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Hunters will be hitting the woods Monday for spring gobbler season in West Virginia.
It runs through May 24. Only bearded turkeys may be taken during the spring season.
Wild turkeys may be legally taken with bow, shotgun or rifle statewide, and are the only big game species in the state that
may be hunted in the spring.
According to the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources web site, this year's harvest should be pretty good. Biologists
are expecting that between 13,000 and 15,000 turkey will be harvested state-wide this season.
More than 13,380 gobblers were checked during last year's season. The biggest harvest was 442 in Lewis County.
Hunters are allowed to take two turkey during the season, with a daily bag limit of one. A class W stamp must be purchased
in addition to a Class A or Q hunting license, but the fee is included in the Sportsman Package.
Shooting hours are between one-half hour before sunrise through 1:00 p.m. All hunters are required to be out of the woods
by 1:00 p.m. Turkey harvested must be field tagged and checked at an official checking station before it is skinned, or
transported out of the county.
The West Virginia Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation and DNR are working together in a program to award
individuals who report poaching or illegal activities concerning wild turkey.
The organization will award $200 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of persons who illegally kill or
possess a turkey. An award of $100 is paid to those who report individuals hunting over bait or willfully destroying turkey
nests or eggs.
Turkey season is one of the few hunting seasons in the state in which a hunter may be totally camouflaged. Because of this,
the sport can be dangerous if simple actions are not taken.
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