The Shadow
RICHMOND — Wildlife biologists with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries have compiled preliminary figures for the 2019-20 hunting season.
The Virginia bear harvest was the highest ever recorded, deer harvest reflected a modest increase, and the turkey harvest decreased from the previous year.
According to Dr. Gray Anderson, Wildlife Division chief, “The record bear harvest was not surprising given the increased bear hunting opportunities this year, and the annual variation in this year’s deer and turkey harvests is normal. Most populations are healthy and on-track with long-range management plan objectives.”
These harvest data are used to monitor game populations and inform future regulatory decisions.
Bear Harvest
Hunters reported a record harvest of 3,540 bears during the 2019-2020 bear hunting season in Virginia.
The bear harvest increased 30 percent from the previous year and was 38 percent higher than the previous five-year average.
There was a slight increase in harvested female bears.
Although the youth/apprentice harvest decreased 1 percent from last season, the three-day early firearms season, archery, muzzleloader and firearms harvests increased over the previous year by 1 percent, 13 percent, 60 percent and 51 percent, respectively.
The record bear harvest was likely due to multiple factors, including an increased number of hunters who could take bears and significant regulation changes to increase bear hunting opportunities in eastern and southwestern Virginia.
The firearms seasons were expanded to achieve black bear population objectives and address human-bear conflicts.
The number of licensed hunters who could take a bear, increased from 52,084 during the 2018–2019 season to 66,590 during the 2019-2020 season.
The majority of those hunters purchased the sportsman’s hunting and fishing license.
Although there were fewer bear hunting licenses sold during 2019 than the previous year (24,017 compared to 32,406), there were nearly three times as many sportsman’s licenses sold (37,392 compared to 13,815).
Virginia continues to attract nonresident hunters. Successful non-resident hunters came from 30 states and accounted for 8 percent of the total reported harvest.
The 2019-2020 season was the first opportunity for hunters to check bears through the DGIF electronic checking system using their smart phone, internet, or mobile app.
Electronic checking accounted for 58 percent of harvested bears reported during the season. As in previous years, hunters were also able to check bears at bear check stations.
The quality and amount of harvest data received through the electronic reporting system indicated this option is an effective method of data collection.
During the seasons where hounds are a legal option, 67 percent of hunters reported using hounds to harvest their bear.
Hound hunters made up the majority of the firearms harvest (73 percent) and youth/apprentice harvest (83 percent). The number of hunters who reported harvesting a bear with the use of hounds during the three-day early firearms season (51 percent) was nearly equal to those who did not use hounds (49 percent).
It will take a few more years to determine the ultimate bear population impact of recent firearms season expansions as well as the three-day early firearms season because of year-to-year variation in hunter success and environmental factors.
Limited or localized acorn crops, as occurred this past fall across much of Virginia, can lead to higher hunter success in the earlier seasons and lower success in the later seasons.
However, Virginia experienced mild fall and winter weather during the 2019-20 season, which may have contributed to increased bear movements, later denning, and favorable hunting opportunities later in the season.
Deer Harvest
During the 2019-20 deer hunting season that ended Jan. 4, hunters harvested 206,976 deer in Virginia, up about 9 percent from the 190,636 deer taken during the same time frame the previous season.
The total included 99,994 antlered bucks, 901 bucks that had shed their antlers, 13,820 button bucks, and 92,261 does (45 percent).
The youth and apprentice deer hunting weekend resulted in a harvest of 2,067 deer.
The archery season harvest was 30,185 deer or 15 percent of the total.
Muzzleloading deer hunters took 54,112 deer or 26 percent.
Firearms deer season (rifles, shotguns, and pistols) resulted in a deer harvest of 122,570 deer or 59 percent of the total.
Approximately 178,670 deer (86 percent) were checked using the department’s electronic checking system.
According to Deer Project Leader Matt Knox, the majority of the increase in the fall 2019 deer harvest can be attributed to regulation changes designed to harvest more antlerless deer.
The changes did significantly increase the number of antlerless deer taken by more than 10,000 animals from fall 2018 to fall 2019.
In addition, weather was favorable during prime hunting periods this past fall compared to the previous year, and acorn crops were poor or spotty in many areas, likely making deer more visible to hunters as they moved widely in search of food.
Turkey Harvest
A total of 2,018 wild turkeys were harvested in Virginia during the 2019-20 fall turkey hunting season, 15 percent lower than last year’s harvest (2,363).
The harvest declined 5 percent in counties east of the Blue Ridge Mountains, while the harvest decreased 26 percent in counties west of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
More than 93 percent of fall turkeys were reported through the electronic checking system.
While Virginia’s turkey population is close to record levels for modern times, fall harvests will fluctuate due to a number of other factors beyond the population size.
The factors, which vary across the state, include the length and timing of the fall season, annual variation in reproductive success, acorn abundance, hunting pressure, and weather.
There were significant changes in the length of the fall season.
To meet turkey plan objectives, the fall season was reduced in 32 counties where populations were either declining or stable.
The season was expanded in several other counties where populations allowed.
Finally, an additional day of fall hunting was provided on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, resulting in an increased harvest during this traditional turkey hunting week.
Reproductive success, or “the hatch,” can vary widely; inclement weather in May and June can lead to nest losses or death of the young turkey poults.
In 2019, the productivity estimate (2.5 poults/hen) was slightly below the long-term average (2.6 poults/hen) on a statewide basis.
However, reproduction varied by region. juvenile birds account for 40-60 percent of the fall bag so reproductive success greatly influences turkey population size and fall harvest.
Acorn abundance also has a significant impact on fall harvest rates. In years with abundant acorns, wild turkey home ranges are small, which makes them harder for hunters to find.
As a result, harvest rates decline. On the other hand, during years of acorn scarcity turkeys must range further to find food and this typically helps hunters find and harvest more birds.
Gary Norman, wild turkey project leader, said fall turkey harvest patterns varied across the state according to the various patterns seen in reproductive success and acorn abundance.
The fall harvest in the Tidewater Region increased 32 percent over last year, the only region showing a higher fall harvest.
Good reproduction, low white oak acorn crops, and a longer season in the Northern Neck likely contributed to the increase. The fall season in many South Piedmont counties was shortened to meet turkey plan objectives, contributing to the 24 percent decline in harvest.
In southwest counties, the fall harvest declined 28 percent despite good reproduction.
Excellent reproduction occurred in the North Mountain region but the harvest declined 22 percent, likely due to good abundance of red oak acorns.
The harvest in the North Piedmont was about the same as last year ( minus 6 percent).
Norman said, “despite efforts to promote interest in fall turkey hunting, the long-term decline of fall turkey hunters and turkey hunting effort may be having the biggest influence on the relatively low fall kill. Other states have seen similar decreases in fall turkey hunting interest by sportsmen.”
One of the goals of the DGIF Wild Turkey Management Plan is to reverse the general decline in fall turkey hunting interest
