The Daily Item, Sunbury, PA – Back to the field

Sportsmen prepare for the fall seasons

By Connie Mertz

For The Daily Item

The fall hunting seasons are fast approaching. While there is a great deal of interest in small game hunting, there is even more hype when it comes to pursuing wild turkey, bear, deer and elk.

The seemingly oddball of the four appears to be the wild turkey. It certainly is the smallest of the four, but it ranks up there in popularity.

“Turkey hunting is among the most challenging and rewarding type of outdoor recreation available to the hunting public,” claims Calvin DuBrock, Wildlife Management Director of the Pennsylvania Game Commission. “Populations are increasing due to careful science-based management.”

The spring estimated wild turkey population was about 335,000. Last fall, there were 162,300 turkey hunters but only 25,300 of them harvested a turkey. Even though hunters can harvest either a bearded turkey or a hen, the number of fall turkey hunters afield have been decreasing since the mid 1990s, according to DuBrock.

“The trend of lower harvests is due to a combination of shorter seasons in almost half of the WMUs (Wildlife Management Units) since 2004, average to below average spring reproduction, fewer fall turkey hunters and abundant fall mast crops, which tend to disperse turkey flocks making them more difficult for Full Story

The Daily Item, Sunbury, PA – Back to the field.