Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s turkey and quail stamps help fund habitat

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Outdoor enthusiasts who want to help contribute to quail and turkey development have an option through an Arkansas Game and Fish Commission program.

The AGFC is providing quail and turkey stamps to help fund habitat development in the Natural State. Stamps can be purchased during license renewals, and each stamp sale provides funding designated for eastern wild turkeys, northern bobwhites and a host of upland wildlife habitats.

The stamps cost $9.50 each and are available through the AGFC’s licensing system . Officials said a stamp code will appear on a buyer’s license when they renew, and the stamps will be delivered to their home within a few weeks.

The quail stamp was created by former Commissioner Steve Cook of Malvern. According to AGFC officials, sales of that stamp were enough to encourage Commissioner Ken Reeves of Harrison to create an eastern wild turkey stamp.

Officials said the two stamps together have generated millions of dollars in habitat restoration and management in Arkansas.

AGFC quail program coordinator Clint Johnson said last year’s turkey stamp sales generated $165,950, while quail stamp sales raised $78,915. The National Wild Turkey Federation’s Arkansas State Chapter also provided $47,215 from fundraising efforts which were combined with stamp sales to match funds and in-kind contributions from partnering agencies to generate nearly a half-million dollars of habitat work.

“We were able to put $439,314 worth of work toward quail and turkey habitat last year, all of which was rooted in the sales of these voluntary stamps,” Johnson said. “We work nonstop to figure out the best way to stretch those dollars, and we guide all those actions where the quail and turkey populations will see the most benefit.”

AGFC wild turkey program coordinator David Moscicki said the funding helped with 17 projects on public lands across the state, directly improving 7,470 acres of habitat.

Turkey and quail are not the only beneficiaries of the investment, according to Moscicki.

“Countless other animals, including numerous songbirds, pollinator species and white-tailed deer also benefit from these improvements,” Moscicki said.

Additional information on AGFC turkey and quail management is available at AGFC.com/Turkey and AGFC.com/Quail .

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KNWA FOX24.