WILD TURKEY FIELD REPORTS
Pennsylvania Game Commission turkey biologist Mary Jo Casalena has prepared field reports for Wildlife Management Units (WMU) statewide to share agency filed observations on wild turkey hunting prospects and population trends. If you need assistance locating these WMUs, please consult pages 42-45 in the 2006-2007 Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest.
WMU 1A - Very Good. Turkeys are on the rise again. Many three-year-olds in the population and summer turkey sightings in 2006 were slightly higher than last year. There are more jakes in the population than last year, but fewer two-year-olds. Spring harvest density is above the state average.
WMU 1B - Excellent, compared to other areas of the state, but compared to itself, about similar to last year (2006), which was above average, but not as good as 2000-2002.
WMU 2A - Fair to poor compared to this WMU's spring harvests and population of 2000 and 2001. Summer recruitment is still above the statewide average, just below average for this WMU. However, spring harvest density has been below the state average for the last two years. There are fewer two-year-olds in the 2007 population than last year, but there is an abundant supply of older gobblers.
WMU 2B - Variable. It's hard to predict because of the lack of public land. For hunters who secure access to hunting areas, prospects are excellent for calling in an older gobbler, but there are few two-year-olds in the population.
WMU 2C - Good for hunting jakes. Turkeys are on the rise again in this WMU, partially as a result of the shorter, two-week fall season that has been in place since 2004. Spring harvests and summer turkey sightings are still below the state average, but compared to itself, they are nearing average.
WMU 2D - Harvest densities are still above the state average, but will remain below average for this WMU. Summer turkey sightings were below average and similar to last year. I expect the harvest to be similar to last year, which was average for this WMU.
WMU 2E - Very good for hunting jakes, below average for hunting two-year-olds, and slightly below average for older gobblers. Summer turkey sightings were more than twice as high as the previous three-year average, and even above the long-term average, partially because of the shorter, two-week fall season that has been in place since 2004. Spring harvest densities are still below the statewide average.
WMU 2F - Fair. Harvest density and summer turkey sighting indices continue to be below average for this WMU and compared to the state average. However, hunters continue to enjoy hunting this WMU.
WMU 2G - Fair. The summer turkey sighting index is beginning to show an increasing trend, but is still below average for this WMU and below the state average. The spring harvest last year was similar to 2004, which was also below the long-term trend for this WMU and the state. Prospects look ok for harvesting jakes and two-year-olds, but only fair for harvesting older gobblers.
WMU 3A & 3C - Excellent for jakes and two-year-olds, and average to slightly above average for older gobblers. Summer turkey sightings during the last two years were as good as the heyday years of 2001 and 2002. Prospects look very promising.
WMU 3B - Average. This WMU typically maintains a relatively steady harvest density and summer turkey sightings. Harvests are similar to the state average, but summer sightings typically are below the state average.
WMU 3D - Above average for jakes and two-year-olds, but below average for older gobblers. However, this WMU typically maintains harvests above the state average.
WMU 4A - Very good to excellent for two- and three-year-olds and slightly above average for jakes. However, harvest densities here remain below the state average. Harvests have been increasing as a result of the record recruitment in 2004 and 2005. However, recruitment in 2006 decreased and was just slightly above the long-term average. The two-week fall season that has been in place since 2004 may be helping this population to rebound.
WMU 4B - This WMU has been showing tremendous fluctuations in recruitment and spring harvest densities. The spring 2006 harvest density was a record, probably a result of the record recruitment of 2004, which provided an excellent source of two-year-old gobblers. Recruitment in 2005 was nearly a record low, and in 2006 was average. The spring 2007 harvest should be average for jakes, well below average for two-year-olds, and above average for three-year-olds.
WMU 4C - This WMU continues to maintain one of the highest spring harvest densities in the state, even though the summer turkey sighting index trend remains below the state average. Indications from the stable summer sighting index trend and slightly rising spring harvest density trend suggest that hunting prospects again will be excellent.
WMU 4D - Although the summer turkey sighting index and harvest density remain well below the state average, the 2006 harvest density was a record high for this WMU, just slightly above the previous record set in 2001. Hunting prospects for spring 2007 should be similar to 2006, because recruitment has been similar for the past several years, as indicated by the summer sighting index. The two-week fall season that has been in place since 2004 may be helping to stabilize this population.
WMU 4E - Excellent for jakes and two-year-olds, and average for older gobblers. This WMU had record recruitment for the past two years and a record spring harvest density in 2006, compared to other years. Both indices show an increasing population trend for this WMU.
WMU 5A - Overall, I expect a slightly above average harvest for this WMU, because of the slightly above average number of two-year-old gobblers. The harvest should be below average harvest for jakes and older gobblers. Harvests and summer turkey sightings continue to be some of the lowest in the state, and therefore the fall season will remain closed in this WMU.
WMU 5B - The data set for this WMU is minimal, but, overall, I expect an average harvest.   Harvests and summer turkey sightings are one of the lowest in the state.
WMU 5C - I expect an average harvest as indicated from an average summer turkey sighting index and average 2006 spring harvest density for this WMU. Harvest density is below the state average.
WMU 5D - Data set is too small.