth has two hunting areas open for spring eastern turkey
• Region 5 -Pineywoods contains seven hunting areas 

Hunters on Public Hunting Lands are required to have in their possession:

• Current hunting license
• Upland game bird endorsement
• Annual Public Hunting permit
• Every hunter (including out-of-state hunters) born on or after Sept. 2, 1971 must show proof of hunter education certification.

Check with U.S. Corps of Engineers and U.S. Forest Service for information on other turkey hunting opportunities.

Image courtesy of National Wild Turkey Federation

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is considering a brief slate of proposed turkey hunting regulation changes for next year's 2015-2016 season. Recommendations include:

• Close spring eastern turkey hunting in 11 East Texas counties
• Restructure the season in two other counties
• Extend the youth-only fall turkey season.

Read more and comment about proposed changes.