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From the President by Dave Burdge ..........................................................................3
Two Birds in the Spring? by Bob Eriksen...............................................................4
NWTF National Convention rewarding for PA Chapters ......5
PA Chapter Rendezvous and Awards Banquet .................................6
Wheelin’ Sportsmen Deer Hunt at Raystown Lake .................................7
A Commitment to Safety by Bob Eriksen ................................................................8
Chapter News and Events........................................................................................9
30 Years of Wild Turkey Management by Bob Eriksen & Mary Jo Casalena10
PA NWTF Supports Wild Turkey Management by Don Heckman .......11
Each One Reach One Membership Drive .............................................12
WITO Events for 2005 ...............................................................................................14
PA Chapter Builds 30th Anniversay Commemorative Gun 16
Where do those Super Fund dollars go? ............................................19
Ph
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PO Box 351Altoona, PA 16603
EditorWalt Young
Production and LayoutLance Carowick
814-946-7419 [email protected]
E-Mail PA NWTF at:[email protected]
Copyright 2004THE PENNSYLVANIA CHAPTER OF THE NATIONAL
WILD TURKEY FEDERATION
Pennsylvania Turkey Talk is published quarterly by the Pennsylvania Chapterof the National Wild Turkey Federation.
Information in this publication is provided “as is” and without warranties of anykind, whether express or implied. The Pennsylvania Chapter of the NWTF makesno guarantees as to accuracy, currency, quality or fitness of any information pre-sented in this publication. The Pennsylvania Chapter of the NWTF assumes nolegal liability or responsibility for any incorrect, misleading, outdated or missinginformation.
The views and opinions expressed in Turkey Talk are those of the writers, whoare responsible for the accuracy of content. They do not necessarily reflect theviews of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the NWTF.
The acceptance of advertising by the Pennsylvania Chapter of the NWTFdoes not constitute an endorsement of the products or services advertised. Thepublisher assumes no responsibility or liability for the publication of copy submit-ted by advertisers.
The Pennsylvania Chapter of the NWTF reserves the right to cancel or rejectarticles or advertising deemed inappropriate or unsuitable for Turkey Talk.
Anyone using any information from this publication does so at their own risk, andshall be deemed to indemnify the Pennsylvania Chapter of the NWTF. The publishershall not be responsible or liable for any damage or injury resulting from such use.
The deadline for submitting articles for the next issue of Turkey Talk is June 2.
PA NWTF OFFICERS
PRESIDENT
Dave BurdgeRD 5 Box 201
Brookville, PA 15825Phone: (814) 328-2332
VICE PRESIDENT
Gene Alwine144 Church Road
Davidsville, PA 15928Phone: (814) 479-4892
SECRETARY
Bill Mackereth2335 Shiloh Road
Woodland, PA 16881Phone: (814) 857-7762
TREASURER
Jim Panaro224 Buck Road
Ebensburg, PA 15931Phone: (814) 344-6632
BOARD CHAIRMAN
Carl Mowry288 Crisswell Road
Butler, PA 16002Phone: (724) 285-5124
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Don Heckman14 Slate Hill Road
Camp Hill, PA 17011Phone: (717) 761-5925
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Gary Beatty65 Donation Road
Greenville, PAPhone: (724) 588-3342
SUPPORTING MEMBER
COVER PHOTOby PETE D’URSO
National Wild Turkey Federation
The Pennsylvania Chapter WT registration license plates are still available. Promoting the Pennsylvania Chapter and the National Wild Turkey Federationwith our license plates is a great way to show your support and love of the wild turkey.Send a self-addressed stamped envelope with your membership number and phonenumber to Skip Sanderson, 6063 Glatfelters Station Road, Seven Valleys, PA 17360-
8416. A signed application will be returned to you. Complete the application and send itwith a check for $20.00 to PennDot. Your plate should arrive in two to three weeks.
Take A Number!
One of my first duties as President is to thankCarl Mowry for all of his efforts over the years,especially these past four years as President ofthe Pennsylvania State Chapter. Carl hasunselfishly given his time and direction tomeet the goals of our State Chapter, and hewent the extra mile to combat the “OrangeIssue.” It is my desire and ambition to contin-ue working on the wild turkey managementplan that is in place and to see the wild turkeycontinue to flourish in the Keystone State.With the help of our excellent men andwomen serving on the Board, along with thestate biologists, we will make it happen.
My wife, Carol, and I have just returnedfrom another exciting NWTF NationalConvention in Nashville, Tennessee. Asexpected, the program had excellent speakers,seminars, entertainment, vendors, auctions,and contests; anything that had to do withturkeys, hunting, and conservation, was there.Pennsylvania, once again came through againwith flying colors. Don O’Brien from TroutRun was one of six recipients of the RogerLatham Award. Don has held leadership rolesas NWTF Pennsylvania Chapter director, dis-trict director, past state chapter president, andchairman of the board, elevating each to newlevels of commitment and opportunity. Donhas also developed or coordinated JAKES,
Youth Hunter Education Challenge, andOutdoors for Youth events to provide outdooractivities for local youth. Ron Fretts fromScottsdale was reelected to the NWTF Board ofDirectors. Matt Van Cise of Grand Valley fin-ished first in the Wild Turkey Bourbon SeniorDivision, defeating three-time champion JimPollard from Alabama. For the third year,Dakota Clouser of Danville won the NWTFJunior Division Championship (15 years oldand younger). The Pennsylvania State Chapteralso won an award for the Best State Chapterwith more than 10,000 members, coming insixth place. The NWTF recognized chaptersthat set a standard of excellence for conserva-tion fundraising, wise use of funds to make adifference on the ground, and sharing ourhunting heritage in 2004 through the L.A.Dixon award program.
As we all know, spring and the Pennsylvaniagobbler season is just around the corner. Wehave a very healthy population of birds, and itlooks as if this will be another successful sea-son; for some it means the kill, for others,shooting the magnificent turkey with a cam-era. Whatever your choice, the important issueare be safe, identify the target, obey the law,and have fun. God has blessed us with the wildturkey, and we need to manage it the best waypossible.
Working for You
BY BOB ERIKSEN, NWTF REGIONAL BIOLOGIST
Editor’s note: Due to a computer glitch, onlythe opening paragraphs of this article were pub-lished in the previous issue of Turkey Talk. Weregret that oversight and are pleased to presentBob Ericksen’s worthwhile and timely essay inits entirety.
YYou may have heard or read arti-cles about House Bill 2042 pass-ing the legislature and beingsigned by Governor Rendell in
the past few months. The legislation wasdrafted nearly a year ago creating theoption of an additional tag forPennsylvania turkey hunters. Wording ofthe bill was such that it did not require thePennsylvania Game Commission to makeadditional turkey tags available every year.The bill also left the decisions on the use ofthe tags up to the Game Commission. Inother words, the Game Commission wouldbe responsible for deciding whether theadditional tags could be used in the springor fall season, whether the tag would bevalid for the whole season or just a certainportion of the season, and whether the tagswould be valid throughout the state oronly in certain areas. What the legislationdid was give the Game Commission theauthority to sell an extra turkey tag tohunters.
When the legislation was signed, elec-tronic message boards literally came alivewith folks discussing the pros and cons ofthe additional tag legislation. Some hunterswere elated about the news. Others pre-dicted dire consequences for the turkeypopulation. Both sides had valid argu-
ments, and both sides were equally con-cerned about the potential impacts onturkey flocks in the Pennsylvania. OurPennsylvania Chapter Board of Directorshas discussed this issue with GameCommission personnel and with the com-missioners. The Bureau of WildlifeManagement and the commissioners havesome definite ideas about how this changemight be implemented, and they sharedtheir thoughts with board members atmeetings in June and October last year.
At this time, the plan is to make additionaltags available only for spring gobblerhunters. There is nothing definite about thetimeline, but it is likely that over-the-count-er tag sales could begin in the spring of2006. The legislation created additional tagfees and set the fees at $20 for residenthunters and $40 for nonresident hunters.When additional tag sales begin, sales willprobably be limited to before the spring sea-son starts. Turkey hunters will have todecide before the season starts whether ornot to purchase an extra tag giving them theprivilege of taking more than one gobbler.Additional tags will probably only be avail-able through the Harrisburg office of theGame Commission, and no hunter will beable to buy more than one additional tag.
That’s the details of the plan for addition-al tags as it stands right now.Understanding the process may give you alittle more comfort about the new tags, butmany concerns have been expressed byturkey hunters — NWTF members andnonmembers alike. Some of the morecommon questions include? How will anadditional tag affect the spring harvest ofgobblers? What impact will this changehave on turkey populations? Will the addi-
tional tag increase hunting pressurebecause hunters who are successful earlyin the season will still be able to hunt? Willmore jakes be harvested, reducing thenumber of toms in the future, or will toomany old toms be taken? To get at theanswers to these questions, we have tolook at the experiences of other states.
