Turkey Season Results

The season concluded on May 9th of this month with the number of eastern wild turkeys being harvested and checked being 7,010. Turkey Program coordinator, Jeremy Wood, said this decline in turkey hunting was expected for this year as more conservative season dates are being exercised and regulations to help spread hunting pressure. Wood said there was a need to allow turkeys as much of a chance as possible to breed and create future hunting opportunities. A resource first approach on turkey hunting this year. This being the case due to poor reproduction 2 years ago followed by an increased harvest last year attributed to COVID. Officials are seeing positive jake reports and look forward to healthy birds in the coming years. One issue Wood said they are fighting hard to battle right now is the increase in individuals caught baiting this year. Concerns with disease transmission as well as nest predation are some of the red flags they are seeing. Brad Young in the Enforcement Division says when someone is baiting, they’re taking away opportunities from everyone else who’s trying to do it right.”