Savannah, Ga -- SAVANNAH, Ga. – The J. Strom Thurmond Lake Project, Forest, Fish & Wildlife Section will suspend all turkey hunts at Bussey Point Corps Management Unit, located in Lincoln County, Georgia, for the foreseeable future.
Due to low wild turkey population numbers and low hunter success, the decision was made based on the best available data and science, according to Evan Brashier, conservation biologist at the Thurmond Project. Draw hunts will resume in the future when
• National research of the Eastern wild turkey population decline explains the drop in the southeastern states;
• Habitat improves through timber harvest and prescribed burning to provide brood rearing and nesting areas;
• Population numbers stabilize at Bussey Point to sustain a healthy population and
• Population numbers rise to a huntable level for greater hunter success.
“Management changes and call count, camera, other surveys will continue to address progress of working towards making hunts available to the public again,” Brashier explained.
For other locations open to turkey hunting at Thurmond Lake hunters can visit the webpage here. Hunters must follow state private regulations and bag limits when hunting Corps Management Units, Corps land leased to Georgia Department of Natural Resources and South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Wildlife Management Areas contain their own set of regulations and bag limits, which can be found here for Georgia and South Carolina. Maps for Corps land leased as State Wildlife Management Areas can be found here for Georgia and South Carolina.
For further questions or information, please contact J. Strom Thurmond Lake Project, Conservation Biologist, Evan Brashier at (864)-333-1159 or evan.g.brashier@usace.army.mil .
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Release no. 21-002