2024 Spring Turkey Harvest Down but Still a Successful Year

CONTACT:
Allison Keating: (603) 352-9669
Andy Timmins: (603) 271-1742
July 3, 2024

Concord, NH – The New Hampshire 2024 spring turkey harvest was lower when compared with recent seasons, primarily due to decreased reproductive success and poult survival in 2023. Hunters harvested 4,563 turkeys this spring, which is a decrease of 18% from 2023’s tally (5,580) and 17% below the previous 5-year average (5,503). The 2024 harvest level was similar to 2017 and 2018.

During years with warm, dry spring and summer weather, reproductive rates for wild turkeys are high, but the opposite occurs when cool, wet weather persists for an extended period of time. Above average rainfall during the spring and summer of 2023 resulted in lower nesting success and fewer turkeys maturing into the fall population last year, so a reduced harvest is not unexpected.

The 2024 harvest was comprised of 12 (<1%) bearded hens, 661 jakes (14%), and 3,890 toms (85%). The lack of juvenile males reflects the poor weather conditions of 2023. The overall decrease in harvest in 2024 presumably relates to the decrease in juvenile turkeys on the landscape. Historically, years of high harvest coincide with peaks in reproduction. At the individual Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) level, turkey densities remain either above or consistent with objectives specified in the NH Game Management Plan in nearly all WMUs.

Young hunters registered 423 birds during the special youth weekend that took place April 27 and 28. This represented 9.3% of the total spring harvest and was similar to the number of birds harvested by young hunters over the past 2 years.

This was the sixth year hunters could harvest two birds during the spring season in designated WMUs. Out of the 3,742 successful hunters this spring, 2,921 hunters (78%) registered one bird and 821 hunters (22%) registered two birds. Of the 821 hunters who registered two birds, 751 were adults and 70 were young people under the age of 16. The proportion of hunters who harvest two birds during the spring has remained consistent at 22–24% of hunters each year.

This spring was the fifth year that hunters had the option of registering their harvested birds online or in person at a physical registration station. There was an increase again this year in online registrations with 3,150 (69%) of birds being registered online versus 1,413 (31%) that were registered in person. Participation in the online registration system continues to grow each year.

The towns with the largest harvests included: Claremont (71), Gilmanton (69), Cornish (65), Londonderry (57), Alton (56), Goffstown (50), New Boston (50), Plainfield (50), Concord (49), and Loudon (48). Six of these towns were in the “top 10” last year, and Claremont was the top town in both 2023 and 2024.

The summer 2024 Online Brood Survey is now underway. You can help monitor the wild turkey population and this year’s breeding productivity by reporting sightings of hen turkeys and their poults online by visiting www.wildnh.com.

Wild turkey management in New Hampshire is funded, in part, through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife Restoration Program.