The first season of gun and bow turkey hunting starts today and runs until April 20th. Washington County Conservation board director Steve Anderson says turkey hunting is very popular in the county and there is a “significant number” of turkey populations in the area that the county manages, including the Clemons Creek Wildlife and Recreation Area. Anderson says the sport conflict with another popular hunting pastime, “It’s a popular sport, and with the season, once it starts it runs all the way into early May. Probably the biggest challenge for people is that it overlaps a great deal obviously with mushroom hunting season so you have those two factions.”

Anderson advises mushroom hunters to avoid wearing red, white, and blue in order to not resemble a turkey. Anderson shares this other tip for mushroom hunters: “In a dream situation, the mushroom hunters don’t come in within the first couple hours of the morning and give the turkey hunters a couple hours to participate in their sport. When people are running around in the open it obviously impacts what the turkeys are going to do.”

There are designated hunting seasons beginning this week, concluding May 21.