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Wildlife - Wild Turkeys

2025 Turkey Harvest Report Wild Turkey

The 2025 Turkey Harvest Report is provided in (PDF) format.

Introduction

Ranking only behind white-tailed deer in popularity among hunters, the Eastern wild turkey is an important natural resource in South Carolina. The 2025 Online Turkey Hunter Survey represents the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), Wildlife Section's ongoing commitment to conduct pertinent research related to the state's wild turkey population. The primary objectives of this survey research were to obtain valid estimates of: (1) noncompliance with electronic harvest reporting through SC Game Check and (2) hunting effort related to turkeys. Information on hunters' opinions of the turkey resource and other aspects of turkey hunting are also presented.

Due to the importance of turkeys as a state resource, SCDNR believes that accurately assessing the harvest of turkeys, as well as hunter participation in turkey hunting, is key to the management of this species. Proposed changes in turkey-related laws and regulations should have foundations in biology, therefore, the population dynamics associated with annual hunting mortality cannot be ignored. Similarly, when issues arise that do not involve biological parameters, it is important to have information related to turkey hunter activities afield because they too form an important basis for managing wild turkeys.

Since the inception of the Statewide Turkey Restoration and Research Project (Turkey Project) the methods used to document the turkey harvest have changed. Historically, turkey harvest figures were developed using a system of mandatory turkey check stations across the state. This system yielded an actual count of harvested turkeys and was, therefore, an absolute minimum figure. Shortcomings in this system included deterioration in compliance, complaints from hunters regarding the inconvenience of check stations, etc. The requirement to physically check harvested turkeys in South Carolina was eliminated following the 2005 season at which time post season hunter surveys were implemented. In 2021 mandatory electronic harvest reporting for turkeys began using SC Game Check. Now, data from SC Game Check is combined with data from the online turkey hunter survey to produce the annual turkey harvest report. SCDNR thanks hunters for their diligence in supporting the SC Game Check program which provides modern data that assists in properly managing the turkey resource in South Carolina.

Survey Methodology

The 2025 Online Turkey Hunter Survey was directed at 30,000 randomly selected turkey tag holders with email addresses other than youth under 16 years old. Youth under 16 were not included because laws prevent contacting youths without parental or guardian consent. The questionnaire for the 2025 Online Turkey Hunter Survey was developed by Big Game Program staff. The survey process began with an initial email notification of the impending survey, an initial survey, and two reminders directed at individuals who had yet to complete the survey.

Statistical analysis was conducted using Statistix 10 (Analytical Software, Tallahassee, FL).

Acknowledgments

Thanks to South Carolina turkey hunters. Funding for this report, as well as all activities related to the Statewide Turkey Research and Management Project, is made possible through revenue generated from the turkey tag program which is earmarked for tag administration, research, management, harvest reporting, and habitat management. As a result, no state funds are associated with this program.

Results and Discussion

Excluding failed messages and messages that bounced (1,396) a total of 28,604 email addresses were reached. A total of 7,531 surveys were started with 7,429 surveys being completed for a response rate of 26 percent.

Harvest Reporting Noncompliance

One of the primary goals of the 2025 Online Turkey Hunter Survey was to estimate noncompliance with mandatory harvest reporting through SC Game Check. This was accomplished in two ways. First, participants who indicated they harvested turkeys were asked how many of the turkeys they harvested were reported. Second, by cross-referencing the responses with reporting data an estimate was obtained of the percentage of individuals who said they reported but did not. Combining these estimates yielded a noncompliance rate of approximately 17.4 percent. This noncompliance rate was then used to correct the reported harvest and is presented in this report as the noncompliance corrected reported harvest.

Turkey Harvest

During the 2025 spring season the noncompliance corrected reported harvest was 10,419 gobblers (Table 1). This figure represents a 16 percent decrease from the estimated harvest in 2024 (12,428). Recent turkey harvest figures remain well below levels from the past reflecting decreased numbers of turkeys likely due to ongoing poor recruitment of poults into the population (Figures 1 and 2). This trend appears to be a regional situation and has been called the “southeast turkey decline” by biologists and managers.

Additionally, substantial legislative changes were in place during the 2025 spring gobbler season that were for the purpose of moderating the turkey harvest. The bag limit was reduced from 3 to 2, the harvest of jakes was prohibited for all hunters, and there were 9 fewer days in the season. During 2024 592 jakes were harvested and there were approximately 1,200 turkeys taken during the 9 additional days of the season. This represents about 1,800 turkeys and if combined with the 10,419 birds taken in 2025 it would equal just over 12,000 turkeys which is almost exactly the number of birds taken in 2024. This intentional decrease in harvest is an effort to improve turkey reproductive success and ultimately turkey numbers across the state.

