West Virginia
122,170 (NWTF estimate)
Wild Turkey Population
Easterns
Turkey Subspecies
Not available
Number of Licenses Sold Annually
Varies (check regulations)
Cost of Resident License and Permit
Varies (check regulations)
Cost of Non-Resident License and Permit
Photo by Bruce MacQueen
West Virginians love their turkey hunting, and there's a significant tradition for it, spring and fall. The state's turkey population might not be what it was a decade or so ago. The latest NWTF estimates put it at about 122,000. However, hunters took 12,217 turkeys during Spring 2023, a 30.4% increase from 2022 and the highest harvest since 2018.
All counties in the state have turkeys. The top five 2023 harvest counties were Mason, Jackson, Preston, Harrison and Hampshire. West Virginia has good public land opportunities, too, with 500,000 state-owned acres and another million under U.S. Forest Service supervision.
