2009 West Virginia Fall Turkey Harvest Increases

2009 West Virginia Fall Turkey Harvest Increases

West Virginia –-(AmmoLand.com)-Preliminary figures for the 2009 fall turkey hunting season show a harvest of 1,244 turkeys. This is slightly higher than the 1,206 turkeys checked in during the 2008 fall season. The eastern Mountain Region of the state reported a fall turkey harvest increase, with District 3 mountain counties up 16 percent and District 4 mountain counties up 20 percent. The fall turkey harvest declined 10 percent in the northern counties of District 1 and declined 15 percent in the eastern panhandle counties of District 2. The top five counties for fall turkey harvests were Monroe (116), Nicholas (114), Greenbrier (99), Preston (82) and Mason (81).

Wildlife biologists had predicted a similar to slightly higher fall harvest based on good brood counts in the traditional fall counties of the Mountain Region and poor food conditions in other parts of the state. These conditions tend to concentrate birds in large flocks, making them more susceptible to hunters. “The 2009 fall turkey harvest came in as predicted based upon our field reports and data,” reported Paul Johansen, Assistant Chief in Charge of Game Management. “Less than ideal weather conditions occurred in some portions of the state during the first week of the season, and this may have hampered hunters,” Johansen noted. “However, poor mast conditions served to concentrate birds making them more available to hunters throughout the season.”