Fall turkey season in two local wildlife management units, which cover northern and western portions of Venango County, would be shortened if the listing is given final approval at the board’s next meeting in early April.
According to the tentative schedule, the fall turkey season in WMU 1A would be reduced by one week, plus a three-day Thanksgiving season. For WMU 1B, the season would remain at one week, but the Thanksgiving season would be eliminated.
“We adjust the season based on the Wild Turkey Management Plan,” Pennsylvania Game Commission press secretary Travis Lau said Wednesday. “It calls for a fall season reduction when the number of birds harvested and the Summer Sighting Index declines.”
Data for the index is compiled from field officers during the summer months based largely on the number of turkeys the officers are seeing.
“It’s a good indication of where the population stands,” Lau said.
Seeing a decline for a single year does not necessarily translate to a reduction in the length of a season, but, if a trend develops, action is taken.
“We have been consistent in following that plan,” Lau said.
A unique characteristic of the fall season is that it is the only one where birds without beards can be harvested. However, harvesting too many can have negative effects.
“If you take too many hens, you’ll drive down the population,” Lau said. “Turkey populations are sensitive. Spring gobblers are considered excess for the year, where the fall birds are when you are dealing with hens and juveniles being taken primarily.”
With over 200,000 hunters each year, Lau says the fall season is the one of the most popular draws across the Commonwealth and the Game Commission tries to take steps to keep it sustainable.
“We are always trying to be conservative with our fall turkey season,” he said. “We want to try to keep that opportunity available.”
Bear season
Another noteworthy modification in the tentative schedule is the addition of a four-day extension of black bear season in WMU 1B.
The season would run concurrent Wednesday through Saturday for the first week of firearms deer season, which would be from Nov. 30 to Dec. 3.
The extension was recommended to prevent further expansion of bears into the western portions of the management unit, where the potential for bear-to-human conflict is high.
“Bear-to-human conflict is usually anything from knocking over your bird feeder to getting into your trash,” Lau said. “There are tolerable levels and intolerable levels.”
Lau indicated extending bear seasons traditionally has been done in similar areas where the population is growing and the number of nuisance complaints increases.
Members of the general public are now able to comment on the proposed 2016-2017 seasons and bag limits, as well as other board actions, between now and the next meeting.