Time for talkin’ turkey in Penn’s Woods

It’s finally time for Keystone State hunters to dust off their gobbler calls and start talking turkey. Question is, after a long winter and chilly spring, will the turkeys be ready to answer back? We’re about to find out since Pennsylvania turkey hunters have only a few more days to wait for the much anticipated opening of spring gobbler season this Saturday, May 1. They’ll be joining the junior hunters and mentored youth (ages 16 and younger) who took advantage of the one day youth spring turkey hunt that took place last Saturday, April 24. Hunters of all ages can participate in the May 1 opener of the statewide spring gobbler season which runs through May 31.

That’s right. Hunters throughout Pennsylvania are poised to head out to their favorite turkey woods Saturday morning. Armed with diaphragm, box, push button, and slate calls, hunters will be talkin’ turkey with an array of turkey vocalizations including putts, yelps, clucks, purrs, cackles, and, of course, gobbles, in hopes of enticing one of those coveted big bronze birds within shotgun or bow range.

Popular for its heartpounding interaction with vocal gobblers, and plentiful chances to enjoy gorgeous spring days afield, Pennsylvania’s only springtime big-game season is one that hunters eagerly await. And, according to Mary Jo Casalena, Pennsylvania Game Commission wild turkey biologist, the outlook for the coming season is good. Although the 2020 estimated spring population of 196,200 turkeys was slightly below average, last year’s good summer reproduction and light fall harvest sets the stage for a good population this spring.

“A strong base of adult toms is strutting in our forests and fields in their annual quest for companionship, followed by a healthy population of high-spirited jakes,” Casalena said. “And there’s an above-average supply of 2-year-olds roaming in many Wildlife Management Units (WMUs). So hunters stand a great chance this spring of bringing home one – maybe even two – of these cabin-fever-chasing birds.”

Once again, properly licensed hunters may harvest two bearded turkeys during the spring turkey season. A general hunting license provides springturkey hunting privileges and a tag that can be used to harvest one bird. Additionally, hunters before the start of the statewide season may purchase a Special Spring Turkey License, which enables them to harvest a second bird. Only hunters with the second license can take a second turkey.

Last year, second-tag sales again set a new record with 25,524 hunters buying these licenses. It was the fourth consecutive year second-tag sales topped 20,000. Those second tags led to 3,731 harvests, making for a 15 percent success rate for those who purchased a second tag.

Last spring’s overall estimated harvest was 34,500 turkeys. Sixteen percent of turkey hunters were successful in filling their first tag. And while bringing home a wary gobbler rarely is easy, it’s a challenge that hundreds of thousands of hunters can’t wait to accept.

Hunting hours begin one-half hour before sunrise and end at noon for the first two weeks of the statewide season (May 1 through May 15). Hunters are asked to be out of the woods by 1 p.m. when hunting hours end at noon. This is to minimize disturbance of nesting hens.

From May 17 through May 31, hunting hours are from one-half hour before sunrise until one-half hour after sunset. The allday season allows more opportunity at the point in the season when hunting pressure is lower and nesting hens are less likely to abandon nests.

Only bearded birds may be harvested during the spring season, and hunting is permitted by calling only. Hunters should refrain from knowingly harvesting bearded hens because they do nest and raise broods. There is no requirement for hunters to wear fluorescent orange during the spring turkey season, though it is recommended that orange be worn while moving.

Blinds used while turkey hunting must be manufactured with manmade materials of sufficient density to block movement within the blind from an observer outside the blind. Blinds must completely enclose the hunter on all four sides and from above. It is unlawful to hunt turkeys from blinds made of natural materials such as logs, tree branches and piled rocks. Blinds that represent the fanned tail of a gobbler do not hide all hunter movement, and therefore are unlawful to use in Pennsylvania.

It is unlawful, as well as unsafe, to stalk turkeys or turkey sounds. All hunters need to wait patiently and identify their targets properly prior to pulling the trigger. When in a stationary position, a hunter should sit with his or her back against a large tree, rock or other barrier that shields movement and offers protection from others who might approach from the rear.

Turkey hunters should not wear clothing that contains black, like the color found on a turkey’s body, or red, white or blue, like those on a turkey’s head.

Pennsylvania hunters again this year can purchase a license to harvest a second gobbler in the spring season, but only one gobbler may be taken per day. This license must be purchased no later than April 30 – before the statewide season begins.

Successful turkey hunters must immediately and properly tag the bird before moving it from the harvest site, and are required by law to report the harvest to the Game Commission. For most hunters, harvests must be reported within 10 days. Mentored hunters must report harvests within five days.

Reporting harvests enables the Game Commission to more accurately estimate harvest and population totals, and is important for effective management.

There are three ways harvests can be reported. The preferred reporting method is for successful hunters to go to www. pgc.pa.gov and click the blue “Report a Harvest” button near the top of the home page, then fill out a form and submit. Harvests may be reported by calling 1-800-838-4431. This is a new number that was activated in January when a new hunting and fishing licensing system was put in place. The previous number, which still appears within the 2020-21 Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest, no longer is valid.

Successful turkey hunters also can fill out and mail in the harvest report cards given to hunters at the time they purchase their licenses.

In all cases, it is helpful when reporting to have your license in front of you, as well as the tag you used in the field after harvesting the bird, and information such as beard and spur length.

There also are a number of leg-banded turkeys running around in Penn’s Woods that the Game Commission is seeking information about, should you shoot one, or find it dead. “This past winter the Game Commission legbanded nearly 500 male turkeys statewide,” Casalena said. “If you are lucky enough to harvest a legbanded turkey, or find one dead, please contact us through either the tollfree telephone number or email address printed on the band. In return, we’ll provide details of when and where the bird was banded. From these reports, we estimate spring harvest rate and annual survival rate by wildlife management unit, which are critical elements of our turkey population model. Note that when we legband turkeys we release them at the trap site. This leg-banding is solely to improve our population research and management.”

IN-SEASON TROUT STOCKING THIS WEEK

The folks of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission remain on the job, continuing their trout stocking efforts this week with the following streams in our area slated to get fresh batches of brown, brook, rainbow, and golden/palomino trout: BERKS COUNTY » Furnace Creek (4/28), Hay Creek (4/28), Manatawny Creek (4/29), Tulpehocken Creek (4/28). CHESTER COUNTY » Beaver Creek (4/28), Buck Run (4/28), French Creek (4/27) Pocopson Creek (4/28). DELAWARE COUNTY » Chester Creek (4/28), Ridley Creek (4/28). MONTGOMERY COUNTY » Pennypack Creek (4/30), Skippack Creek (4/27).