It's the day for which all turkey hunters have been waiting for the past 10 months -- opening day is approaching. There are a lot of places in the state to hunt, but when those bronze barons start sounding off, where should you be?

Steve Barnett, wildlife biologist for the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (DWFF), says the turkey population forecast for spring 2005 looks excellent.

"The current statewide population is estimated at 450,000 birds," he says. "We're experiencing expanding populations in some parts of the state, especially in northwest Alabama. We've been lucky for quite a few years with good nesting success and poult survival. We've also had really good mast production in the fall. Another thing you can attribute it to is that more landowners are getting familiar with what you need to do to improve your habitat for turkeys. I don't think you can point to any one thing as the reason for the good recruitment."

NWTF PARTNERSHIPS
One thing that has helped turkeys in the state is cooperative projects between the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) and the DWFF. Ongoing projects include the following:

The Tuskegee Ranger District of the U.S. Forest Service is planting 22 acres of wildlife openings in both cool-season and-warm season plantings, including oats, wheat, crimson clover and rye grass.

The Lauderdale County Cooperative received an ATV-mounted sprayer for use in the Lauderdale WMA and the Seven Mile Island WMA. Biologists are using the sprayer to apply herbicide to maintain road edges and other areas in an early successional stage, which comprise crucial bugging areas for young turkeys. The sprayer also is used during prescribed burns to assist with putting out fires that have jumped fire lines.

The Talladega Ranger District of the U.S. Forest Service received lime and fertilizer for 30 acres of wildlife openings, to be applied prior to planting.

Photo by Mark & Sue Werner

The U.S. Forest Service and the DWFF are working on a joint project to improve turkey habitat on the Blue Springs WMA. Improvement activities including liming, fertilizing, planting of brown top millet and sorghum, planting up to 1.5 acres of chufa, installing gates to restrict access on seasonally closed roads, and purchasing and installing signs in the area to give credit to the partners working on the project.

The DWFF and the Alabama Chapter of the NWTF also have partnered on several land acquisition projects with land purchased and added to the WMA system. Currently, the DWFF and the NWTF have funded the purchase of about 7,000 acres that have been added to the WMA system statewide.

YOUTH TURKEY HUNTING
"One of the newest endeavors initiated by our Division is the establishment of the state's first Youth Turkey Hunting Area in 2004," Barnett says. "We partnered with a landowner in Mobile County -- the University of South Alabama Foundation -- to hold inaugural youth turkey hunts during the 2004 spring turkey season. These hunts are managed for youths under 16 years of age accompanied by a licensed non-hunting adult supervisor. Hunting is by reservation only and the number of hunters is limited for each scheduled hunt date. A total of 14 youths participated in the 2004 spring season, and we expect participation to increase in the 2005 spring turkey season."

WHERE TO GO TO GET YOUR BIRD
District I
Ron Eakes, supervising wildlife biologist in District I, says the turkey population there is good compared to previous years.

"I'd have to say the best counties are probably Fayette and Lamar counties and possibly Walker County," he says. "There's a lower human density there, and because there's a lower human density, there's more habitat." Eakes says the habitat in the area is a mix of agricultural land, timberland, old fields and pastures.

One wildlife management area that Eakes picks for 2005 is the Sam R. Murphy WMA.