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Kentucky spring 2026 turkey harvest sets record From Dan Hassert Frankfort, KY - Hunters harvested a record 36,439 turkeys during the 2026 spring hunting season in Kentucky, smashing the 10-year average of 30,847. Wildlife officials attribute the high harvest to a variety of factors, including more turkeys on the landscape this year, more hunters in the woods and weather conducive for hunting. "Everything we saw over the last two years - from the high percentages of hens laying eggs and strong poult survival rates to the emergence of cicadas in parts of Western Kentucky - suggested that hunters would enjoy a lot of opportunities to harvest birds this season," said Zak Danks, turkey-grouse program coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. "When we had four straight weekends of good weather, that just set the stage." As with past years, a lot of turkeys were taken early in the season. Youth harvested 2,613 turkeys during the April 4-5 youth-only season alone, 304 higher than the previous record and well above the 10-year average of 1,670. On April 18-19, the opening weekend of the 23-day general season, hunters harvested 13,670 turkeys, well above the 10-year average of 9,860. "Our youngest hunters set the tone early, and it never let up," Danks said. But in many ways, the spring season resembled those before it: most turkeys were taken with a shotgun, most were taken by Kentucky residents, and counties to the south and west had the most turkeys harvested, while hunters in the counties to the north and middle of the state took more turkeys per square mile.
"The broad conclusions from a first-blush look at the numbers are pretty apparent: a lot of hunters went into the woods, a lot of them had success and there were a lot of 2-year-old birds to be harvested," Danks said. "All in all, those were good things. But we also know that some hunters said they didn't see or hear as many birds as they expected to, particularly in some areas." Based on harvest rate data, Kentucky hunters are not taking more birds than past research suggested could be unsustainable, Danks said. But researchers continue to collect data and study that issue. They also continue to analyze data related to the entire reproductive cycle, from nest locations to poult survival. Poult surveys from a year ago suggest the 2027 spring season will also be good, but young turkeys face threats like disappearing habitat, early mowing and predators. "This was a good year for hunters, but we can't expect a record every year," Danks said. This story was posted on 2026-05-20 11:14:09
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Apply for the Kentucky Elk Hunt Drawing by April 30 Spring brings baby wildlife to backyards and farms KDFW: Recap of new and amended regulations for 2026 Spring turkey hunting season opens in April 2026-2027 Kentucky fishing and hunting licenses available 2025-26 deer harvest was 5th highest on record Fisheries benefit from discarded Christmas trees KFW to implement biennial fee adjustments using CPI Modern gun deer season opens Nov 8 Reciprocal fishing and hunting agreements back in place View even more articles in topic Ky Afield Outdoors |
 
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