Turkeys and northern bobwhites have relatively short lifespans, so annual reproduction is extremely important to the total population and the quality of hunting. Data collected during the last three decades has shown turkey hunting success is closely linked to annual poult production and survival. Similar studies in bobwhite ecology show a similar correlation between reproduction and future hunting success.

Moscicki explains that exact numbers of birds in the state would be nearly impossible to determine, but the surveys give biologists valuable information on trends in populations, and the AGFC can use this information to determine effectiveness of habitat management efforts as well as focus future efforts where populations see steady declines.

“Turkey reproduction, as well as quail reproduction are heavily influenced by weather and some factors outside of the AGFC’s control, but we can definitely hedge our bets even in bad years by supplying the birds with the right habitat,” Moscicki said. “When the right habitat is available and those other factors come together, populations can see recovery relatively quickly.”

Clint Johnson, AGFC Quail Program coordinator, said another benefit of public participation in the annual turkey and quail survey is to identify new areas where populations may be rebounding that the AGFC can use to bolster populations on a landscape level.

“Relocating birds to new areas has shown marginal success, especially when areas are still being hunted,” Johnson said. “We’ve seen much more success by creating better habitat near known populations of quail and turkeys and allowing those populations to expand. If we’re able to locate previously unknown clusters of birds, we can focus our efforts to connect them with other nearby populations through habitat management.”

Visit www.agfc.com/turkey and www.agfc.com/quail for more information on these two ground-nesting game birds in The Natural State.

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The competition is open to all United States residents 18 years of age or older. Artists can find the full prospectus, entry guidelines, and a link to submit their work by Feb. 4, 2024, at https://historiccanehillar.org/quail-turkey/.

A panel will judge the quality of each piece in addition to its accuracy in depicting either the northern bobwhite or eastern wild turkey in their traditional Arkansas habitats.

A public exhibition will be held March 16, 2024, at the Historic Cane Hill Gallery to announce the winners. The exhibition will host work from competition winners and all accepted artwork from each category. In addition to their artwork being featured on each stamp, winners also will earn a cash prize of $2,500 each. Second-place winners each will receive $500, and third-place winners will earn $250.

The exhibition will be on display in the Gallery for public viewing March 16-April 22. Weekly operating hours are Thursday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Visit www.agfc.com to learn more about the habitat work being funded by these voluntary stamps and how to purchase one. 

For more information on this event and to keep up with this partnership in the future, visit www.historiccanehillar.org.