A little good news today, especially if you are a spring wild turkey hunter. The Fish and Wildlife Advisory Council recently lent its stamp of approval to a relatively bold proposal from the biologists and Augusta policymakers at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIF&W).

It’s a done deal.

Next spring there will be just ONE five-week turkey season for all. That’s right. No more split A and B seasons. No more trying to figure out whether you and your hunting buddy were born on odd or even numbered years. Or whether your Season B permit allows you to hunt the second or fourth week as well.

Hallelujah! And there’s more. According to Brad Allen, MDIF&W’s bird leader in the Bangor office, serious consideration is also being given to allowing an all-day hunt, possibly as early as next year. The Department is looking for public feedback on this one before the final decision is made in October. Although Allen has a few reservations about going to an all-day hunt as early as next year, he concedes that there are some compelling reasons to do so.

“We have plenty of turkeys, and we want to expand hunt opportunities, and this is a great way to do that,” he says. “This will open up hunt opportunities for people after work, as well as youngsters after school, ” he adds.

Allen notes that the state’s conservative, careful approach to turkey season parameters has apparently been successful, so he is reluctant to make too many season changes all at once.

Maine’s estimated turkey population conservatively is about 50,000. Last spring 20,000 licensed turkey hunters killed about 5,000 male birds. “With so many birds out there, and a season that protects hens, managing the spring season is almost a no-brainer,” says Allen. He is more concerned about careful management of the fall turkey hunt that does allow the taking of hens. Of the 1,800 turkeys taken last fall by mostly bow hunters and a few shotgunners, the majority were hens.

If Maine does go to an all-day hunt next spring, it will be the only state in the Northeast that does not end the turkey hunt by noon. Why theses changes? In the first place, the purpose of the split season was to ensure both a safe hunt and a quality hunt. With turkey numbers up and hunter effort and turkey kills trending downward, it is clear that the Department is determined to address this issue head on. If the all-day hunt is adopted, it will be interesting to see if an all-day hunt does result in an increase in the sale of turkey permits next spring, or whether eliminating the split season has a deleterious effect on the quality of the hunt. If you ask me, this is all good news. Expanded hunt opportunities always make sense as long as the resource can handle it. Here’s another eyebrow raiser. As long as Maine’s incredibly resilient wild turkey populations increase in numbers, you can look for a seasonal two-bird bag limit, sooner rather than later!

Should you have opinions about all of these changes in the Maine turkey season, by all means let your voice be heard. Allen said, “We want public input before the October decision.”

Brad Allen’s office number at MDIF&W headquarters in Bangor is 941-4469, or you can e-mail your thoughts to him at [email protected].

V. Paul Reynolds is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He is also a Maine Guide, co-host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network (WVOM-FM 103.9, WCME-FM 96.7) and former information officer for the Maine Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. His e-mail address is [email protected].