2020 Kentucky Spring Turkey Season Summary
Zak Danks, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources
June 18, 2020
Highlights
Overall, a total of 31,719 turkeys were harvested in Kentucky this spring. This was a 7.5% increase from last spring, a 5.9% increase from the 3-year average, a 4.5% increase from the 5-year average, and was 0.5% from the 10-year average.
Leading up to the 2020 spring turkey season, and prior to any effect COVID-19 may have had on hunter effort, an increase in spring turkey harvest was expected. KDFWR turkey brood survey data indicated a 54% better hatch 2 summers ago (2018) compared to the year before, which supplied many 2-year-old gobblers for this year’s harvest. (2019’s hatch was 20% better than 2018, so the prospects for 2021’s spring harvest appear favorable at this point.)
Due to the suspension of license sales to non-residents in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, -93.6% fewer non-residents purchased a license leading up to and including spring turkey season compared to last year. Accordingly, harvest by non-resident hunters (378) was down -88.9% from last spring and -88.1% from the 5-year average. Had non-residents been able to hunt (and account for about 10% of the harvest as in past years), Kentucky’s spring harvest total could have been considerably higher.
Overall license sales (139,409) changed just 2.4% from last spring, but sales to residents and youth were up considerably and those hunters likely compensated in the harvest.
Youth licenses (turkey permits and sportsman’s) increased 22.0% and the youth season harvest (2,193) increased 43.7% from last season.
Resident sportsman’s licenses increased 20.9%
Resident spring turkey permits increased 27.6%
The percentage of jakes in the harvest (13.6%) was similar to last year (13.1%) and the 5-year average (13.2%). The 2019 hatch likely made more jakes available, but the stable percentage reflects hunters’ preference for adult gobblers.
The percentage of hunters that harvested the statewide bag limit of 2 turkeys (25.7%) was no different than last year (25.9%) or the 5-year average (25.6%).
With favorable weather and more resident hunters afield, harvest on opening weekend of the statewide season increased by 14.9% from last season. Harvest increased 7.5% on weekends and 2.9% on weekdays.
Compared to last spring, harvest increased in 8 of the 9 Commission Districts and in 4 of the 5 Wildlife Division Regions.
The greatest percentage increases from last season were in the 7th Commission District (23.9%) and the Bluegrass Region (14.0%).
The 1st Commission District and the Purchase Region were down -3.2% each. Brood survey data indicated a poorer (-11%) hatch in western Kentucky in 2018 compared to the statewide average.
Harvest on public lands (1,531) decreased -4.4% from last spring and was -8.1% and -13.5% below the 5- and 10-year averages. This may reflect greater hunting pressure and lower success rates over time, or conversely, declining hunting effort.
Logan County led in total harvest with 626, followed by Hardin County (603), Hart County (575), Muhlenberg County (561), and Pulaski County (542) rounding out the top 5.
A note on season timing: Under current regulations, the general spring season opens between April 12 and April 18. This timing is intended to coincide with the period when, in most years, hen turkeys will have begun nesting. The purpose is to ensure breeding by gobblers before harvesting begins and to reduce illegal harvest of hens. This spring, turkey season opened on April 18, which may seem late to some hunters. However, since 2006 when the regulation took effect, our season opened this late in 2009 and 2015, and will again in 2026. And thinking long-term, between the years 2000 and 2099 Kentucky’s spring turkey season will have opened this late in the same percentage of years (14%) as it will have opened as early as possible (12). Most years (17%) will open exactly in the middle (April 15).
Harvest Breakdown
The following tables, graphs, and map summarize this year’s spring turkey harvest. With no major regulation changes since 2006, Kentucky’s harvest data is comparable over a relatively long time span. Note that the statewide youth season is the first weekend in April (2 days), while the statewide general season runs from the Saturday closest to April 15 for 23 consecutive days. Season dates and regulations differ on some areas, particularly federal installations such as Ft. Campbell, Ft. Knox, and Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area (consult the spring hunting guide for details).
