Turkey population stable
October 24th, 2005 by Administrator
Turkey population stable , as hunting season apporaches - Chuck Smith is not in the business of planning family reunions, but he knows the importance of calling relatives back together.
At least when it comes to turkeys.
Smith is president of the Mon Valley Longbeards Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation. He’s killed a number of birds during the state’s fall turkey season, which opens Saturday in most wildlife management units.
In almost every case, he’s succeeded by scattering a flock, then calling it back together.
“Birds that are broken up in the fall want to congregate. They want to get back together,” Smith said. “When you break them up, you can give a couple of clucks or putts, maybe a few yelps, and they’ll walk right in to you.”
Hunters should have a fair opportunity to put that kind of advice to work this fall. Turkey numbers have declined recently — the population numbered an estimated 323,500 birds in spring 2005, compared to the all-time high of 410,000 in 2001 — because of several consecutive years of lousy nesting conditions. Poorer-than-average harvests resulted, with the kill topping out at 28,800 birds last fall. That was 16 percent less than in 2003 and almost 35 percent less than the five-year average.
The good news is that many turkeys seemed to successfully re-nest this past spring, meaning that their numbers are stable or even on the rebound in many places, said Mary Jo Casalena, turkey biologist for the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
That certainly seems to be the case in much of western Pennsylvania. The turkey hunting should be excellent in Armstrong County this year, for example, said Game Commission wildlife conservation officer Don Smith. The same is true in southern Indiana County, said officer Jack Lucas.
In Washington County — long a turkey hunting hot spot — the number of birds remains high, to the point where they are sometimes causing problems for farmers, said officer Dan Sitler. Those landowners can offer great advice on where to find birds, though, and provide access to good spots, if hunters take the time to ask.
“These people are an excellent source of information, and hunters can provide a service to benefit them by taking a bird in the fall,” Sitler said.
If there’s one challenge hunters will face this fall, it’s the relative abundance of wild foods that it will make turkeys harder to pattern, Casalena said.
Steve Leiendecker, a wildlife conservation officer in southern Fayette County, agreed hunters will need to do their scouting.
“Go out for bushytails and keep an eye out for scratchings and droppings near areas of good mast production. Find the acorns, and you’ll find both turkeys and squirrels alike,” Leiendecker said.
Another good way to scout for birds is to go out late in the day with an owl or crow call, Smith said. Gobblers won’t respond quite as vociferously as they will in the spring, but they’ll still give you some idea where they are. Then you can walk in and scatter them later.
“The thing about the fall is, you can see birds everywhere,” Smith said. “You see a ton of birds in the fall. I do, anyway.”
Here’s a look at the turkey seasons:
Wildlife management units 1A and 1B (shotgun and bow and arrow only): Oct. 29-Nov. 12.
Units 2A and 2B (shotgun and bow and arrow only): Oct. 29-Nov. 19.
Units 2D, 2F, 2G, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4C and 4E: Oct. 29-Nov. 19.
Units 5C and 5D (shotgun and bow and arrow only): Oct. 29-Nov. 4.
Units 5A and 5B: closed.
Hunters are limited to taking one bird in the fall season. It can be a gobbler or a hen. The use of blinds — defined as “any artificial or manufactured blind consisting of all man-made materials of sufficient density to block the detection of movement within the blind from an observer located outside the blind” — are legal these days.
Hunters have to wear some orange when moving (how much depends on the management unit; check page 34 of your hunting digest for specifics) and, in some cases, must hang a 100-square inch orange band within 15 feet of their calling location.
Bob Frye can be reached at bfrye@tribweb.com or (724) 838-5148.
TRIBUNE-REVIEW OUTDOORS EDITOR