ST. GEORGE — For those who have wanted to hunt wild turkeys but don’t know how, free workshops in Parowan, Price and Hyrum are available to get you started.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is hosting turkey hunting clinics around the state to educate new hunters and to offer tips and insights to both beginners and veteran hunters. Spring hunting permits are also know available (more information at end of article).
Parowan
This class is being offered by DWR, the National Wild Turkey Federation and Sportsman’s Warehouse and will be held March 30 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Parowan Fairgrounds Building at 30 N. 300 East. The clinic is open to anyone who has never hunted turkeys and to all youth ages 17 and younger.
The clinic will begin with a brief overview, and then attendees will rotate between seven stations: archery hunting techniques, turkey calling, turkey habitat and biology, shotgun patterning, archery shooting, law enforcement station, and pellet gun shooting.
The event will also include lunch and will wrap with door prizes and a Q & A session to clarify the hunting regulations and techniques described at the stations.
Participants can register here.
For more details about the event, contact DWR wildlife recreation specialist Heather Talley at 435-868-8756 or [email protected].
Price clinic
The clinic in Price will be held March 30 at the Department of Natural Resources building at 319 N. Carbonville Road. The free clinic will run from 10 a.m. to noon and will include presentations by experienced turkey hunters on everything hunters need to know to bag a gobbler, including: where to find Merriam’s and Rio Grande turkeys in Utah; how to tell a mature tom from a juvenile or a hen; turkey habitat and food preferences; daily and seasonal behavior patterns; the best turkey hunting equipment and accessories; and how to call in a turkey or stalk one that won’t come to your call.
“Utah’s turkey populations are doing very well and opportunities for hunters are plentiful, especially in southeastern Utah,” said Walt Maldonado, DWR southeastern Utah wildlife recreation specialist. “Even if you’ve hunted turkeys before, this clinic will cover tactics that will make you more proficient in the field this spring.”
Participants can register here.
For more information about the Price clinic, contact Maldonado at 435-820-8147 or [email protected].
Hardware Ranch: Advanced
This clinic will be held March 23 from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Hardware Ranch. The ranch is on Blacksmith Fork Canyon Road in Hyrum, Cache County. It will be an advanced workshop geared toward experienced turkey hunters.
Experts with the National Wild Turkey Federation will cover scouting, some hunting tactics, more advanced calling tactics, locating hard-to-hunt turkeys, how to locate a roost, and decoy and hunter placement
Before and after the clinic, staff from the Cache Valley Public Shooting Range will be available to assist hunters with gun patterning. Participants are also welcome to bring their own shotgun, rifle or bow. 3D turkey targets will be available, but only field tips should be used during the target practice.
Participants should bring chairs and remember to dress in layers in case of cold weather.
Register for the clinic here.
For more information about the event, contact Brad Hunt, manager of the Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area, at [email protected].
Get a turkey permit
Utah’s spring limited-entry turkey hunt runs from April 13-25, the youth turkey hunt runs from April 26-28 and the spring general-season turkey hunt runs from April 29 to May 31.
Permits for the statewide general season can be purchased anytime between now and the end of the hunt. Permits for the limited-entry season, however, are only available through a drawing.
General-season permits are available at the DWR website. They are also available at hunting license agent locations and DWR offices.
For more information on season dates and permits, see page six of the 2018-2019 Utah Upland Game and Turkey Guidebook. The free guidebook is available here or at hunting license agent locations and DWR offices.
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