Forty-nine states and three Canadianprovinces have spring gobbler seasons.Thirty-two states and the province ofOntario have spring bag limits of two ormore gobblers. Seventeen states and twoprovinces limit the spring bag to one gob-bler. Many of the states that limit the har-vest to one gobbler per hunter have smallturkey populations or hunting permit quo-tas that don’t allow everyone to hunt.Some examples are Delaware, RhodeIsland, Maine, New Hampshire, andArizona.
Success rates for spring hunters takingone gobbler average 15 to 20 percent inmost states. New York reported a first gob-bler success rate of 18 percent in 2003.New Jersey consistently reports first gob-bler success rates to be 17 to 18 percent.The figure is similar in Ohio, Maryland,and here in Pennsylvania. Some of theMidwestern states report higher successrates, but Pennsylvania is typical of theNortheast and mid-Atlantic regions. Statesthat allow more than one bird to be takenin the spring report second-gobbler successrates to be between 8 and 40 percent. Inother words, successful hunters who takeone gobbler have an 8- to 40-percentchance of taking a second bird dependingon the state and the year. Maryland
See Two Birds on page 17
Photo by Tom Evans/National Wild Turkey Federation
The 29th Annual National Wild TurkeyFederation Convention and Sports Showwas held in Nashville, Tennessee, onFebruary 17–20, 2005. Many PA chaptersand PA chapter members received awardsand special recognition during this event.Congratulations to all of our winners!
• The PA Chapter received 1st place in the2004 L.A. Dixon Jr. MemorialOutstanding Award for the highest totalnet/net dollars raised.
• The PA Chapter received 6th place in the2004 L.A. Dixon Jr. Memorial Award inthe over 10,000 membership class.
• The Blue Mountain Chapter received theOne Half Million Dollar Club Award formoneys raised at their banquets.
• The Shermans Valley Strutters Chapterreceived an award for 2nd runner-up forthe best Net to Gross percentage in thecountry with a Net to Gross of 127%.
Calling contest winners
The NWTF Grand National CallingContest winner in the Junior Classwas Dakota Clouser of Danville, Pa.
The Wild Turkey Bourbon/NWTFGrand National CallingChampionship Senior Division win-ner was Matthew Van Cise of GrandValley, Pa.
O’Brien wins prestigious RogerLatham Award
Donald W. O’Brien of Trout Run receivedthe prestigious Roger Latham ServiceAward at the 29th Annual NWTF NationalConvention. The Latham awards are givento NWTF members who are not employedas professional wildlife managers, but havemade significant contributions to wildturkey conservation.
O’Brien has served on the state chapter’sBoard of Directors along with being a pastPresident, Chairman of the Board, andchairman of various committees. He is alsoa NWTF district director for north-centralPennsylvania. He has helped with turkeyhunting safety classes, JAKES Days, Womenin the Outdoor events, and chapter ban-quets.
“Just to be nominated for this award wasincredible — to get that recognition by yourpeers,” said O’Brien, who has served aspresident of his local chapter along withJAKES and scholarship chairman of theSusquehanna Long Beards Chapter. “Whenmy name was called out [for winning theaward], I just thought, ‘Who me?’ I wasreally surprised and overwhelmed. To beone of five award winners out of 500,000[NWTF members] is an incredible feeling.”
O’Brien was humbled by the award andshared the accomplishment with local andstate chapter NWTF members.
“The award was not necessary. I didn’twork for an award. I just enjoy being a partof an organization. They care so much aboutwild turkeys and our environment,”O’Brien said.
O’Brien has also won awards on the statelevel, including the David Wandless and theIrven Buttray Service awards. He is a mem-ber of the Pennsylvania Turkey Hunters Hallof Fame and recently completed the “RoyalSlam” by harvesting five species of wildturkeys in the United States and Mexico.
O’Brien’s honor marks the second consec-utive year that a PA NWTF member hascaptured the Roger Latham Award. CarlMowry, PANWTF Chairman of the Board,won the Roger Latham Award last year.
Mowry said, “Don O’Brien has alwaysbeen very active in the PennsylvaniaChapter. He has been vice president, presi-dent, chairman of the board and held manydifferent committee positions for the chap-ter. Don has always been very helpful inwhatever has needed to be done.
“The PA Chapter in general has alwaysbeen active — from our banquets, Womenin the Outdoors events, JAKES day, habitatwork — just to name a few things that ourgreat volunteers do. We owe everything toour volunteers.”
Pennsylvania WITO eventsreceive awards at the National
Convention
Other Pennsylvania WITO eventsreceiving recognition included:
• Wind Ridge Sportsmen’s Club andGreene County Tourist PromotionAgency — 1st place – Highest Net toGross Percentage between $2,000 and$2,999 for a 147% net to gross.
• Muncy Creek ChapterHonorable MentionBest Overall First-time Event
• Wilhelm ChapterHonorable MentionBest Overall Membership Achievementfor 107 members at their event
• PA State ChapterHonorable Mention, 145 participantsBest Overall Membership Achievement for145 members at their event and HonorableMention Best Overall State Event
NWTF National Convention rewarding for PA Chapter
Janet Nyce from the Southeast SilverSpurs Chapter accepts the award forHighest Net to Gross PercentageOver $3,000 with 112% net to gross.
Bill Williams accepting on behalf ofthe Muncy Creek Chapter the awardfor 1st Place Runner Up – BestOverall New Event – Highest NetDollars.
OOn January 8, the PAChapter held theannual Rendezvousand Awards Banquet
in State College. Eventsthroughout the day featuredseminars by Scott Basehore andBob Eriksen, a Women in theOutdoor Leadership meeting byTammy Mowry, and the WilsonF. Moore Memorial TurkeyCalling Contest, followed by thegala awards banquet Saturdayevening.
The State Chapter would liketo thank NWTF CEO Rob Keckfor attending the banquet as ourfeatured speaker. It’s alwaysgreat to have you back in yourhome state!
Calling Contest WinnersThis year’s turkey calling con-
test winners were:1st place – Pat Strawser2nd place – Larry Scartozzi3rd place – Daymon Davis4th place –Matt Van Cise
Individual awards
The David Wanless Awardwent to Bob Eriksen for workdone above and beyond the callof duty.
The Roger Latham Awardwent to Dave Burdge for anoutstanding director who hasexhibited exemplary leadership.
The James Wilhelm MemorialAward went to Dale Rohm forall he has done to contribute tothe wise management and con-servation of the wild turkeythrough habitat work, fundrais-ing, and public relations.
The Frank Piper Hunting SafetyAward went to Mark Davis andGreg Caldwell for outstandingcontributions in the promotion ofturkey hunting safety.
The Hall of Fame Award wentto Bill Mackereth, Dale Butler,Hugh “Fuzzy” Shields, MikeHorst, and Jack Penny for allthey have done through outtheir life for the benefit of thewild turkey.
The Loyal Order of the GoldenSpurs were awarded to ReedJohnson and Dennis Strawbridge.
The Corporate ConservationAward went to Ray Smith, pres-ident of River Vallet Game Callsfor outstanding support of themanagement of the wild turkey.
Chapter Awards andAchievements
The Chapter with the mostJAKES was the SusquehannaChapter with 209.
The Chapter with the HighestNet to Gross Percentage was theSherman’s Valley Strutters with127%.
The Most Improved Chapteraward went to the Wilson F.Moore Chapter.
The Best New Banquet awardwent to the Northern CountiesFull Fan Chapter.
The Best Wheelin’ SportsmenEvent award went to theTerrace Mountain Chapter fortheir annual deer hunt.
The Ron Sandrus LocalChapter Awards went to:
1st place – Laurel HighlandsCommittee of Local #1
2nd place – SusquehannaChapter
3rd place – NorthwestThunderin’ Toms Chapter
We had 30 of our chaptersreach Golden Gobbler statusat their banquet last year.
The Sherman’s ValleyStrutters Chapter reached anamazing 127% Golden GobblerStatus!
