In a special meeting June 28, the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission approved significant changes for wild turkey hunting season dates and bag limits.

The changes will become effective for the fall 2021 wild turkey season going forward.

They are:

• Restricting fall archery harvest to one tom only statewide; the fall seasonal limit is one tom only for gun and archery seasons combined.

• Restricting fall gun season method of take to shotgun only in all counties currently open to fall turkey gun hunting.

• Setting spring turkey season dates as April 16 to May 16 statewide.

• Restricting spring turkey harvest limit to one tom only statewide.

• Setting spring youth turkey season as the Saturday and Sunday before opening day of the regular statewide spring turkey season.

Bill Dinkines, Wildlife Division chief for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, provided the department’s recommendation to commissioners following a presentation by Eric Suttles, southeast region wildlife supervisor.

The presentation covered wild turkey population declines, hunting statistics, and results from a hunter survey that produced more than 5,000 comments – an all-time high for hunter input on a proposed change.

Commissioners also received a letter of support from the National Wild Turkey Federation and heard from a hunter suggesting statewide changes probably were not needed.

Prior to the staff-recommended proposal being adopted, Rules Committee Chairman James Barwick made a motion to maintain the one-tom county limit, but allow resident hunters to take a second tom as long as at least one of the toms was taken with archery equipment.

Barwick’s proposal also limited nonresidents to one tom.

His motion was seconded but subsequently voted down 4-3 after being discussed.

At that point, a motion was made and seconded to adopt the proposal put forth by Wildlife Department staff and it was adopted by a 5-2 vote.

Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Director J.D. Strong pointed out that commissioners will be able to evaluate the changes after the next fall and spring turkey seasons and make further changes to expand or restrict turkey harvest by resolution at any time.

The special meeting was called after Commissioners tabled the turkey resolution June 7 in the interest of making the most informed decision possible and looking further into the available data and public comment.

After the meeting, Strong said the turkey season rule changes were extremely difficult decisions.

“I’m confident that the proposal passed today gives us the best chance of improving our wild turkey population while at the same time providing our hunters with the most opportunity possible,” Strong said.