Regardless of how many gobblers are on the WMA, the proof of the pudding is getting one into gun range. Photo by John E. Phillips.

With the onset of the spring turkey season upon us, Volunteer State hunters are faced with the annual challenge of picking where to look for a gobbler. For many that is on the family farm, the hunt club or leased land.

For many more it means picking out a patch of Tennessee’s public hunting land. With 41 tracts from which to choose, that task may not be as simple as it might appear. Those wildlife management areas, refuges and other government-controlled properties come in many sizes and with a variety of regulations.

On the other hand, for some hunters the choice is as simple as heading to the closest WMA. Schedules and costs often mandate staying local and saving gas.

If you have the luxury of traveling for your turkey action, it is probably more important to pick out the destination that offers the best bets for downing a mature bronze baron of the woodlands.

Although past history never ensures a repeat performance, what has gone before is often our best or only way of guessing where the hottest hunts are likely to take place this season. For that reason, we’ve looked at the turkey hunting success on Tennessee’s public lands during a five-year period from 2005 to 2009. During that stretch, 6153 gobblers were taken on public land. With a database of that size, the statistics should tell a reliable story.

Based on the data available we can see which tracts have been producing the most gobblers on a year-in, year-out basis. Also, it’s possible to see how each of those is trending. We can identify those WMAs where the harvest is improving, declining or remaining stable.

Based on that information, here’s a look at the best 10 prospects on public land for finding a tom this year.

CHEROKEE
This one can be a bit misleading. Suggesting a hunting trip in the Cherokee WMA, which covers the property in the Cherokee National Forest, is a bit like suggesting you just go turkey hunting in East Tennessee. After all, this WMA covers 650,000 acres of mountain woodlands in 10 counties along the eastern edge of the state.

But, the fact remains that the area produces more turkeys than any other public land in the state. In the five years beginning in 2005 Cherokee gave up 960 toms, for an average of 192 per year. Also, with 235 killed in 2009, the trend is upward. The two previous seasons the harvest had been below 190 per year.

It’s worth noting that the Cherokee WMA is actually managed as two tracts — the north and south. In 2009 the South Cherokee, which is comprised of 250,000 acres, accounted for 150 of the 235 birds taken.

LAND BETWEEN THE LAKES
This tract takes in the property of the Land Between the Lake National Recreation Area in the western part of the state. Although the LBL covers a total of 170,000 acres, most are in Kentucky. The WMA tract in Tennessee stretches across 60,000 acres. All of that property lies in Stewart County.

For the five-year period this WMA gave up a total of 553 gobblers, giving it an average harvest of 111 turkeys. The kill rate on the tract has been very stable in recent years, ranging from a low o 91 to a high of 124. For 2009 it was at 110 toms, almost exactly on the average.

CHUCK SWAN
This WMA is composed of property belonging to the Chuck Swan State Forest. The tract covers 24,444 acres of woodlands in Union and Bell counties in the northeast corner of the state.

The WMA averaged giving up 106 gobblers per season for the past five years, for a total kill of 530 birds. Back in 2006 there was a one-year jump to 150 turkeys taken, but the norm has been around 90 per year. In 2009 the harvest was 105, so the trend here is on the increase.

Those numbers are more impressive when you consider that the WMA is open only during seven, three-day hunts each year.

MILAN ARSENAL
The Milan Arsenal tract covers 28,000 acres in Gibson and Carroll counties in the northwest quadrant of Tennessee. The land surrounds the Department of Defense facilities, which manufacture mortar shells and grenades for the armed services.

The five-year average of gobblers killed on the area was 93 turkeys. The total taken was 465 toms. The heaviest gobbler downed on the property last year tipped the scales at 25 pounds.

Although the actual annual harvest for the period has run in the high 80 to 90 range, it’s worth noting that in 2010 the take fell to just 66 birds. That decline is not mirrored in hunter effort. For both 2009 and 2010 the hunts on the area drew a few more than 500 hunters during the season. That apparently indicates a declining harvest trend on the property.