No gobbling doesn’t mean no turkeys

The conventional wisdom among many turkey hunters holds that when gobblers aren’t gobbling, something’s wrong. High winter mortality, the presence of a predator or maybe you’ve been busted and Tom doesn’t want to talk with you.

Not necessarily so, said Mary Jo Casalena, the state Game Commission’s wild turkey biologist.

“Just because you’re not hearing much gobbling doesn’t mean they’re not there, and hunters anywhere might be pleasantly surprised by the outcome of a hunt, even if there’s not a lot of calling activity leading up to it,” Casalena said, in a written statement. “Prior to the season, gobblers might be quiet because hens are still with them. Once the hens go off to incubate their eggs, gobblers intensify their calling to attract other hens. We time the season to begin, on average, when the majority of hens are incubating and gobbling intensifies.”

The age structure of the local population can also impact the amount of noise they make.

Casalena said in groups with a high proportion of jakes or old gobblers, turkeys might restrict their calling.

Pennsylvania’s wild turkeys were not particularly hurt by the cold winter — in fact, no radio-collared turkeys monitored by the Game Commission have ever died of causes related to winter mortality.

The population, in fact, is up significantly.

Last spring the agency estimated there were nearly 235,000 birds in the state. The previous five-year statewide average was 169,000.

Fly casting class

L.L. Bean at Ross Park Mall will offer an Introduction to Fly Casting class 12:303:30 p.m. May 3, May 17 and May 31 at North Park Lake.

Instructor Bill Nagle covers basic casting, shooting line and tying basic knots; $69 includes all necessary equipment. Call 888-552-3261 for registration and details.