New fall turkey season

Northeastern Washington has a new late-fall general season for wild turkeys.

Hunters who harvested two Eastern Washington birds in the spring season can still participate in the fall season. Read the 2009 hunting regulations carefully for details that vary by hunting unit.

Note that starting this fall, hunters must use No. 4 shot or smaller to hunt turkeys in Washington.

The early fall general turkey season runs Sept. 26-Oct. 9, which is longer than last year and overlaps with muzzleloader elk season. The early fall season is only for beardless turkeys in units 105-124. Turkeys of either sex can be taken in units 101, 127-133.

The new late fall season runs Nov. 20-Dec. 15 in units 105-124 for turkeys of either sex.

“I’m hearing from quite a few people that we had a good turkey hatch this spring and there are good-size broods all over the place,” said Dana Base, Washington Fish and Wildlife Department district biologist in Colville. “Turkeys are prolific and they can bounce back from a bad winter faster than a lot of species.”

“There are lots of opportunities to kill a turkey for anyone with a mind to do it,” Base said.

•Idaho’s early fall general turkey season opened Tuesday.