The Shadow
Robert Ellis, Wildlife Division Director with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, reports that fall turkey hunters harvested 3,538 birds in the 2009-10 season.
This harvest was 1 percent above last year’s reported kill of 3,505. The harvest increased 6 percent in counties west of the Blue Ridge Mountains, l,664 vs.1 ,576. Counties east of the Blue Ridge Mountains decreased 3 percent, l,874 vs. 1,929.
Scott led all counties with a harvest of 155 birds. Amelia, Cumberland, and Craig were new to the top 10 county list of fall harvested birds while Caroline, Giles, and Halifax dropped out of the top 10.
Gary Norman, Wild Turkey Project Leader, indicated the low but stable harvest was a result of several factors including spotty mast conditions and low reproduction.
Reproduction has been poor in recent years. Good recruitment is obviously needed to bolster turkey populations. To get an idea of reproductive success, department staff routinely report observations of turkey broods through the summer months.
In 2009, staff reported brood observations while driving over 300,000 miles during their routine work during June, July, and August. In 2008, staff reported seeing 2.0 broods per 1,000 miles of driving.
During 2009, the rate dropped to 1.3 broods per 1,000 miles. These data suggest lower recruitment in 2009 compared to 2008. Overall recruitment has been low for several years in a row.
Acorns are definitely a preferred food for wild turkeys and acorn availability drives wild turkey behavior patterns and harvest rates. In 2009, mast conditions were generally poor with a few localized areas where mast was near or above normal levels. With abundant acorn crops, wild turkey home ranges are smaller and they tend to spend more time in the forest. These conditions make fall hunting more challenging.
In contrast, poor acorn crops increase home range size and use of open areas, which make them more visible and vulnerable to hunting. The only region of the state with average white oak crops was the North Piedmont. The bottom-line is that wild turkey harvest rates decline when there is more food available to turkeys and vice-versa.
Wildlife Division staff and Foresters with the Virginia Department of Forestry monitor acorn and other food crops annually across the state.
Forty-seven percent of the fall harvest was reported in the first 2 weeks of the 6-week season. Twelve percent of the harvest was reported on Thanksgiving Day.
During the fall youth day, 34 birds were checked.
Most birds were taken on private lands 92 percent, with the balance coming from federal, 6 percent, or state-owned lands, 2 percent.
Most birds were taken with a shotgun , 40 percent. The balance of the harvest was taken with rifles, 29 percent; muzzle loaders, 23 percent; bows, 4 percent; crossbows, 3 percent and pistols, 1 percent.
In summary, the stable fall turkey harvest was likely the result of a combination of factors including poor reproductive performance and spotty mast conditions.
Turkey populations were likely lower than last year, but because of higher harvest rates the kill was essentially stable.
Top 10 Counties
Scott, 155; Pittsylvania, 116; Botetourt, 103; Franklin, 100; Shenandoah, 93; Bedford, 90; Amelia, 81; Augusta, 77; Cumberland, 74; Craig, 70.
In the Highlands: Alleghany, 58; Bath County, 41; Botetourt, 103; Craig, 71 and Highland, 39.
This article is reproduced from the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries’ website: www.HuntFishVa.com.