The Juniata Gobblers Chapterreached the 80% category.Our chapters to reach 70%were:
Lake MarburgNorthwest Thunderin TomsLake Region LongbeardsRed RockLehigh Valley LongbeardsStony ValleyLykens Valley LongbeardsWhitehorse MountainLongbeards
The 60% chapters are:Adams County LongbeardsLower Lackawanna SpursAllegheny PlateauMichaux Yellow BreechesArmenia Mountain SpursMillcreek
Bald Eagle LongbeardsMoraineBlue MountainNittany Valley LongbeardsChesquehanna SpursPeters Creek TrailEndless MountainsPocono MountainKit-Han-NeShade MountainLakeland LongbeardsSusquehannaLower Bucks LongbeardsTerrace Mountain
Winners of Grand SlamAwards for chaptersimproving in four or morecategories are:
Chesquehanna SpursSchuykill SpursLehigh Valley LongbeardsSherman’s Valley StruttersLower Lackawanna LongspursThe Laurels Longbeards
The Royal Slam winners are:Lake MarburgMon Valley
The World Slam winner was:Terrace Mountain Chapter
We had 10 chapters earn theFive Star Award for going theextra mile and conducting aJAKES Day, Women in theOutdoors Event, Scholarship toa local student, providing aSchool Education Box in a localschool, and donating $100 tothe Hunting Heritage Fund.Those chapters are:
The Laurels LongbeardsYellow CreekLykens ValleyWhitehorse MountainLongbeardsMason DixonNorthwest Thunderin TomsMoraineChesquehanna SpursSusquehannaDelaware County Longbeards
PA Chapter Celebrates 30 Years withRendezvous and Awards Banquet
See Banquet onpage 15
PHOTOS BY FRANK LANE
TThrough the combinedefforts of the TerraceMountain Chapter ofNWTF, the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, and a mul-titude of sponsors and volun-teers, the third-annualWheelin’ Sportsman Hunt washeld at the Raystown Lakeproject in Huntingdon County.Designed to provide huntingopportunities and enjoyment ofthe great outdoors to disabledhunters, the event was anothertremendous success. This yearmore than 75 volunteers gath-ered to assist the 26 huntersparticipating in the hunt, whichwas held on the last day of theregular deer season. The major-ity of the volunteers werehunters themselves who gener-ously donated their time and,in some cases, gave up whatmay have been their lastopportunity of the season toharvest a deer in order to helpothers. The volunteers fulfilleda variety of tasks. Some assistedhunters at their blinds, andsome helped to drive the deer,while others prepared a deli-cious lunch for all to enjoy. Thereward for their efforts camewith the smiles and manythanks from the grateful
hunters. At the end of the day,only seven deer were harvest-ed, but 20 of the 26 huntershad shooting opportunities,and all enjoyed plenty of fel-lowship with their guides andother volunteers.
The Wheelin’ Sportsmanhunt also serves an importantrole in the deer managementplan for the Raystown Lakecomplex. Because it is conduct-ed in the Seven PointsRecreation Area, which is tradi-tionally off limits to hunting forvisitor safety the rest of theyear, the hunt helps bring theoverabundant deer populationthere under control and reducefurther damage to native vege-tation. The Raystown project isenrolled in the GameCommission’s DeerManagement AssistanceProgram (DMAP), and all par-ticipating hunters received aDMAP antlerless deer permit.
The Terrace MountainChapter of the NWTF recentlyreceived recognition for con-ducting the largest Wheelin’Sportsman Event inPennsylvania. TerraceMountain was also the onlychapter in Pennsylvania toreceive the World Slam Awardfor beating their personal bestin six of seven categories. The
president of the TerraceMountain Chapter is PeteBowser, and the Wheelin’Sportsman Committee for theChapter includes Vickie Parks,Chris Bowser, and Jeff Krause.Plans for a Wheelin’ Sportsmanhunt next year are already inprogress. Further informationregarding the Wheelin’Sportsman can be obtainedfrom the National Wild TurkeyFederation or the staff ofRaystown Lake.
Wheelin’ Sportsmen hold third-annual deer hunt at Raystown Lake
¤
BY BOB ERIKSEN,NWTF REGIONAL BIOLOGIST
TTom sat down and began to workthe gobbler he had heard sound-ing off in the distance. Before set-ting up, he worked his way closer
to the bird in an effort to get within a 150yards of the gobbler. There was no sense insetting up too far away and having the gob-bling bird “hang up.” Before he heard thisbird, Tom had been thinking that it wasgoing to be another quiet morning in thespring woods. The season was two weeksold, and he was hunting public land. Hewasn’t surprised that he heard no gobblingat dawn. Now things were looking up. Tomhad a good setup uphill from the gobbler,and his back was against a big oak. The oakwould break up Tom’s outline and hewould rely on his camo for concealment asthe bird approached.
With his first call, Tom became confidentthat this hunt would end well. The bird cutoff the first series of yelps and gobbled againbefore Tom even thought about makinganother call. He clucked and purred on hismouth call and had an instant response.This time the gobbler was substantially clos-er. Tom’s heart was pounding as he put hisshotgun up on his knee. He listened intent-ly for the sound of drumming or another
gobble with which he could keep track ofthe bird’s progress. Tom let loose with aseries of quiet yelps, and the gobbler roaredback at him from just out of sight. Tom’sears strained to hear the sound of drum-ming or footsteps in the leaves. A few min-utes passed, and he was sure he heard thebird approaching. But something waswrong. The bird was slightly to his left anda little behind him.
Tom had hunted spring gobblers longenough to know that they often circle thecaller. He slowly swiveled his head to theleft and caught movement out of the cor-ner of his eye. Instead of a gobbler, Tomsaw two camouflaged hunters about 40yards away. One of them pointed, and Tomwaved to alert them to his presence. Surelythey had seen him, and now he hopedthey would retreat and allow him to con-tinue working the gobbler. He turned backtoward where he had last heard the gobblerand searched the woods. For some reason,he glanced back to where the hunters hadbeen. As he did, one of the hunters raisedhis gun and pointed it right at Tom. Tomhad a split second to react, and he rolled tothe right just as the hunter fired a load of12-gauge magnum four shot. Tom’s reac-tion saved him from worse injury, but hestill took a number of shot in his shoulder,arm, and back.
The oak tree against which Tom had set up
helped limit the injuries by absorbing most ofthe load. But Tom was still hurt and plentyangry. He confronted the shooter and foundthat the hunter and his girlfriend had heardthe bird gobble and were trying to sneak clos-er to it when they saw movement. WhenTom waved, the young woman told herboyfriend that she saw a turkey wing. Theshooter saw the movement too and firedwithout a clear picture of his intended target.As Tom and the other two walked backtoward the road, Tom found that the shooterhad parked his car near the spot where Tom’spickup was parked.
Tom knows he made a mistake by wav-ing and not shouting at the shooter, but thisturkey-hunting-related shooting incidentwas definitely not Tom’s fault. The shootermade two major mistakes that led to thisincident. First, he did not have the courtesyto find another spot to hunt when he clear-ly knew another hunter had already begunto hunt there. Second, he committed thecardinal sin of shooting safety — he did notproperly identify his target. The responsibili-ty for this and most other turkey-hunting-related shooting incidents lies squarely withthe shooter. More than 60 percent of theseincidents are the result of a shooter failingto properly identify his target. There is no
See Safety on page 13
\Ç `xÅÉÜç É y
U| Ä Ä _t|ÜwSUBMITTED BY DENNY STRAWBRIDGE
Wuring the week of the National Convention thisyear, the National Wild Turkey Federation losta great friend and leader. William (Bill) Laird
from the Mason-Dixon Local Chapter and a past Directorfor the Pennsylvania Chapter board passed on from thisearth.
Bill was a mentor for many of the leaders in Pennsylvania.From Local Chapters to the PA State Chapter of NWTF andeven to state legislators, Bill was a guy that everyone lis-tened to. The quality of his input was always immeasurableand highly valued by all. Bill had a way to get the pointacross on many topics relating to sportsmen and wildlife,and he was a true steward of the Pennsylvania wild turkey.It was through his efforts that the Pennsylvania GameCommission began the restocking here in York and the sur-rounding counties in the southeast. He was active in manylocal sportsmen’s groups, including the Pennsylvania.Federation of Sportsmen. Whenever a sportsmen’s eventwas happening, Bill was there.
During his years as a leader and president, the Mason-Dixon Local Chapter was at its peak for membership andSuper Fund activities. He was also instrumental in the for-mation of the Lake Marburg Chapter here in York Countyby implementing the first Super Fund Banquets thereunder direction of Mason-Dixon.
At the state level, Bill served as a Director, Secretary, anda District Director while being honored with many of theprestigious PA State Chapter awards. He represented us wellamong state legislators and attended many PGC meetings torepresent the PA State Chapter.
Everyone who knew Bill knew him as a hunter, especial-ly a turkey hunter, and his success was well known aroundhis favorite haunts in his beloved Perry County.
Bill will be missed by many people across the state andnation as he left his mark with many leaders and friends ofNWTF. Even in death, he represented his dedication toNWTF as he was dressed in a Pennsylvania Chapter sweat-shirt at his viewing.
Bill leaves his loving wife Roxann, another dedicated per-son to NWTF who he cherished greatly, and his son, Brian,who will carry on his hunting traditions for many years.
May the Lord bless him and lead him to the happy hunt-ing ground where the call of the wild turkey will gobble inhis honor each and every day.
