Pennsylvania Game News - April 2021 - 16

Casalena agrees. But only to a point.
" Everyone has a chance, because a
lot of times new hunters achieve success
simply by being in the right place at the
right time, " she noted. " But you must
hunt areas where you've confirmed there
are turkeys. You can't call in and shoot a
gobbler if none are around.
" Having an experienced hunter come
with you is beneficial, but not always
practical, " Casalena said. " His or her
guidance can help you sort out your best
approaches and the best calling setups.
Both can make a huge difference in your
success. "

MAKE IT HAPPEN

At times, spring turkey hunting surely
tests the patience and mettle of hunters
young and old, novice and veteran, urban
and rural. Success is sometimes fleeting,
no matter how hard you try, how high
you climb the mountain, or how far you
drive to hunt.
So, if you're down on your luck,
Casalena recommended changing your
scenery and possibly finding other
locations to hunt. It's amazing how much
a hunter's enthusiasm can grow working
a new area and different birds. So, break
your pattern, not your confidence.
But, if you feel you can still take the
crafty gobbler you tried calling earlier in
the season, consider trying from other
locations with different approaches,
using a different call, a different rhythm.
Setting up a blind and using decoys also
might close the distance between you
and your quarry.
Calling in reinforcement also might
pay off, Casalena noted. Have another
hunter set up and call from about 15 to
20 yards behind you. The idea here is for
the incoming gobbler to come by you as
he approaches the calls of your partner.

16

WHERE
TO GO?
GO?
Every spring turkey season starts with scouting
and lining up places to hunt. As in all forms of
hunting, no two Wildlife Management Units provide
turkey hunters the same opportunities. Some offer
mountains and big woods. Others, farm fields and
woodlots. Turkeys like both. Sometimes, hunters do,
too. Other times they prefer one over the other.
Sometimes where to hunt is a free-time decision.
Sometimes it's about hunting woodlands you know,
or with someone who has invited you to another
new territory. But if there's one constant, it's that
gobblers are looking for company every spring.
Wherever you go, so long as there are turkeys there,
birds will be calling and if you do your homework,
you should have a shot at one.
Game Commission turkey biologist Mary Jo
Casalena annually puts together snapshots of
spring turkey hunting data to help hunters make
important where-to-go decisions. The data on these
maps can direct you to WMUs with the best turkey
populations, best hunter success rates, and, if you
prefer, the lowest hunter densities.
Why not hunt places where there's less chance
you won't bump into other hunters, places where
turkey populations are up? Maybe you'd prefer to go
to where hunters have the best harvest densities?
The maps have it all.
Harvest density, shown in the top map, is the
number of spring turkeys harvested per square mile
over the past three years. The statewide average has
remained at 0.8 percent the past two years. Seven
WMUs had harvest densities that exceeded one
turkey per square mile.
Hunter density, shown in the middle map,
similarly provides the number of hunters per square
mile. The more heavily hunted WMUS are shown
in shades of red and those with lower densities
are shown in shades of blue. The statewide hunter
density per square mile is 3.9, down from 4 in 2020.
In the bottom map, Casalena provided hunter
success rates based on a three-year average. Rates
continue to be substantial in western WMUs, most
exceeding the current three-year statewide average
of 18 percent.
Good luck out there!
Pennsylvania Game News - April 2021

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