Maryland Spring Turkey Hunters Set New Harvest Record

June 4, 2023

Harvest Increases Reported in Every County

Maryland Department of Natural Resources photo

Maryland hunters harvested 5,356 wild turkeys during the 2023 spring regular and junior turkey seasons, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources reported.

This year’s harvest was 27% higher than the 2022 harvest and surpassed the previous record harvest of 4,303, set in 2020.

“A combination of high turkey populations, good weather, and additional hunting opportunities set the stage for the large increase in harvest,” said Wildlife and Heritage Service Acting Director Karina Stonesifer. “It is an exciting time to be a Maryland turkey hunter, particularly in regions of the state that historically did not produce many birds.”


Spring harvests increased in all counties, but the central and western regions saw the largest jumps. Every county west of the Chesapeake Bay, except Calvert, posted new record harvests. Maryland’s westernmost three counties produced the highest harvests this year, with Garrett County reporting 579 turkeys, followed by Washington County with 515, and Allegany County with 483.

Much of the increase can be attributed to the Brood X cicada emergence in the summer of 2021, which provided abundant food and increased survival of newly-hatched turkeys in a large part of the state. The bumper crop of birds resulted in plenty of two-year-old gobblers available for hunters this spring. Ideal weather during the beginning of the season also bolstered success, with 60% of the total take coming from the first week of the regular season.

Youth hunters started the spring turkey season statewide on April 15-16 with the Junior Turkey Hunt. Junior hunters harvested 383 wild turkeys during that weekend, accounting for about 7% of the total spring harvest. Sunday turkey hunting opportunities continue to grow and helped to further boost hunter harvest. A total of 503 birds were taken on Sundays, comprising 9% of the record harvest.

Total harvests by county are below:

County 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Allegany 278 286 266 282 483
Anne Arundel 74 81 64 85 136
Baltimore 56 65 53 82 101
Calvert 68 82 58 72 99
Caroline 152 180 149 168 174
Carroll 73 93 104 94 132
Cecil 89 94 80 67 95
Charles 348 369 353 334 445
Dorchester 221 211 197 170 180
Frederick 304 348 281 343 391
Garrett 429 387 374 436 579
Harford 124 88 104 91 128
Howard 33 34 35 51 61
Kent 166 206 151 160 184
Montgomery 135 162 154 164 206
Prince George’s 105 109 99 115 164
Queen Anne’s 145 144 120 144 170
Somerset 129 171 180 176 199
St. Mary’s 188 226 187 204 253
Talbot 87 95 80 84 96
Washington 414 439 345 400 515
Wicomico 155 193 181 193 215
Worcester 229 240 295 293 350
    Total 4,002 4,303 3,910 4,208 5,356