Wildlife biologists use the Wild Turkey Brood Survey to determine the wild turkey population prior to our fall hunting season. The survey has also been proven to be a valuable predictor of the spring gobbler harvest two years in advance of the season. Data is collected by field personnel of the Wildlife Section of the DNR and a few volunteer cooperators. The 2003 brood count was 247 and was 16% lower than the 2002 total of 295. The total brood count was also 21% lower than our 1991-2003 average count (314).


Written by James C. Pack

Click On Link Below For PDF Version of Table 4.

Table 4. Fall Harvest of Wild Turkeys In West Virginia, 1999-2003.
(PDF format, 5.36KB)

(You will need Acrobat Reader to view this file)