Spring Turkey Hunting License Information

by Don Heckman, PA Chapter Oversight Chairman Wild Turkey Management Plan

and Bob Eriksen, NWTF Regional Wild Turkey  Biologist

April 1, 2004

The Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Chapter - National Wild Turkey Federation has given its support to a Legislative initiative creating a spring turkey hunting license. This initiative begins in September 2003 with the introduction of a bill creating a turkey hunting license. Establishing a turkey hunting license will enable the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) to more effectively and accurately manage the wild turkey resource using scientifically-based management decisions.

Turkey hunting in Pennsylvania probably has never been better than it is today. Trap and transfer operations, maturing forests, agriculture and conservative hunting seasons have combined to produce stable or growing turkey flocks in much of the state. In view of all this good news about wild turkeys in the Commonwealth, you might think; “Why do we need a turkey hunting license?” Indeed, things have gone well for wild turkeys and turkey hunters in Pennsylvania in the past forty years. What about the next twenty years? There are issues affecting wild turkey management and turkey hunting that the Game Commission must address in the near future. The strategies for addressing these issues are outlined in the PGC Wild Turkey Management Plan. A turkey hunting license would provide both the information and the finances to begin work on more of the strategies of the management plan.

For instance, we turkey hunters know that our sport is safer than many other sports but turkey hunting still has the unfortunate distinction of having the poorest safety record of all types of hunting. Previous attempts to resolve this issue have met with some success, but more needs to be done. Requiring a turkey hunting license would provide the PGC with a mailing list for the distribution of turkey hunting safety education materials directly to turkey hunters. The Game Commission currently does not have the capability to specifically contact turkey hunters. The mailing list also has the potential to help determine ways to improve the collection of harvest information. Funds generated by the license would help pay for the materials and mailing costs.

Another example of the potential benefits of this license is the need for more data to effectively manage turkey populations and design hunting seasons. PGC is planning to increase their investment in wild turkey research. The reason for this increase in expenditures on wild turkey research is to provide, for the first time, reliable population and harvest estimates for wild turkeys in the Commonwealth. Of the four species of wildlife whose populations are regulated by hunting (deer, black bear, Canada geese and wild turkeys), basic harvest management information is missing only for wild turkeys.

PGC turkey managers need good data to make scientifically defendable harvest management decisions. The wild turkey resource is too valuable to manage by trial and error. The PGC Wild Turkey Management Plan calls for statewide banding and telemetry studies designed to generate this essential information. Such studies are expensive, but are vital to the future of sound management of the wild turkey resource. A turkey hunting license would help provide the financial basis for conducting this much-needed research. In the future, hunters could benefit from larger turkey populations, better management and increased hunting opportunity.

The PGC Management Plan for Wild Turkeys in Pennsylvania outlines objectives and strategies for enhancing wild turkey populations in all suitable habitat in the Commonwealth. Wild turkeys have remarkable but limited ability to adapt and survive through difficult times. Continued development and improvement of management tools are necessary to assure that the wild turkey will continue to cope with its ever-changing environment in Pennsylvania. The PGC has limited resources insufficient to implement all the strategies in the Wild Turkey Management Plan. Benefits from a turkey hunting license will be realized in the areas of wild turkey population management, habitat improvement, land acquisition, hunting safety, turkey hunter information, law enforcement, and wild turkey information and education.

Wild Turkey Management

The history of the wild turkey in Pennsylvania is an outstanding success story. Since the 1930’s turkey populations have rebounded and expanded to every county in the state from just the few small flocks that remained in the south-central counties. By the early 1960’s, with an active law enforcement presence and aggressive management techniques, the birds had made their way into many new areas. Continued progress was made in the last five decades.

• Wildlife managers implemented a wild turkey management strategy in the 1960’s and 1970’s
• Spring gobbler season was added in 1968 as wild turkey populations increase state-wide
• Seasons and bag limits were changed and broadened for spring and fall hunting as wild turkey populations continued to improved
• The Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation began to take an active role in supporting and encouraging the efforts of the PGC
• Wild turkey trap and transfer operations were accelerated in the early 1980’s, and with recent efforts to reestablish populations into suitable habitats in southeastern PA
• Wild turkey management areas (TMA’s) were developed to manage the wild turkey resource on an ecological basis, rather than by county, allowing the birds to continue to expand their range
• Habitat was acquired and habitat improvements were made through the State Game Lands system, and other state and federal land open to public hunting
• The Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation and its Local Chapters take an active role in habitat improvement, land acquisition, turkey hunter safety education, and informational material for turkey hunters
• In April 1999 a formal Wild Turkey Management Plan was approved and enacted by the PGC with the support of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation

There is much to be learned about wild turkeys and turkey hunters. With the ever-changing environment of the Commonwealth, which impacts all wildlife, additional data must be gathered and compiled and used for scientific management decisions. Improved data on the wild turkey resource will allow wildlife managers to address future issues and resolve problems before there are major impacts on the resource.

Funds generated by the proposed turkey hunting license will be utilized by wildlife biologists, land managers, wildlife conservation officers, and education specialists to benefit the conservation of wild turkeys throughout Pennsylvania. These funds will assist with the Game Commission’s duty to manage wild turkey populations and harvests in a manner to ensure sustainable wild turkey populations for the future.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission will utilize the revenues generated by this proposal to continue and expand programs designed to guarantee a secure future for wild turkeys and all wildlife in Pennsylvania. The projects and activities listed below will benefit the wild turkey resource and the citizens of Pennsylvania who care for the future of this magnificent game bird.

Potential Benefits to the Wild Turkey Resource and Turkey Hunters and Other Wild Turkey Enthusiasts:

• Continued research in all TMA’s to determine optimum turkey population densities, and develop an estimate of the statewide population
• Fund research to decide how best to increase populations in turkey management areas where numbers are low
• Maintain or exceed 1995 spring and fall statewide turkey hunter success
• Optimize life requirements in and minimize loss of suitable wild turkey habitat
• Collect data on sex and age composition of the population, harvest and mortality rates by sex and age class, recruitment rates, and factors affecting turkey survival within each TMA
• Enhance turkey habitat through the use of accepted timber management practices, protecting and improving important habitat features, and improving sub-optimal habitat
• Collect accurate data on hunter numbers and wild turkey harvests by TMA
• Improve the general publics’ knowledge and appreciation of the wild turkey and its management hunter satisfaction, hunter habits, hunter demographics, hunter expenditures, number of recreation days realized, spring or fall hunting preferences, and how best to manage the wild turkey resource
• Increase ability to contact turkey hunters, to provide hunter safety materials
• Enable managers to solicit input from the turkey hunter on management information and practices, education issues and regulation proposals, allowing for more stakeholder participation
• Augment law enforcement efforts to improve hunter compliance with laws and regulations regarding the wild turkey resource
• Continued trap and transfer efforts to achieve suitable range expansion in other states and within the Commonwealth
• Enhanced ability to identify and address hunter behaviors, possibly leading to reduced turkey hunting incidents, and improve hunter safety
• Strengthen existing programs and develop new programs explaining scientifically-based wildlife management to license buyers, conservation organizations, public officials and the general public