Increasing ten year annual growth rates exceeded 2%. The charleston gazettemail reported that the changes will alter the hunting seasons of. Posted on october 9, 2014 october 9, 2014 by deltaoperatorman photo courtesy of. The west virginia division of natural resources has made several changes to the states hunting regulations. South charleston, wv hunting prospects look promising for the 2016 spring turkey season in west virginia, which runs april 18 through may 24, with a special oneday youth season. Turkeys harvested during the deerarchery only season count toward the county bag limit. West virginia hunting seasons, 20192020 hunting season hq. Check the 20182019 west virginia hunting and trapping regulations summary for details. One male turkey or turkey with visible beard youths who take a turkey during the youth season may not harvest a second bird until april 27. Spring turkey hunters harvested 11,539 gobblers in 2017, an increase of more than 11 percent over the 2016 harvest, according to preliminary numbers provided by the west virginia division of natural resources. Official site of the west virginia division of natural resources els for wv state parks and wv hunting and fishing licenses. This is because the bird taken during the youth season counts as the first bird for the first week of the regular season. Everything you need to plan your west virginia hunting trips for 2020. Hunting prospects look promising for the 2016 spring turkey season in west virginia, which runs april 18 through may 24, with a special.
West virginia hunting seasons, 20192020 west virginia offers several big game hunting seasons through the beautiful appalachian mountains. Spring turkey season daily shooting hours for may 10 through may 23 are onehalf hour before sunrise to sunset. The oneday youth season will be held april, the saturday before the regular season. That, in turn, caused a significant increase in 2yearold gobblers in 2018. During a deer archery only season, a fall turkey hunter may not be in possession of both archery equipment and firearms. The season will open monday, april 15, and runs through saturday, may 11. A year later, mellingers 9yearold daughter bagged the topscoring turkey. Not only did the poults have plenty of protein themselves. Hard gobbling longbeards in our lap turkey hunting april 2016 duration. Statewide except in areas where there is a closed firearm season on turkey. Special restrictions apply to specific firearms use during this season.
The official west virginia dnr els electronic licensing system. Wild turkey population status 2016 2017 decreasing increasing stable density estimate based on per square mile of turkey habitat counties without an arrow are stable criteria for trend. There is also general information on the different hunting seasons for a wide range of wild game species. The west virginia division of natural resources dnr predicts the wild turkey harvest this fall will be similar to the 2011 fall hunting season, when hunters took 1,186 turkeys in. Turkey general regulations west virginia division of. In just a few days, west virginias statewide spring gobbler season will start. West virginias spring gobbler season opens april 15.
West virginia dnr makes changes to squirrel, turkey. Virginia, and west virginia, mean or median dates of first nest incubation. West virginias spring gobbler season opens april 15 wv. West virginias fall wild turkey season opens october. Several important changes in the states fall hunting seasons for squirrel, white tailed deer, black bear and wild turkey are included in the new. State wildlife officials have proposed to extend the current 27day season to 35 days, effective in the. Delawares spring wild turkey hunting season will run from april 11, 2020 may 9, 2020. Turkey general regulations season west virginia division. West virginia s statewide fourweek spring gobbler season opens monday, april 15, and runs through may 11. Wild turkey weight certification form pdf how to score your gobbler. Fall turkey numbers up in first statewide fall season wvmetronews. The bag limit is one bearded turkey and the harvested bird will count toward the hunters annual bag limit. This is a large 7mb file and may take a long time 20 min or longer to open on a dialup internet connection. South charleston, wv the fall wild turkey hunting season in west virginia opens october in selected counties.
Hunting prospects for the 2016 west virginia spring turkey season sunday, april 3, 2016 04. Major regulation changes for 20182019 include the following. The spring gobbler season is scheduled to open on april 20, the youth season is expanding to two days and turkey hunters can anticipate increased harvest opportunities. The bird was hit hard and went down in some greenbriers on the opposite side of the right. Aptly named the mountain state, west virginia gives hunters the opportunity to hunt in majestic solitude while pursuing deer, bear, turkey and small game. During department research to determine survival rates of wild turkey hens, it was discovered that at least 6% of the hen population is poached during the early part of the spring gobbler season. Advertisement hunters may kill only one bearded turkey per day and two during the season, which runs through saturday, may, according to gary foster of the w. Fall harvest of wild turkeys in west virginia, 20122016. Why is spring gobbler hunting limited to noon during portions of the gobbler season.
