Maryland’s Spring 2022 Turkey Harvest Sees 8% Increase – The Southern Maryland Chronicle

Maryland hunters harvested 4,208 wild turkeys throughout spring 2022 common and junior turkey seasons, the Maryland Division of Pure Assets reported. This yr’s harvest was 8% increased than the 2021 harvest and simply 2% under the document harvest of 4,303 set in 2020.

“Though sure areas have skilled declines in turkey populations, some areas of the state now maintain record-high numbers of turkeys,” Wildlife and Heritage Service Director Paul Peditto stated. “The expansion of turkey populations in areas such because the Baltimore-Washington hall offers hunters with thrilling new alternatives to get afield the place they won’t have had success previously.”

The share of juvenile turkeys or “jakes” reported within the harvest was 24%, the best stage since 2011. The rise will be attributed to the Brood X cicada emergence in the summertime of 2021 which offered considerable meals for newly-hatched turkeys and elevated the survival of the younger birds. 

Turkey’s populations within the central area of the state particularly benefited from final summer season’s excessive copy. 5 counties within the area posted document harvests: Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery, and Prince George’s. However counties additional west lead the state in whole turkey harvest, with Garrett County reporting 436 turkeys, adopted by Washington County with 400 and Frederick County with 343.

Youth hunters kicked off the spring turkey season statewide on April 16 with the Junior Turkey Hunt. A further junior looking alternative occurred on April 17 in choose counties. In whole, junior hunters harvested 286 wild turkeys, accounting for about 7% of the whole spring harvest.

Whole harvests by county are under: