PA Chapter NWTF supports wild turkey management

March 9, 2005

by Don Heckman, Executive Officer
 

PA Chapter NWTF position statements supporting wild turkey management, turkey hunting and calling, and turkey hunter safety and ethics. These support statements have been presented to our members through various Turkey Talk, news releases, and articles over the last several years.   
 
As part of the wild turkey management plan, the Pennsylvania Chapter NWTF supports:
 
1)  PGC "Management Plan For Wild Turkeys In Pennsylvania";
2)  funding the PGC "Management Plan For Wild Turkeys In Pennsylvania";
3)  2nd bird spring tag with a license/tag for a fee;
4)  turkey hunting license/stamp for a fee.
 
The Pennsylvania Chapter NWTF Board of Director' is adding these support statements to our wild turkey management overview.
 
1)  wild turkey management regulations and decision making based on facts, in the field, in the ground/on the ground data as defined and outlined in the PGC Management Plan For Wild Turkeys In Pennsylvania.  We support wildlife management regulations and decision making based on scientific wildlife management principles as determined by PGC wildlife biologists and land managers.

2)  purchasing the additional 2nd spring gobbler tag prior to the start of the season. We recommend the special additional tag be issued for the last two weeks of the spring gobbler season for the first three years of the regulation.  We support mandatory 2nd bird tag harvest reporting with appropriate data.
 

3)  delaying any additional hunting opportunities for all day spring gobbler hunting, or until data is available to support all day hunting.

4)  continued monitoring of relevant data provided by PGC Wild Turkey Biologist's to review fall season lengths across WMU's. We support reducing season lengths or closing certain WMU's where the data validates wild turkey populations are declining.
 

5)  22 WMU's and their current boundaries for state-wide wild turkey management as outlined in the PGC Management Plan For Wild Turkeys In Pennsylvania, objectives and strategies.

6)  PGC yearly funding of the Management Plan For Wild Turkeys In Pennsylvania. We continue to support wild turkey research to collect better data on the wild turkey resource and their habitat, and turkey hunters.

7)  PGC Management Plan For Wild Turkeys In Pennsylvania recommendations for setting the current dates for the spring gobbler season.

8)  further research on Fall turkey hunting seasons where in 2003 and 2004 turkey hunting incidents have dramatically decreased. What have turkey hunters done right these last 2 fall turkey hunting seasons to impact or help decrease turkey hunting incidents?

9)  Archery In The Schools program and have contributed 2 packages to further this important school activity. We support the work being done to research and recommend the youth mentored hunting program.  

10)  based on the recent recommendations from the NWTF Turkey Hunter Task Force held in January we support reducing spring and fall turkey hunter orange requirements. 

11)  consideration to include a turkey hunting license in the PGC hunting license increase package if recommended by PGC and Legislators. We support funding the yearly budget of the PGC Management Plan For Wild Turkeys In Pennsylvania with revenues generated from a turkey hunting license, with excess revenue dollars being used in the PGC General Fund.

12)  the Legislative Resolution to research and study Sunday Hunting.