Wild turkey population grows beyond South Mountain

Wild turkey have come down off South Mountain.

Turkey populations in Wildlife Management Unit 5A have been expanding, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

The three-day fall turkey season in WMU 5A begins Thursday.

“From 2014-2016, on average, two-thirds of the fall harvest occurred on South Mountain, which means one-third occurred across the remainder of the WMU,” Game Commission Turkey Biologist Mary Jo Casalena said. “We encourage hunting in those less traditional areas off of South Mountain as populations are now well dispersed across WMU 5A. In fact, last year (2017) for the first time over half of the fall harvest (56 percent) occurred off South Mountain.”

Since 1998 staff from the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Michaux State Forest and many volunteers have monitored annual turkey populations in WMU 5A. The National Wild Turkey Federation has supported the intense effort.

WMU 5A is comprised of portions of Adams, Cumberland, Franklin and York counties. While the Michaux State Forest remains the largest continuous expanse of key turkey habitat, turkey populations thrive throughout many valleys to the east and west, providing ample opportunities for hunters, according to Robert “Bert” Einodshofer, information and education supervisor for the Game Commission in southcentral Pennsylvania.

Fall turkey season in WMU 5A runs through Saturday, in a season similar to the season for the past four years.

The WMU 5A Wild Turkey Task Force will continue to monitor turkey populations and to help the Bureau of Forestry improve turkey habitat in the Michaux State Forest and State Game Lands, Einodshofer said.   

If you would like more information about working with the WMU 5A Wild Turkey Task Force, contact the Game Commission’s Southcentral Region at 814-643-1831.

 For more information about seasons and bag limits visit www.pgc.pa.gov.