Fall wild turkey season dates and open counties have changed. My dad, myself, tony lewis and c headed to the turkey woods of gilmer county, wv to turkey hunt. When west virginias spring turkey season opens on monday morning, heaven only knows how many gobblers will be killed. Public land permits can only be used on the property and season. In 2016, while hunting on his jackson county farm, he killed the topscoring turkey ever recorded in west virginia. You can read the full article in the januaryfebruary 2016 issue of turkey country magazine. That said, biologists and veteran hunters alike will tell you that west virginias turkey population is less than it was a little over a decade ago. Spring gobbler season starts april 15 west virginia. West virginia hunters harvest 11,539 spring turkeys in. West virginias turkey hunters might get to enjoy an extra week of hunting next year.
Scott ellisawesome west virginia hen turkey talk duration. The mountaineers played as members of the big 12 conference big 12 and were led by head coach dana holgorsen, in his sixth year. West virginia wildlife officials have proposed regulations that would allow hunters to kill more whitetailed deer, black bears and turkeys this. Sunday hunting is legal on public lands throughout west virginia. The statewide bag limit is two legal turkeys, no jakes.
If a county allows fall turkey hunting, the turkey may also be harvested with archery equipment during the deerarchery only season. A special oneday hunt for youth and nonambulatory disabled hunters will occur on april 4, 2020. Turkey hunting seasons during both spring and fall seasons, you must report taking a turkey within 7 days, via the decals online harvest reporting system or by calling 18664263778. West virginias fall wild turkey season will open on oct. The youth hunt april 1112 and all time periods april 15may 26 remain open for turkey hunting. In 2016, for example, a widespread emergence of periodical cicadas caused a dramatic jump in turkeys reproductive success. Numerous regulation changes will be in place this fall, including those that will affect turkey, bear, boar, raccoon and deer hunting.
Two birds traveled a long distance to our setup after daylight. Tennessee turkey season regulations and information. A turkey hunter, colbert said the science of gobbling matters far less than one simple rule. West virginias 2019 spring gobbler season opens april 15 west. General regulations turkey west virginia division of. West virginia played its home games at mountaineer field at milan puskar stadium in morgantown, west virginia. No more than one legal turkey may be taken per day.
Virus hangs giant question mark over wvs spring turkey season. I am a turkey hunter and our season opens right around the corner. Dnr proposes more liberal deer, bear, turkey seasons for 2016. Hunters 6 to 15 years old may harvest one jake as part of their twobird limit during the season including the youth hunt. Hunters can harvest one bearded bird per day with a season bag limit of two. The 2016 17 west virginia mountaineers mens basketball team represented west virginia. Ravenswood father, daughter claim wv turkeyhunting. Only one eithersex turkey may be taken during the fall hunting season with either bow, crossbow or gun.
A limited number of west virginia resident hunters will be permitted to participate in turkey hunting in counties open to permit hunting. Youth huntapril 1112 wisconsins annual spring turkey youth hunt is designed to give young hunters the opportunity to hunt and gain valuable experience without. It was a beautiful morning on saturday and the gobblers were lighting the woods on fire. A hunter calls a gobbler during spring turkey season in west virginia. Turkey hunting is a tradition in the mountain state, and the spring season can be both challenging and fun for hunters of all ages.
The 2016 turkey broods were probably bolstered by the emergence of the 17 year cicadas, peters says. Turkey season west virginia division of natural resources. West virginia spring gobbler season set to open grand. The use of dogs is legal during the fall turkey season. Hunting prospects for the 2016 west virginia spring turkey season. See legal use of firearms and archery tackle and local firearms ordinances. As part of our comprehensive guide to us hunting seasons by state on this page you will find out when is hunting season for west virginia. Hunting prospects look promising for the 2016 spring turkey season in west virginia, which runs april 18 through may 24, with a special oneday youth season april 16. Deer hunting and deer drives last day of pa gun season 2018. Turkey hunting regulations virginia hunting seasons. If you wish, instead, to receive a printed copy, please visit an authorized hunting license agent or request a copy from a dnr district office.
The 2016 west virginia mountaineers football team represented west virginia university in the 2016 ncaa division i fbs football season. Advertisement the harvest is the largest since 2006 when 11,735 birds were harvested and is more than 18 percent above the 10year average. Spring gobbler season in west virginia opens monday, april 17, and state officials are predicting a good season boosted by the 2016 cicada emergence. Stable annual growth rates between 2% and 2% or no significant growth trend. West virginians love their turkey hunting, and theres a significant tradition here for it, spring and fall. Map of wild turkey population status in virginia pdf aging turkey. All counties in the state will have at least a oneweek fall season. Hunting prospects for the 2016 west virginia spring turkey.
West virginias statewide fourweek spring gobbler season opens april 15 and runs through may 11. Its almost time for spring gobbler season in wv sports. The science of gobbling national wild turkey federation. Spring turkey season 2020 is going on as scheduled.