Kentucky hunters smashed a 16-year-old record during the recent spring turkey season.
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources reports that hunters harvested more than 36,400 turkeys. That surpasses the previous record set in 2010 and is 18 percent higher than the ten-year average.
Wildlife officials attribute the historic haul to a boom in the turkey population, more hunters in the woods, and excellent weather.
Turkey program coordinator Zak Danks says strong baby turkey survival rates and a cicada surge in western Kentucky set the stage for a successful season. Four straight weekends of good weather sealed the deal.
Youth hunters started the season strong, setting a record with 2,613 turkeys harvested during the April 4-5 youth-only season—over 300 more than the previous record and far above the 10-year average of 1,670. The momentum continued as hunters reported 13,670 turkeys on the April 18-19 general season opening weekend, outpacing the 10-year average of 9,860.
By region, the Green River area led with 10,132 turkeys harvested, followed by the Southeast with 8,045, the Bluegrass with 7,895, the Purchase region with 5,269, and the Northeast with 5,098.v
Graves County led Kentucky’s turkey harvest for the third consecutive year with 778 birds, followed by Muhlenberg at 746 and Breckinridge at 662. Rounding out the top ten were Pulaski, Christian, Hopkins, Ohio, Hardin, Grayson, and Logan counties. Notably, seven of these counties are in the Green River Region.
Officials say preliminary data suggest next year’s season will also be strong, but they warn young turkeys still face threats from predators and habitat loss.
