Pennsylvania Game News - May 2016 - 5

"A good percentage of it melted quickly
providing turkeys plenty of open areas
to feed. Our subzero temperatures also
didn't last long enough to become a
concern."
Consequently, the potential is there
for hens and gobblers to get after each
other sooner this year, for things to really
heat up for hunters early in the spring
season.
To capitalize on it, you'll have to be
ready. Preseason scouting should help
you fine-tune where you need to be, so
you're waiting in the right ZIP code for
that old tom when he flies down on the
opening morning.
Before the season, listen for gobbling
to get a handle on tom availability. Gobbling is calling for companionship. Over
successive mornings, try to get a feel for
the core area from where gobblers call.
Remember, a gobbler tries to be centrally located to take care of its spring
harem, Casalena said. Often the hens are
coming to him. But a gobbler also will
meet them en route if he hears them call.
If he didn't, he'd surely lose some of his
hens to other gobblers. That's something
no tom willingly surrenders, and why
lovesick gobblers are susceptible to
hunter calls.
When a hen joins a gobbler's harem
both seek each other's company until the
hen starts incubating eggs. Until then,
she'll visit the nest to drop a new egg and
then leave immediately. She's trying to
minimize her scent at the nest to avoid
attracting predators, Casalena said.
She'll keep mating with that gobbler
until her clutch is ready to be incubated.
When incubation starts, the hens
sit tight on their nests. But that's a
good thing, because lonely gobblers
are always looking for new hens and
provide increasing opportunities for
MAY 2016

hunters still afield.

The Numbers
Pennsylvania's record wild turkey
population occurred in 2001, with an
estimate of 288,000 birds. Over the
next 14 years, estimates chart a declining population. The five-year average
from 2010 to 2015 was 208,312. Over
the past two years, estimates place our
turkey population at 234,500, which
surely helps explain spring harvest gains
in those two years. Surprisingly, though,
that growth occurred despite two of the
toughest winters in the past decade.
Last fall's preliminary fall turkey
harvest was 19,400; a final harvest will
be developed later this summer from
annual Game-Take Survey results. The
preliminary harvest compares with
18,292 in 2014 and 16,755 in 2013. If
the 2015 estimate holds, it'll represent
the largest fall harvest since 2009.
Given the recent growth in both the
turkey population and harvests - and

New Blinds Are Illegal
A new turkey hunting blind
currently available for online
purchase is illegal to use in Pennsylvania for all turkey hunting.
The new blind incorporates the
fanned tail of a gobbler to hide
a hunter's form, and to possibly
attract a gobbler or put it at ease.
But because the blind does not
hide all hunter movement from
behind or within, it cannot be
used legally to hunt turkeys in the
spring or fall seasons. Equally concerning for the Game Commission
is that the blind could attract fire
from another hunter, especially if
the hunter behind it is calling.
5
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Game News - May 2016