Harvest Per Unit Area County Rankings

Comparisons can be made between turkey harvests from the various counties in South Carolina if a harvest per unit area is established. Harvest per unit area standardizes the harvest among counties regardless of the size of individual counties. One measure of harvest rate is the number of turkeys taken per square mile (640ac. = 1 mile2). When considering the estimated turkey habitat that is available in South Carolina, the turkey harvest rate in 2054 was 0.5 gobblers per square mile statewide (Table 2). Although this harvest rate is not as high as it once was, it should be considered good and is like other Southeastern states. The top counties for harvest per unit area were Bamberg (1.0 turkeys/mile2), and a tie between Marion, Colleton, Spartanburg, Florence, Orangeburg, and Williamsburg (0.7 turkeys/mile2) (Table 2).

Turkey Harvest Rankings by County

Total turkey harvest is not comparable among counties because there is no standard unit of comparison, i.e., counties vary in size and are, therefore, not directly comparable. However, some readers may be interested in this type of ranking. The top 5 counties during 2024 were, Colleton, Williamsburg, Berkeley, Orangeburg, and Flornce (Table 3). Four of these counties were in the top 5 in 2024.

Number of Turkey Hunters

Even though all individuals receiving a set of turkey tags were eligible to hunt turkeys, only 58 percent indicated that they actually hunted turkeys. Based on this figure, approximately 41,805 hunters participated in the 2025 spring turkey season, an 11 percent decrease from 2024 (47,007). Counties with the highest estimates for individual hunters include Berkeley, Fairfield, Laurens, Newberry, and Union (Table 4). Four of these counties were in the top 5 in 2024.

Hunter Effort

For the purposes of this survey hunter effort was measured in days with one day being defined as any portion of the day spent afield. Turkey hunters averaged approximately 7 days afield during the 2025 season (Table 4). Successful hunters averaged more days afield (8.3 days) than unsuccessful hunters (6.1 days). Extrapolating to the entire population of turkey hunters yields a figure of 205,605 total days of spring gobbler hunting, a 16 percent decrease from 2024 (245,845 days). This 16 percent reduction in effort corresponds exactly with the 16 percent reduction in harvest. The top 5 South Carolina counties for overall days of turkey hunting during 2025 were Berkeley, Fairfield, Union, Newberry, and Laurens. Three of these counties were in the top 5 in 2024 (Table 4).

Turkey Harvest by Day of Season

Substantial legislative changes were in place during the 2025 spring gobbler season that were for the purpose of moderating the turkey harvest. The bag limit was reduced from 3 to 2, the harvest of jakes was prohibited for all hunters, and there were 9 fewer days in the season. Additionally, the opening date of the season (April 3) was later to decrease potential negative effects on reproduction related to the early excessive removal of males. Two recent multi-year nesting studies conducted in South Carolina indicate that average nest initiation by hens is April 9. Nesting studies have also been conducted in Georgia, Louisiana (2), and North Carolina (3) with similar findings.

Past earlier opening dates (March 15, 20, 22, and April 1) led to between 45 and 60 percent of the gobbler harvest occurring prior to nest initiation. Although the season opening date was later in 2025, 44 percent of the harvest still occurred prior to nest initiation (Figure 3). Opening day was responsible for 12 percent of the harvest and the 1,275 birds taken were the most ever reported through SC Game Check in a single day. Thirty-two (32) percent of the harvest occurred in the first 4 days of the season, the 5 Saturdays during the season contributed 26 percent to the total harvest, and 4 percent of the harvest occurred on the youth turkey hunting days.

Hunting Success

For determination of hunting success only those individuals who hunted turkeys were included in the analysis and similarly, success was defined as harvesting at least one turkey. Overall hunting success in 2025 was 28 percent. Unlike deer hunting which typically has high success, turkey hunting can be an inherently unsuccessful endeavor, relatively speaking.

The statewide bag limit in South Carolina is 2 gobblers. Obviously, most successful hunters harvest only one bird (20%). However, it is interesting to note the relative contribution to the total harvest by the few hunters who harvest 2 birds. Ironically, the percentage of hunters taking 2 birds was only 8 percent, however, this small percentage of hunters combined to harvest an estimated 44 percent of the total birds taken in the state. Finally, based on reports to SC Game Check, hunters from 38 states and the District of Columbia reported a turkey harvest. However, nonresidents comprised only 10 percent of the overall harvest in 2025. Nonresidents from Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina accounted for 69 percent of the nonresident harvest.

Hunter Opinion Regarding Turkey Numbers

As has become customary, the 2025 Online Turkey Hunter Survey asked participants to compare the number of turkeys in the area they hunt most often with the number of turkeys in past years. Participants were given 3 choices: increasing, about the same, or decreasing. Approximately 45 percent of hunters indicated that the number of turkeys in the area they hunted most often was about the same as in past years. A higher percentage of hunters (42 percent) believed that the turkey population was decreasing than increasing (13 percent). On a scale of 1 to 3 with 1 being increasing, 2 being the same, and 3 being decreasing, the overall mean rating of 2.3 suggests that hunters viewed the turkey population as decreasing. The opinion among hunters that the turkey population is decreasing has been consistent the last few years.

Turkeys Shot but not Recovered

Harvesting game signals the end of a successful hunt and although most hunters do a good job of preparing their equipment and mental state, it goes without saying that a certain percentage of game is shot or shot at and not killed or recovered. This point is no different when turkey hunting.