Steel City Spurs becomes PA’s 75th ChapterSUBMITTED BY LARRY HOLJENCIN, REGIONAL FIELD SUPERVISOR
Southwest Allegheny County is an area where we have wanted alocal chapter for many years. It’s a region with a large populationbase and many turkey hunters. Many NWTF members who livethere continue to renew their memberships but are not travelingoutside their area to functions hosted by surrounding chapters.
Thanks to a group of dedicated sportsmen and women, southwestAllegheny County is now the home of Pennsylvania’s seventy-fifthchapter — the Steel City Spurs. The effort was spearheaded by TomCoulter who did a great job of planning for the formation of thechapter.
Chapter officers are: Tom Coulter, president and banquet chair-man; Matt Romenosky, vice president; Brian Adair, treasurer: andJudy Skrenta, secretary.
The Steel City Spurs invite all members from the area to attend theirmeetings and upcoming banquet. The chapter’s first-annual HuntingHeritage Banquet will be on Saturday, June 4 at the Castle ShannonFiremen’s Club in Castle Shannon. For information on upcomingmeetings or the banquet, call Tom Coulter at 412-303-3015.
2005 PA Local Chapter Presidents Leadership WorkshopSUBMITTED BY JERRY ZIMMERMAN, REGIONAL FIELD SUPERVISOR
Mark your calendar now for the 2005 PA Local ChapterPresidents Leadership Workshop to be held August 6 and 7 at theRamada Inn on S. Atherton Street in State College. This is a veryinformative workshop where you will be brought up to date onNWTF happenings, any new programs, and current issues, alongwith having the opportunity to exchange ideas with other localchapter leaders. If you need overnight lodging, the PA State Chapterwill provide lodging for you at the Ramada Inn.
For those who enjoying trapshooting, our plan at press time is toshoot trap on Saturday evening near Port Matilda, with a cookoutto follow at the trap range. You will be responsible for paying foryour rounds of trap and for bringing your own guns and ammo. Thetrapshoot will provide you with an opportunity to meet and enjoythe camaraderie with other chapter leaders from across the state.
If you can only be with us for the Sunday workshop, it will starton Sunday morning at 9 o’clock at Ramada Inn and will concludearound 3 p.m. Sunday breakfast is on your own, but lunch will beprovided. The only costs you will incur are your costs of traveling toState College, plus the trapshooting if you plan to participate onSaturday.
Please plan on attending this workshop. If the chapter presidentcannot attend, please have someone attend in his or her place to rep-resent your chapter. We can accommodate two persons per chapter.A letter will be mailed to each local chapter president sometimearound the beginning of June with details about this important andinformative workshop. Those interested in attending should contactJerry Zimmerman at 610-395-7467 or [email protected].
Special shootA benefit sporting clays shoot and still-target shoot for Wheelin’
Sportsmen NWTF will be held Sunday, May 22, 2005, at HuntingHills in Dillner, Pa. Price is $70 for 100 rounds and a steak lunchcatered by Backbay. Still targets will be $5 a shot. This will be a funsporting clay shoot with four-man teams selected by a blind drawsystem. Plaques and prizes will be awarded. For more informationplease contact Bob Farkasovsky at 304-842-5515.
CHAPTER NEWSAND EVENTS
BY BOB ERIKSEN,NWTF REGIONAL BIOLOGIST
AND MARY JO CASALENA, PGC WILD TURKEY BIOLOGIST
TThirty years ago, a group of dedicat-ed turkey hunters organized thePennsylvania Chapter of theNational Wild Turkey Federation.
The National Wild Turkey Federation wasjust two years old at the time and just gettingoff the ground itself. Spring gobbler huntingin Pennsylvania had started only seven yearsearlier in 1968, and many turkey huntershad yet to try their hand at spring hunting.Two great names in wild turkey manage-ment, Jerry Wunz and Arnie Hayden, wereconducting field studies and writing articlesdesigned to help turkey hunters betterunderstand wild turkey behavior and popu-lation dynamics.
The research that Wunz and Hayden con-ducted helped to build our library of knowl-edge concerning the Eastern wild turkey.Jerry experimented with food plots andherbaceous openings and placed turkeys inareas of marginal habitat to determine howthey would fare. Arnie developed summerturkey surveys and winter track counts todetermine turkey population trends andconducted the first telemetry studies of wildturkey habitat use in Pennsylvania. Thesetwo researchers studied winter survivalamong turkeys, evaluated the success ofreleases of game-farm turkeys, and looked atthe issue of winter feeding. Jerry developedinnovative rocket-netting techniques thatenabled the Game Commission to begin live-trapping and transfer on a bigger scale. Arniewas a pioneer in designing radio transmittersand harness materials to place the equip-ment on turkeys.
Based on the findings of research conduct-ed in the 1970s and the urging of the fledg-ling Pennsylvania Chapter, the GameCommission made the historic decision tophase out the practice of releasing pen-raisedturkeys in 1980. For more than 20 yearsafter that, the Game Commission activelytrapped and transferred wild turkeys, suc-cessfully restoring turkey flocks throughoutthe state. The state chapter helped by provid-ing cardboard transport boxes for the safeshipment of turkeys across the state and bydonating needed money for creating andimproving turkey habitat. The result of thiswork is the healthy, widespread turkey pop-ulation we enjoy today.
During the past 30 years, trap and transfersand a series of outstanding hatches helpedthe statewide turkey population to increasedramatically by the year 2000. Literally hun-
dreds of habitat improvement projectsfinanced through the PA NWTF Wild TurkeySuper Fund and planned by PGC LandManagers have provided better turkey habi-tat on thousands of acres of state gamelands. Pennsylvania turkey hunters havebeen fortunate to have highly motivated andprofessional biologists at the helm of wildturkey management for more than 50 years.There are always challenges ahead, but weare definitely living in some of the goldenyears of turkey hunting.
Turkey hunting in the Keystone State issteeped in tradition. While otherNortheastern states lost their turkey popula-tions in the 1800s, a few thousandPennsylvania wild turkeys managed to hangon in the rugged forested ridges of the centralpart of the state. Hunters in other states lostthe opportunity to hunt turkeys in the early1900s, but fall turkey hunting was availableto Pennsylvania turkey hunters throughoutthe twentieth century. The GameCommission closed the turkey season in1913, 1914, and 1926, but for the remainderof the century, fall hunting was allowed. Fallhunting remains a strong tradition here, andPennsylvania typically has more fall turkeyhunters than any other state. In 2003,211,965 fall hunters took to the woods.
In 1923, believe it or not, calling turkeyswas illegal! Back in those days, the statewidefall turkey seasons started on November 1. Inthe 1940s, the most common method of fallturkey hunting was by chance — selecting aplace where turkeys might be expected tofeed and then waiting the birds out.According to a report by Edward L. Kozicky,a famous wildlife biologist who studiedturkeys as a graduate student inPennsylvania in the 1940s, few hunters backthen used the popular fall hunting techniqueof scattering a flock and calling the birdsback. Hunting strategies sure have changed.Calling turkeys has become the acceptedpractice for successful and safe turkey hunt-ing.
Today, fall turkey hunting seasons stillopen around November 1, but the seasonlength varies according to turkey populationdensities from one unit to another. Fall har-vests are controlled by regulating the seasonlength in wildlife management units(WMUs). Fall seasons vary from a closed sea-son in WMUs 5A and 5B to three weeks insome other WMUs. The daily and seasonlimit for fall hunting remains one bird. Inmany years, the Pennsylvania fall turkeyharvest exceeds 40,000 birds, with morethan 225,000 hunters participating.Extensive analysis of harvest figures inPennsylvania and around the country haveshown that fall harvest can impact turkey
numbers. Biologists generally agree that falleither-sex turkey seasons can affect popula-tion growth, that turkey populations natural-ly fluctuate on an annual basis, and that thevulnerability of wild turkeys to fall huntingincreases in years of poor mast production.Most also believe that fall hunting mortalityoccurs in addition to natural mortality, notinstead of natural mortality. Therefore,adjusting fall seasons is the best way to man-age turkey populations. At times, it may benecessary to reduce fall seasons to allow pop-ulations to grow. In the worst-case scenario,fall seasons occasionally may be closed. Butin good times, fall hunting opportunities areexpanded.
The current goal of wild turkey manage-ment in Pennsylvania is to maintain andimprove wild turkey populations. In manywildlife management units, that can beaccomplished with a fall season in place.Longer fall seasons and more liberal fall baglimits may not be achievable with the cur-rent hunter numbers and the high interest infall turkey hunting in the Pennsylvania.Keystone State turkey hunters are currentlyenjoying “the good old days.”
