BRETT FRENCH | bfrench@billingsgazette.com
Wild turkey numbers have grown in portions of Eastern Montana prompting Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks to propose specific fall hunting tags for the big birds.
The proposal, open to comment through May 27, would reopen fall hunting of gobblers and hens in Fergus and Petroleum counties in Region 4, authorize the use of the existing turkey tag for fall hunting in Region 5 in south-central Montana, and establish a fall tag in Region 7 in southeastern Montana that would only be good on private land.
Under the new proposals, a separate fall turkey license would be required for the Region 4 and 7 hunts to allow FWP to track interest and harvest information.
The issue will be addressed by the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission at its June 19 meeting. More details can be found on the commission’s web page.
Fall turkey hunting, which runs from Sept. 1 through Jan. 1, has been closed in Region 4 since 2022 as an attempt to expand turkey populations in the region, prompted by severe winters in 2018, 2019 and 2020 that lowered bird numbers.
“Since that time, abundant wild turkeys have been creating challenges for landowners,” FWP noted in its proposal.
In Region 4, the fall season would only be open in Fergus and Petroleum counties due to “localized turkey population issues, including problematic concentrations of wild turkeys and game damage complaints,” wrote Cory Loecker, Region 4 wildlife manager.
Prior to 2022, about 71% of all turkey harvest in Region 4 was in Fergus and Petroleum counties. According to FWP data, the average turkey harvest in the two counties before 2022 was 261 turkeys a year.
After the fall closure, the two counties still accounted for almost half of the turkey harvests in Region 4. Since the closure, the average number of turkeys harvested has dropped only slightly to 214. Both counties are about 70% private land which can limit hunting access.
In Region 5, interest in the spring turkey hunt has grown since 2016 when a separate tag was created. Spring harvest between 2004 and 2023 has averaged around 700 birds with a strong climb beginning in 2021. The fall turkey harvest has averaged around 475 birds.
“Congregated turkey complaints in the fall have increased in the last five years,” wrote Ashley Taylor, Region 5 wildlife biologist.
In Region 7, FWP is proposing the fall turkey hunt be allowed on private land only.
“Regional staff have received multiple complaints in recent years about high concentrations of turkeys during the winter in livestock feeding operations and damaging stored crops,” wrote Brett Dorak, Region 7 wildlife manager. “This additional opportunity would allow private landowners and hunters to harvest more turkeys to reduce numbers and disperse turkeys from these localized complaints on private property without adding additional pressure and harvest of turkeys on public lands.”
Dorak noted turkey hunter numbers have climbed since 2020 and turkey populations have been growing since around 2019. The total turkey harvest in Region 7 hit about 3,100 birds last year, up from zero in 2016. Turkey hunters numbered more than 3,700 last year.
Montana’s spring turkey hunting is limited to gobblers only. The season opened on April 15 and runs to May 31.
