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Maryland Spring Turkey Hunters Set New Harvest Record

Harvest Increases Reported in Every County

Photo of wild turkey in a field

Photo by Stephen Badger, Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Maryland hunters harvested 5,356 wild turkeys during the 2023 spring regular and junior turkey seasons, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources reported. This year’s harvest was 27% higher than the 2022 harvest and surpassed the previous record harvest of 4,303, set in 2020.

“A combination of high turkey populations, good weather, and additional hunting opportunities set the stage for the large increase in harvest,” said Wildlife and Heritage Service Acting Director Karina Stonesifer. “It is an exciting time to be a Maryland turkey hunter, particularly in regions of the state that historically did not produce many birds.”

Spring harvests increased in all counties, but the central and western regions saw the largest jumps. Every county west of the Chesapeake Bay, except Calvert, posted new record harvests. Maryland’s westernmost three counties produced the highest harvests this year, with Garrett County reporting 579 turkeys, followed by Washington County with 515, and Allegany County with 483.

Much of the increase can be attributed to the Brood X cicada emergence in the summer of 2021, which provided abundant food and increased survival of newly-hatched turkeys in a large part of the state. The bumper crop of birds resulted in plenty of two-year-old gobblers available for hunters this spring. Ideal weather during the beginning of the season also bolstered success, with 60% of the total take coming from the first week of the regular season.

Youth hunters started the spring turkey season statewide on April 15-16 with the Junior Turkey Hunt. Junior hunters harvested 383 wild turkeys during that weekend, accounting for about 7% of the total spring harvest. Sunday turkey hunting opportunities continue to grow and helped to further boost hunter harvest. A total of 503 birds were taken on Sundays, comprising 9% of the record harvest.

Total harvests by county are below:

County

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

Allegany

278

286

266

282

483

Anne Arundel

74

81

64

85

136

Baltimore

56

65

53

82

101

Calvert

68

82

58

72

99

Caroline

152

180

149

168

174

Carroll

73

93

104

94

132

Cecil

89

94

80

67

95

Charles

348

369

353

334

445

Dorchester

221

211

197

170

180

Frederick

304

348

281

343

391

Garrett

429

387

374

436

579

Harford

124

88

104

91

128

Howard

33

34

35

51

61

Kent

166

206

151

160

184

Montgomery

135

162

154

164

206

Prince George’s

105

109

99

115

164

Queen Anne’s

145

144

120

144

170

Somerset

129

171

180

176

199

St. Mary’s

188

226

187

204

253

Talbot

87

95

80

84

96

Washington

414

439

345

400

515

Wicomico

155

193

181

193

215

Worcester

229

240

295

293

350

    Total

4,002

4,303

3,910

4,208

5,356


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