The Pennsylvania State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation is reviewing the options and recommendations for a turkey hunting license for spring gobbler season and fall turkey hunting season. For three years, since the hunting license increase issue was presented to the House Game and Fisheries Committee, the Pennsylvania State Chapter has been an advocate for a turkey hunting license.

An overall spring and fall turkey hunting license was our first choice. The spring turkey hunting license was our second choice.

The initial hunting license increase bill did not have a turkey hunting license included in
the bill, because the Pennsylvania State Chapter was forced into supporting the bill, as we were told there was no support in the Legislature, Conservation Organizations, and from turkey hunters for a turkey hunting license.

When the initial hunting license increase bill died in committee, the Pennsylvania State Chapter was asked to support the current bill, H.B. 1200, when it was proposed to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the Pennsylvania Sportsmen’s Coalition, and Pennsylvania sportsmen and license buyers.

H.B. 1200 does not have a turkey hunting license incorporated of any kind in the current bill. As of April 1998, the bill is in the House Appropriations Committee, waiting for the lame duck session in November 1998, before it will be released for a vote in this committee and then, if passed, will be moved to the House floor for a vote. If passed in the House, then the bill goes to the Senate for consideration and vote. Only after an approval vote in the Senate, will the hunting license increase bill go to Governor Ridge’s desk for signature.

The Pennsylvania State Chapter is a member of the Pennsylvania Sportsmen’s Coalition.
As a member of the Coalition, the Pennsylvania State Chapter has the opportunity to educate other conservation organizations about the benefits of a turkey license.

We are now in the process of educating and informing Coalition members, Legislators, PGC Commissioners and PGC Staff, NWTF members, and turkey hunters about the objectives, benefits, and the value of having a turkey hunting license as part of the current Legislative bill to increase hunting licenses in Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission introduced the 2 bird spring gobbler tag proposal at the recent January 1998 Board of Commissioners meeting. At the April 1998 Board of Commissioners meeting, the Commissioners will take a vote on that proposal.

The idea of a second bird tag and the increased hunting opportunities for turkey hunters was appealing, but the Pennsylvania State Chapter Board of Directors voted against supporting the proposal, "as written". Several options were considered beyond the initial proposal from the PGC, and these, also, were voted against. The Pennsylvania State Chapter wants to support a general spring gobbler hunting license or a spring and fall turkey hunting license.

The turkey hunting license is a topic the Pennsylvania State Chapter has been discussing with the PGC since 1985. It is a topic the PGC Bureau of Wildlife Management now recommends for consideration. A topic that the Pennsylvania State Chapter NWTF is on record as being in favor of in our meetings with the PGC, the Pennsylvania Sportsmen’s Coalition, and in the news releases we have written and articles that have been published our in "Turkey Talk" newsletter and the NWTF "Turkey Call" magazine.

The Pennsylvania State Chapter is asking the PGC Board of Commissioners to table the current two-bird proposal at the April 1998 meeting, at this time, due to a lack of support for the proposal state-wide by turkey hunters.

The Pennsylvania State Chapter has listed six options we are taking into consideration and have presented to our membership in our current newsletter, "Turkey Talk", April/May 1998 issue. We have not taken any "official position" as to what we would support. We do feel the turkey hunting license is the best and only objective. This option needs to be approved and passed by both the House and Senate in a legislative bill, and then signed into law by the Governor of the Commonwealth. This option must be supported by the PGC, state-wide conservation organizations, and turkey hunters.

The Pennsylvania State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation is a "resource first" conservation organization. The almost 14,000 volunteer members in Pennsylvania work hard toward wise management of Pennsylvania’s wild turkey resource, stewardship of the land, forest and waters, and are number one in habitat improvement projects and conservation projects in Pennsylvania. We want to see the wild turkey resource flourishing in Pennsylvania as greatly "tomorrow" as it is today.

Through the NWTF mission statement, "The Conservation of the Wild Turkey.. and the Preservation of the Turkey Hunting Tradition.., The Pennsylvania State Chapter has a clear directive toward achieving our vision of the future.

or

These are the options the Pennsylvania State Chapter NWTF is reviewing and seeking feedback from our members. We have asked the Pennsylvania Sportsmen’s Coalition Conservation Organizations to consider these options and give us feedback.

The Pennsylvania State Chapter has met with the PGC Staff and the House Game and Fisheries Committee on this topic. We have ask for there feedback and input into the hunting license increase options. The options presented below represent the current, March/April 1998, information and data available to the State Chapter. This information is being presented as educational and informational material leading towards the objective of achieving a turkey hunting license through the legislative process.

Option 1 Support the PGC 2 bird spring gobbler proposal as written and presented at

January 1998 Pennsylvania Game Commission meeting.

Option 2 Do not support the PGC 2 bird spring gobbler proposal as written and

presented at the January 1998 Pennsylvania Game Commission meeting.

Option 3 Do not support any proposal for a 2 Bird Spring Gobbler season.

Option 4 Support the 2 Bird Spring Gobbler Season with the following

recommendations:

1. 2^nd spring gobbler tag for $10.00. Tag to be purchase at time of purchasing hunting license. [This must be approved by Legislation.]

