Several Birds Taken During Turkey Youth Weekend

Wed, 04/05/2023 - 4:37pm — John Embry

Everleigh Meredith with her prize-winning turkey.

Kentucky’s 2023 spring turkey hunting kicked off with the youth-only season held last weekend, April 1-2. In conjunction with this, Drakes Farm Service held its’ annual Youth Big Bird Contest on Saturday April 1^st. The hunter with the heaviest bird, Everleigh Meredith, won a $50 Drakes’ gift card with her impressive 24.2-pound bird.

Zak Danks, wild turkey program coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, encouraged beginners to try turkey hunting this season, as an above-average turkey brood survival rate was recorded in 2021. This promises an abundance of 2-year-old birds that have encountered less hunting pressure than older gobblers potentially making them more susceptible to calling by hunters.

This seemed to prove true as Drakes Farm Service recognized numerous youth hunters for their success.