Photo by Ron Sinfelt

Wild turkey hunting is one of the fastest growing outdoor sports. Each spring, countless hunters dress up in their finest camouflage clothing, work the best turkey calls available and wait for love-stricken toms to come within shotgun range.

According to biologists in the six New England states, this spring’s turkey harvest should be similar to last year’s. Following is a state-by-state rundown of what hunters can expect in 2007:

MASSACHUSETTS
When the Pilgrims landed near Cape Cod in 1620, the Bay State had a thriving wild turkey population. As settlements increased, hardwood forests were cleared, and the turkey population shrank. By the early 1800s, turkeys were rare in the state. The last known native bird was killed in 1851.

Between 1914 and 1960, the state made several unsuccessful attempts to restore wild turkeys to Massachusetts, using farm-raised birds. Then, in 1972, biologists trapped 37 wild birds in New York and released them in southern Berkshire County. Within six years, the turkey population had expanded to about 1,000 birds.

The restoration efforts fulfilled the goals of re-establishing a native turkey population in the state. A limited spring hunting season was opened in 1980. Ten years later, MassWildlife established a fall hunting season as well.

Today, turkey hunting is allowed throughout most of the state. According to James E. Cardoza, a wildlife biologist for the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife), the state’s estimated turkey population now exceeds 20,000 birds.

Turkey hunting success is partly dependent on weather conditions during the previous spring, when hens were raising their chicks. Last spring was very wet and cold. Thus, the 2006 breeding season was not as productive as in past years, though there are still plenty of birds available.

Cardoza believes that this spring’s hunting season harvest will probably be similar to 2006’s, when hunters took 2,266 birds during that 24-day spring season. This year, the main difference is that hunters will find a lower number of one-year-old jakes because of the reduced brood success during the rainy 2006 spring.

During the six-day fall season of 2005, hunters took 163 birds.

Turkey hunting is allowed in 13 of the state’s 15 wildlife management zones. For much of the state, the spring season runs from the last Monday in April and ends on the fourth Saturday following the season opener. The season limit is two bearded wild turkeys.

Hunters have plenty of opportunities to take turkeys on state-owned lands. Based on past harvest information, hunters will fare best in the Berkshire Mountain range in western Massachusetts. State-land turkey- hunting options include Beartown State Forest off Route 23 east of Great Barrington, Sandisfield State Forest along Route 8 south of Otis, and October Mountain State Forest off Route 20/7 south of Pittsfield.

For more information on Massachusetts’ 2007 turkey-hunting seasons and licensing, call the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife at (508) 792-7270, or visit MassWildLife.org.

For lodging and travel information, call the Massachusetts tourism department at 1-800-227-6277.

VERMONT
According to Doug Blodgett, a Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department biologist and Turkey Project leader, the Green Mountain State has one of the strongest wild turkey populations in the Northeast, with a population of about 40,000 birds that produced record turkey harvests in both 2005 and 2006.