With a whopping 18,860 wild turkey kills, Virginia turkey hunters revel in the third best turkey hunting season!
Gobble, gobble! Though it's far from Thanksgiving, spring turkey hunting has been in full force. This year, Virginia turkey hunters have recorded what is now the third best hunting season on record. The Roanoke Times reported that hunters killed 18,860 wild turkeys this spring, a nine percent increase from last spring. Despite unruly weather, including frequent rains and heavy winds, hot temperatures brought out the gobblers a bit earlier than expected.
The kills are recorded each season by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. The best season recorded was in 2015, with a recorded take of 20,580. The second highest coming in at 19,265 in 2013.
These past kills have appropriately reflected the increasing wild turkey populations in Virginia. "Virginia's wild turkey has increased 2.7-percent annually over the past 10 years," Gary Norman, DGIF forest game bird project leader, told The Roanoke Times. With the recent numbers though, this season's take shows that the population has slowed, and that it's showing minimal growth.
With regards to this, the DGIF has recently rejected a proposal to increase the daily limit for turkey hunters from one bird to two. Those against this rejection state the population is large enough to sustain a larger limit. But those who agree with the rejection believe hunters who have already killed a turkey that day should make way for other hunters who haven't gotten their take. There is also concern for turkeys being wounded instead of killed in hunters' rush to "catch 'em all," so-to-speak.
What do you think about the one-turkey-per-day limit? Did you participate in the third largest take recorded? Share your story with us!
