Photo by Ralph Hensley

As much as I relish pursuing whitetails in West Virginia, the outdoor pastime that I am most passionate about is turkey hunting. If you are a hardcore turkey hunter like me -- or even if you are a casual one -- you are quite probably aware that the past few seasons have seen the state's turkey contingent fall upon hard times. Last autumn, the tally was 1,295 turkeys taken, 30 percent lower than the 1,841 birds checked in during 2003. Furthermore, the 2004 harvest was the lowest fall kill since 1967.

What's more, state hunters have had to endure a four-year decline in the combined fall and spring harvests. Part of the drop can be attributed to poor poult production in 2002 and 2003. Reproduction was better in 2004 statewide, but it was still low in the high mountain counties where the Monongahela National Forest is. This national forest has long been a focal point for many fall turkey chasers. Chris Ryan, a biologist for the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR), had this to say about the reasons behind the decreased harvest.

"The primary reason for the decline in the fall turkey harvest has been from poor brood production, that is, bad hatches, the past couple of years. The better acorn crop in 2004 in the mountains also made the harvest lower because in years of good mast production, it is harder to harvest turkeys in the fall."

As veteran fall turkey hunters know, when hard mast, such as acorns, is available, flocks are more scattered and remain deeper in the woods. Thus, they are more difficult to locate and shoot. So with fewer birds being about and with those that were in the woods not having to forage far for food, then it is no surprise that the harvest plunged last fall.

But what about the prospects for this coming season? At press time, Ryan was not able to make a definitive prediction, but he was able to offer these insights.

"We didn't have a really bad winter, and there shouldn't be many problems (with winter die-off)," he said. "The 2004-05 winter definitely was better than recent past winters. The DNR would love to see a good turkey hatch this year. It's been a couple of years since we've had ideal nesting and young brood conditions in late May and early June. The weather just hasn't cooperated.

"Good brood production is very important, especially in our mountain counties and on our Monongahela National Forest. By maintaining wildlife openings for brood habitat in our national forest and in our mountain counties, which are primarily forested, we benefit not only turkeys but also many other species of wildlife. Our wildlife managers who work for the DNR do a tremendous job of working on and maintaining these openings."

Generally, hens benefit when there are no long periods of sustained cool rain in April and May. Damp conditions during the nesting period allows predators, such as foxes and bobcats, to better be able to scent turkeys and locate and destroy the nests. Cold, damp conditions can also negatively impact the poults when they hatch in late May and early June. Recall the weather conditions in your home county during the nesting and hatching periods this past spring. Then you may have some insight on how good the hatch was in your area.

Last year, the top five counties during the fall season (with the harvest in parentheses) were Monroe (164), Greenbrier (138), Preston (125), Hampshire (122) and Hardy (114). A breakdown of the turkey hunting prospects in those domains can provide some useful trip-planning information for the coming season.