Look Back: Turkey Talk, 1970

I’ve already been cautioned not to hit a turkey in the body with a high velocity load unless I want to bring home a drumstick and not much else.”

In the fall of 1970, a local writer shared the trials and tribulations of stepping into the woods as a first-time turkey hunter. His dilemma? How to bring home dinner without reducing the bird to just a drumstick.

He described the problem with humor and honesty:

“I’ve already been cautioned not to hit a turkey in the body with a high velocity load unless I want to bring home a drumstick and not much else.”

State regulations at the time limited hunters to shotguns, which worked well at short range but proved tricky in open country. The “old timers” had a different view:

“Go for your rifle, son, and shoot ‘em in the head.”

Still, our 1970 novice wasn’t convinced. He experimented with loads, mulled over the possibility of using a handgun (with more than a little skepticism), and admitted that, if anything, his search for the perfect method had left him more puzzled than before.

What made the column timeless was its closing appeal — a call for seasoned hunters to lend their advice to those just starting out:

“We beginners need the help of every successful turkey hunter who has a solution. Come, bail us out!”

Sidebar: Turkey Hunting Then & Now

• 1970:
  
  
• Shotgun regulations limited range to about 35 yards.
  
  
• Debate among hunters over rifles vs. shotguns was common.
  
  
• Handguns were floated as an option, but few considered them practical.
  
  
• 2025 (Gila County):
  
  
• Spring Season: Shotgun shooting shot (draw permits) April 25–May 1 and May 9–22.
  
  
• Fall Season (Adult): Archery (Aug. 22–Sept. 11), Archery with permit (Aug. 29–Sept. 11), and Limited Weapon Shotgun (Oct. 3–9).
  
  
• Hunters today have the benefit of modern ammo, optics, and calls, giving them more effective and humane ways to bring home a bird.
  
  
• Conservation is central: turkey populations are carefully managed through limited draw hunts and youth-only opportunities.

Conclusion: 

What began with the first bag limits in 1913 and a sweeping “game code” in 1929 has evolved into today’s tightly managed seasons under Arizona Revised Statutes, Title 17. This framework defines wildlife as state property, empowers the Game & Fish Commission to set seasons and bag limits, and establishes rules for licenses, permits, and methods of take. The results are evident: hunters harvested 823/540 turkeys in spring/fall 2022, 901/895 in 2023, and 1,031/1,042 in 2024—a data-driven balance of tradition and conservation.