Pennsylvania Game News - May 2020 - 9

ings from agency staff and the public.
Sightings were up considerably from the
2018 survey, when 12,014 turkeys were
sighted, but the 2019 survey included
sightings in July and August rather than
only in August.
The statewide reproductive index was
2.4 poults per hen, which was identical
to 2018 survey's findings. Compared to
an average of 2.3 poults among other
Mid-Atlantic states, Pennsylvania's
reproductive rates were right where they
needed to be.
Ten WMUs documented increased
reproductive success, while 10 showed
declines and three offered similar results
over both surveys.
WMUs posting the largest upticks in
poult production were WMU 2D, 3.5;
WMU 2A, 2.8; WMU 5A, 2.8; WMU
2E, 2.7 and WMU 4C, 2.7.
"Thanks to the popularity of this survey
in Pennsylvania, we have high confidence
in our estimates," Casalena noted. "We
hope that enthusiasm will continue this
summer and that maybe we can increase
survey participation."

AFIELD AFFAIRS
Asked if spring hunting was getting
easier or tougher, Casalena suggested
maybe it's a little of both.
Hunter success has been great the
past three springs, only the record spring
population three year-average from 20002002 is better, and it wasn't by much - 1
percent, Casalena explained. Back then,
success most likely was due to turkey
population size. Now it's likely due to a
decrease in hunter numbers.
"The less a gobbler gets worked by
other hunters, the more likely the gobbler
will come into a hunter's calls," Casalena
said.
MAY 2020	

Some of the biggest problems new
spring turkey hunters create for themselves stem from their inability to locate
gobblers or get within a reasonable calling
distance. Too close or too far both have
their share of problems. Discovering
where gobblers roost - putting a gobbler
to bed - can help you figure out where
you want to be at dawn.
Hunters lose patience sometimes,
giving up well before they should, Casalena said.
"Sometimes a gobbler approaching
your call is interrupted by the real deal,
and no hunter can compete with a hen!"
Casalena emphasized.
It's also not hard to be picked out
by an incoming bird as you move for a
better look or to ready your shotgun. And
sometimes, the gobbler has already been
schooled by other hunters and just flat-out
avoids anything suspicious.
But don't fret. For every old tom that
won't give you his attention, there are
many others that will come running when
you call, regardless of how authentic or
fake you believe it sounds. Your job is
to find one of those birds. Rest assured,
they're out there.
Casalena believes any hunter who's
afield three days a week should have a
minimum of three calling locations, so
birds aren't worked more than once a
week. However, she said, if you're the
only person hunting the property, you
don't hunt consecutive days and set up
differently each time, you can probably
get away with hunting an area twice
in one week. But it's still important to
have other calling locations. It's what
keeps you in the game.
"Try setting up with decoys and
without, use different calls to give
the impression you're another hen,"
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Pennsylvania Game News - May 2020

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