May 29th, 2016 by WCBC Radio
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced this week that hunters reported harvesting a total of 3,874 wild turkeys during the 2016 regular spring and junior hunt turkey seasons that ended on May 23. This year’s harvest is three percent higher than 2015 (3,767), and well above the ten year average of 3,131.
“The high harvest can be attributed to a combination of factors, including growing turkey populations, excellent weather during the first week, and more Sunday hunting opportunities across the state,” Wildlife and Heritage Service Director Paul Peditto said.
Garrett County reported the highest harvest this year with 387 turkeys, followed by Washington with 355. Rounding out the top five were Frederick (299), Dorchester (274), and Charles (265). Hunters in nine counties were able to hunt on Sundays this year, which lead to a harvest of 251 turkeys.
Youth hunters kicked-off the spring turkey season with the Junior Turkey Hunt on April 16 statewide and April 17 in select counties. They took advantage of the pleasant weather and harvested 193 wild turkeys.
The table below shows the overall reported spring turkey season harvest by county for 2011-2016:
| Reported Spring Turkey Harvest, 2011-2016 | ||||||
| County | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
| Allegany | 287 | 257 | 269 | 258 | 298 | 256 |
| Anne Arundel | 38 | 58 | 82 | 54 | 62 | 45 |
| Baltimore | 25 | 29 | 37 | 32 | 35 | 52 |
| Calvert | 40 | 50 | 57 | 59 | 69 | 73 |
| Caroline | 132 | 164 | 142 | 141 | 159 | 172 |
| Carroll | 22 | 30 | 33 | 45 | 62 | 76 |
| Cecil | 34 | 43 | 55 | 57 | 67 | 69 |
| Charles | 222 | 303 | 270 | 254 | 253 | 265 |
| Dorchester | 210 | 219 | 245 | 239 | 252 | 274 |
| Frederick | 122 | 140 | 215 | 193 | 256 | 299 |
| Garrett | 339 | 368 | 386 | 383 | 421 | 387 |
| Harford | 69 | 98 | 110 | 97 | 102 | 110 |
| Howard | 16 | 16 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 34 |
| Kent | 97 | 103 | 118 | 150 | 164 | 181 |
| Montgomery | 47 | 51 | 82 | 68 | 97 | 94 |
| Prince George’s | 79 | 92 | 78 | 79 | 87 | 87 |
| Queen Anne’s | 114 | 152 | 159 | 165 | 183 | 190 |
| Somerset | 114 | 122 | 124 | 120 | 169 | 150 |
| St. Mary’s | 83 | 99 | 127 | 173 | 193 | 188 |
| Talbot | 98 | 102 | 103 | 83 | 68 | 88 |
| Washington | 285 | 292 | 309 | 343 | 392 | 355 |
| Wicomico | 162 | 152 | 124 | 146 | 138 | 206 |
| Worcester | 191 | 192 | 203 | 176 | 224 | 223 |
| Total | 2,826 | 3,132 | 3,344 | 3,325 | 3,767 | 3,874 |
Wild turkey populations are at all-time highs in some areas, with record numbers reported in many counties. Additionally, ideal weather during the first week of the season likely increased hunter participation and helped them locate and call in cooperative gobblers. Nearly 50 percent of the total harvest typically occurs during the first week.
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