As the turkey population and our under-standing of the birds grew, traditions beganto change. Spring turkey hunting was rein-stated in 1968 after being closed since 1873.Unlike the earlier seasons, however, themodern spring season protected hens byrestricting the harvest to bearded birds only.Timing the spring season to open after thepeak of breeding has allowed gobblers to beharvested annually without affecting thehatch. Modern research has shown thatspring gobbler hunting can provide maxi-mum recreational opportunity to hunterswith little impact on the turkey population,as long as the season opens after the peak ofturkey breeding, which it does inPennsylvania. Spring hunting hours have
been increased from a 10 o’clock closure to11 o’clock to the current noon closing time.From a short season structure early in thehistory of modern spring hunting, the seasonlength has been four weeks since 1984.Right now, regulation changes are beingconsidered to increase the spring bag limitfrom one to two gobblers. This changewould align Pennsylvania more closely withharvest regulations in adjacent states where
multiple gobbler limits are the norm. Withthe increased interest in the gobbler seasonand the ability for hunters to harvest gob-blers without impacting overall populationlevels, this additional hunting opportunity isbeing praised by many turkey hunters.
Traditions continue to change. More peo-ple are discovering the joys of spring gob-bler hunting. Since 2000, the number ofspring turkey hunters (246,821 in 2003)
has exceeded that of fall turkey hunters inPennsylvania (211,965 in 2003). Accordingto NWTF estimates, this is not only theresult of fall hunters switching to springhunting, but also an influx of new hunterswho hunt only in the spring. With morespring gobbler hunters than any other stateand a harvest of more than 40,000 gob-blers, Pennsylvania definitely remains akeystone turkey state.
BY DON HECKMAN, EXECUTIVE OFFICEROver the last several years, PA NWTF position statements support-
ing wild turkey management, turkey hunting and calling, and turkeyhunter safety and ethics have been presented to our members.
As part of the wild turkey management plan, the PennsylvaniaChapter of NWTF supports:•PGC “Management Plan for Wild Turkeys in Pennsylvania”•Funding the PGC wild turkey management plan•Second-bird spring tag with a license/tag for a fee•Turkey hunting license/stamp for a fee
The Pennsylvania Chapter NWTF Board of Directors is adding thesesupport statements to our wild turkey management overview:
1. Wild turkey management regulations and decision making basedon facts, in the field, in the ground/on the ground data as defined andoutlined in the PGC “Management Plan for Wild Turkeys inPennsylvania.” We support wildlife-management regulations anddecision making based on scientific wildlife-management principles asdetermined by PGC wildlife biologists and land managers.
2. Purchasing the additional second spring gobbler tag prior to thestart of the season. We recommend the special additional tag be issuedfor the last two weeks of the spring gobbler season for the first threeyears of the regulation. We support mandatory second-bird tag har-vest reporting with appropriate data.
3. Delaying any additional hunting opportunities for all-day springgobbler hunting for a minimum of three years, or until data are avail-able to support all day hunting.
4. Continued monitoring of relevant data provided by PGC wildturkey biologists to review fall season lengths across WMUs. We sup-port reducing season lengths or closing certain WMUs where the data
validate wild turkey populations are declining.5. The 22 WMUs and their current boundaries for statewide wild
turkey management as outlined in the PGC “Management Plan forWild Turkeys in Pennsylvania,” objectives and strategies.
6. PGC yearly funding of the management plan for wild turkeys inPennsylvania. We continue to support wild turkey research to collectbetter data on the wild turkey resource and their habitat, and turkeyhunters.
7. PGC “Management Plan for Wild Turkeys in Pennsylvania” recom-mendations for setting the current dates for the spring gobbler season.
8. Further research on fall turkey hunting seasons where in 2003and 2004 turkey hunting incidents have dramatically decreased.What have turkey hunters done right these last two fall turkey hunt-ing seasons to impact or help decrease turkey hunting incidents?
9. Archery in the Schools program and have contributed two pack-ages to further this important school activity. We support the workbeing done to research and recommend the youth mentored huntingprogram.
10. Based on the recent recommendations from the NWTF TurkeyHunter Task Force held in January, we support reducing spring andfall turkey hunter orange requirements.
11. Consideration to include a turkey-hunting license in the PGChunting license increase package if recommended by PGC and legis-lators. We support funding the yearly budget of the PGC managementplan for wild turkeys in Pennsylvania with revenues generated froma turkey-hunting license, with excess revenue dollars available beingused in the PGC General Fund.
12. The legislative resolution to research and study SundayHunting.
PA NWTF supports wild turkey management
In the last issue of turkey Talk, weannounced an incentive programdesigned to help double our member-ship to 30,000 adult members duringour 30th Anniversary year. Each OneReach One, as the program is called, isbased on the idea that if each of our15,000 members would recruit just onenew adult member during the upcom-ing year, our membership would dou-ble. Like every great endeavor the PAChapter has undertaken, we willdepend upon a grassroots effort toachieve our goal. This grassroots effortneeds to include every member of thePA Chapter.
Every new member will receive thenormal NWTF membership items. ThePA Chapter Board of Directors alsowants to reward our faithful memberswho participate in the Each One ReachOne Program.
Guns! Guns! Guns! To reward ourmembers who recruit new members,the Board of Directors has initiated aspecial gun raffle. A gun will be givenaway to one of our members every time300 new members are recruited duringour 30th Anniversary year. Our goal is to
give away as many as 50 guns. There isno limit as to how many times yourname could be entered. The more newmembers recruited, the more times yourname will be entered. Recruit one newmember and your name will be enteredonce. Recruit a sponsor member andyour name will be entered ten times.Remember, every time 300 new mem-bers are recruited, a gun will be givenaway and a new drawing initiated.
Bass Pro Shops will also be helping thePA Chapter with this membership driveby donating a $100 gift certificate for asecond place drawing for every 300 newmembers signed up. Every memberwho signs up 20 new members willreceive a $20 Bass Pro Shops gift certifi-cate, and each member who participatesin the Each One Reach One 30thAnniversary Membership Drive willreceive one free mouth call, courtesy ofthe PA Chapter NWTF and River ValleyGame Calls.
The Board of Directors recognizes theimportance of our banquet membersand sponsor members. Therefore, spe-cial incentives are being offered for newmembers and sponsor members who
attend a Hunting Heritage Banquet dur-ing the 2005 banquet season. Bring yournew member to a banquet and doubleyour chance on a gun. Bring a sponsormember to a banquet and receive 20chances on a gun.
The Each One Reach Program will runthroughout the 30th Anniversary year.If your banquet isn’t until December,you will still have the opportunity toparticipate in this program. Dependingupon your participation, guns may begiven away monthly, weekly, or evendaily throughout the year.
A new member is someone who hasnot been a member of the National WildTurkey Federation in the 18 monthsprior to the new membership applica-tion. A new member includes RegularMembership, Sponsor Membership,Women in the Outdoors Membershipand Wheelin’ Sportsmen Membership.New member status and banquet atten-dance will be confirmed by the NWTFbefore the recruiters name will beentered into the gun raffle.
30th Anniversary Membership Drive Your chance to win Guns, Guns, Guns30th Anniversary Membership Drive
Your chance to win Guns, Guns, Guns
To qualify for the drawings or the free mouth call you must send yourmemberships to Skip Sanderson using the form provided in the
Winter 2005 issue of Turkey Talk. The form may be photocopied. Forquestions about the program or to obtain a registration form, contact
Skip Sanderson6063 Glatfelters Station Road, Seven Valleys, PA 17360-8416;
excuse for such incidents. They simplyshould not happen.
The National Turkey Hunter Safety TaskForce gathered recently for its third meetingin Edgefield, South Carolina. The task forceconsists of chapter members, wildlifeagency directors, hunter-education special-ists, hunting industry leaders, and wildlifebiologists. The first task force convened in1992 to examine the issue of turkey-hunt-ing-related shooting incidents and developmethods of reducing incident numbers.When the first meeting took place, thenational average for turkey-hunting-relatedshooting incidents was 8.95 per 100,000hunters. The task force recommended addi-tional focus on safety education for turkeyhunters, limiting legal shot sizes for turkeyhunting to reduce the severity of injurieswhen incidents occurred, and public rela-tions campaigns to emphasize safety toturkey hunters. The now familiar defensiveturkey-hunting tactics were developed atthat time as were pocket-sized versions ofthe safety tips and “hunt safe” stickers.
In 1997, the task force reconvened andre-examined the issues around turkey-hunting safety. Things had improved some-what by the time of the second meeting. Inthe five years between meetings, thenationwide incident rate among turkeyhunters had decreased in spite of increasinghunter numbers. The task force looked atsome factors affecting incident rates andmade some recommendations on methodsto reduce the number of incidents further.Once again, the recommendations wereprimarily for additional educational andpublic relations efforts. The use of decoyshad increased by the time of the secondmeeting so the task force developed recom-mendations for safer placement of decoyswhile hunting. Based on experience withthe use of hunter-orange for turkey hunt-ing, the task force recommended againstthe mandatory requirement of orangeclothing or materials for turkey hunting.Orange affected hunter success and did notappear to have a permanent impact onreducing incident numbers.
