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Gobble. Cluck. Purr. Georgia turkey hunters are practicing their best turkey calls as they get ready for the statewide turkey hunting season opening Saturday, Mar. 21, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division. 

“We saw an uptick in reproduction in 2018, so that could mean a better number of 2-year-old birds in the woods this year,” explains Emily Rushton, Wildlife Resources Division wild turkey project coordinator. “We also had a higher than average jake harvest in 2019, nine percent of the total harvest, which typically means a better harvest the following spring.”

What can hunters expect across state regions this spring? Harvest in the Ridge and Valley region of the state could be up, as 2018 was a phenomenal reproductive year. The Blue Ridge Mountain region also saw a jump in poults per hen, indicating promise of a good harvest. The other regions of the state, the Piedmont and Coastal Plain, had increases of varying levels, suggesting a fair to good harvest in these areas.

With a bag limit of three gobblers per season, hunters have from Mar. 21 through May 15 – one of the longest seasons in the nation – to harvest their bird(s).