The good news for this season is that Curtis Taylor, chief of wildlife resources section for the DNR, reports that the 2006 hatch has been rated as good. That could well mean more toms available to sound off this coming spring. Also, on a positive note, the early indicators are that the 2007 hatch may have been a good one, although at press time it was too early to definitely know for sure.

This spring, the special one-day youth season will be held on Saturday, April 26. The statewide season will run from April 28 through May 24. As always, shooting hours are from one-half hour before sunrise to 1 p.m., and the bag limit is one bearded bird per day and two per season. With all that in mind, let’s take a district-by-district overview of the state.

DISTRICT I
District I includes the Northern Panhandle and much of the state’s northern reaches. As was true for 47 of the state’s 55 counties, the domains of District I likewise experienced a harvest drop, as the number of birds taken declined from 2,430 in 2006 to 2,142 in 2007. As is the norm, Preston County led the region with a harvest of 400, but even this turkey-rich county saw its tally decline.

Nevertheless, District I should be a very good destination in 2008, and as I pen this, I am strongly considering making a 5 1/2-hour drive to hunt there this spring. The reason for both statements is that the district as a whole sports marvelous turkey habitat with its mixed wood lots, farms and Ohio River tributaries. And despite the recent harvest decline, the tallies from 2003 through 2005 have been quite respectable with totals of 2,850, 2,384 and 2,303, respectively, for this district.

Other counties that should be excellent destinations this spring (with 2006 and 2007 harvest figures in parentheses) include Barbour (176 and 176), Harrison (254 and 237), Marion, which was one of the few counties to experience an increase (190 and 201), Marshall (306 and 279), Monongalia (310 and 260) and Wetzel, which also recorded an uptick (200 and 204).

Also, please note that although the harvests in these counties may be well below those of other state areas, that is often primarily due to the size of this district’s counties. District I contains some of the smallest counties in West Virginia, so the lower harvests are often a reflection of nothing more than fewer square miles of wildlife habitat -- not a lack of quality turkey hunting.

DISTRICT II
District II, which contains the Eastern Panhandle and surrounding counties, endured a substantial drop from 1,121 in 2006 to 920 in 2007. Part of this decline is because of the suburbanization of counties such as Jefferson, but most of the drop is because of the poor 2005 hatch. The district harvests from 2003 through 2005 were 992, 940 and 854, respectively.

Hampshire and Hardy counties often jockey back and forth for the top spot in District II and the past two years have seen a continuation of that contest. Hampshire holds the current upper hand with a total of 163, although that figure was a considerable drop from the 2006 harvest of 220. Hardy recorded a mark of 157, a major slippage from the 2006 kill of 226.

Other counties of note include Grant (130 and 144), Mineral (135 and 115), Morgan (116 and 86) and Pendleton (136 and 141). The latter county may be a particularly intriguing destination this spring because of its mountain farms and national forest land. I have gained permission to hunt two farms in Pendleton County and am eager to try them out.