PORTLAND, Maine - Maine's spring turkey hunting season, which opened on Monday, is expected to yield a modest harvest.
That's according to state Inland Fisheries and Wildlife biologist Brad Allen. Allen says several factors have contributed to a reduction in the state's turkey population. The harsh winter, he says, reduced the turkey population by 10 percent to 15 percent from the fall.
"Two or three years ago some of our birds came out with a virus that compromised the health of another small percentage of the population, and the last two or three springs, in my memory, have been less than spectacular for turkey production," Allen says.
Not long ago there were no wild turkeys left in Maine. They were reintroduced in 1970's and are now a familiar sight in all 16 Maine counties.
This year, for the first time since since reintroduction, the turkey hunt has been extended to northern Maine. Allen says that, given the newness of the hunt in the north, additional restrictions are in place there to ensure hunter safety and landowner rights.
The spring turkey season runs through the first week of June.
