For the third time in 4 seasons, Maryland’s statewide gobbler harvest is bigger than 4,000.

The 4,208 bearded turkeys harvested this spring isn’t a document, however is a robust second place to the all time yr of 2020 when 4,303 gobblers have been checked in. In 2019, 4,002 gobblers have been bagged.

5 central Maryland counties set harvest data, however these totals are small when in comparison with the take within the state’s western counties. Document harvests befell within the counties of Anne Arundel, 85; Baltimore, 82; Howard, 51; Montgomery, 164; and Prince George’s, 115.

As soon as once more, good harvests got here from the 4 westernmost counties of Garrett, 436; Washington, 400; Frederick, 343; and Allegany, 282. As well as, Charles County was good for 334 gobblers and 293 have been taken in Worcester County.

It’s no shock that just about one-quarter of the statewide harvest was made up of juvenile male turkeys. That’s the very best share of younger gobblers within the harvest since 2011, however was to be anticipated due to the very profitable hatch and survival of poults in 2021, particularly within the western and central parts of Maryland.

These percentages converse nicely for the season in 2023 when the remaining gobblers hatched in 2021 shall be 2 years outdated and inclined to gobble, strut and are available to the calls of hunters.

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

The 2-day, mid-April gobbler season particularly for younger hunters accounted for 286 birds or 7% of the statewide complete harvest.

The overall season opening day of April 18 was accompanied in Garrett and much western Allegany counties by a heavy snow that started falling at mid-morning. Simply 17 gobblers have been checked in from Allegany County on the primary day.

For the previous 5 spring gobbler seasons, the typical kill within the far western counties has been Garrett, 408; Washington, 411; Frederick, 317; and Allegany, 272.

Garrett County’s verdant mixture of woodlands and fields provides prime habitat for wild turkeys. Allegany County, the state’s least agricultural jurisdiction, is dominated by mountainous forests. One other benefit to searching within the western counties is the big swaths of public lands that exist, resembling state forests and wildlife administration areas.

There shall be a 9-day autumn season for any turkey in Garrett, Allegany and Washington counties. Then in January a three-day winter season will happen statewide. The bag restrict for these hunts mixed is one turkey.

That is an anecdotal statement on my half, however throughout the previous 5 years I’ve seen a better variety of bearded hens within the parts of Allegany County the place I hunt. In the future this previous spring season I watched a hen with a beard of about 8 inches feed round my blind the whole morning. Though any bearded fowl is authorized within the spring, I select to not shoot at one which I can see is a hen.

To date in late Might and early June, the climate has not been a menace to newly hatched and creating poults. Maybe the nice hatch and survival of 2021 shall be a repeat this summer time and can bode nicely for the thunder hen inhabitants for the subsequent few years.

Mike Sawyers retired in 2018 as outside editor of the Cumberland Occasions-Information. His column now seems each different Saturday. To order his guide, “Native Queen, a celebration of the searching and fishing life,” ship him a examine for $15 to 16415 Lakewood Drive, Rawlings, MD 21557.