1. Split bag season: 1 spring gobbler during the first two weeks of the season

(first three Saturday’s inclusive, in this years hunting season)

1 spring gobbler during the last two weeks of the season

(last two Saturday’s inclusive, in this years hunting season)

If the spring gobbler hunter does not harvest his first

spring gobbler during the first two weeks of the season,

he/she can only take one spring gobbler during the last

two weeks of the spring gobbler season, even though they

1. If these recommendations are not agreed upon and established, by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the Pennsylvania General Assembly, and the Governor of Pennsylvania, for the1998-1999 or the 1999-2000 hunting license year, the Pennsylvania State Chapter will go on record as not supporting the 2 Bird Spring Gobbler Season at this time.

These recommendations to the 2 bird spring gobbler season are supported by the following information:

1. Support Wildlife Management Bureau’s decision to adjust spring gobbler seasons and bag limits based upon spring gobbler harvest data.

2. Support no changes in the starting and ending dates for the spring gobbler season. If a hunter does not have a 2^nd bird tag, he/she still can hunt the entire spring season, on their original hunting license, to take a spring gobbler. The 2^nd bird tag will be valid only during the last two weeks of the spring gobbler season.

3. The Pennsylvania State Chapter believes the 2^nd bird spring gobbler tag and split bag season will provide additional recreation time for the spring turkey hunter. The $10.00 tag will provide names and addresses to the Pennsylvania Game Commission so the Pennsylvania State Chapter can work with the PGC to publish and distribute hunter safety information, wild turkey resource information, and additional hunter education material.

4. Support the approval of the PGC Wild Turkey Management Plan to begin managing the wild turkey resource in Pennsylvania. Funds generated from the 2 bird tag can be put into the Game Fund to provide money to get the wild turkey management plan off to a good start.

5. Support the split bag season to allow the hunting pressure to be spread over the entire spring season allowing, for the 2^nd bird tag to be used during the last two weeks, keeping the hunting pressure off the first two weeks.

6. Support working with the PGC Commissioners and Staff to initiate the 2 bird spring season, with the paid 2^nd bird tag, during the 1999-2000 hunting license year.

7. Support purchasing the 2^nd bird tag when you buy your hunting license to keep in line with existing hunting license and tag issuing procedures.

Option 5 Spring turkey hunting license for $5.00 minimum or $10.00 maximum.

1. This recommendation is being made to include all spring turkey

hunting license buyers.

1. The $5.00 or $10.00 spring turkey hunting license will provide

names and addresses to the Pennsylvania Game Commission so the

Pennsylvania State Chapter can work with the PGC to publish and

distribute hunter safety information, wild turkey resource information,

and additional hunter education material.

1. Support the approval of the PGC Wild Turkey Management Plan to

begin managing the wild turkey resource in Pennsylvania. Funds

generated from the spring turkey hunting license will be put into the

Game Fund to be used by the PGC as budgeted. The wild turkey

management plan can be funded all or in part from the Game Fund.

1. This recommendation will provide the PGC with a list of names and

addresses of spring turkey hunter’s that can be used to establish a

database of turkey hunters that will be invaluable in data collection of

information about the wild turkey, turkey hunting, and turkey hunters.

The PGC can distribute questionnaire’s to obtain information they can

only guess or estimate at this time.

1. Option 5 uses current season bag limits of one spring gobbler and

one fall turkey.

1. Support PGC Wildlife Management Bureau’s decision to adjust spring gobbler seasons and bag limits based upon spring gobbler harvest data, and the fall turkey hunting seasons and bag limits based on summer brood count survey, TMA hunting seasons, and fall turkey harvest data.

Option 6 Turkey hunting license for $10.00, to include spring turkey hunting and

fall turkey hunting seasons.

1. This recommendation is the most important option being offered by the

Pennsylvania State Chapter.

1. The $10.00 turkey hunting license, to include spring and fall hunting

seasons, will provide a complete list of turkey hunter names and

addresses to the Pennsylvania Game Commission so the Pennsylvania

State Chapter can work with the PGC to publish and distribute turkey

hunter safety information, wild turkey resource information, and

additional turkey hunter education material.

1. Support the approval of the PGC Wild Turkey Management Plan to

begin managing the wild turkey resource in Pennsylvania. Funds

generated from the spring turkey hunting license will be put into the

Game Fund to be used by the PGC as budgeted. The wild turkey

management plan can be funded all or in part from the Game Fund.

1. This recommendation will provide the PGC with a list of names and

addresses of all turkey hunters, both spring turkey hunter’s and fall

turkey hunters, that can be used to establish a complete database of

turkey hunters that will be invaluable in data collection of information

about the wild turkey, turkey hunting, and turkey hunters. The PGC

can distribute questionnaire’s to obtain information they can only guess

or estimate at this time.

1. Option 6 uses current season bag limits of one spring gobbler and

one fall turkey.

1. Support PGC Wildlife Management Bureau’s decision to adjust spring gobbler seasons and bag limits based upon spring gobbler harvest data, and the fall turkey hunting seasons and bag limits based on summer brood count survey, TMA hunting seasons, and fall turkey harvest data.

Copyright © 2000 Pennsylvania Chapter- National Wild Turkey Federation
Last modified: October 30, 2003