Pennsylvania Game Commission asking public to report any turkey flocks they see across state

The Pennsylvania Game Commission is asking for the public to report any turkey flocks they see across the state.

The information is being collected through March 15 to help the Game Commission trap them for ongoing projects.

You are asked to provide the date of the sighting, the location and the type of land (public, private or unknown) where the birds were seen. The Game Commission will then assess these sites to potentially trap the bird. Leg bands will be put on the male turkeys and then released back. In four Wildlife Management Units – WMUs 2D, 3D, 4D and 5C – female turkeys, hens, also will be leg banded and about 130 hens also will be outfitted with GPS transmitters, then be released back on site, to be monitored over time.

Trapping turkeys during winter is part of the Game Commission’s ongoing population monitoring, and provides information for large-scale turkey studies, as well.

Hunters who harvest these marked turkeys, or people who find one dead, are asked to report the band number and/or transmitter, either by calling toll-free or reporting it online.

“The data give us information on annual survival rates and annual spring harvest rates for our population model, and provides the person reporting the information on when and approximately where the turkey was banded,” said Mary Jo Casalena, the Game Commission’s turkey biologist. “In the four WMUs where hens are getting the GPS transmitters, we’re studying turkey population and movement dynamics, disease prevalence, and other aspects that may limit populations.”

The studies are being done in partnership with Penn State University and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wildlife Futures Program.

“The public was so helpful the last few years and some even helped with monitoring sites and trapping,” Casalena said. “We look forward to continuing this winter.”

This field study will conclude at the end of December 2025.

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