After a long eight years, Holmes County in Florida’s Panhandle will again have a turkey season. From March 18-20, each hunter will be able to take one gobbler during the limited, three-day special spring season.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) closed the county to turkey hunting eight years ago after local citizens expressed concern about the lack of wild turkeys in their area. Their concern was verified by FWC biologists, after studies were made.

With support from the citizens of Holmes County and surrounding counties, the FWC and local chapter members of the National Wild Turkey Federation mapped out a restoration project to improve turkey habitat within the county, while at the same time restocking the turkey population. The project released more than 120 wild turkeys at eight locations throughout

the county, and the FWC imposed a ban on hunting turkeys until FWC biologists determined the restocked population could sustain hunting.

“The Holmes County turkey restoration project has been successful by re-establishing a “huntable” turkey population in this area,” said Larry Perrin, FWC wildlife biologist. “This project involved a lot of coordination and support from numerous individuals, several large landowners in Leon and Jefferson counties and the Eglin Air Force Base, which provided the turkeys for stocking.

Local farmers, landowners and hunters rallied around the restoration project and began to manage their lands for wild turkeys by thinning timber stands, initiating prescribed burning and planting food plots.

This turkey population will continue to be monitored by FWC biologists and based on survey data, the agency hopes to ultimately re-establish a fall turkey hunting season as well as a full spring season like the rest of the Northwest Hunting Zone.

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