"The 2008 harvest was similar to 2007, but our harvest averages have been down for three years in a row," remarked Baumann. "The WMA harvest has also shown a slight decrease across the board. Our harvest success rate is still around 50 percent, and that's still pretty good. It was in the upper 60 percent range for a long time, but it's down in the 50s now, which is not too bad. Turkeys are cyclic, and we're hoping to see an upswing soon."

STATEWIDE OVERVIEW
The Peach State is broken down into five general physiographic regions -- Ridge and Valley, Blue Ridge Mountains, Piedmont, Upper Coastal Plain and Lower Coastal Plain -- each of which is defined by a distinctive soil and habitat makeup.

In terms of harvest -- according to the 2008 WMA survey -- the most productive areas of the state for turkey hunters are the Piedmont and both the Coastal Plain regions. These areas currently boast better habitat, but development is encroaching, especially in the Piedmont. The Upper Coastal Plain is still largely agricultural, making it a prime turkey area.

So which are the best places for maximizing one's chances of taking a gobbler? Turkeys are to be found in every region of Georgia, so let's take a look at the WMAs in each region that had the best harvests in 2008. Something promising's bound to be available in your area.

Ridge And Valley
This physiographic region in extreme northwest Georgia is dominated by a series of limestone-substrate parallel ridges forested with a pine or oak/hickory mix, depending on soil moisture. The soils are fairly productive for wildlife, but the steep ridges make hiking in and out challenging. The overall percent of hunter success in this region was 5.2 percent.

Berry College WMA, a 15,700-acre tract near Rome, took top honors in this region with an 8.6 percent hunter success rate. Crockford-Pigeon Mountain was close behind with a 6.2 percent success rate. Other WMAs of note were Johns Mountain and Coosawattee, both in the 5 percent range. Overall, just over 1,800 hunters called turkeys on the 89,000 acres of WMAs in this region.

Blue Ridge Mountains
Comprising Georgia's northernmost counties, this region is characterized by less-fertile soils. Here, as in the Ridge and Valley zone, steep terrain can render hunting difficult.

Among the 12 WMAs in this region, the best success was seen at 19,000-acre Swallow Creek WMA, where hunters achieved a kill rate of 8.9 percent. Dukes Creek was also a notable spot, with 7.7 percent success. Blue Ridge WMA was the most hunted area, with 536 hunters bagging 26 birds -- a 4.9 percent success rate.

Other productive areas: Warwoman WMA and the 30,000-acre Cooper Creek tract. Overall, nearly 2,900 hunters used the 294,000 acres of WMAs in this region, attaining an overall success rate of 4.99 percent.

Piedmont
Heading south, we come to this region stretching across the Peach State's midsection. Though development continues to compromise prime turkey habitat, the Piedmont has produced a lot of birds over the years. Its granitic clay soils are very productive for wildlife, but steep, rocky terrain makes erosion an ongoing problem. The forested areas are predominately an oak/hickory mix, but large areas of pine are present as well. Last year's regional hunter success rate: 5.2 percent.