Council approves expanded wild‑turkey control tools including fall vouchers and nuisance hunts

The Central Region Advisory Council voted to adopt a package of rule changes aimed at giving landowners and managers more tools to address turkey depredation and broaden hunter opportunity.

Heather, a Division presenter, told the council the package adds mandatory harvest reporting for spring and fall turkey hunts, clarifies definitions, and creates a monetary compensation option for landowners experiencing depredation. The package also creates a fall “control” voucher program (allowing sale of vouchers for fall management harvest), raises the number of control permits from two to five, and allows nuisance hunts where damage does not meet the strict agricultural depredation definition (for example on some state parks). The Division also added language to allow municipalities to trap and translocate turkeys in coordination with DWR when Division technicians are unavailable.

Farmers and sportsmen urged the council to approve the changes. Troy Henry of the Utah Farm Bureau said the recommendations “mirror tools that have worked for deer depredation” and provide needed flexibility when damage creates a financial hardship. Whan Pritchette of KWD Adventures said mandatory reporting and landowner compensation would help manage tag numbers and incentivize tolerance where turkeys winter on private ground.

Council members questioned whether the voucher sales would produce CWMU‑like incentives and whether vouchers would encourage keeping turkeys on private land as an asset. Staff explained control vouchers would be restricted to fall management harvest (Aug. 1–Mar. 14) and, in allocation, technicians would emphasize voucher sex composition to reduce potential incentive to retain toms for value. The Division said trapping and translocation remains a priority and that translocations have had generally positive outcomes in the past.

After discussion, the council moved and passed the rule package as presented (7 in favor, 2 opposed). Members asked staff to clarify implementation details, especially season dates and safeguards to prevent spring‑season marketization of tags.

What happens next: The council’s recommendation will go to the wildlife board for final action; if adopted, staff will publish implementation guidance and monitor the program’s effect on depredation and hunter opportunity.