Joe Manchin III, Governor

Frank Jezioro, Director

News Release : May 25, 2007

Hoy Murphy , Public Information Officer (304) 558-3381 hoymurphy@wvdnr.gov
Contact: Curtis Taylor , Wildlife Resources Section Chief (304) 558-2771wildlife@wvdnr.gov

2007 West Virginia Spring Gobbler Harvest Reported

Hunters in West Virginia harvested 9,976 turkeys during the 2007 spring gobbler season, according to Curtis I. Taylor, Chief of the Wildlife Resources Section of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR). Preliminary harvest figures indicate this year’s spring turkey harvest was 15 percent lower than the 11,735 birds taken in 2006.  

The top five counties this spring were Mason (403), Jackson (361), Wood (337), Preston (330) and Summers (289). Forty-seven of the state's 55 counties had lower harvests this year, with much of the harvest decrease occurring in the southern counties. The highest harvests were reported in DNR District 1 (2,142), followed by District 6 (2,052), District 4 (1,906), District 5 (1,630), District 3 (1,326) and District 2 (920). District 6 (19 percent lower) and District 5 (18 percent lower) had the largest percentage decreases in harvest when compared to 2006. 

The reduced gobbling activity and lower harvest rate this past spring were the result of a poor wild turkey brood production year in 2005. A population with fewer 2-year-old gobblers can greatly affect the spring gobbler harvest. Even though the state’s turkey population is generally higher due to last year’s good brood production, the low numbers of 2-year-old birds in the population affected the harvest this spring. Wildlife Biologists have determined the level of brood production accurately forecasts spring turkey harvests two years later, as these 2-year-old birds tend to gobble more and are more susceptible to harvest. Field reports also indicated that hunting pressure in many areas of the state was lower than normal. Hunters can look forward to a better spring gobbler harvest next year, since brood production was good in 2006.

**DNR**

[Editor’s Note: The attached table contains spring wild turkey harvest figures by county for the years 2003 through 2007.]