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While anglers hit the water for the April 15 opening day of trout season, hunters will soon be hitting the woods for another season opener.
On April 22, mentored youth and junior hunters will have their own opening day for spring gobbler season. The one-day hunt is open to youths ages 11 and under who possess a Mentored Youth Hunting Permit and are accompanied by a licensed mentor who is 21 or older.
Since the mentored youth program was established in 2006, participation in the spring gobbler season has been strong. In 2016, 8,404 mentored youth hunters pursued gobblers, accounting for a harvest of 1,445. From 2013 to 2016, an average of 9,958 mentored youth hunters have participated in the spring season, for an average harvest of 1,507.
The best year for participation came in 2009, when 17,660 mentored youth hunted in the spring gobbler season, which led to the highest harvest with 3,671.
Locally, in Wildlife Management Units 3B, 3C, 3D, 4C and 4E, which comprise the Northeast Region, 2,061 mentored youth hunters harvested 351 gobblers in the spring.
Mary Jo Casalena, the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s wild turkey biologist, said gobbler numbers could be up this spring thanks to a light fall harvest and mild winter.
“Fall mast last year was spotty and turkeys responded by moving to those food sources, which in some cases meant they moved away from areas frequented by hunters,” Casalena said. “The fall turkey harvest dropped as a consequence. And while that might have been bad news for fall turkey hunters, it’s likely good news for spring turkey hunters because unfilled fall turkey tags typically lead to increased availability in the spring.
While mentored youth and junior hunters have their own day on April 22 to hunt spring gobblers, they can also participate in the regular season, which opens on April 29.
Harvest photo contest
A beautiful gobbler might not be the only prize a successful turkey hunter brings home this spring.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission is sponsoring its inaugural Turkey Harvest Photo Contest, and hunters submitting the photos of themselves with their 2017 Pennsylvania gobblers are eligible to win one of two personalized, engraved box calls.
Entries will be narrowed to a field of finalists in each the adult hunter and youth hunter category, with one winner in each category then selected by voters on the Game Commission’s Facebook page.
But you have to enter to win. Hunters should be sure to submit photos of their 2017 Pennsylvania harvests by email to [email protected]. Submissions should include the first and last name of anyone in the photo, the hunter’s hometown and the county the turkey was harvested.
The contest will run from youth season April 22 through June 5, with the winners selected shortly thereafter.
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