More good news came out of the 2005meeting of the task force. Turkey-hunting-related shooting incidents have continuedto decline. The current level is less than 3incidents per 100,000 hunters. Biologistsworking on the task force examined anumber of issues that affect the number ofincidents and the severity of incidents.Some of the issues studied for the task forcewere the affect of youth hunting initiatives;the affect of hunter densities (number ofhunters per square mile) on incident rates;the impact of the use of more realistic andlifelike decoys; increasingly powerful turkeyloads; new and larger shot sizes; the use ofrifles for turkey hunting; and the use oforange clothing or materials to promotesafer turkey hunting.
Recent studies of youth hunting indicate
that young hunters accompanied andsupervised by an adult hunter are the safesthunters in the woods. The task force rec-ommended that states continue to provideadditional opportunity for young hunters toencourage recruitment of hunters. Incidentdata suggests that the density of hunters inthe woods affects incident rates. Therefore,the task force encouraged state agencies towork at providing longer seasons andlonger hunting hours as a method of dis-tributing hunting pressure. There is littleevidence to suggest that decoy use con-tributes to increased incident numbers.However, the task force developed addi-tional guidelines for the safe placement andtransport of decoys by turkey hunters.
Continued development of longer range,
more powerful turkey loads is a concernbecause of the potential for severe injurieswhen a shooting incident occurs. The taskforce repeated its 1997 recommendationthat the safest and most effective method ofkilling turkeys is to use number four orsmaller shot aimed at the head and neck ofthe bird at distances of less than 40 yards.The tradition of rifle hunting for wildturkeys remains strong, especially in fallseasons in some parts of the country.Thirteen states allow rifles to be used forturkey hunting, though most of those statesindicate that more than 80 percent ofturkey hunters prefer to use shotguns. Thetask force examined the number of inci-dents involving rifles and found the totalnumber to be small. This was expected
because of the limited use of rifles. Theseverity of injury in incidents involvingrifles is significant. The task force issued astatement that the fatality rate and risk ofsevere and debilitating injury is significantlyhigher in incidents involving rifles.
Based on more than a decade of data col-lection on the mandatory use of orangeclothing or equipment by turkey hunters,the task force concluded that orange doesnot seem to permanently reduce incidentrates. Orange is unpopular among turkeyhunters; the presence of orange diminisheshunter success; and the use of orange hasnot had the desired effect on incident rates.Therefore, the task force restated its 1997recommendation against the mandatoryuse of orange for turkey hunting.
The recommendations and statementsissued by the task force were voted upon bytask force members before they were enact-ed. All of the statements and recommenda-tions with the exception of those on the useof rifles and the mandatory use of orangepassed unanimously. There was one absten-tion on the rifle issue and two negativevotes on the orange issue. This group willmeet again in 2010. In the meantime, thegoal for the next five years is to reduce theturkey-hunting incident rate by half. Aturkey hunter safety education curriculumfor use in regular and advanced hunter-education classes is being developed by theNWTF with the help of task force members.
Turkey hunting is a safe activity. Arenewed commitment to safety is theresponsibility of every turkey hunter. We canall advance the cause of safer turkey huntingby remembering three basic rules. First:Every gun is always loaded. If we treat everygun as a loaded firearm, we will all be moremindful of the lethal potential of that instru-ment. Second: Always be absolutely sure ofyour target. There should never be any fail-ure to properly identify a target. Third: Neverlet the muzzle of your firearm point at any-thing you are not willing to destroy.
Spring is rapidly approaching. Successfulturkey hunters are meticulous about theirpreseason scouting. Successful turkeyhunters check and recheck their camo andpractice with their firearm or bow so theyknow exactly how it performs. Successfulturkey hunters spend time observing wildturkeys and learning their habits and prefer-ences. Safe turkey hunters never park nearother hunters or move in on another hunterwho is working a bird. Safe turkey huntersare careful about decoy placement, alwaysset up with a large tree, a stump, or rocklarge enough to break up their outline attheir backs. Safe turkey hunters follow allregulations in the states where they arehunting. Safe turkey hunters are ethical.They never let peer pressure or the desire forsuccess cloud their judgment. Safe turkeyhunters are successful turkey hunters.
Make a commitment to safety this springand every spring. Hunt smart and hunt safe!
Safety from page 8
We can all advance the causeof safer turkey hunting byremembering three basicrules. First: Every gun is
always loaded. If we treatevery gun as a loaded
firearm, we will all be moremindful of the lethal poten-
tial of that instrument.Second: Always be absolutely
sure of your target. Thereshould never be any failure
to properly identify a target.Third: Never let the muzzle
of your firearm point at any-thing you are not willing to
destroy.
DDo you enjoy activities in the outof doors? Would you like tolearn outdoor skills or brush upon old ones, and network with
other women who enjoy the same out-door activities as you enjoy?
Then come and participate in a NationalWild Turkey Federation’s Women in theOutdoors event! You will learn outdoorskills in a non-competitive environment.Skills that you can take home and sharewith family and friends. Make new friendsand maybe take up a new hobby.
Come and join the fun!
May 14, 2005Susquehanna Local ChapterBeverly Butler 814-857-7728,
[email protected] Ridge Sportsmen’s Club, Sandy
Ridge (Centre County)Archery, shotgunning, .22s, outdoor sur-
vival, self-defense, animal and plant identi-fication, gun safety, rifle marksmanship,and more.
June 4, 2005Allegheny Valley ChapterLori Lojak 724-224-4182, myethan@bel-
latlantic.netBullcreek Sportsmen’s Club, Tarentum
(Allegheny County)Classes Pending
June 11, 2005Lehigh Valley Longbeards Chapter and
Walking Purchase ChapterKatrina Skrapits 610-760-1689,
[email protected] Pendleton 610-298-2185,
[email protected] Rod & Gun Club, New
Tripoli (Lehigh County)Archery, bird-watching, fishing, fly-fish-
ing, nature walk, outdoor photography,shotgunning/sporting clays, rifle marks-manship, turkeys and turkey hunting,frontier skills, self-defense, muzzleloading,first aid, deer hunting, canoeing/boat safe-ty, and basic auto maintenance.
June 18, 2005Lakeland Longbeards Chapter Cheryl Pearce (724)253-3777Facility pendingGun safety, gun care and cleaning,
archery hunting, outdoor survival, pioneerwomen skills, shotgun, rifles, canoeing,archery, handguns, turkey hunting andcalling, self protection, leathercrafts, camp-ing, and fishing.
June 18, 2005Lykens Valley Longbeards ChapterPam Hood 570-758-4016,
[email protected]’s Game Farm, Dalmatica
(Northumberland County)Classes Pending
June 25, 2005Southeast Silver Spurs ChapterJanet Nyce 215-234-0330,
[email protected] Valley Fish & Game Forestry
Association, Perkasie (Bucks County)Rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader, archery,
turkey hunting basics, survival skills, orien-teering, basic auto maintenance, Dutchoven cooking, fly-fishing (basics), self-
defense basics, first aid, and more.
June 25, 2005Wilhelm ChapterAnnette (Sis) Tobin 814-734-1691, latto-
[email protected] Meg LeSuer 814-734-5029Lake Edinboro Sportsman League,
Edinboro (Crawford County)Archery, outdoor cooking, ATV handling,
shotgunning, kayaking, trail biking,yoga/relaxation, trick, track & trail, camp-ing, nature walk/birdwatching, canoeing,muzzleloading, fly-fishing, rifle and hand-gun marksmanship, talkin’ turkey, zip line,horseback riding, outdoor water gardening,and basic car care
June 25, 2005Tuscarora Longbeards Chapter and Fort
Chambers ChapterBobbie Kuhns (717) 267-2514,
[email protected] Sportsman Association,
Greencastle (Franklin County)Archery, basic bicycle repair, orienteering,
basic car care, kayaking, photography, bird-ing, outdoor cooking, emergency first aid,shotgunning, .22 rifles and handguns, fly-fishing/fly tying, talkin’ turkey, and more.
July 16, 2005Sherman’s Valley Strutters Chapter and
Duncannon Sportsmen’s AssociationBrenda Beal (717) 582-3281,
[email protected] Sportsmen’s Association,
Duncannon (Perry County)Archery, map and compass, Dutch oven
cooking, shotgunning, feather crafts, black
2005 Pennsylvania Events2005 Pennsylvania Events
powder/muzzleloading, out-door survival skills, plant andtree identification, handguns,and talkin’ turkey.
