2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 Harvest Rate Georgia's Wild Turkey Program Wild Turkey Program FY2020 Harvest Monitoring Statewide Wild Turkey Harvest Statewide, an estimated 45,205 hunters hunted wild turkey in 2020; down 4% from 2019. These hunters harvested an estimated 17,048 gobblers in 2020 (unchanged from 2018 and 2019). The harvest rate was 0.38 turkeys per hunter, slightly above the 2019 rate. Juvenile male turkeys (jakes) accounted for 1,540 (9%) of the total gobblers harvested. Regionally, the Piedmont had the highest percentage of the total harvest (45%) followed by the Upper Coastal Plain (29%). These were followed by Ridge and Valley (14%), the Lower Coastal Plain (8%), and the Blue Ridge regions (4%). Regional harvest totals were similar to 2019, except for an uptick in harvest in the Piedmont region. Hunter satisfaction was 83%, lower than the previous year, but similar to the 5-year average of 84%. Hunter satisfaction is defined as the percentage of hunters surveyed who rated the season Excellent, Good, or Satisfactory. Source: Georgia Spring Turkey Harvest 2020 Report, Responsive Management Turkey Hunters and Harvest 2001-2020. Harvest Rate (turkeys harvested/hunter) 2001-2020 90000 80000 70000 60000 50000 40000 30000 20000 10000 0 0.80 Hunters Harvest 0.70 0.60 0.50 0.40 0.30 0.20 0.10 0.00 Harvest Rate Linear (Harvest Rate) 14000 12000 10000 8000 6000 4000 2000 0 Estimated Turkey Harvest by Physiographic Region 2010-2020 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Ridge & Valley Blue Ridge 2015 2016 Piedmont 2017Gra20n1t8 Op20p1o9 rtu20n2i0ty Upper CP Lower CP Georgia's Wild Turkey Program Wild Turkey Program FY2020 Harvest Monitoring Harvest Reporting Game Check Since 2016, hunters have been required to report their turkey harvest by phone, internet, or app. Total reported harvest to Game Check remained stable from 2016-2019 but jumped 25% in 2020. This reporting requirement allows WRD to track harvest trends at the local level, as well as easily track WMA harvest. Game Check reported harvest by county, 2020 Harvested turkeys reported to Game Check, 2016-2020 2016 11,229 2017 11,781 2018 11,948 2019 11,521 2020 14,412 Wildlife Management Area Harvest In 2020, 17,030 hunters signed in on 115 WMAs, a 15% increase over 2019. These hunters harvested 1,164 gobblers, a 34% increase over 2019 and the highest harvest since 2012. Jakes comprised 16% of the WMA harvest. Overall, hunters had a success rate of 6.8% on wildlife management areas in Georgia. In 2020, Hunter satisfaction among public land hunters was 75%, just below the 5-year average of 77% satisfaction. Georgia WMA Harvest and Hunter use 2001-2020 Top Five WMAs for Total Harvest, 2020 WMA Harvest WMA Hunters Area Paulding Forest Turkeys Harvested 66 1400 1200 1000 18000 Cohutta 48 Redlands 46 16000 Crockford-Pigeon Mtn 44 14000 Dawson Forest 43 12000 800 10000 Top Five WMAs for Hunter Success, 2020 600 8000 6000 Area Hunter 400 4000 Success 200 2000 Crockford-Pigeon Mtn 23.9% Joe Kurz 23.7% 0 0 Hart County 22.2% 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Dixon Memorial 17.9% Cohutta Grant Opportuni1t7y.2%