Peck Martin of McMechen with a gobbler he took near Fish Creek in top-rated Marshall County. Photo by Bruce Ingram

By Bruce Ingram

Like many states, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR) biologists tabulate results of a big- game season by the number of animals harvested per county. But the DNR also puts in table form the number of animals killed per square mile of habitat. The latter kind of classification has much to offer sportsmen who want to learn more about which counties to visit for the 2004 spring gobbler season. Indeed, some hunters and biologists could no doubt present the viewpoint that the number of gobblers killed per square mile is a much better predictor of a hunter's chance for success than any other statistic.

But before this article presents that information, a brief look back at the overall harvest from spring 2003 is in order. West Virginia hunters checked in 12,544 turkeys last year; the harvest was approximately 6 percent lower than in 2002 and registered as the ninth highest on record. An important reason for the harvest decline was the cold, wet weather that afflicted the state this past spring. Sitting in the chilly rain and waiting for a gobbler to sound off is not a pleasant experience, and an individual's odds for success certainly decrease during foul weather periods.

Curtis Taylor, chief of wildlife resources section for the DNR, says the harvest decline came as no surprise.

"The poor weather was certainly a factor, but so was the hatch of 2001," he said. In any given year, 2-year-old gobblers make up most of the harvest, and there weren't as many males of that age available to hunters in 2003. In fact, the state has not had a good hatch for the past several years. Two factors have a lot to do with turkey numbers: the amount of mast in the fall/winter period and the reproduction that occurs during the spring.

"In 2003, the turkeys suffered a double whammy. There wasn't much mast during the 2002-03 winter, so the birds didn't enter the breeding season in 2003 in the best of shape. Then, the state had a cold, wet spring and poult survival was poor. I would say that poult survival was truly terrible in most parts of the state. The exception is that we had some good broods in some areas of central and western West Virginia."

Taylor goes on to state that hunters shouldn't expect to see many jakes in the woods this spring and, unfortunately, the 2002 hatch was not a good one, either. Thus, there will also be a scarcity of 2-year-olds this spring, and that age group "drives the harvest figures" as Taylor emphasizes. The biologist also relates that he expects the spring harvest to drop in 2004.

Given those negatives, knowing which counties have had the best turkey harvests by square mile could well be a critical factor in where an individual makes his decision to go afield this spring.

"The harvest by square mile is always a better indicator of a county's turkey population than the overall kill figure is," said Taylor. "Our square-mile figure removes the acreage that is taken up by such things as city limits, lakes and reservoirs. A good example of a county that typically has a high harvest but doesn't have as good a turkey population as many other counties do is Randolph.

"Randolph is, I believe, the second-largest county east of the Mississippi. So, of course, a high number of birds will always be killed there. But the hunting might be better in counties that have only half as many birds checked in."

Brooke, which lies in District I, features one fair-sized public land in 2,081-acre Cross Creek Wildlife Management Area (WMA). Situated near Wellsburg, Cross Creek is rather typical of the type of WMA found in the northern reaches of the state. Cross Creek possesses rolling hills, mixed hardwoods and some openings. Cross Creek also has what is more typically found in southern West Virginia, which is reclaimed surface mining areas, high walls and strip benches.

Private land in Brooke County is also rather typical of that found in the Northern Panhandle. Small farms, scattered wood lots, Ohio River tributaries and overgrown fields predominate. Obviously, this type of habitat agrees mightily with turkey flocks.

Hillcrest is an extremely diverse WMA with its old orchards, croplands, fields and scattered wood lots. Obviously, much of the WMA used to be working farms, and turkeys thrive in that type of environment. Few extended parcels of forestland dot the landscape, so hunters will have to be careful not to bump birds out of fields. The rolling countryside, however, does lend itself to hunters making some aggressive moves on gobbling birds. This WMA lies just off state Route 8.

Private land habitat in Hancock County is very similar to that of Brooke. Gain permission to hunt some of this real estate, and prepare yourself for some serious gobbling action.

Mead Westvaco owns Hughes River WMA, and as such, has performed a great deal of timber cutting. This has resulted in stands of trees that represent many different age groups - good habitat diversity for wildlife.

Situated near Parkersburg, this public land can receive considerable hunting pressure, especially on Saturdays and early in the season. Another characteristic of Hughes River WMA is that it has both steep slopes and river bottoms, mature oak-hickory forest and pine forests planted for pulpwood.

Wirt County as a whole has a number of farms, plus numerous creeks, that are part of the Ohio River drainage. Wrangle an invitation to one or more of these farms, and splendid hunting could be yours.

Ohio County only has one public land and it is too small to be detailed in a magazine. Thus, hunters will basically have to depend on having family relations in this county or gain permission from landowners. The habitat is very similar to that found in Brooke and Hancock counties.