West Virgina 2007 Turkey Forecast How will sportsmen fare this season when seeking gobblers throughout our wild and wonderful state? Read on for the latest news on turkey hunting. ... [+] Full Article
In District I, the actual numbers were the same both years -- 242. And in District II, the tally increased from the 421 recorded in 2003 to the 485 registered this past season. District III saw its harvest drop from 293 to 266, while District IV experienced a precipitous dip from 429 to 302. The drop in District IV is especially important because Greenbrier and Monroe counties have been the only two counties open to fall turkey hunting the past two years.
At press time, wildlife biologists did not have enough data to make a forecast of what the hunting would be like this autumn. As this article is due out in September, later on this month turkey enthusiasts can contact their local DNR offices and request information on summer brood reports and possibly mast information. Also at this time, sportsmen can request information on what counties will be open this autumn. Although the traditional southern West Virginia counties will, of course, be open, whether other counties in other regions will be open will be determined by how good their spring harvests were.
NEW GOBBLER STUDY
Gary Norman is a veteran turkey biologist and hunter. He is currently the forest game bird project leader for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. This past February, at a state National Wild Turkey Federation fundraiser, Norman told me about an exciting new project underway designed to generate important research of interest to sportsmen in the Mountain State and Old Dominion. The title of the project is "Hunting and environmental effects on gobbler survival and gobbling in Virginia and West Virginia."
According to Norman, the research project will address the following topics.
Determine the best harvest strategy for maximum sustained yield. That is, how can seasons and bag limits be structured so as to maintain good numbers of birds?
Determine the best harvest strategy for maximum hunter opportunity. That is, how can the two state game departments increase the opportunity for hunters to harvest birds?
Determine the influence of harvest strategies on age structure of the male segment of the population. That is, how does hunting affect the numbers of jakes and 2-, 3- and 4-year-old toms?
Determine human behavior and hunting impacts on gobbler behavior. That is, how does our hunting gobblers influence their behavior and gobbling rates?
Determine quantitative wild turkey gobbling activity. That is, how much do toms actually gobble?
In West Virginia, one study area in the eastern part of the state will be the focus of the project. The study will run for three years, concluding in the summer of 2007. One of the most fascinating aspects of the project is how data will be generated. Annually, 70 males will be captured by means of rocket nets and rocket boxes in September and October and in the January to March trapping periods. Researchers will then equip the males with standard backpack transmitters and necklace data loggers.
The necklace data logger will be configured to record the number of gobbles in two-minute intervals. Those loggers will have a life span of approximately eight months. Hunters who tag these toms should easily be able to spot the reward notices on the leg bands, transmitters and data loggers. Norman expects that hunters will recover most of the data loggers. Still, some toms may have to be recaptured if the transmitter's batteries fail or when the study concludes.
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