Utah’s spring turkey hunts are about to get underway for all those looking for a great way to social distance while enjoying the great outdoors. Utah’s youth turkey hunt runs May 1st through the 3rd and the spring general-season turkey hunt runs May 4th through the 31st. DWR Upland Game Coordinator Heather Talley says “conditions look really good for both bird numbers and hunter access in most areas across Utah.” While that may be true overall statewide, biologists have actually reported a decrease in turkey populations in northeastern Utah due to areas of deep snow in 2019 that lasted late into the spring. Areas in northeastern Utah that will be good for the spring turkey hunt include the corridors along the Duchesne River, the Green River and the Ashley Creek drainage. “Lower agricultural areas should also have good turkey hunting, but many of these areas are private property, so hunters will need to get written permission from landowners before hunting,” shares the Division of Wildlife Resources. “There are also pockets of turkeys throughout much of the Book Cliffs. Hunters should note that due to heavy snowfall in 2019, many of the turkeys that were found on higher-elevation U.S. Forest Service lands in northeastern Utah moved to lower-elevation areas and haven’t returned to their usual high-elevation areas yet.”
