JACKSON — On the first official day of spring, Gov. Tate Reeves signed the Wild Turkey Stamp into law. The bill will raise funds for wild turkey conservation and starts a new chapter of the wild turkey story in Mississippi.

Hunters first called for the creation of the turkey stamp at a Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Commission meeting in May 2023. State statute required the legislature to pass a bill creating a stamp.

Legislators in the House and Senate Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks committees passed the bill in conference to get to the finish line this year. The stamp will be required for the 2026 turkey season along with tagging of harvested turkeys.

Senate Bill 2280, authored by Sen. Ben Suber, would establish the wild turkey stamp furnished by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks commission and disperse proceeds directly into conservation, management, protection or scientific research of wild turkeys. Much of the language in Suber’s bill is similar to the house version of the bill authored by Rep. Bill Kinkade.

Under the bill, Anyone over the age of 16 hunting wild turkeys must purchase a stamp but those already exempt from purchasing licenses and lifetime sportsman license holders would be exempt from purchasing the stamp. Stamp fees for resident hunters will be $10 and $100 for non-residents under the bill.

Money collected by the stamps would have to be deposited into the Wildlife and Fisheries fund. Proceeds from the stamps would be able to be used as matching funds or fiscal leverage to secure grants or other financial awards. Kinkade, House Chairman of the Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks committee, estimated the bill dying in conference last year cost the state $1.3 million in projected revenue when he presented the bill to the House for a vote in January.

Adam Butler, MDWFP Turkey Program Director, told The Daily Leader he was tickled the idea had legs after that May 2023 commission meeting. He took on a new role as the Director of Conservation Development in Nov. 2024.

“It is humbling so many people are willing to support the wild turkey here in the state. To me this is a generational type win for conservation in Mississippi,” Butler said. “If you look at the duck stamp it has funded conservation for 100 years and the state duck stamp for 50 years. If you have hunted WMAs or private lands benefiting from the stamps you see all of the achievements. I think the same will happen with turkey stamps.”

Funding from turkey stamps will help support habitat work on WMAs and private land management. About 80 percent of land in Mississippi is privately owned.

Butler said he foresees getting more prescribed fire on the landscape with the stamp funding. Turkeys depend on the disturbance of the land for various stages of their life history.

“Hopefully it will make us the epicenter of turkey research,” Butler said. “There will always be new issues and challenges. I don’t know what the next thing is at the moment.”

A big effort went into getting the turkey stamp passed into law. Butler said Mississippi is one of the quintessential turkey hunting states.

“To me this is just a really great example of showing that and ensuring we will remain that way,” Butler said.