Farm/Ranch
Rio Grande Wild Turkey Management Workshop set March 25-26
By Steve Byrns, Texas A&M
Mar 19, 2010

HUNT – With spring turkey season just around the corner, officials with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service said they want to remind hunters and managers alike of the Rio Grande Wild Turkey Management Conference set for March 25-26 at the Kerr Wildlife Management Area located near Hunt at 2625 Farm-to-Market Road 1340.

Workshop activities on March 25 start with registration at 7:30 a.m. followed by the program which runs from 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. The second day’s schedule starts at 7:30 a.m. and ends at noon.

“We’re just winding up one of the wettest winters on record which should make for a stellar spring turkey season and hatch later on,” said Dr. Jim Cathey, AgriLife Extension wildlife specialist at College Station. “What better way is there than to spend a couple of early spring days in the heart of the beautiful Texas Hill Country’s wildflower country learning about wild turkey? It just doesn’t get much better than that in my book.”

Cathey said the program is open to the public and covers a wide range of turkey-related issues important to anyone managing public or private lands.

Sessions will include open discussions by experts from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas Wildlife Association, National Wild Turkey Federation, Institute of Renewable Natural Resources, Texas Tech University and AgriLife Extension.

Topics the first day will include turkey habitat needs, brush management, mixing livestock and turkey management, riparian management, High Plains turkey habitat selection, marketing hunts and setting proper harvest rates.

The second day’s topics will include prescribed burning to enhance turkey habitat, feeding, identification of important food items and predator management.

Individual registration is $40. The fee includes lunch the first day, refreshments and a resource CD listing more than 200 publications.

Download a registration form at: http://texas-wildlife.org/files/RGWT%20Symposium%20Flyer%202010.pdf .

For more information contact Roy Walston, AgriLife Extension agent in Kerr County at 830-257-6568, kerr@ag.tamu.edu or Cathey at 979-845-7471, jccathey@tamu.edu .