Turkey season 2024

[redwad]

Looking for advice planning out my 2024 turkey season. I am very new to the out of state concept but am wanting to prolong my turkey season. I live in Missouri and feel very confident with hardwoods easterns. Would like to try my hand at a merriams and or hunt another Midwest state. Where do you guys go for information regarding other states? To be more specific where do you find info on public land that's available and where do you find info on tags etc. TIA

[mcw3734]

Your first stop should be the (insert state) Fish and Game Department website. From there, read ALL the rules. Other states can have vastly different turkey hunting regs on shooting hours, carcass transport requirements, shot size, and required licenses, among others. Most of those sites will also have links to public land information, at least state owned or Wildlife Management Area properties.

For federal lands:

Bureau of Land Management - https://www.blm.gov/
US Forest Service - https://www.fs.usda.gov/

[Tom007]

Your first stop should be the (insert state) Fish and Game Department website. From there, read ALL the rules. Other states can have vastly different turkey hunting regs on shooting hours, carcass transport requirements, shot size, and required licenses, among others. Most of those sites will also have links to public land information, at least state owned or Wildlife Management Area properties.

For federal lands:

Bureau of Land Management - https://www.blm.gov/
US Forest Service - https://www.fs.usda.gov/

Solid advice right here for sure.....good luck

[trad bow]

I pay federal income taxes each year and have for fifty years. I don't travel to hunt anymore because of physical restraints but I still feel that federal lands should be open to all legal citizens. A nation wide hunting license for small game
But then we get into issues like who manages these lands , who sets the limits on the harvest of animals and who would be in charge of hunter numbers. Seems like the process is already in place for that for managing big game. States shouldn't charge non-resident hunters exorbitant fees for a license. States should charge nonresident hunters at the same price that those nonresident hunters reside in

[mcw3734]

I pay federal income taxes each year and have for fifty years. I don't travel to hunt anymore because of physical restraints but I still feel that federal lands should be open to all legal citizens....

Forest Service and BLM lands are open to all to visit and recreate on. The North American model of wildlife management that we follow is that the feds manage the land (habitat), while the States manage the wildlife (with nuances for migratory waterfowl).

I'm not saying the idea of equal tag prices for resident and nonresident hunters is flawed, but with some state fish and game agency budgets being based largely on license income I can see why state wildlife commissions gravitate towards a 'what the market will bear' approach to non-resident license fees.

I was at an Idaho Fish and Game office yesterday to comment on some proposed turkey hunting regulations. I noticed a handful of people sitting in a line as I walked in, next to a F&G sign saying "No Camping". Turns out that is the beginning of the line for people wanting to buy 2024 non-resident deer and elk tags going on sale Dec. 1 (Friday). There are people lining up 2 days in advance to buy a non-resident hunting license for $185, which is required before you can purchase a $651 elk tag and/or $351 deer tag. That is, if you're lucky enough to buy one before they sell out by lunchtime.

[mcw3734]

Joey46 brings up a very good point that traveling hunters should be aware of. BLM and Forest Service lands are in fact open to all, but isolated parcels in a jumble of private can have access issues.

Pertinent to this thread:  if anybody doing their homework sees a juicy piece of public surrounded by private, you need to follow up to make sure it is publicly accessible. Look for public/county roads cutting through it. If unsure, call the appropriate county highway department. For many rural counties road maintenance is a major expense and they keep very good records of what is, and is not, public. You can also call the local BLM or Forest Service office.

'Back in the day', the Forest Service was more assertive in establishing road easements because they were needed for log trucks to come off the forest and across private. The BLM, generally, didn't have those concerns so they tend to have less easements, if any. To have a public road easement, you need the cooperation of the landowner. The possible exception being if the road is covered under RS 2477 (Google it, not going to dive into that here).

If hunting on or near a National Forest, become familiar with their Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM). These maps are legal documents showing roads and trails open to motorized use, along with any seasonal date restrictions. Besides paper, they can be downloaded and viewed with the Avanza app so you can track yourself with the little blue dot, like other mapping apps. If you're going to hunt National Forests, you must know their MVUMs. It'll help you stay out of trouble and offer clues to quieter stretches of the forest. It will also show what roads have public access. I was a Forest Service mapmaker for years. If you have questions about this, PM me, happy to help anybody with it.


Now to divert a bit based on Joey's last message...

The Corner Crossing issue is real in many places. To learn about it, click the following link (and the links within that page): https://www.backcountryhunters.org/sportsmen_s_corner_crossing_pledge

For years it was just accepted that the public could not cross those corners to adjacent public land. In 2021, four Missouri hunters challenged it in Wyoming and, essentially... kinda... won. Though it will be a long time before laws are changed. Yes, it has now become a 'circus', but in a good way and to our benefit. The issue is being discussed and could lead to thousands of accessible acres once off limits to the public land hunter and angler.

The Backcountry Hunters and Anglers are big on this issue, I would encourage anybody with an interest to support them in this fight.

[YoungGobbler]

Wow, those 'public' but secluded by private land are something special... Here it's either all public or all private...  We have 0 places like you're talking about...

[NCL]

Here is an article on the corner cross  https://wyofile.com/montana-group-fights-wyoming-corner-crossing-ruling-claiming-broad-precedent/

[OJR]

Here is part of a recent listing for the Pitchfork Ranch that is for sale in Wyoming....

The ranch, at $67 million and 96,000 acres, is the most expensive listing in the state right now, Anson said, and the historic property has already attracted interested buyers.

The acreage includes 13,886 deeded acres on the ranch, which are dispersed with state and BLM leased acreage. The land also connects to two Forest Service permits that amount to 44,984 acres. State land makes up 31,600 acres, and BLM ground is the remaining 5,645 acres.

Of the 96,000 acres, 82,114 is public land that the public can't access.

[Ryanmc]

Just pick a state and start doing homework. Since you live close, go to Iowa or Illinois. Both are easy draw states with plenty of public land. Enjoy the new adventures.

[Tail Feathers]

Here is an article on the corner cross  https://wyofile.com/montana-group-fights-wyoming-corner-crossing-ruling-claiming-broad-precedent/

If Delta can fly a plane over your land at 20,000 feet why can't a hunter fly over a tiny corner at 1'?

[GobbleNut]

Here is an article on the corner cross  https://wyofile.com/montana-group-fights-wyoming-corner-crossing-ruling-claiming-broad-precedent/

If Delta can fly a plane over your land at 20,000 feet why can't a hunter fly over a tiny corner at 1'?

Yeah, the "corner-crossing air-space" prohibition is probably the most glaring example of the ridiculous regulations that were put in place for the land-owning elite decades ago.  It is just one of many outlandish rules that exist on our public lands, many which were established through the Taylor Grazing Act passed a hundred years ago by that very same "land-owning elite", who just happened to be controlling our legislative processes at that time (and in reality, still do).

It could all be changed in a heartbeat if there was willpower within our existing state and federal agencies to do so, but that elite power structure still controls the puppet strings.  Simply stated, anybody that challenges the system from within (i.e...agency employees or legislators) will be looking for a new job lickety split.