All kinds of explanations can be given on why opening day and the first two weeks of the season account for 50 percent of the harvest. Certainly, it is true that more toms are available then and as more males are checked in, fewer exist to hunt. But I also believe, as noted earlier, that since only one-fourth of all Virginia turkey hunters are successful and given how hard it is to kill a gobbler, many of us simply give up after the first fortnight.

My personal philosophy on killing a turkey is very simple. I hunt every day, even if the time is only an hour in the woods before work, until I tag out or the season ends. In 21 spring seasons, I have only killed two birds on opening day and infrequently have done well the first week. But eventually persistence does result in success, for me or anyone else.

Gary Norman also suggested that I share the gobbling intensity per week information with readers. The VDGIF groups gobbling intensity into three categories (no gobbling, poor gobbling, or fair-good). The best hunting conditions appeared during the second week of the season with the highest positive conditions (fair-good gobbling) and the lowest negative conditions (no gobbling). Hunts with no gobbling tended to increase as the season progressed. This, of course, could be another reason that the harvest declines later in the season.

This spring, Youth Day is on April 7 and the regular spring season begins on April 14, with the hours being from one-half hour before sunrise until noon. Beginning May 7 and continuing until the last day of the season, May 19, all-day hunting is in effect. The limit is one bearded bird per day, three per license year, providing that no turkeys were harvested in the fall. If a hunter killed one fall bird, then he will have two tags left for the spring; if an individual killed two fall birds, then he will have one tag left for the spring.

For more information on seasons and where to hunt, and a complete list of WMAs, consult the Web site of the VDGIF at DGIF.Virginia.Gov.