July 23, 2005Moraine Chapter Tammy Mowry 724-284-
9201, [email protected]
Butler City Hunting & FishingClub, East Butler (ButlerCounty)
Classes Pending
July 23, 2005Mason Dixon Chapter and
Lake Marburg Chapter Missy Rohrbaugh (717) 225-
3549, [email protected] Walton League,
Dallastown (York County)Classes Pending
July 30, 2005 Yellow Creek Chapter and
Chesequehanna Spurs ChapterJodi Roser 724-479-0779,
[email protected] Sportsman Club,
Shelocta (Indiana County)Classes Pending
August 6, 2005Muncy Creek ChapterLois Richmond 570-924-
3428, [email protected] Richmond, richmond-
[email protected] Mountain Sportsman
Club, Muncy Valley (SullivanCounty)
Classes Pending
August 6, 2005Northwest Thunderin Toms
ChapterJill Dunlap 814-398-4714,
[email protected] Ash Sportsmen Club,
Guys Mills (Crawford County)Classes Pending
August 13, 2005Mt. Pisgah State ParkNicole Carman 570-297-2734,
Mt. Pisgah State Park, Troy(Bradford County)
Classes Pending
August 20, 2005Greene County Women in
the Outdoors and GreeneCounty Tourist PromotionAgency
Lindsay Blair 724-986-5027,[email protected]
Melody Longstreth 724-627-5926 (day), 724-627-9533(evenings),[email protected]
Hunting Hills Kennels, Dilliner(Greene County)
Classes Pending
September 16 & 17, 2005Whitehorse Mountain
Longbeards ChapterRhonda Henry 814-443-6241,
[email protected] T. Soles YMCA Camp,
Rockwood (Somerset County)Classes Pending
Events will continue to bescheduled throughout theyear, be sure to check backoften to see what eventshave been added.
Registration fee for each eventincludes: Your choice of classes,equipment, literature, one-yearsubscription to the Women inthe Outdoors Magazine, compli-mentary one-year membershipto the National Wild TurkeyFederation (or extension of cur-rent membership), Women inthe Outdoors gift, meals, doorprizes.
Courses offered are subjectto change without notice.
For a current list of events ormore information, contact:Tammy Mowry, Women’sRegional Field Supervisor at724-284-9201 or by email at [email protected] the NWTF Web site atwww.nwtf.org, www.wom-enintheoutdoors.org or thePennsylvania Web site atww.pawito.com.
2005 WITOPennsylvania Events
continued
PA State Championship TurkeyCalling Contest winners
The PA State Championship Turkey CallingContest was held at the Early Bird Sports Expo inBloomsburg. The event was sponsored by Gander
Mountain and was hosted by the Col-MontGobblers Chapter.
The Contest Winners were, from right to left:
Bottom Row1st place – Matt VanCise – Grand Valley, Pa. – $5002nd place – Adam O’Dell – Enterprise, W. Va. – $250
3rd place – Daymon Davis – Danville, Pa. – $1254th place – Dennis Wagner – Sunbury, Pa. – $ 75
5th place – Shawn Hays – Atlantic, Pa. – $ 50
Back RowScott Letterman – Gander Mtn. representativeDon Jacobs – Outdoor Life – Emcee of contest
WITO AwardsThe Women in the Outdoors
Best Overall New Event awardwent to the Muncy Creek Chapter.
The Women in the OutdoorsBest Overall Repeat Eventaward went to the MasonDixon and Lake MarburgChapters.
The Women in the OutdoorsMost Members RecruitedEvent award went to theWilhelm Chapter.
The Women in the OutdoorsTop Contributing Event awardwent to the Mason Dixon andLake Marburg Chapters.
The Women in the OutdoorsMost Improved Event awardwent to the Southeast Silver
Spurs Chapter.The chapters to reachGolden Hen at theirWomen in the OutdoorEvents were:
Ligonier Valley and Local #1Chapter
Muncy Creek ChapterMason Dixon and Lake
Marburg ChaptersSoutheast Silver SpursChapter
Moraine ChapterCongratulations to all our
Award Winners!Next year’s Rendezvous and
Awards Banquet will be in StateCollege on January 7, 2006.Watch for more information inthe fall issue of Turkey Talk.
Banquet from page 15
SUBMITTED BY LARRY HOLJENCIN,REGIONAL FIELD SUPERVISOR
TThe 30th Anniversary celebrationof PA NWTF will feature a specialraffle on the first gun ever pro-duced exclusively for the state
chapter. The gun is called a “Turkey HunterClassic” and is number 1 of 1. It has someextraordinary laser embellishments, but inkeeping true to its name of “Turkey HunterClassic”, the gun has a matte finish andlaminated camo stock, making it an idealhunting gun if the future owner chooses touse it as such.
Specs include: Remington 870, 12-gauge,3-inch chamber, 28-inch barrel, laminatedstock laser-etched with NWTF logo, bothsides of receiver laser engraved recognizingit as 1 of 1 for the 30th Anniversary andalso featuring the 30th Anniversary art-work by Melissa Ball.
The PA Chapter would like to thankJohn Brunot of Belco Tool &Manufacturing in Meadville (814-337-3403) for his generous donation of laser-engraving the receiver and Putt Rohm ofD&A Private Label (717-789-3034) inLoysville for laser-etching the stock. Bothof these men are longtime supporters ofthe NWTF and through their expertisehave helped us create a truly one-of-a-kindcollectible gun.
The gun will be raffled off by our localchapters. All chapters have been mailedtickets and photos of the gun. If they
choose to sell the tickets, they keep half therevenue for their local chapter treasuries.Tickets are priced to sell at $1 each, 6 for$5, or 15 for $10. If you aren’t able to buythe tickets from your local chapter, pleasefill out the order form below and mail to
the address supplied there.The drawing for the “Turkey Hunter
Classic” 30th anniversary commemorativegun will take place on August 7, 2005, atthe annual Leadership Workshop in StateCollege.
PA Chapter Builds 30th Anniversary Commemorative Gun
Ticket Request for PA Chapter “Turkey Hunter Classic” GunPrice: 1 for $1 — 6 for $5 — 15 for $10
Please send me _____ tickets. Enclosed is a check for ____________.
Name: __________________________________________________________________________
Address: ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Phone Number:__________________________________________________________________
Email: __________________________________________________________________________
Mail this request and check to: Jim Panaro, 224 Buck Road, Ebensburg, PA 15931
If you’re looking for a top-quality electricutility vehicle, here’s your chance to get agreat deal on a Lynx by Club Car. Thanks toNWTF’s partnership with Club Car, we havefour Lynx models for sale at the discountedprice of $3,500 plus $400 shipping. Orderswill be filled on a first-come, first-servedbasis. Vehicles will be shipped to your clos-est Club Car dealer. Don’t delay; they won’tlast long!
These are great vehicles for farm, home,camp, or recreational use. The Lynx willtake you to your deer stand or ridgetop van-tage point quickly and quietly thanks to itspowerful whisper-quiet electric motor.
Following are the specs for these vehicles.•Gold Standard Factory remanufacturedWhisper quiet drivetrain that produces nofumes
•30-mile range on a single charge•550-lb. vehicle capacity•Two-wheel drive•Drive Motor: Shunt-wound, 3.2 constant
hp/10.0 peak hp,•Electrical system: 48-volt DC•Instrumentation: battery warning light•Brakes: 2-wheel drum, foot-operated,multi-lock parking brake
•Dry weight, less batteries: 605 pounds•Size: 91.5 inches long by 50.5 inches wideby 54.0 inches high
•Wheelbase: 66.4 inches•Forward speed: 15–17 mph•Outside clearance circle: 19.4 feet•Ground clearance: 6.1 inches (under differ-ential)
•Steering: Self-adjusting, rack and pinion •Impact-resistant ArmorFlex body with UVprotective coating
•Color: Black•Brush guard with black powder coat•Rugged 6-ply (22x11-10) all-terrain tires•Corrosion-resistant, aircraft aluminumchassis
•Independent front suspension•Six Trojan T-875 8 volt batteries withPowerDrive Charger
•Aluminum cargo box•Headlights•Dual beverage/radio holders•One year limited warranty (includes partsand labor)To order please contact Jerry Zimmerman
at 610-395-7467/[email protected] Larry Holjencin 814-834-6492/[email protected].
A Great Deal on Club Cars
biologists reported that 13.9 percent of suc-cessful hunters harvested a second gobblerin 2003 and 13.8 percent took a secondbird in 2004. New Jersey success rateswere similar. Ohio estimates second-gob-bler success rates to be in the 15- to 20-percent range. New York has the highestreported success rate on second gobblers,reporting that 18 to 40 percent of their suc-cessful hunters take a second bird.
