IRON COUNTY— Young people can learn how to hunt wild turkeys, receive free raffle tickets and leave with free door prizes at the Second Annual Southern Region Turkey Hunting Clinic.
Heather Talley says the April 2 clinic is open to anyone 17 years of age and younger. If you attend, you’ll walk away with a basic understanding of how to hunt turkeys, as well as prizes supplied by The National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF).
A special Jakes Day, where you can shoot at a shooting trailer and on an archery range, is also part of the free event.
Talley, regional wildlife recreation coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, says the only thing you need to bring on April 2 is enthusiasm and a desire to learn about turkeys and how to hunt them. “We‘ll supply everything else,” she says.
Talley says several experienced turkey hunters will teach the clinic. “Having a variety of experts teach the clinic means you’ll learn a variety of hunting methods,” she says. “You’ll also gain different perspectives about what it’s like to hunt turkeys.”
The clinic will be held April 2 at the Parowan Front Wildlife Management Area. The WMA is just east of Summit in Iron County. To reach Summit, exit Interstate 15 at the first exit north of Cedar City.
The clinic begins at 9 a.m. To register, fill out the online form at www.wildlife.utah.gov/sro-
Young people and wild turkeys
Those who organized the event say getting more young people involved in turkey hunting is important to the future of wild turkeys in Utah.
“Hunter recruitment, through increasing the interest youth have in turkey hunting, is essential for the conservation of turkey habitat,” says Ron MacIntosh, Cedar City Chapter president for the NWTF. “License and ammunition sales, and other related taxes hunters pay, fund conservation efforts.”
Gary Bezzant, regional habitat manager for the DWR, says conserving turkey habitat is the key to having good turkey populations in Utah. It’s also key to a successful hunting experience. “Learning about turkey habitat is the best way to learn about hunting turkeys,” he says.
Bezzant says wild turkeys are doing really well in many parts of southwestern Utah. This has allowed DWR biologists to remove turkeys from dense populations and place them in areas in southwestern Utah where there’s room for more birds.