"Equally important," he stressed, "are the individual types of habitats in a given county or region. For an area to successfully maximize its potential, there must be roosting, nesting and brooding habitats for turkeys."

Consequently, Dobey feels that all of our state's traditionally top harvest counties yield large numbers of birds due to these factors.

Areas encompassing combinations of prime habitat consisting of fields, agricultural crops, thickets and hardwoods will naturally generate consistently higher harvest numbers.

Last year's top six harvest counties are all loaded with ideal habitat and food sources that can sustain a lot of birds. Most of the top harvest counties have large sections of agricultural cropland with an abundance of roosting trees and brooding cover.

This is exactly why these six counties are able to dominate the state's harvest totals, season after season.

REGIONAL COUNTY BREAKDOWN
One great thing about the Bluegrass State during the spring is that you needn't go very far to get on a loudmouth gobbler. All five of the state's regions contain counties overflowing with turkeys and which offer fantastic hunting opportunities.

Acres of private and public land provide hunters with some of the finest turkey hunting in the nation.

Exactly where are the top harvest counties are across the state? See the following regional breakdown. You can just about bet the farm that the counties from these regions will have repeat performances this year as well.

Green River Region
Last spring, as we mentioned earlier, the Green River had five counties ranking in the top six in total harvest. Muhlenberg County led the way, with 572 birds being tagged and bagged. Grayson, Hart, Logan and Ohio counties finished out the top five in regional harvest, with over 500 birds each. All of these counties have the perfect combination of habitat and food, thanks to the rich farmland that surrounds the area.

This spring, according to the KDFWR, hunters should hit another grand slam, and harvest numbers are expected to be extremely high.

Purchase Region
In the far western part of the state lie the counties of the Purchase Region. This area offers some excellent spring turkey hunting. In fact, Crittenden County broke into the top five in the entire state last season, taking top harvest honors in the Purchase Region with hunters tagging and bagging a total harvest of 503 birds.

Crittenden County was followed by Graves, Livingston, Christian and Calloway counties. You shouldn't overlook these top five this April -- during the 2008 spring season, they gave up 1,913 turkeys.

Bluegrass Region
In recent years, several of the Bluegrass Region's counties have been hitting the charts with some pretty impressive numbers. Last season was no different: This remarkable region's top five counties of accounted for a harvest of more than 1,800 turkeys tagged. With a total of 493 turkeys, Owen County barely missed the 500 mark. With 427 harvested birds, Pendleton County wasn't too far behind. Shelby, Washington and Boone rounded out the top five, and this spring's numbers are expected to grow even larger.

Northeast Region
For years, the counties of the Northeast Region have probably received less statewide attention when it comes to turkey hunting. However, several counties tucked away in this often-overlooked region consistently put up solid harvest numbers.

For example, hunters in Morgan County were able to knock down a total of 339 birds to take first-place honors last season. Carter County came in second with 294 turkeys tagged. Bracken, Pike and Lawrence finished out the top five in total harvest, with just under 300 birds each.

Hunters claimed a total of 1,360 gobblers from these counties. Things are looking good, and harvest numbers should climb steadily for this coming season.