Commissioners voted to reduce or alter wild turkey hunting bag limits in large areas of western Oklahoma during the June 17 meeting.
Starting this fall, turkey gun hunters will be allowed to harvest one tom only in the 14 counties that previously permitted either-sex harvest. Archery hunters will still be allowed one turkey of either sex statewide in the fall.
Next spring, all counties outside the Southeast Region will have a one tom limit. The spring turkey season limit remains unchanged at three toms. None of the changes made will affect existing regulations in the Southeast Region for turkey hunting, where the season limit is one tom turkey for all eight counties combined.
Chief of Wildlife Bill Dinkines told Commissioners declining turkey numbers during the past two years, especially in southwestern Oklahoma, prompted the bag limit changes.
During the meeting, Commissioners also voted to immediately prohibit all recreational hunting of feral swine on four wildlife management areas: Kaw, Sandy Sanders, Hackberry Flat and Waurika. The prohibition supports efforts of the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in those areas.
Officials said eradication efforts in those areas will be more effective without feral hog hunting.