To estimate the prevalence of errant shots at turkeys, the 2025 Online Turkey Hunter Survey asked hunters to indicate the number of turkeys they “shot but did not kill or recover during the 2025 season in South Carolina.” Approximately 9 percent of hunters indicated that they shot but did not kill or recover at least one turkey in 2025 (9 percent in 2024). There were approximately 41,805 turkey hunters in 2025 meaning that approximately 3,600 turkeys were shot or shot at and not killed or recovered. Therefore, approximately 26 percent of the total turkeys shot at were not killed or recovered. These results have been consistent since this type of data have been available with the long-term average of birds “shot at but not killed or recovered” about 22 percent for the last decade.

Thes data are certainly not indicative of “dead and unrecovered turkeys,” however, some percentage of the 3,600 turkeys that were shot at did die. Although shot shells for turkeys have become increasingly sophisticated, accurate, and lethal it is a fact that the pattern of a shotgun is relatively broad and contains hundreds of pellets. Therefore, a “clean miss” is not as clear-cut for turkeys compared to other big game like deer where there is typically a single projectile. Additional research is needed on this topic.

Turkey Harvest in the Morning vs. Afternoon

The typical spring turkey hunt is characterized by attempting to locate a gobbling bird prior to or just after sunrise. Once a gobbler is located most hunters position themselves as close as they can to the gobbler without scaring it away. Various types of callers that mimic the sounds of wild turkeys are then used to attempt to call the gobbler into gun range. This technique of locating a gobbling bird, setting up, and calling is repeated as necessary.

Traditionally, spring turkey hunting was primarily carried out during the first few hours of the day. As the popularity of turkey hunting has increased, many hunters now hunt in the afternoon as well. Gobblers are generally not as vocal in the afternoon, but can be stimulated to gobble using the various turkey calls, particularly late in the afternoon near areas where turkeys frequently roost. Additionally, it is now common for hunters to set up on food plots, often in blinds, using decoys in areas that turkeys frequent for feeding and loafing in the afternoon.

To gain a better understanding of the distribution of harvest with respect to time of day, reporting data from SC Game Check was queried to determine the number of birds harvested in the morning compared to the afternoon. Results indicate that approximately 79 percent of gobblers were harvested in the morning compared to 21 percent in the afternoon. These data may be useful if discussions arise concerning the relative importance of morning compared to afternoon harvest of gobblers in the spring. Results have been consistent since this type of data has been available with the long-term average of birds taken in the afternoon about 23 percent for the last decade.

Turkey Harvest on Private vs. Public (WMA) Land

To gain an understanding of the relative importance of the turkey harvest on private versus public (WMA) land, data from SC Game Check was queried to determine the type of land (private or public) where turkeys were reportedly taken. Data indicate that approximately 91 percent of birds were taken on private land and 9 percent on public (WMA) land. Interestingly, public land comprises only about 7 percent of the turkey habitat in the state. Therefore, although a relatively small proportion of the total harvest occurred on public land, it slightly outperformed what would be expected based on available habitat.

With electronic reporting of harvested wild turkeys through SC Game Check now required, harvest figures for individual WMA’s are now available (Table 5). Based on these reports, the noncompliance corrected reported harvest was 885 turkeys taken on the various WMAs in 2025 (1,089 in 2024). The harvest of turkeys on WMAs is included in the statewide harvest figures presented in Table 1.

Turkey Harvest on Youth Weekends

For several years there has been a Youth Turkey Hunting Weekend on the Saturday and Sunday prior to the regular season opening date. Legislation effective in 2025 added a second Youth Turkey Hunting Weekend on the Saturday and Sunday following the close of the regular season. In 2025 the noncompliance corrected reported harvest on the 2 youth weekends was 430 turkeys with 405 and 25 being taken on the preseason and postseason weekends, respectfully.

Harvest Reporting Methods

SC Game Check Provides 3 methods to report: the Go Outdoors SC smartphone app, on the SCDNR website, by phone or text using the toll-free SC Game Check number. SC Game Check on the Go Outdoors SC smartphone app was by far the most popular reporting method (89%), followed by online (6%), and phone/text (5%).

Taking Other People Turkey Hunting

It is well known that a turkey hunt often involves more than one hunter. To determine the reason a hunter takes someone else with them, the 2025 Online Turkey Hunter Survey asked respondents if they took someone else hunting and if so, what were the circumstances. Overall 49 percent of respondents indicated that they took someone else hunting during the 2025 season. Approximately 10 percent indicated they took someone because they harvested the one gobbler allowed during the first week of the season, 6 percent indicated they took someone because they had tagged-out, 40 percent indicated that they took a youth hunting, and 45 percent indicated they took an inexperienced person hunting. Approximately 22 percent of hunters who took someone else hunting provided no reason and it is assumed these were simply individuals hunting with friends. Note that the combined percentages are greater than 100 because some individuals indicated multiple reasons for taking someone hunting.

The tables and graphs referred to in this report are provided in (PDF) format.


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