The fall turkey hunting season will begin this weekend across selected counties of West Virginia.  Chances are the harvest will be down, but the expectation has nothing to do with the numbers of turkeys or the mast conditions.

In fact, the lack of acorns and hard mast may improve the chances of hunter's success in western counties of the state.

"Populations look okay, the broods were down a little, but the mast conditions are pretty poor over along the Ohio River and in the Northern Panhandle," said DNR Biologist Bill Igo. "They'll be feeding more out in the fields, so the kill ought to be pretty good in those counties we just opened."

Igo says the biggest factor in recent years that has negatively impacted the fall turkey harvest is the lack of participation.    The fall turkey hunt can be a grueling ordeal, particularly in the mountain counties of West Virginia.  Igo says the season, once a staple of the fall for many hunters, has also fallen victim to opportunities for deer and bear.

"Unless you do some proper scouting and locate flocks where they’re feeding, you're going to have to cover a lot of ground.   Especially in these mountain counties it's pretty tough hunting since these turkeys can get into some rough places," explained Igo. "Fall hunting has really dropped off in the last 10 to 15 years.   We just don't have the hunters and it's easier to sit up in a tree stand with a 'string-gun' than to clamor over these mountains."

Igo and his counterparts in the state of Virginia are planning to begin a multi-year study in the years to come to determine the causes of a lower numbers on the harvest rates for autumn.   Although he doesn't have all of the data to prove it, Igo is fairly confident fewer hunters are the culprit.

Hunters in those mountain counties this fall will find the mast a bit more plentiful and therefore the birds will be a bit more available to those wiling to hoof it into the remote locations of the National Forest lands.   

Unlike deer, bear and other creatures, turkeys are probably the least impacted in a poor mast year.

"They're pretty omnivorous," said Igo. "It's hard to starve a turkey.  They can get up in a tree and feed on buds, they can feed on mushrooms, and they got a variety of foods they can depend on."

The season lengths vary for different regions of the state.  Traditionally mountain counties and those lying along the Virginia border are the most liberal seasons with two weeks of fall hunting.  However, Igo says in the selected western counties of the state are also open to hunting and may become more open in the years to come.   Data reveals hunters are having a minimal impact on the turkey populations in parts of the state.   Igo says that data will likely fuel a recommendation to make the season in the west even more open to hunters who enjoy the fall season.