Thursday, March 1, 2007

Turkey Seasons Open


For some, the long wait is over. Two states open turkey seasons this week.

While it's still definitely late winter here in the Northeast, Hawaii's spring turkey season began this morning, and runs for the month of March. Florida's "south zone" turkey hunts commence Saturday. Others open later this month.

Aloha State all-day hunts are for two gobblers, and hunter education certificates are required. Some units are archery only in a state that holds an estimated 30,000 Rio Grande gobblers.

Sunshine State hunts offer Grand Slammers a chance at Osceolas, though northern Florida panhandle turkeys are Easterns. Bag limits are one per day, and two per season, while Holmes County offers just one bird. You'll need a hunter ed. card if born after 6/1/1975 (no worries here), and young hunters under 16 are ok with adult supervision. WMA hunts start 1/2 hr. before sunrise and run until 1 p.m., while elsewhere it's the same start time until sunset. Some 150,000 turkeys roam Florida . . .

(NWTF photo)