Arkansas turkey hunters checked in slightly more birds during the recent spring turkey season compared to the 2021 edition.
From April 18 to May 8, hunters checked 7,578 turkeys, an 8% increase from last year's total of 7,013 turkeys. That includes birds killed during the statewide youth turkey season held April 9-10. Despite high winds and a cold snap in most of the state, youth hunters killed 887 birds, also an 8% increase over the the 821 killed during the same period in 2021.
Youth hunters checked 253 immature gobblers -- jakes -- accounting for about 3.3% of the overall kill. Youth hunters are allowed no more than one jake. From 2000-2010, all hunters had been allowed to kill one jake, which resulted in jakes comprising up to 25% of the annual kill. Before 2000, jakes could make up a hunter's entire season bag limit for the season, and 40% to 60% of the annual harvest was made up of these first-year gobblers.
Jeremy Wood, the commission's turkey program coordinator, said that good turkey reproduction in 2020 created conditions for better hunter success in 2022.
"We were cautiously optimistic that we would see a better harvest this year, and the harvest result was a good indication that the metrics we use continue to be good indicators of the population's status," Wood said.
Conservative regulations facilitated better gobbler carryover, or the survival of gobblers from 2021-22. Those regulations helped offset losses of young-of-the-year turkeys to excessive rainfall in 2019.
"Turkey poults can't thermoregulate for their first few weeks of life, so they are dependent on the hen to keep them out of the elements," Wood said. "Four of the five lowest reproductive years on record occurred in the last decade, all of which saw similarly poor weather conditions at this critical time of a poult's life."
It is too early to assess the success of the 2022 breeding season, but hunters and wildlife watchers can provide valuable data with observation log books available from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
"One of the best ways the public can help is by contributing to the annual turkey and quail population survey. They can visit agfc.com/turkeysurvey and record sightings. They can also download the app Survey123 to their phone. When they see a turkey, whether it's a gobbler, single hen or hen with poults, simply add it to the survey. This helps fill the gaps in data and enables biologists to continue making informed decisions on the state's turkey management."
Browning wins MFL event
Stephen Browning of Hot Springs, a veteran professional angler on multiple tours, caught 17 scorable bass weighing 44 pounds, 5 ounces in the Championship Round to win the Builders FirstSource Patriot Cup in Dallas.
The event aired Saturday on the Outdoor Channel and Monday on the MyOutdoorTV app. The victory pushed Browning's career earnings to more than $1.6 million.
Browning dominated the six-day event, winning his Elimination Round, Sudden Death Round and Championship Round of competition.
"Woo wee, that was fun!" Browning said in his post-tournament interview with MLF analyst Marty Stone. "Look at these goosebumps on my arm. That's how much this means to me. It was a battle, and I knew it was going to be. I just kept thinking to myself, 'Don't get off your game plan. Fish your strengths, fish slow, fish thorough, make multiple casts and just let them come to you instead of trying to push it.' It worked out perfect."
Browning dialed into a pattern targeting the standing timber, which was plentiful in the Championship Round on Lavon Lake.
"I did all of my work on a 3/8-ounce bladed jig with a straight tail trailer on it," Browning said. "Anytime I've got that bait in my hand I've got so much confidence. The biggest thing is I was fishing in super-shallow water."
Finishing second were Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla., (14 bass, 36-1 pounds), followed by Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., (10/23-7), James Elam of Tulsa (11/22-0), Jeff Sprague of Point, Texas (12/20-4), John Cox of DeBary, Fla. (7/14-0), Michael Neal of Dayton, Tenn. (4/9-15) and Wesley Strader of Spring City, Tenn. (5/8-13).
Evers and Reese are Bassmaster Classic champions.