Southeast Region
A total of 29 large counties make up the Southeast Region, and in each one, hunters can find solid numbers of turkeys. Last spring, in fact, the top five harvest counties saw a total of 1,690 birds harvested by sportsmen.

Pulaski County sealed the first-place position with 404 turkeys, and neighboring Wayne County came in second with 340 gobblers. To round out the top five spots, Adair, Green and Cumberland counties averaged more than 300 birds each.

This spring, the Southeast Region is definitely an area that hunters should not overlook.

REGIONAL BRAGGING RIGHTS
In the spring of the year, as we pointed out earlier, you just about can't go wrong hunting any of the county in the state's five turkey-filled regions. However, if you want to know how each region stacked up compared to the others, you need to check out these statistics.

As far as total harvest goes, counties of the legendary Green River Region dominated the entire state, with 8,223 turkeys being checked in last season alone.

This region has been known as a turkey-hunting powerhouse because many of its counties encompass what's considered to be perfect turkey habitat with abundant food sources.

Second-place honors go to the counties of the Bluegrass Region, thanks to the 6,011 turkeys taken by hunters last spring. Many people believe that this area holds some of the state's finest turkey hunting. It's hard to argue that point with impressive numbers like these.

The counties of the Southeast Region didn't miss the second-place ranking by many birds. In fact, just over 200 filled tags separated the Bluegrass and the Southeast regions.

During the 2008 spring season, hunters punched a total of 5,789 turkey tags. Indications are good that this year should even be better.

The Northeast Region chipped in with a total of 3,816 turkeys to take a fourth-place ranking in overall statewide harvest. Many folks feel that in these counties, the hunting pressure may not be as intense as in other areas across the state -- which could be a huge advantage for hunters looking to get away from the crowds.

Finally, the smaller Purchase Region finishes out the top five rankings with a total of 3,234 harvested turkeys. However, you must consider that the Purchase Region only has 14 counties and is the smallest of all the state's regions.

By no means does a fifth-place ranking in total statewide harvest suggest a poorer quality of turkey hunting. This area traditionally holds its own when it comes to spring turkey hunting, and this trend is expected to continue.

HOTTEST PUBLIC-LAND DESTINATIONS
Another great thing about turkey hunting in the Bluegrass State is our easy access to acres of prime public land. All five regions encompass land set aside for public use, and some of these wildlife management areas (WMAs) have been intensely managed for hunting.

During the spring, I typically hunt several public-land areas across the state. When it comes to overall numbers of birds, these locations can be just as good as private land. If you don't have immediate access to private land this spring, you might want to look into hunting the following top harvest public-land areas.

The Daniel Boone National Forest in the Southeast Region led the state as the hottest spring turkey-hunting destination. When April rolls around, hunters here have access to approximately 670,000 acres of land to chase gobbling longbeards. Many state and county roads lead into or across this vast territory. Turkey hunters can also take advantage of marked hiking trails and forest roads that cut through these heavily wooded areas.