Spring Numbers Down for West Virginia

[West Augusta]

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Preliminary harvest numbers for the 2011 spring gobbler season show a take of 9,216 bearded turkeys, a decline of 10 percent from the 2010 harvest of 10,209 birds. Division of Natural Resources’ wildlife officials surmise a combination of inclement weather, high gas prices, and lower turkey numbers were major factors in the lower kill.

“Our biologists had predicted a slightly lower harvest based on poorer productivity in 2009,” said Curtis I. Taylor, Chief of the Wildlife Resources Section. “Preliminary reports from field personnel also indicate a lower hunter turnout, probably due to high fuel prices and many rainy days during the season.”

The harvest was down 12 percent each in Districts 1 and 2, down 9 percent each in Districts 3 and 6, down 16 percent in District 5, and up slightly in District 4. Top counties were Mason with a kill of 447, Preston (325), Kanawha (310), Jackson (291), and Wood (276). Rounding out the top 10 counties were Marshall (254), Greenbrier (253), Harrison (242), Wyoming (242), Fayette (237), and Putnam (237).

The 2011 spring kill is the lowest since 1990, when 9,152 birds were checked. “Let’s hope for a dry June so young poults will have high survival and bolster populations, although it will take several years of good brood production to get turkey numbers to levels they were 10 years ago,” Taylor said.

(full Story) http://www.wvdnr.gov/2011news/11news098.shtm

[callmakerman]

NY is down as well. I haven't seen the numbers yet but it didn't sound to good.  Bill

[hunter22]

Here are the spring harvest results for Arkansas over the past few years. We are is serious trouble. Birds cannot come back on their own in some regions simply because there are no turkeys there to reproduce. Our Game & Fish need to get their heads out of the sand and start a restocking program in some areas and close seasons in others.

2003-----20,000
2008-----11,461
2009-----11,122
2010-----10,111
2011----- 6,200

[wiltznucs]

FL doesn't keep an official harvest estimate; however, the consensus is that 2011 was a poor season.

[Porter]

MO was down too   It's a sad sad time... I hope a lot of states wake up and make some drastic changes!!!!

I know weather had a lot to do with ours, but we are definitely on a decline!

[Roy]

what are u guys thinkin?  1 bird limit?  or what do u guys have in mind? 

[Porter]

what are u guys thinkin?  1 bird limit?  or what do u guys have in mind? 

I wish MO would go back to our old rules.  I'm not sure the 3 week season is bad, but I wish 1 bird per week was back.  Back when MO was probably the top state, it was a 2 week season and a bird a week.  

Now I also know MO can recover if the weather would cooperate... a couple good hatches and boom we are back in business!

[yankee gobbler]

 WISCONSIN DOWN 16%

MADISON – Preliminary estimates show that Wisconsin hunters registered 40,103 turkeys during the 2011 spring turkey season. A total of 210,059 permits were issued for the spring hunt, according to licensing officials.

Zone 1 produced the highest overall turkey harvest at 12,253 birds, followed by Zone 3 with 9,848 turkeys. The best hunter success appears to have been in Zone 2, with a preliminary success rate of 25 percent, followed by Zones 1, 3, 4, and 5, all at 18 percent success. Overall, the statewide success rate was 19 percent and, as in past years, success rates were higher in the earlier time periods.

This registration total shows a 16 percent decrease from the 2010 harvest of 47,722 birds.