So what does all that mean in terms ofthe turkey population? The first thing thereader needs to consider is that, in general,spring gobbler seasons are designed andtimed to have limited effect on reproduc-tive potential. While a portion of the gob-bler population is harvested each year, usu-ally no impact on the turkey population isdiscernable from this type of hunting sea-son. In Maryland, New Jersey, and Ohio,allowing the take of additional gobblersseems to increase the harvest by 13 to 20percent. In New York, the range is greater,18 to 40 percent. Reporting methods differbetween the states. New Jersey, Ohio, andMaryland operate check stations, whileNew York estimates their harvest througha mail survey. This may account for the dif-ference in reported success rates. The gob-bler harvest increases when states issueextra tags to hunters. However, in no casehas allowing a second bird increased theharvest to the point where populationswere affected.
It is hard to say how many turkeyhunters would take advantage of the addi-tional tag. The fact that hunters will berequired to purchase the tag through themail before the season may limit sales. Thepurchase price of $20 or $40 is also a factorin determining the number of tags that willbe sold. The Game Commission estimatesthat 10,000 to 20,000 additional tags maybe sold to spring gobbler hunters. Using thehigher figure of 20,000, we can look at apossible scenario for estimating the increasein harvest. These figures are for use asexamples; they are not an attempt to actu-ally estimate the potential increase in har-vest if tags are made available in the future.If 20,000 extra tags were sold, 20 percent ofthe purchasers might take a gobbler, mak-ing them eligible for taking a second gob-bler. Twenty percent of 20,000 equates to4,000 hunters, so in this example, 4,000hunters might have the opportunity to takeanother gobbler in the spring. If 35 percentof those hunters did take a second gobbler,an additional 1400 gobblers would be har-vested in the spring. The spring harvest inPennsylvania has averaged around 40,000birds. An increase of even a few thousandgobblers would be unlikely to have anynoticeable impact on turkey numbers.
How about the harvest of jakes? Will
hunters be more prone to shoot a jake ifthey know that they have another tag? Orwill they take too many longbeards, leav-ing only jakes after a period of time? Alook at data from a number of states willhelp to answer those concerns. The ratio ofjuvenile to adult gobblers in the harvest issimilar in states with single-gobbler bag
limits and those with multiple bird bag lim-its. The percentage of jakes verses adultgobblers in the 2003 season in a number ofstates appears below. The number inparentheses is the spring bag limit.
• Connecticut – 32%:68% (3)• New Jersey – 35%:65% (3+)• New York – (unknown) (2)• Ontario – 57%:43% (2)• Maryland – 31%:69% (2)• Massachusetts – 35%:65% (2)• New Hampshire – 36%:64% (1)• Rhode Island – 20%:80% (1)• Ohio – 27%:73% (2)• Virginia – 39%:61% (3)• West Virginia – 40%:60% (2)• Wisconsin – 32%:68% (2)• Missouri – 35%:65% (2)• Pennsylvania – (unknown) (1)
The fact is that multiple gobbler limits inthe spring do not appear to affect the agesof the birds taken. Rather it is more likelythe reproductive success in previous yearsthat affects the number of jakes and adulttoms in the harvest. The percentage ofjakes to adults in the harvest does not seemto change much whether or not the statehas a large land area or according to the
size of the turkey harvest. The states listedhave annual spring harvests ranging from afew hundred (Rhode Island) to more than50,000 (Wisconsin and Missouri). Somehunters will elect to take a jake early in theseason and hold out for a longbeard withthe additional tag, but that does not appearto be affecting the availability of old gob-blers in other states.
House Bill 2042 created the opportunityfor the Pennsylvania Game Commission tomake additional tags available to turkeyhunters. Issuing extra tags to springhunters will definitely increase the springharvest, but the change will likely not betoo great. Providing additional tags only forthe spring season will not affect hen sur-vival or nesting significantly. The additionaltag will provide more recreational opportu-nity to successful hunters. There is evi-dence from other states that allowing addi-tional gobblers to be taken may increasethe incentive for hunters to report theirfirst gobbler. Finally, the second tag willprovide much needed revenue for theGame Commission. Some of that moneywill be used for wild turkey research andmanagement.
Allowing the harvest of more gobblers inthe spring has not hurt turkey populationsanywhere in this country or Canada. Nostate or province has reported any negativechange in hunting pressure or hunter satis-faction attributable to increasing the springbag limit. There is no evidence that allow-ing multiple gobblers in the spring hasaffected the age structure of the gobblerpopulation in any state. Multiple gobblerlimits have increased reporting of turkeyharvests and has increased both revenueavailable and expenditures made onturkeys in other wildlife agencies. There isno reason to believe that things would beany different here in Pennsylvania.
When the commissioners consideroptions for increasing the spring bag limit,there will be a time for public comment.Your chapter will be looking for your inputon this issue as we have on other issuesaffecting wild turkey management.Regulation change proposals require apublic comment period. As hunters, wehave both the privilege and the responsibil-ity to carefully consider proposals forchange and make our opinions known tothe commission. We hunters tend to bevery conservative, and we are often appre-hensive about changes to seasons and baglimits. Any proposal that comes from thislegislation will be carefully planned byBureau of Wildlife Management biologists.Your opinion is important and will be con-sidered by the commissioners when itcomes to making a decision, so give thisissue some thought.
Two Birds from page 4
Allowing the harvest ofmore gobblers in thespring has not hurt
turkey populations any-where in this country or
Canada. No state orprovince has reportedany negative change in
hunting pressure orhunter satisfaction
attributable to increas-ing the spring bag limit.
Great Gift Idea for Father’s Day — All New for 2005Pennsylvania Chapter NWTF 30th Anniversary Merchandise
All prices include Pa. sales tax where applicable.Add $3.85 shipping and handling for orders weighing up to two pounds.
Orders will be shipped by Priority Mail.Orders for patches and decals alone will be ship standard mail for
50 cents shipping and handling.
To order, send a check or money order payable to the PA Chapter NWTF to: Skip Sanderson, 6063 Glatfelters Station Road, Seven Valleys, PA 17360-8416.For more information, call Skip at 717-428-3624 or e-mail [email protected]
Long Sleeve T-shirts feature the2005 30th Anniversary Logo andturkey tracks on the sleeves. Thesespecial T-shirts come in three colors:Red, Green, and Blue.Price: regular sizes – $20; XXL –$21
Winter and Summer Caps with the2005 30th Anniversary Logo. Madein the USA and printed inPennsylvania.Price: $8
Money Clip produced inPennsylvania by Zippo featuresBrushed Stainless Steel clips withthe 2005 30th Anniversary Logoetched into the face.Price: $10 + Pa. Sales Tax
ATTENTION COLLECTORSA numbered, Limited Edition of
30 laser-engraved bone handle
knives featuring the 30th
Anniversary Logo were pro-
duced in Pennsylvania by
Queen Cutlery and carry a life-
time warranty. Each knife will
be displayed in an American
Black Walnut box featuring the
2005 30th Anniversary Logo.
Collector’s Knife
with Display Box – $100.00
+ Pa. Sales Tax.
Field Grade Oak handle knivesfeaturing the 2005 30th AnniversaryLogo in a numbered, Limited Editionof 50. Each knife comes with a laserengraved leather sheath.Field Grade Knife with LeatherSheath – $50.00 + Pa. Sales Tax.
A matched set of the Collector’sand Field Grade knives will beoffered for 45 days at a special priceof $125.00 + Pa. Sales Tax.Reserved numbers will be honored.After February 28, 2005, the remain-ing knives will be sold separately.Order now to reserve your LimitedEdition, PA Chapter NWTFMerchandise.
In 2004, the PA Chapter NWTF Hunting Heritage Super Fund supported this impressive list of local chap-ter and partnership habitat projects throughout the state. Local chapters submitted requests for habitat proj-ects for their area, and these projects were funded and completed in 2004. These habitat projects are nowproducing wild turkey and wildlife habitat throughout the Pennsylvania. Local chapters raise the money attheir Hunting Heritage Super Fund Banquets, and collectively they spend our allotment of habitat moneyon projects improving wild turkey habitat. To get involved with local chapter banquets and habitat projects,contact the local chapters in your area, any state chapter officer or director, or our NWTF regional directors.
Where do those Super Fund dollars go?
JOIN THE NWTF — THE RESOURCE NEEDS YOUR HELP!YES I’d like to join the National Wild Turkey Federation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservationof the hunting tradition. This membership also enrolls me in my state and localchapters.Sign me up as: (check one)
❏ Regular Member - $30 ❏ Women in the Outdoors
❏ Sponsor Member -$225 ❏ JAKES Member $5
❏ Wheelin’ Sportsmen Member - $25
Charge my: ❏ Master Card; ❏ Visa
Credit Card Number: ______________________________________________________
Exp. Date ________________________________________________________________
Name: (please print) __________________________________________________________
Signature: ________________________________________________________________
Address: ________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
City: __________________________________ State: ____________ Zip: ________
Telephone:________________________________________________________________(Make checks payable to the NWTF)Send completed application to:
Jerry Zimmerman, 8343 Mertztown Road, Alburtis, PA 18011
Non
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Member - $25
