THE EXCEPTION
Wildlife Management Unit 5A in Adams, Franklin, Cumberland and York counties is the only place in the state where the turkey population has not been doing well regardless of intensive efforts by both the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania Chapter National Wild Turkey Federation. Spring harvest density is less than half the state average. The turkey population has declined since the early 1980s, prompting a reduction of the fall season to a week in 1995, which reversed that trend. Yet, the population has not recovered.

Radio telemetry studies from 1999 through 2001 monitored the causes of mortality, reproduction and habitat use.

Survival of adult and sub-adult hens was found to be far below normal. Predation was the greatest cause of mortality, 48 percent, which is normal. The fall harvest accounted for 15 percent, poaching for 5 percent, rodenticide poisoning in orchards for 5 percent, and 1 percent from other natural causes. Fall harvests of more than 10 percent can lead to population declines, more so in depressed populations.

Even so the cause(s) of population problems in this area are not so simply defined.

Nesting rates are slightly low, but nesting success is within the normal range. However, poult survival is subnormal, 12 percent in 2000 and 23 percent in 2001 compared to a normal range of 24 percent to 60 percent. This is partially attributed to insufficient brood habitat, which would allow poults to elude predators.

A large part of the problem in WMU 5A is the habitat makeup. It is about 40 percent forested. Most of that is in the South Mountain area on Micheaux State Forest. This is the most visited state forest in Pennsylvania. Elsewhere, the spread of turkeys is hindered by habitat fragmentation.

In the face of these problems, the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania Chapter National Wild Turkey Federation continue to study the situation, to improve the habitat, and to conservatively regulate hunting. Short-term fixes are not expected. Even here, though, hunters in many other states would be envious of the public land opportunities.

HUNTING OPPORTUNITIES
No Pennsylvania hunter has to travel far to find good spring gobbler hunting. It is available on nearly all of our public lands.

The Northwest Region includes the two top turkey-hunting areas in the state wildlife management units 1A and 1B, which are the agricultural lands of the western counties. Public lands in these wildlife management units are small, so hunting pressure tends to be heavier than hunters in western Pennsylvania prefer. The best hunting is on private farms.

"The whole western part of Pennsylvania is good for high harvest numbers," according to Casalena.

Though harvest rates are slightly lower to the east, try Allegheny National Forest, where there is great public access. Mast crops were spotty in the northern parts of our only national forest, better to the south.

Look for good hunting this spring in Forest County. Remember that the better brooding areas include forest openings, so concentrate your hunting efforts around them.

For maps and information about camping, write Allegheny National Forest, P.O. Box 847, Warren, PA 16365; or call (814) 723-5150.

Northcentral Region hunters are blessed with the greatest concentration of public lands in the state. This includes several contiguous state forests and state game lands. The terrain is rugged and there are large sections between roads. This provides plenty of places for more ambitious gobbler hunters to get away from other hunters. One of the more popular tactics is walking along the high ridges, stopping frequently to call.