This is what most turkey hunters would like to see as they yelp and cluck to get them in just a little closer. Photo by Wallace Phillips Turkey hunters across the state are practicing their yelps and clucks in preparation for the upcoming turkey season. Opening day is Sat., Mar. 20, and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division anticipates that the 2010 season should be good, and harvest levels should be similar in comparison to the past several years.

“There should be many vocal 2-year-old gobblers available for harvest this year thanks to the high reproduction rate in the summer of 2008,” says Kevin Lowrey, Wildlife Resources Division wild turkey project coordinator.

Statistics from the 2009 season harvest summary indicate that an estimated 56,113 resident Georgia hunters bagged 27,323 turkeys last year. The bird to hunter ratio (harvest rate) for 2009 was .49 birds per hunter - the same as in 2007 and 2008.

According to Lowrey, Georgia’s current turkey population is estimated at 300,000 birds.

Georgia turkey hunters are privileged with one of the longest turkey seasons nationwide. With a bag limit of three gobblers per season, hunters have from Mar. 20 through May 15 to harvest their bird(s).

Because most hunters pursue wild turkeys on private lands, the Wildlife

Resources Division reminds hunters to always obtain landowner permission before hunting.