Pennsylvania State Chapter - National Wild Turkey Federation
Spring Turkey Hunting License
By Don Heckman
The Pennsylvania State Chapter - National Wild Turkey Federation is moving forward with a plan to seek Legislative approval for a spring turkey hunting license.
The benefits of a turkey hunting license will have a positive effect on the ability of professional wildlife managers to manage the wild turkey resource well into the next millennium. The wild turkey has the ability to adapt to its environment and to thrive through the good and the bad times. Continued development and improvement of management tools will help the wild turkey continue to cope with its ever changing environment in Pennsylvania.
Generally, these benefits will be realized in wild turkey management, turkey hunting safety, and wild turkey information and education.
Wild Turkey Management
Wild turkey populations and turkey hunter success are currently at all time highs in Pennsylvania. Through the wildlife management efforts of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the wild turkey success story can be used as a shining example of wildlife and people living together in the same environment.
The previous twenty-five year snapshot of this wildlife management success story can be told in these terms:
While wildlife professionals know a great deal about wild turkeys, there is a vast array of technical and social data to be learned in Pennsylvania. Learning this information will improve management of the wild turkey resource in Pennsylvania and will better the position of wildlife managers to address future issues and resolve minor problems before they become major social and wildlife management problems.
Benefits to Wild Turkey Management from a Turkey Hunting License:
Turkey hunting license will provide additional funds enabling wildlife managers to:
Turkey hunting license will provide a mechanism to identity turkey hunters in Pennsylvania. This will benefit PGC wildlife managers, and subsequently the wild turkey resource and those that enjoy it, by:
Turkey Hunting Safety
Turkey hunting is a safe and enjoyable sport. But, turkey hunting safety can be, and needs to be, improved. Making turkey hunting a safer sport should be of primary concern to every licensed hunter. Lives are shattered, both victim and offender, every time a turkey hunter is shot be another hunter, and our sport suffers as well. Such incidents can and should be prevented by hunters using common sense, safe gun practices, and ethical hunting behavior.
Benefits to Wild Turkey Hunting Safety from a Turkey Hunting License:
Information and Education
Wild turkey information is documented by the Pennsylvania Game Commission and distributed through the "Pennsylvania Game News", "Hunting and Trapping Digest", PGC home page, wildlife notes, field notes, brochures and flyers. Turkey hunters can get volumes of information and educational material through hunting videos, hunting magazines, and through the actual hunting experience. Our non hunting public is just as important to the future of our sport as turkey hunters are. Together, the license buyer and the non license buyer will play a very important role in developing and supporting our hunting heritage in the future years.
Benefits to Wild Turkey Information and Education from a Turkey Hunting License:
Turkey hunting license will provide additional funds enabling PGC wildlife managers and educators to inform and educate the non hunting public of the need for wildlife management and conservation efforts. By providing new and improved continued education to the non hunting public on why and how professional wildlife managers and sportsmen work together to improve all wildlife, we will be generating a support network for current and future generations of sportsmen and wildlife managers.
Send mail to panwtf@go2pa.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2000 Pennsylvania Chapter- National Wild Turkey Federation
Last modified: November 20, 2003