Maryland hunters harvested 4,208 wild turkeys during spring 2022 regular and junior turkey seasons, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources reported. This year’s harvest was 8% higher than the 2021 harvest and just 2% below the record harvest of 4,303 set in 2020.
“Although certain areas have experienced declines in turkey populations, some regions of the state now hold record-high numbers of turkeys,” Wildlife and Heritage Service Director Paul Peditto said. “The growth of turkey populations in areas such as the Baltimore-Washington corridor provides hunters with exciting new opportunities to get afield where they might not have had success in the past.”
The percentage of juvenile turkeys or “jakes” reported in the harvest was 24%, the highest level since 2011. The increase can be attributed to the Brood X cicada emergence in the summer of 2021 which provided abundant food for newly-hatched turkeys and increased the survival of the young birds.
Turkey’s populations in the central region of the state especially benefited from last summer’s high reproduction. Five counties in the region posted record harvests: Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery, and Prince George’s. But counties further west lead the state in total turkey harvest, with Garrett County reporting 436 turkeys, followed by Washington County with 400 and Frederick County with 343.
Youth hunters kicked off the spring turkey season statewide on April 16 with the Junior Turkey Hunt. An additional junior hunting opportunity occurred on April 17 in select counties. In total, junior hunters harvested 286 wild turkeys, accounting for about 7% of the total spring harvest.
Total harvests by county are below:
County 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Allegany 250 278 286 266 282 Anne Arundel 49 74 81 64 85 Baltimore 55 56 65 53 82 Calvert 76 68 82 58 72 Caroline 135 152 180 149 168 Carroll 103 73 93 104 94 Cecil 69 89 94 80 67 Charles 336 348 369 353 334 Dorchester 212 221 211 197 170 Frederick 313 304 348 281 343 Garrett 412 429 387 374 436 Harford 105 124 88 104 91 Howard 36 33 34 35 51 Kent 168 166 206 151 160 Montgomery 149 135 162 154 164 Prince George’s 76 105 109 99 115 Queen Anne’s 115 145 144 120 144 Somerset 145 129 171 180 176 St. Mary’s 191 188 226 187 204 Talbot 80 87 95 80 84 Washington 459 414 439 345 400 Wicomico 139 155 193 181 193 Worcester 188 229 240 295 293 Statewide 3,861 4,002 4,303 3,910 4,208