Category of Interest | 2020 | 2019 | 3-Year Avg. | 5-Year Avg. | 10-Year Avg. | % Change from Prev. Yr. | % Change from 3-Yr. Avg. | % Change from 5-Yr. Avg. | % Change from 10-Yr. Avg. |
Entire Harvest (All Telechecked Turkeys) | 31,719 | 29,502 | 29,942.33 | 30,354.2 | 31,556.7 | 7.5 | 5.9 | 4.5 | 0.5 |
Statewide 23-Day Season | 29,334 | 27,806 | 28,317.67 | 28,662.4 | 29,670.9 | 5.5 | 3.6 | 2.3 | -1.1 |
Percentage of Jakes in the Harvest | 13.6 | 13.1 | 11.5 | 13.2 | 12.4 | 3.9 | 18.4 | 2.8 | 9.2 |
% of successful hunters that harvested 2 turkeys | 25.7 | 25.9 | 25.9 | 25.6 | 25.6 | -1.0 | -0.9 | 0.3 | 0.2 |
Private Land | 30,188 | 27,900 | 28,276 | 28,687.4 | 29,786.1 | 8.2 | 6.8 | 5.2 | 1.3 |
Public Land | 1,531 | 1,602 | 1,666.333 | 1,666.8 | 1,770.6 | -4.4 | -8.1 | -8.1 | -13.5 |
Resident Hunters | 29,893 | 25,226 | 25,942 | 26,583.8 | 27,895.4 | 18.5 | 15.2 | 12.4 | 7.2 |
Non-Resident Hunters | 378 | 3,404 | 3,291.667 | 3,182.4 | 3,208.9 | -88.9 | -88.5 | -88.1 | -88.2 |
License-Exempt Landowners/Tenants | 3,278 | 2,932 | 3,028.667 | 3,103 | 3,230.2 | 11.8 | 8.2 | 5.6 | 1.5 |
Youth Hunters | 2,193 | 1,526 | 1,448 | 1,525.4 | 1,711.3 | 43.7 | 51.5 | 43.8 | 28.1 |
Opening Weekend | 9,978 | 8,684 | 8,755.333 | 8,903 | 9,486.9 | 14.9 | 14.0 | 12.1 | 5.2 |
Weekends | 16,704 | 15,532 | 15,989 | 16,322.4 | 16,973.9 | 7.5 | 4.5 | 2.3 | -1.6 |
Weekdays | 12,630 | 12,274 | 12,328.67 | 12,340 | 12,697 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 2.4 | -0.5 |
Category of Interest | 2020 | 2019 | 3-Year Avg. | 5-Year Avg. | 10-Year Avg. | % Change from Prev. Yr. | % Change from 3-Yr. Avg. | % Change from 5-Yr. Avg. | % Change from 10-Yr. Avg. |
Bluegrass Region | 7,130 | 6,252 | 6,327.667 | 6,458.8 | 6,728.6 | 14.0 | 12.7 | 10.4 | 6.0 |
Green River Region | 9,374 | 8,932 | 8,713 | 8,838.2 | 9,489.7 | 4.9 | 7.6 | 6.1 | -1.2 |
Northeast Region | 4,429 | 4,027 | 4,278.333 | 4,271.8 | 4,243.2 | 10.0 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 4.4 |
Purchase Region | 3,411 | 3,524 | 3,538.667 | 3,531.8 | 3,602.9 | -3.2 | -3.6 | -3.4 | -5.3 |
Southeast Region | 7,375 | 6,767 | 7,084.667 | 7,253.6 | 7,492.3 | 9.0 | 4.1 | 1.7 | -1.6 |
1st Commission District | 3,411 | 3,524 | 3,538.667 | 3,531.8 | 3,602.9 | -3.2 | -3.6 | -3.4 | -5.3 |
2nd Commission District | 5,387 | 5,205 | 5,092.667 | 5,134 | 5,448.8 | 3.5 | 5.8 | 4.9 | -1.1 |
3rd Commission District | 1,696 | 1,564 | 1,584.333 | 1,643.2 | 1,764.6 | 8.4 | 7.0 | 3.2 | -3.9 |
4th Commission District | 5,873 | 5,491 | 5,257 | 5,267 | 5,566.4 | 7.0 | 11.7 | 11.5 | 5.5 |
5th Commission District | 3,301 | 2,832 | 2,918 | 3,047 | 3,160.4 | 16.6 | 13.1 | 8.3 | 4.4 |
6th Commission District | 3,566 | 3,127 | 3,169.333 | 3,233.4 | 3,382.3 | 14.0 | 12.5 | 10.3 | 5.4 |
7th Commission District | 2,739 | 2,210 | 2,498 | 2,564.4 | 2,704 | 23.9 | 9.6 | 6.8 | 1.3 |
8th Commission District | 2,921 | 2,848 | 2,989.333 | 2,951.2 | 2,885.3 | 2.6 | -2.3 | -1.0 | 1.2 |
9th Commission District | 2,825 | 2,701 | 2,895 | 2,982.2 | 3,042 | 4.6 | -2.4 | -5.3 | -7.1 |
Map of Spring Harvest by County
Click a county to see harvest total. Click and drag to pan; clcik + and - buttons or use mouse wheel to zoom.
