Spring Gobbler hunters in West Virginia saw the 2009 season close with the numbers of turkeys killed down four-percent from 2008. Hunters bagged 9,485 bearded birds during the recently completed four-week season.
The top counties for hunting were largely the same. Mason County led the state with 422 kills. Preston County had the second highest harvest with 378 birds. Hunters in Harrison County killed 310 birds. Upshur County and Wood County rounded out the top five with 296 and 273 birds respectively.
Much like 2008, inclement weather is blamed for the lower harvest.
"Just as we saw last year, the 2009 spring turkey season experienced many days of rain,” said Curtis Taylor, DNR Wildlife Chief. “This wet weather dampened hunter turnout, reduced gobbling activity and resulted in a lower than expected harvest.”
Biologist say the turkeys were there, the hunters apparently were not. Despite an improved brood report from last year, foul weather kept hunters out of the woods for much of the season.
“Reports from field personnel during this spring season indicated hunting pressure was lower than normal,” said Taylor. “Much of this decrease in hunting can be attributed to the very foul weather conditions.”
There’s a silver lining to the lower numbers. Biologists expect a good number of the birds to carry over to next season. Depending on 2009 reproduction and the fall mast in West Virginia, there is a potential for an exponentially large number of turkeys for the 2010 season.