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Turkey Harvest Decrease

blake

Life Member
From the IDNR:

Spring Turkey Hunting Draws More Than 50,000 Despite Poor Weather

CHARITON - The winter that wouldn’t end is the likely culprit for a decline in the number of resident spring turkey hunters, and in the number of turkey license sold. Overall, nearly 52,500 spring turkey hunting licenses were sold to Iowans, down nearly 1,200 from 2007. Most of the decline in license sales occurred in the first season, April 14 – 17.

Hunters reported harvesting 9,643 turkeys, which was a decrease of 365 from 2007. Based on a follow up survey, only 3 out of every 4 turkeys harvested were reported, as required by Iowa law. The actual harvest was closer to 13,000, said Todd Gosselink, forest wildlife research biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Hunter success was 20 percent, matching success in 2007. If the non-reported turkey harvest was included in the calculations, the success rate would jump to 32 percent.

Youth Season license sales declined for the first time since the special season began in 2005. There were 2,141 licenses issued for the April 11 – 13 season. Youth hunters had a 22 percent success rate.

Nonresidents purchased a record 2,258 licenses from 2,298 available and had a success rate of 40 percent. Nonresidents harvested 898 turkeys, which was similar to 2007.

Wind and rain during the youth and early turkey seasons likely played a hand in the decline in hunter numbers and license sales.

For more information, contact Todd Gosselink, forest wildlife research biologist for the Iowa DNR, at 641-774-2958.
 
I will agree that the weather was terrible for turkey hunting this year. But i was happily surprised at the turkey #'s i was seeing after the bad winter we had. I have a feeling this spring is going to be tuff on the new hatch!
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Blaster</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> I have a feeling this spring is going to be tuff on the new hatch! </div></div>

This weather is going to be brutal on all ground nester's (turkey, pheasant, quail, partridge). /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/frown.gif

I'm also not real surprised the turkey harvest was off.
 
I saw and heard more turkeys this year than any year in the past, which definitely was suprising. I knew before the season in SE Iowa the bird numbers were going to be okay because we didn't have as bad of a winter as the rest of the state. But, my fiance's family's ground is in NE Iowa and I was certain that turkey numbers were going to be down up there...but when I was hunting up there for 4th season the birds were everywhere.
 
the area i'm in, i have never seen so few birds. talked to a guy that lives north, where there are bigger tracts of timber, and he said the same thing.

weather, definately sucked
 
I saw the usual # of birds 2nd and 4th season, but didn't take my kids in the youth season because there was still snow on the ground where I hunt. I have no problem believing that the youth season tag sales were down. The weather just plain sucked! You guys are right though, this spring is going to be h*ll for the ground nesters. Pheasant were just starting to show some numbers around here, this will set them back for sure.
 
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