Maryland Spring Turkey Kill Down from Last Year

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) recently reported hunters took 3,861 wild turkeys during the 2018 regular spring and junior hunt turkey seasons. This year's total was 8 percent lower than the record 2017 harvest, but well above the 10-year average of 3,406.

Why

Turkey populations continue to grow in a few areas of the state, but several years of below-average reproduction has reduced numbers in most regions, Wildlife and Heritage Service Director Paul Peditto said.

Where

Washington County reported the highest harvest this year with 459 turkeys, followed by Garrett County with 412. Rounding out the top five were Charles County with 336, Frederick County with 313, and Allegany County with 250. Record harvests were reported in Baltimore, Charles, Howard, Montgomery and Washington counties this year.

Hunters in 10 counties were able to hunt on Sundays this year, which lead to a harvest of 327 turkeys.

Youth Hunt

Youth hunters kicked-off the spring turkey season with the Junior Turkey Hunt April 14 statewide and April 15 in select counties, reporting 239 wild turkeys taken.

Editor's note: This blog post was compiled from MDNR news release material.

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Realtree.com's Steve Hickoff has hunted wild turkeys all across the United States and Mexico.