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State Turkey Kill
Shows Marked Drop
Big Came Tag returns indicate that Virginia’s turkey kill dropped to 2,338 last season from the record of 4,040 taken the year previous, a decrease of 42%, Game Management Field Coordinator C. II. Shaffer reports. The decline was not expected but biologists had hoped that it would not be quite so drastic, examination of feathers collected at chec ing stations reveals that adults outnumbered young birds in the kill in many areas, indicating very poor hatching and rearing success last spring. In a good year, juveniles can make up over 80% of the kill, Shaffer said. Nature hit the birds with the coldest May on record last spring, coupled with unusually wet conditions. Abundant acorns and other foods over most of Virginia last fall kept the birds scattered frustrating hunter attempts to find and bag them. The five top western counties were Bath with 288 turkeys. Augusta with 147, Botetourt where 141 were bagged, Highland with 133 and Rockbridge with 132 reported. Leading eastern turkey counties included Buckingham with 81, Amelia with 67, Prince William with 54, Fauquier with 49 and Spottsylvania with 47 reported kills. The total bag west of the Blue Ridge was 1,441 turkeys while only 897 were killed in eastern counties. Recovery of the turkey flocks will depend largely on hatching and rearing success this spring.
75.7%