West Virginia Wildlife from Eyewitness News

Spring Gobbler Season

West Virginia turkey hunters can expect a great spring gobbler season.

April 16, 2008
Reporter: Patrick McMurtry
Videographer: Brad Rice

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The spring gobbler season is right around the corner and thousands of us will be heading out in the woods with our turkey calls ready to go. If it seems like there are a lot of birds wandering around this year, you're right.

Gary Sharp/DNR Biologist says:
"The 2005 brood counts were down adn last year's turkey seaon showed a decrease in the kill. We're basically harvesting 2 year old birds. The brood season in 2006 was better, so we're expecting a higher harvest."

Almost everyone i talk to tells me that they're seeing a lot of birds. Sharp says a lot of what you see are hens still out and about. That's one reason why west virginia's gobbler season starts when it does...The fourth monday in april.

Gary Sharp/DNR Biologist says:
"The spring gobbler season comes in conjunction with the incubation of the hen. It takes about 18 days for them to lay a clutch of eggs and they incubate them for 28. They don't start that incubation period until the end of April. Studies have shown that there's more hen mortality if the season opens before that."

There will be a spring gobbler season in all 55 counties and the dnr is really counting on all you turkey hunters to report your harvest so they can plan on the fall season. It also helps them with overall turkey management.

Gary Sharp/DNR Biologist says:
"Whenever a person legally kills a turkey, they need to field tag it and take it to the check station. We get numbers by area and county on how many birds are killed each year, so we use that to determine which counties have fall seasons."

So get your shotgun, your best turkey calls and your field tags and have a blast out in the woods. I'll be out there with my son quinn...See you in the woods and good luck. For west virginia wildlife, i'm patrick mcmurtry, eyewitness news.

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W. Va. DNR

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