By Randy Zellers

Turkey season may have ended in May, but there’s still good reason to keep the birds on your brain when you head out to your favorite hiking trail or drive the backroads of The Natural State. Conservation-minded individuals can help the AGFC keep an eye on this year’s turkey reproduction by participating in the AGFC’s Annual Wild Turkey and Quail Population Survey, available via website at www.agfc.com/turkeysurvey.

Those hens that went to nest right at the peak of gobbling season should begin to pop out of the cover, guiding their brood of poults to bugging grounds, and this is the best time to gauge the success of this year’s hatch. If you happen to bump into any turkeys, male or female, during your adventures, the AGFC wants to know.

AGFC Turkey Program Coordinator David Moscicki says turkey brood surveys historically were conducted by biologists with the AGFC and partner organizations, but in 2019 the survey was opened up to include input from the general public.

“AGFC biologists still record valuable brood survey data while they are conducting habitat work throughout the state this time of the year,” Moscicki said. “In the last five years, the addition of public sightings has helped paint a more complete picture of the hatch. It also helps us gauge the success of habitat work as well as locate areas that may have seen a decline where we can focus future habitat efforts.”

Data shared in the survey will be generalized across counties or regions, so hunters or other observers providing specific coordinates can submit without fear of giving away their personal hotspot.

Participants are also encouraged to note the size and look of broods they see. The AGFC’s reporting system includes a handy visual guide to help estimate the age of young birds. This can be used to calculate when they hatched and when the hen first began to nest. This information is critical to decisions on hunting season dates and management activities.

“Turkey and quail hunters play it close to the vest when it comes to what they’re willing to share,” Moscicki said. “So we do everything we can in the survey to protect any information about locations of birds and sightings. The more specific location information people are willing to provide, the better it can be used to focus our conservation efforts.”

Any coveys of quail you may scare up are welcome in the survey as well.

Clint Johnson, AGFC Quail Program coordinator, said the focus on giving accurate locations is extremely important when submitting reports of quail coveys and hens with quail chicks.

“Quail populations are a bit more patchy throughout the state than turkeys,” Johnson said. “Quail can be found in every county in the state, but some areas have healthier populations than others. We want to identify those patches and focus our habitat efforts to strengthen them. The data also will help us verify any population increases in areas where habitat work has taken place to show us that we’re on the right track.”

Visit www.agfc.com/turkeysurveys to learn more about how you can help monitor Arkansas’s turkey and quail populations.

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Family and Community Fishing Program locations will see some hefty bonus catfish stockings this week, thanks to a generous donation by Baxter Land Company Fish Farm in Desha County. Thousands of catfish ranging in size from 5 to 45 pounds will be hauled to program ponds. The total donated weight of catfish is expected to exceed 20,000 pounds.

Dick Baxter, who was named the Arkansas Catfish Farmer of the year by The Catfish institute in 2023, said most of the fish are in the 5- to 7-pound range, but there are some jumbo-sized blue catfish that will definitely add some excitement for anglers fishing community ponds throughout the state. “The biggest one I’ve seen so far is about 45 pounds, and I wish I could be there when some kid hooks into that fish and has the time of their life,” Baxter said.

The fish were grown to be used in the farm’s spawning ponds and are past the preferred size for most food markets, but they still hold a lot of value in other commercial markets. Baxter hopes the fish pay much higher returns in the future of conservation.

“I really just think it’s important to get new people involved in conservation, and you have to get people excited about hunting and fishing to do that,” Baxter said. “If you take a kid to a pond and they don’t catch anything, they may not know how fun the outdoors can be, but if they go to a public pond and they hook into one of these fish, we may have just created a future biologist or supporter of the outdoors. I think we need more of those experiences everywhere in the state.”

Jason Miller, AGFC Assistant Chief of Fisheries, said this is the fifth time Baxter has donated fish to the anglers of the state. “These fish could still bring Baxter some good profit, but he’s always had a great relationship with us and these donations give us something that we don’t provide through our hatcheries. He’s donated well over 100,000 pounds of fish over the years for people to catch.”

Miller said catchable-sized catfish AGFC hatcheries provide anglers at FCFP locations range from three-quarters of a pound to two pounds because that size provides the best combination of value and numbers for anglers to pursue. “It would require too much pond space on our hatcheries and food to regularly grow fish to this this size for stocking, so this is a treat that we don’t get to offer very often,” Miller said.

Clint Coleman, Assistant FCFP Coordinator, said he can always tell when the big blue catfish come to program ponds by the calls and reactions of regular anglers. “We get calls from anglers and people send in pictures of their big catches,” Coleman said. “People really get a kick out of fighting these bigger fish, but I’d suggest bringing a dip net along on your next fishing trip or two to the ponds. More than one angler has hooked into one just to have it break his line right at the bank when he finally got it within reach.”

Baxter offers this bit of advice for anglers looking to hook into one of these fish. “Be sure you have at least 20-pound-test fishing line and a 3/0 circle hook,” Baxter said. “Suspend the bait about a foot under a bobber and make sure the drag on the reel is loose. Bring a kid and get ready to have a great time.”

Visit www.agfc.com/familyfishing to find a FCFP location near you. Aerial views of the ponds and the most recent stocking dates are available through the program’s web page.