SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The spring gobbler harvest in West Virginia fell 19 percent in 2014. The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources on Friday released the preliminary harvest figures which indicate 9,017 birds were killed in the four week season in West Virginia.
“In most years, a significant portion of the spring gobbler harvest is composed of 2-year-old birds. Poor wild turkey reproduction in 2012 resulted in fewer birds of this age class available to hunters during the spring season,” said Division of Natural Resources Chief of Wildlife Curtis Taylor. “According to field reports, hunting pressure also was down from past seasons. This factor likely contributed to the overall harvest decline.”
As usual, Preston County and Mason County were the top counties for hunter success. Preston County hunters bagged 344 birds with 297 killed in Mason County. The rest of the top ten, in order, were Jackson, Wood, Harrison, Wyoming, Fayette, Greenbrier, Ritchie, and Roane.
“Biologists are hopeful this spring will continue to provide moderate-to-average rainfall, support above-average reproduction and allow wild turkey populations to expand,” Taylor said.