The Spring Gobbler season for wild turkeys opens Saturday across Pennsylvania.

The forecast for the turkey population in Butler County and all of WMU 2D is very promising this year.

PA Game Commission turkey biologist Mary Jo Casalena reports that the statewide turkey population has a three-year average of about 217,000 birds, with a spring harvest of gobblers that is estimated to fall into the 37,000 to 40,000 harvested male turkeys sporting a beard.

Casalena reported that the 2020 spring turkey populations will essentially mirror 2019’s. The highest population of turkeys in the state was back in 2001 when the population was around 280,000 birds.

The favorable turkey population was due to favorable spring weather, a mild winter, high-quality nesting and brood rearing habitat, and a reduction in predators caused by a rabies epidemic. She also reported that “Regionally, turkey populations are down compared to the previous 10-year average in about half of our WMUs.”

Where to go? The PA Game Commission prepared graphs and a map of PA showing all of the WMUs with three factors as they measure how a hunter can decide to hunt.

The factors included; Turkey Population, Hunter Density and Harvest Density. Using our WMU 2D, the maps show that there has been an increase in the turkey population for our area of about 7 percent, while in neighboring WMU 1A, the population decreased by 23 percent.

Another factor: Hunter density per square mile for 2D was about four hunters. Hunter Density varied across the state with ideal low density of 2.1 hunters being in WMU 2H and a population increase of turkeys of 12 percent. Yet before you run off to the Northern Tier to hunt, the third factor comes into play, which is Harvest Density.

Harvest Density is the factor that shows the number of turkey harvests per square mile. While the population of turkeys increases and hunter density decreases in WMU 2H, for example, the Harvest Density is only 0.31 while WMU 2D is 1.2 turkeys per square mile.

That statistically is four times the harvest rate of the northern tier WMU. Lots of woods, a turkey population increase and fewer hunters doesn’t always improve your chances of bagging a gobbler. A good bet for hunters based on PGC statistics appears to be our neighboring WMU 2E with a booming population of birds and lower Hunter Density.

The poorest areas to hunt appear to be the counties bordering New York State and the center of the state.

The turkey season is the final big game tag that you can use on your 2019-2020 hunting license, which expires on June 30. You are entitled to one bearded bird for each tag with the opportunity to purchase a second gobbler tag before the season opens on May 2. If you don’t have it in hand by the time you are reading this article. it’s too late to do so!

There are some changes in the spring turkey hunt that you should be aware of before you hit the woodlands:

Fluorescent orange is no longer required for turkey hunters, but I recommend it coming to and going from your hunting position.

Remember there is no stalking turkeys in the spring season or electronic calling or live decoys.

Hunting blinds must be manmade materials that hide all of your movements and tagged with your CID or name if left on public hunting grounds.

May 2-16 hunting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise until noon. Be out of the woods by 1 p.m. May 18-30 hunting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset.

Gobblers must be immediately tagged with the spring tag before moving the bird. No old hunting licenses are allowed to be carried while hunting. Don’t stuff the current license into an old holder with other years licenses still in there!

Best of luck on your hunts and be extra careful! Turkey hunting can still be one of the most dangerous times to be in the woods due to the early green up of shrubs that can block your clear vision.

Keep in mind that this is also the height of the season for deer ticks, so take precautions for those dangerous tiny pests. Until we meet again be safe — be healthy!

Jay Hewitt is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle.