Turkey Project Update
Prepared by Steven E. Backs, Wild Turkey – Ruffed Grouse Biologist
36th annual spring turkey season dates: April 27 to May 15, 2005.
Based on harvest trends and other information (2004 recruitment up) the projected harvest is estimated to be 11,000 to 12,000+ birds. Over 50,000 hunters are expected to take to the field during the 19-day season.
New for 2005
- New open counties: Portions of Rush and Shelby
- The following counties are closed for the spring turkey season:
(1) Adams, south of SR 124.
(2) Blackford.
(3) Delaware.
(4) Grant, east of Interstate 69.
(5) Hancock, east of SR 9.
(6) Henry.
(7) Huntington, south of SR 124 and east of Interstate 69.
(8) Jasper, south of SR 114, and west of Interstate 65.
(9) Jay.
(10) Newton, south of SR 114.
(11) Randolph, north of SR 32.
(12) Rush, north of SR 44.
(13) Shelby, east of SR 9 and north of SR 44.
(14) Wells, south of SR 124.
(15) Whitley, south of U.S. 30. - Hunters will also have 48 hours to register their bird at a check station.
- Because of the new automated licensing system, wild turkeys that are taken need only to be tagged with a piece of paper indicating the month and day of the taking and name and address of the individual taking the turkey. The tagging requirements remain the same for lifetime license holders, youth license holders, landowners and lessees of land on which a turkey was taken. A sample tag is available by clicking here.
2004 Summer Recruitment
Wild turkey brood production in 2004 was 4.4 poults/hen which was 83 percent increase over 2.4 poults/hen recorded in 2003 and significantly more than the average 3.2 poult:hen index of the previous five years. The proportion of hens observed with poults was 89 percent, significantly more than 77 percent observed the previous five years. Reasons for the above normal brood production index are probably related to conducive weather conditions and the abnormally high availability of invertebrate foods during the critical early brood period in June.
2004 Spring Wild Turkey Season Summaries
Hunters harvested 10,765 wild turkeys in 78 of the 90 counties open to hunting during the 19-day season. The 2004 harvest was a 4 percent increase over the 10,366 bird harvest of 2003 and a 2 percent increase over the previous high of 10,575 birds in 2002. Counties with high kills (greater than 300 birds harvested) were Switzerland (436), Perry (401), Jefferson (396), Harrison (381), Warrick (370), Greene (359), Parke (346), Dearborn (325), Franklin (324), Orange (317), Crawford (306), and Spencer (301). Hunter success was estimated to be 23-25 percent for the estimated 45,000 to 50,000 participating hunters. Approximately 56 percent of the kill occurred during the first 5 days of the season with 33 percent occurring on weekends. The proportion of jakes (24 percent) was slightly less than the 10-year average with the majority of hunters taking adult gobblers (76 percent). The south central and southeast regions support the bulk of the harvest and collectively accounted for 54 percent of the statewide harvest. The harvest/mi2 statewide ranged from 0 to 1.97 birds (Switzerland Co.) with a statewide mean of 0.34 birds harvested/mi2 hunting range or 1.62 birds/mi2 forestland. (2004 county harvest results)
Fall 2005 Season Update
A fall season was developed after several years of examining published research, monitoring fall season results in other states and consulting with personnel from various agencies. The counties open to fall archery and/or firearms will be available mid-summer when the 2005 spring harvest results are analyzed.
Fall turkey season dates are as follows:
Fall - Archery
Oct. 1, 2005 - Oct. 23, 2005
Fall - Firearm
Oct. 19, 2005 - Oct. 23, 2005
Fall - Bag Limit
The fall bag limit is one turkey of either sex per hunter for the entire fall season, irrespective of weapon used.
