www.flickr.com/Alex Galt / U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
An audio version of this story.
Turkey season opens later this month in Georgia, and there’s a new rule in effect for hunters.
It’s called mandatory harvest reporting, and it requires that hunters provide data to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Within 72 hours of a harvest, hunters are required to report information like the location of the kill, the age of the bird and the type of weapon used.
Officials say this data will help with wildlife management.
“Should we have more birds? Is it possible to have more birds? Should we increase harvest? Should we back off of harvest? These are the kinds of questions we will be able to answer,” said Tina Johannsen of the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division.
The information also will help determine season lengths and bag limits.
When deer hunting season starts this fall, DNR officials will institute the same kind of mandatory reporting.
This information also benefits non-hunters.
“By being able to identify areas where, say by example, we have a lot of agriculture and those land owners are trying to make a living growing crops. Those deer want to make a living off those same crops. Those may be areas where we need to increase harvest in order to keep the deer herd in check,” Johannsen said.
Hunters can report the data by phone or through the DNR’s website.
If they don’t provide the information, they can face fines or lose their hunting licenses.
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