Garrett County, which consists of some of the state's most rugged terrain, produced 365 gobblers during the 2005 spring season. Similar to New Jersey, the state was plagued with nasty weather conditions, which essentially made hunting all but impossible. The highest number of birds bagged in Garrett County was during the 2001 hunt, when 567 gobblers were taken. The DNR said this reflects poor nesting conditions over the past few years, which represents an annual decrease in the turkey population of nearly 5 percent per year during the past five years.

Maryland is second to none when it comes to public hunting lands and great wild turkey habitat. The steep slopes of Mount Nebo Wildlife Management Area (WMA), Deep Creek Lake State Park, Potomac/Garrett State Forest and Savage River State Forest provide hunters with hundreds of square miles of wilderness. Much of the near-vertical terrain is rarely hunted primarily because its relative distance from the nearest road could be several miles.

Mount Nebo WMA, which is the smallest parcel of public land in the county, covers 1,763 acres of mountaintops. Just a short distance to the south, Potomac State Forest encompasses more than 10,000 acres of heavily forestland that connects with Garrett State Forest, a 6,781-acre patch of hardwoods and pines. Add to this 52,812 acres of Savage River State Forest and the combined WMAs cover more than half the county's total land mass. It's real easy to get lost here, but the hunting opportunities are incredible.

Washington County
Washington County's hunters bagged 340 gobblers during the 2005 spring season, an increase of 11.5 percent over the previous year's harvest and still well above the 10-year average of 308 birds. While most of the harvest took place on private land, Washington County provides hunters with plenty of public land where gobblers abound.

Sideling Hill WMA, which is located in both Allegany and Washington counties, covers nearly 2,200 acres of forested land. Most of the WMA is heavily forested with towering hardwoods interspersed with dense stands of pine. The WMA's southern boundary is along Pearre Road, located on the Potomac River's north shore. Sideling Hill Creek meanders through much of the WMA's length, and the surrounding hilltops are where some of the best turkey hunting usually occurs.

A short distance to the north at Indian Springs WMA, hunters can roam through four tracts that take up nearly 6,400 acres of the Appalachian Mountains' slopes and nearby agricultural lands. Most of the woodlands are forested with oak, hickory and beech, all of which provide an excellent source of food for the region's growing population of wild turkeys. This particular area is not suited for individuals who are not in top physical condition. The towering slopes near the Pennsylvania border are among the most rugged in the entire region, and much of the area is only accessible via footpaths that wind across ridgetops.

Overall, most of Maryland's turkey populations are either stable or increasing. The only areas that showed decreases were Allegany, Calvert and Garrett counties, with Calvert showing the largest percentage of decline at 11.2 percent. Much of this, however, could well be attributed to urban sprawl and loss of available hunting lands, which in turn would reflect a decrease in harvest. In reality, the turkey population in Calvert County may be rising, but because some of the population estimates are based on harvest data, it would appear as if the number of birds is going down.

What do hunters have to look forward to during the 2006 spring gobbler season? Biologists in all three jurisdictions were confident that if the weather cooperates, record harvests would be made throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Of course, everything depends on the whims of Mother Nature.