AUSTIN- As the Texas spring turkey season rapidly approaches, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) reminds hunters that all counties with a one-bird bag limit have mandatory harvest reporting requirements. Hunters must report their harvest within 24 hours through the My Texas Hunt Harvest app or the TPWD website.
Counties with a one-bird limit for Rio Grande wild turkeys include Bastrop, Caldwell, Colorado, Fayette, Jackson, Lavaca, Lee, Matagorda, Milam and Wharton counties. The season for these counties runs April 1-30. For Eastern Wild Turkeys, the season runs April 22 – May 14 and includes Bowie, Cass, Fannin, Greyson, Jasper, Lamar, Marion, Nacogdoches, Newton, Polk, Red River, and Sabine Counties and has a one-bird limit.
In addition, all hunters who selected a digital tag this year also are required to perform mandatory harvest reporting on all harvested wild turkeys.
All hunters must properly tag their turkeys as well as have the confirmation number from the app or website. Additional turkey hunting regulations, bag limits, zone maps, and proof of sex requirements can be found in the Texas Outdoor Annual.
Mandatory harvest reporting will allow TPWD to better manage the wild turkey population by allowing for more accurate population estimates, which can be used to assess the long-term survivability of the species.