Spring is an experience of
rebirth, an exercise for the senses. Rich
aromas and dramatic sounds clutter the landscape, but none is more impressive
and melodramatic than the thunderous boom of a gobbler announcing its presence
to the countryside. His intended
audience is a willing mate, but the loving echoes beckon hunters to the woods,
and this year they are liable for great success.
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| Photo by David Coffman. |
This
year, the spring gobbler season in Virginia opens on April 11 and runs through
May 16. During the first part of the
season—from April 11 through May 3—legal shooting hours span half the day, from
a half hour before sunrise till noon.
The latter portion—starting on May 4 and running through the end of the
season on May 16—offers hunters the full day, from a half hour before sunset
until sunset, to chase gobblers.
Despite
the 2014-15 turkey hunting seasons’ 44-percent deficit over last year’s seasons’
harvest numbers, DGIF Wild Turkey Project Leader, Gary Norman believes the Commonwealth’s
wild turkey population to be in excellent condition, as participants in the
annual August Brood Survey reported record numbers of broods and birds. The population has exhibited a consistent
annual growth of two percent throughout the last decade.
 |
| Photo by David Coffman |
This
is positive, considering the potential for much more dramatic population
variances. Because wild turkey lay and
incubate 10-12 eggs after mating, the weather during the month-and-a-half-long
period during which the eggs are incubated and the chicks are growing and
learning to fly--beginning sometime in early May--is the crux of population
growth. Wet, humid conditions improve
scenting conditions, thus increasing predation opportunities for nest-robbers
and poult-nappers like raccoons, foxes, coyotes, and bobcats. After the chicks are hatched, extended
periods of moist, cold weather are dangerous until the newborns are old enough
to maintain their body temperatures.
Hunter
success rates have been proven to reliably mirror these variables with a
two-year lag time for maturation. Such
was the case in 2013, when a record harvest number of 19,265 birds correlated
directly with a record poult recruitment estimate in the spring of 2011.
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| David Coffman with a big bird! |
Looking
ahead to the coming season, one can only speculate about the weather. However, in studying the reproductive success
of Old Dominion turkey in 2013, hunters can confidently expect to observe a
great increase in gobblers afield in 2015.
Of
even greater encouragement are the potential consequences of last fall’s heavy
mast crop, which made deer hunting difficult.
Biologist popularly hold that turkey gobble more frequently and
enthusiastically when they are in peak physical condition. Given the density of high-energy acorns
present through the fall and early winter, and the relatively short-lived bouts
of winter weather, the Commonwealth’s turkey population should be feeling vocal
and ready for love this spring.
The 2015 Virginia Governor’s One Shot Turkey Hunt
The Virginia
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and the Wildlife Foundation of Virginia
invite hunters and outdoor enthusiasts to the First Annual Virginia Governor’s
One Shot Turkey Hunt to be held April 17 and 18—the second weekend of spring
gobbler season—based out of downtown Richmond.
The inaugural event is designed in celebration of turkey, hunting, and
the rich spring sporting tradition that is an integral element of Virginia’s heritage.
The
festivities begin Friday night at the brand new VDGIF headquarters building
located at 7870 Villa Park Drive in Richmond, where hunters and guides will
pair up and make plans for Saturday’s hunt.
Hunter-guide
teams will hunt a variety of private properties across the state loaded with
gobblers until noon on Saturday. The
event will draw to a close Saturday night with dinner, music, and an auction at
the NewMarket Pavilion in downtown Richmond.
The
registration fee for hunters is $1,000 and includes all activities for you and
a guest, as well as some great gifts.
Come
out and be a part of this long-awaited inaugural event that is sure to become a
treasured tradition!□
*Originally published in the Rural Virginian
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