Pennsylvania Game News - March 2009 - 22

On Trapping Turkeys By Daniel P. Schmidt Forest County WCO WAS ATTEMPTING to locate some tom turkeys for a cooperative multi-state study sponsored by the National Wild Turkey Federation on gobbler harvests during the spring seasons. The Game Commission’s role was to trap and band 300 gobblers a year for five years. The responsibility was divided among the six regions, with each region responsible for 50 birds. It sounds simple, but many factors, including weather, equipment and the animals themselves, can make it difficult. WCOs play a valuable role in the trapping process. Leading up to midJanuary, we keep an eye out for turkeys and turkey sign in our districts. If we know where some birds are hanging out, we begin baiting sites after the late archery and muzzleloader deer seasons close. If the weather is mild and not much snow is on the ground, luring the birds consistently can be difficult. Turkeys seem to have little problem finding food during the mild weather. However, when the snow is deep and temperatures fall, they readily come to bait, and usually early in the morning after a cold night on the roost. This scenario often creates an easy opportunity for trapping. Another factor is equipment. We typically use a large net stored in a wooden box. The top of the box is open, allowing the large net to be pulled out by the three rockets electronically ignited by the trappers. Recently, our newer net configuration has proved to be highly successful. It’s de22 I ployed with one corner leading the way, flying in a shape more like a diamond than a square. We’ve also had problems with weak rocket charges and tangled nets. On one occasion we waited all day and finally had five nice gobblers show and present a clean shot. But we deployed the net only to have a small piece of wire tangle the net. We’re still not sure how the small piece of wire got in the box, but it did spoil our efforts. The most important factor of trapping turkeys is the birds. They can be the most frustrating of all the variables in trapping. I’m sure most hunters can relate to the quirkiness of these wild animals. During the winter of 2007, I was monitoring several bait sites. One location had a large flock showing on a routine basis, but there weren’t any gobblers in the flock. I kept baiting the site in the hopes of gobblers showing, but none ever did. Another site I was watching was on a small peninsula along the Tionesta Creek. I had five beautiful long-beards showing, but they never showed at the same time or on consecutive days. One day I checked and the birds hit the bait early in the morning. Then they didn’t show for two days, and when they did show up again, it was at 4 p.m. Eventually, the birds were showing on consecutive days, but at different times. When I finally decided to get the team together to plan a trapping date, I checked the site one more time, only to find that a recent snow melt and some rain caused the creek to rise and flood the peninsula. I had birds coming into several other sites, but where there just was not enough room to place and deploy the net. I was running out of hope, because I would soon GAME NEWS

Pennsylvania Game News - March 2009

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