Pennsylvania Game News - May 2020 - 11

to be more vocal than other gobblers,
explained Casalena. But if you're hunting in areas you've already scouted,
you should have some idea of what to
expect.
"With hens nearby, a daybreak gobbler might not gobble at all, especially
if he's a 4-year-old," Casalena advised.
"A 3-year-old might gobble one or two
times, and a 2-year-old will gobble
more."
The goal of any gobbler in this situation is to breed, then look for more
hens - often gobbling in his quest.
Then the gobbler will feed and resume
his search into the early afternoon,
depending on how late into the season
it is, Casalena said.
Without hens in his vicinity, a gobbler will gobble on the roost hoping for
a hen to respond. When he drops to the
ground, he's off on his quest, gobbling
occasionally, to locate hens that are not
yet incubating.

SCOUTING

So much of almost any spring gobbler hunter's success is tied to the work
he or she puts in during the weeks
leading up to season. One of the most
fundamental rules to being successful
remains: You can hunt almost anywhere
for turkeys, but if you don't hunt where
turkeys are, your hunt simply will not
work. The same rule applies to raccoon
trapping, bear hunting and bass fishing.
The outdoors is big, expansive,
loaded with game. But the more you go,
the more you sort out that critters prefer
certain land features, certain habitats.
Turkeys are no different.
What's especially invigorating about
spring gobblers is that most March
mornings they're yelling from the

MAY 2020	

H A R V E S T S
Tag it immediately. If you have orange
material, display it while taking your turkey
back to your vehicle or home. Check to see
if your turkey has any leg-bands. If it does,
please report your harvest to the telephone
number on the band, or send an email to
pgccomments@pa.gov using "Turkey Band
Report" in the subject area. And remember,
banded or unbanded, all wild turkey harvests still must be reported via an official
postage-paid 2019-20 turkey harvest report
card found in the Pennsylvania Hunting
and Trapping Digest or through internet- or
telephone-reporting.

slopes and fields, letting the countryside
know where they prefer to be. You can't
mistake it; in the cold morning air, you
might hear gobbles from upwards of a
half-mile away.
Like deer, turkeys prefer to be on
certain terrain features with preferable habitat. As you become more
familiar with their wants, it becomes
easier to nail down where they should
be, because on good habitat, when a
boss tom goes down, two or more will
grapple to take its place.
So long as the habitat supports turkeys and hunters don't overrun it, all
you need to do annually is confirm that
they're there.
Line up a few places this way, and
by all means, stay out of them until the
season starts.
Don't call before season. Don't talk
about what you know. Then go in on
the opening day and start your chess
game. If you're lucky, you'll take him
on your first move.
But there's nothing wrong with a
good game of chess with the boss.
Those are the birds you'll never
forget!
11
Pennsylvania Game News - May 2020

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