Pennsylvania Game News - May 2019 - 4

harvest, but 3 percent less than the 2017
harvest.
Only 6 percent of the total 2018 spring
harvest occurred during afternoon hours.
Additionally, during the all-day threeweek part of the spring season, 19 percent
of the harvest occurred after noon.
"The majority of the birds taken in the
all-day portion of the season - 81 percent
- came between 6 and 9 a.m.," Casalena
said. "Most afternoon birds are harvested
after 5 p.m."
The estimated 174,500 spring hunters
in 2018 is up from 168,250 in 2017. Still,
both pale in comparison to the previous
10-year average of 219,650 spring turkey
hunters. The highest-known number
of spring turkey hunters - 256,000 -
occurred in 1983, the first year the Game
Commission conducted its now annual
Game-Take Survey.
So, even with 50,000 fewer hunters and
50,000 fewer wild turkeys afield than in
2001, and in some predominantly awful
weather, spring turkey hunters still challenged Pennsylvania's best harvest rate
last spring.
"It speaks highly of the quality of
Pennsylvania spring turkey hunting and
the commitment of the folks who hunt
spring turkeys in Penn's Woods," Casalena noted.

TURKEY ABUNDANCE

Jacob Dingel

Measured against downward-trending
hunter participation, population fluctuations, habitat losses, feast-and-famine
regional fall mast crops, and the challenging influence of weather, it's a greater
chore than ever to chart regional and
statewide turkey numbers.
But things appear to be positive for
wild turkeys.
"The state turkey population is robust,
although it might fluctuate substantially

from one year to the next," Casalena
explained. "The estimated 2018 population of 229,300 is slightly above the
previous 10-year average of 220,050 and
three-year average of 218,600. That's
quite an accomplishment considering 59
percent of Pennsylvania's WMUs showed
lower turkey recruitment in 2018, based
upon summer-sighting surveys."
Recent low fall harvests, spurred by
continuing reduced hunter participation
and substantial mast availability, have
helped grow the population the past two
years. Most WMUs have had stable or
increasing turkey populations over the
past 10 years.
Those with decreasing populations
over the same period are: WMUs 1B, 2B,
2F, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4C and 4E.
Before you read too much into what
you might or might not be seeing afield,
Casalena cautioned, remember that turkey
populations fluctuate naturally. It's hard to
measure turkey abundance without analyzing trends in turkey-harvest, summersighting-surveys and turkey-hunter data
over time. Seasonal range changes, mast
availability and even hunter pressure also
temporarily can influence what you see
afield.
Still, for the time being, turkeys are
doing well in most areas.
"In northeastern Pennsylvania, I
believe the combination of longer fall
seasons - three weeks - and a three-day
Thanksgiving season have combined with
lower-than-average summer recruitment
and declining habitat quality to cause
overall turkey population declines," Casalena explained.
"That's why we're decreasing fall
season length; to allow a higher percentage of hens to make it to breeding season."
Ongoing habitat improvements for
grouse and other young-forest wildlife

Pennsylvania Game News - May 2019

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