CONTACT:
Allison Keating: (603) 352-9669
Dan Bergeron: (603) 271-2461
July 15, 2020
Concord, NH – Hunters harvested a total of 5,719 turkeys in New Hampshire during the 2020 spring turkey hunt which was a new record since the department has been keeping track. The results reflect an increase of 643 turkeys (12.7%) over the 2019 season. The youth hunt weekend resulted in a total harvest of 500 turkeys, which is an increase from the 424 birds harvested during that same weekend in 2019. The youth hunt accounted for 8.7% of this spring season’s total.
Large gobblers were abundant this spring. The heaviest birds recorded this season were between 24 and 29 pounds and a total of 61 gobblers weighing either 24 or 25 pounds were checked in.
On opening day, Friday May 1, 589 gobblers were registered (10.3%), and during the first weekend, May 2–3, 1,408 gobblers were registered (24.6%). The total turkey harvest was comprised of 1,217 jakes (21.4%) and 4,477 toms (78.6%), representing a juvenile-to-adult gobbler harvest ratio of 0.27 jakes per tom.
Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) J2 logged the largest spring harvest again this year with 977 birds, followed by WMU K with 765 birds and WMU M with 733 birds.
Some towns with notable numbers of turkeys harvested included 84 in Weare, 77 in Concord, 75 each in Gilmanton and Claremont, and 73 in Belmont. A total of 24 towns recorded 50 or more birds harvested.
Most turkey eggs typically hatch from late May to mid-June. NH Fish and Game is again asking for the public’s help in monitoring observations of turkey broods through its annual turkey brood survey which runs through August 31.
