After a messy March, filled with snow squalls and cold rains, the weather is beginning to warm up, just in time for Kentucky’s spring wild turkey season.
The weather forecast for April in Central Kentucky is near normal to slightly below normal daytime temperatures, with above normal nighttime temperatures, and much less rainfall than in recent weeks.
“Biologically, photoperiod (length of daylight) is the trigger for breeding, but weather plays a role too,” said Zak Danks, wild turkey program coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR). “I’m really hopeful we’ll have good weather to coincide with this spring’s turkey season.”
The good news about this winter’s heavy precipitation is Kentucky’s woods and fields are likely to have a robust green up, and by mid-April turkeys will have lots of food options — grasses, clovers, and winter wheat in fields, with tender forbs in woodland edges. (Photo provided)
Danks said the weather also affects hunter turnout. When it rains during the season, many hunters stay at home.
The good news about this winter’s heavy precipitation is Kentucky’s woods and fields are likely to have a robust green up, and by mid-April, turkeys will have lots of food options — grasses, clovers, and winter wheat in fields, with tender forbs in woodland edges.
The greening woods will also provide cover for hunters, making it easier to move on gobbling toms without being seen, and after the hatch, thick foliage will help young turkey poults escape predators.
In late March turkey flocks begin to break up, as dominant gobblers collect a harem of hens, and hens begin to look for places to nest. Over the winter turkeys are segregated by sex and have a home range of one to two miles. But, by summer, their home ranges are much smaller, as food becomes more abundant.
Season Dates / Bag Limits
Hunting starts next weekend, April 7-8, with the youth-only turkey season, open to boys and girls who haven’t reached their 16th birthday by the start of the two-day season.
The season dates for the 23-day statewide general season are April 14 through May 6.
Shooting hours for both spring seasons are 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset.
The bag limit for turkey hunting in the spring is two (2) birds with visible beards. No more than one (1) bird may be taken per day.
Turkeys taken by youth hunters during the youth-only season count toward the spring turkey bag limit. Details of all harvested turkeys must be logged — written on the back of paper hunting licenses, and all harvested turkeys must be checked in over the telephone or online.
Anyone may call turkeys, or assist in the hunt. Callers and assistants are not required to possess a hunting license or turkey permit and may carry equipment while in the field.
Timing of the Season/Population Estimate
In Kentucky, the spring turkey hunting season opens after the first peak of gobbling. The season is timed to give gobblers a chance to begin breeding hens before they are subjected to hunting pressure.
Over the winter turkeys are segregated by sex, and have a home range of one to two miles. But, by summer, their home ranges are much smaller, as food becomes more abundant. (Photo provided)
“We understand that for many hunters hearing birds gobble is important to a quality hunt, but our job is to balance biological factors with social factors, to keep flocks viable, and avoid negative (harvest) impacts.”
For decades opening day of Kentucky’s general spring season has been set to coincide with the second peak of gobbling, in mid-April. “The reason hunters don’t see many hens during our season is because they are beginning to nest, laying a dozen or so eggs during a two week period, and this cuts down on illegal or accidental harvest,” said Danks. “We want a quality hunting experience, and that’s what we have here in Kentucky.”
Kentucky’s wild turkey population is estimated to be about 220,000 birds, and population growth is continuing in a majority of Kentucky counties.
Turkey Reproduction
Turkey reproduction is monitored with an annual brood survey, conducted during the summer.
Through hundreds of observation reports from across the state, a poult per hen ratio is calculated which reflects the reproductive success of the flock. For the past two springs, the statewide poult per hen average has been below the optimal level of 2.0.
“It’s clear to me that hunters will see fewer numbers of two-year-old gobblers this season and next,” said Danks. “But with good weather during nesting, we will see a reversal of this reproductive trend.”
In 2015, the poults per hen average were 2.3. Last spring it was 1.3, down from 1.6 in 2016.
Inclement weather during the nesting period in May and June is what causes turkey reproductive success to drop below optimal levels.
High water from flash floods can drown out nests in lowland habitat, and a cold rainy period can lead to increased mortality from hypothermia.
The hen will try to protect her newly-hatched young by keeping them under her wings and body, but extended periods of cold, wet weather cause many poults to die.
Turkey Harvest Trends
Hunting starts next weekend, April 7-8, with the youth-only turkey season, open to boys and girls who haven’t reached their 16th birthday by the start of the two-day season. The season dates for the 23-day statewide general season are April 14 through May 6. (Photo provided)
Last spring, hunters reported taking 33,072 turkeys, according to harvest figures posted on the department’s website. That represented a 6.5 percent increase over the previous year’s harvest of 31,049, and was the third highest total on record.
Muhlenberg County led all counties in the harvest with hunters reporting 683 birds taken. Rounding out the top 10 counties were: Logan, 663; Pulaski, 610; Hart, 606; Ohio, 556; Breckinridge, 553; Hopkins, 541; Graves, 518; Christian, 502, and Grayson, 498.
Pendleton County, where 495 turkeys were reported taken, led the state with 1.76 birds harvested per square mile.
Regionwide in 2017, the 31 counties in the Bluegrass Region showed the highest percentage increase in turkey harvest, 6.4 percent, followed by the 14 counties in the Purchase Region, 6.2 percent, the 29 counties in the Southeast Region, 5.7 percent, the 21 counties in the Northeast Region, 5.0 percent, and the 25 counties in the Green River Region, 3.3 percent.
While a large number of turkeys are taken on the opening weekend of the season, 10,389 last spring, Danks said that hunters shouldn’t overlook hunting at the end of the season. “Hens are on the nest and gobblers are alone,” said Danks. “The last weekend of last season hunters checked in 2,565 birds.”
Wild Turkey Hunting Log
New this spring is a turkey hunter log and post-season survey.
“When the season opens there will be a link at the top of our homepage www.fw.ky.gov,” said Danks. “Download the pdf and print it out.”
Then hunters fill in information on their daily hunting effort, the number of turkeys seen, their sex, gobbling activity, turkeys harvested, weather, and other wildlife species observed, such as ruffed grouse, deer, and coyotes.
“We’re hoping to get a handle on hunter effort,” said Danks. “We need to know the number of days hunted, versus the number of turkeys harvested.”
This information will provide a relative index of the man-days per turkey harvested, or turkeys harvested per 1,000 hours afield.
“We need to get an answer to the question: Is a rise in harvest due to more turkeys or more hunter effort?” said Danks.
Danks said the results of the data collection will be put up on the department’s website.
Art Lander Jr. is outdoors editor for KyForward. He is a native Kentuckian, a graduate of Western Kentucky University and a life-long hunter, angler, gardener and nature enthusiast. He has worked as a newspaper columnist, magazine journalist and author and is a former staff writer for Kentucky Afield Magazine, editor of the annual Kentucky Hunting & Trapping Guide and Kentucky Spring Hunting Guide, and co-writer of the Kentucky Afield Outdoors newspaper column.
