The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission will be given a preview of the upcoming spring turkey hunting season and presentation on Asian Carp at its February meeting.
The TFWC will hold its committee meetings on Thursday, while the commission meeting begins at 9 a.m. on Friday. The meeting will be held at the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s Region II Ray Bell Building.
Tennessee turkey hunters have posted stable harvest numbers over the last 10 years with more than 30,000 birds harvested on annual basis. Last year’s total neared 34,000. Gray Anderson, Assistant Chief for the Forestry and Wildlife Division, will make the preview.
TWRA Fisheries Division Chief Bobby Wilson will make the presentation on Asian carp. He will discuss how they arrived in Tennessee, their location, and the concerns of their presence.
In addition, the Agency will discuss and recommend changes that were submitted by the Commercial Fishing Advisory Committee regarding Asian Carp in the Commercial Fishing Proclamation.
At the TFWC January meeting, the commission approved a change in a proclamation in regard to future big game tagging and check-in procedures. The change calls for all big game animals to be checked in at an approved TWRA checking station, on the TWRA website, or by the TWRA mobile application by the end of calendar day of harvest.
Michael May, TWRA Information Technology Division Chief, will give details about the Agency adding the new mobile application for check-ins which will be ready for the 2013 spring turkey season. TWRA is changing its big game tagging system from utilizing temporary and permanent harvest tags to a harvest log.
The public is invited to attend both committee meeting and formal commission meeting.