License Sales Breakdown
The following table summarizes license sales from the beginning of the license year (Dec. 1 of previous calendar year) through the end of the statewide spring turkey season, which ranges between May 4 and 10 depending on the year). Thus, these data reflect all sportsmen and sportswomen whose license and/or permit included spring turkey hunting priviledges. Past surveys have indicated that 54% and 72% of eligible licensed Kentucky sportspersons actually turkey hunt.
Category | 2020 | 2019 | 3-Year Avg. | 5-Year Avg. | 10-Year Avg. | % Change from 2019 | % Change from 3-Yr. Avg. | % Change from 5-Yr. Avg. | % Change from 10-Yr. Avg. |
Resident, Senior License | 50,901 | 52,880 | 56,350.33 | 56,704 | 53,133 | -3.7 | -9.7 | -10.2 | -4.2 |
Resident, Sportsman's License | 61,271 | 50,666 | 49,457.33 | 49,070.4 | 46,979.7 | 20.9 | 23.9 | 24.9 | 30.4 |
Resident, Disabled License | 14,846 | 16,436 | 19,334.67 | 21,462.4 | 24,040.2 | -9.7 | -23.2 | -30.8 | -38.2 |
Resident, Spring Turkey Permit | 6,678 | 5,235 | 6,796.667 | 8,146.4 | 10,398.8 | 27.6 | -1.7 | -18.0 | -35.8 |
Non-Resident, Spring Turkey Permit | 422 | 6,574 | 6,455.333 | 6,159.2 | 5,886.7 | -93.6 | -93.5 | -93.1 | -92.8 |
Youth (Turkey Permit or Sportsman's License) | 5,291 | 4,336 | 4,549.667 | 5,008.8 | 6,019.3 | 22.0 | 16.3 | 5.6 | -12.1 |
All License Types | 139,409 | 136,127 | 142,944 | 146,551.2 | 146,457.7 | 2.4 | -2.5 | -4.9 | -4.8 |
Harvest Standardized By License Sales
Another way to view Kentucky’s recent spring turkey harvest is in relation to the amount of hunting effort put forth by hunters. Accounting for how much hunters hunt is important. For example, if more turkeys are harvested in one year than the next, but hunters spend the same amount of time hunting in both years, we would have reason to believe there were more turkeys on the landscape to prior to turkey season (the converse would be true as well). This “catch-per-unit-effort” metric is commonly used in fisheries and wildlife harvest management.
Unfortunatly, turkey hunter effort data are not available in Kentucky, but we can view license sales as a proxy for hunter effort. The following figure shows annual turkey harvest by license holders divided by the number of license holders who would have been eligible to turkey hunt based on the type of license and/or permit they had. A declining trend after 2010 was followed by a fluctuating trend. The peak harvest in 2010 resulted from a hatch of periodical 17-year cicadas 2 years earlier, which provided a tremendous food source for young turkey poults. This illustrates the importance of reproductive success to turkey populations.
This depiction has limitations. We do not know the proportion of eligible license holders that actually turkey hunted nor how hunting effort differs among license types. With raw license sales we assume a constant proportion of eligible hunters turkey hunted in each year. Uncertainty in hunting effort is particularly high in 2020 due to COVID-19. Beginning in 2019 we implemented a post-season turkey hunter survey to gather hunter effort data, which we are continuing this year. After several years, such data should allow us to better gauge trends in the turkey population.