Like elsewhere in the west, wild turkey populations and distributions in Utah have undergone some major changes due to major management efforts by the state wildlife agency. However, one of the things Utahns are struggling with is change in the number of permits.
Over the past ten years only a handfull of turkey tags were issued through a drawing system. As interest in turkey hunting increased it became very difficult to draw a tag. There was a bonus point system, plus a three year waiting period to be eligible again once you drew a tag. The upside to this was there there were very few hunters out and hunter success was often in the 90+% range.
Now the Division of Wildlife Resources is moving to increase the number of tags with the end goal being unlimited over-the-counter tags within a year or two. I am excited about this, but many new-commers to Utah turkey hunting are fighting it. All they have known is naive birds, no hunting pressure and extremely high success rates. A 90% hunter success rate is a waste. Turkeys should be managed like the upland game bird they are. Think about it, a three year old bird is an old gobbler. We should be aiming for 20 – 30% harvest rates like the turkey states in the mid-west and east.
I’d rather have an opportunity to hunt turkeys every year and hone my skills, than only be able to hunt a turkey once every five years or more. When I hear someone complaining about the Division offering too many turkey tags for sale, my response is, “why don’t you learn how to really hunt turkeys rather than shooting fish in a barrel.”
We had an awesome hunt this year on the Zion unit during the late season. Unfortunately Julie missed her bird, but we had a great time.
