With the 2008 Spring Turkey Gobbler Season fast approaching, I recognize that one of the perks of being a hunter in the Keystone State is that we have a healthy population of turkeys.

The spring season for turkeys is well-received and many hunters hit the woodlands in search of a long- bearded gobbler.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission's turkey biologist, Mary Jo Caselas, has determined that our gobbler population can sustain quite a bit of hunting pressure.

In response to this, the Game Commission has provided hunters with the opportunity to buy a second spring gobbler license. The cost is $21 for residents and $41 for non-resident hunters. The deadline to buy the license at the commission's Northwest Regional office in Franklin or through the mail using the special insert page in the hunting digest. is April 1.

The application form should be sent to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Special Spring Gobbler License, P.O. Box 61317, Harrisburg, Pa., 17106-1317.

The Spring Gobbler Season will run from April 26 through May 26.

A few changes have taken place in the rules governing turkey hunting, namely in the area of wearing fluorescent orange clothing.

Some special interest groups lobbied to have orange eliminated from the outerwear of the turkey hunter in the spring season, and the commission complied.

I will wear orange in and out of the woods because I trust my own hunting judgment, but I sure won't trust everyone else's. Some hunters are a little too anxious for my liking and caution should be taken when entering or leaving an area that is frequented by other hunters.

The turkey population has been good in some areas of the county and has been stressed in other areas. A little preseason scouting would go a long way in helping hunters decide where to concentrate their efforts.

The turkeys are grouped this time of year and gobblers and hens often are in their own groups. We have a group of seven hens who visit our place regularly but no gobblers are with them yet.

I've talked to a friend in a different area and he has a group of gobblers coming around his property. One thing for sure is that when the season begins, the gobblers won't be far from the hens.

But with all the preseason calling pressure, there has been a noticeable drop-off of some gobbling activity.

In other news, the Game Commission has put the long-awaited point-of-sale electronic hunting license system on hold because the vendor failed to meet established deadlines.

Hunters are well aware that the average hunting license holder has to be aware of many deadlines for the annual hunting license applications. The doe license, elk permit, bobcat permit all require additional fees and applications, and this can't be accommodated easily with the current plan.

It's business as usual, so plan to buy your license over the counter for the 2008-09 seasons as in years past.

A word of advice: take care of this license as it will likely be a collectors item as the last of its kind and could end up as memorabilia like the old metal licenses.