“The 2-year-old turkeys do most of the spring gobbling and are most vulnerable to the hunter’s call,” Tefft said. “Therefore, birds hatched in 2005 would have been the ones gobbling for the hunter in the 2007 season. But because we had such a poor brood year in 2005 with low brood production, there were fewer 2-year-olds around during the 2007 spring season.”

Hunters may take one bearded turkey during the spring season, which runs from April 30 through May 26. There is a special season for paraplegic hunters on April 26 and 27, which is also Junior Turkey Hunting Weekend. With the purchase of a separate permit, hunters may take a second turkey of either sex during the fall season.

Tefft said that some good areas to concentrate on this spring include the western portions of Providence, Kent and Washington counties. Turkeys were taken from 12 wildlife management areas (WMAs) in 2007, with Arcadia WMA and Durfee Hill WMA leading in the number of birds harvested.

“Be persistent, keep hunting throughout the season and don’t give up,” Tefft advised. “Remember, you can’t get one if you don’t go!”

Durfee Hill WMA spans 1,176 acres in the northwestern town of Glocester. Durfee Hill is primarily forested land with some wetlands and agricultural fields thrown into the mix. The Division of Fish and Wildlife maintains fields and food plots that provide food and cover for wildlife.

“Be persistent, keep hunting throughout the season and don’t give up,” advised wildlife biologist Brian Tefft. “Remember, you can’t get one if you don’t go!”

This WMA is made up of four separate parcels of land, with the most westerly parcel bordering Connecticut, with access at a check station on Reynolds Road. The largest, eastern portion may be accessed off Durfee Hill Road south of U.S. Route 44. For details, check DeLorme’s Connecticut/Rhode Island Atlas and Gazetteer, page 64.

For more Rhode Island hunting information, visit www.dem.ri.gov or call (401) 789-7481.

VERMONT
Turkeys are plentiful in the Green Mountain State, according to Doug Blodgett, a wildlife biologist with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.

“We estimate our current population at 50,000-plus turkeys,” Blodgett said. “Our spring 2007 turkey harvest was the highest on record, with 5,024 birds taken. This is the seventh record spring turkey harvest in Vermont in the last 10 years. Our turkey population is at all-time highs, and our current management strategy is producing these records as per our management focus.”

Blodgett noted that results of the fall turkey hunt were not tallied at press time, and that a severe 2007 winter could negatively impact turkey numbers. But he said that barring an unusually harsh winter, the 2008 season is looking very good. Dates for the spring season are May 1 through 31. Fall dates had not been set at press time.

Asked for a few best bets, Blodgett replied, “That’s difficult to answer as individual preferences for hunting areas are so varied. The truth is, good turkey hunting can be found statewide. About 12 percent of land in Vermont is publicly owned and available for hunting. The terrain ranges from steep and mountainous in the Green Mountain range to gentle valleys near Lake Champlain and the Connecticut River.”