Banner year likely for turkey hunters

It gets underway today with the "youth spring turkey hunt," as hunters ages 12 to 16 get an early shot at a spring gobbler. Those under the age of 12 who are accompanied by a licensed adult will also have a crack at a gobbler today through the youth mentor program.

Similar youth hunts held annually prior to small game and deer seasons provide our younger hunters extra opportunities to become "hooked" on hunting.

The general turkey season runs from April 26 until Memorial Day (May 26). Season long hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise until noon.

Hunters will have the opportunity to harvest two gobblers by buying an extra tag prior to the start of the season.

Spring gobbler hunting should be better than 2007, which was an above-average season, according to Mary Jo Casalena, the Game Commission's wild turkey biologist.

Last year, hens entered the breeding season in good physical condition, the result of a mild winter with abundant food, allowing aboveaverage nesting, she pointed out.

"Those young turkeys were further supported by warm, dry spring weather and an abundance of summer food, which translated into aboveaverage reproduction and recruitment, reversing the recent declining population trends in some local populations," Casalena added.

This marks the first spring gobbler hunt without the mandatory fluorescent orange requirement. Previously, hunters were required to wear 100 square inches of orange on their head when moving through the woods or changing calling positions.

Game Commissioner Executive Director Carl Roe said statistical data showed no clear evidence that the fluorescent orange had made any appreciable reduction in spring gobbler hunting-relat- ed shooting incidents.

This regulation was quite unpopular among turkey hunters and was blatantly ignored by many. Many individuals made it common practice to remove the orange as soon as they were out of sight of the road.

Some argued that many hunts were ruined when keensighted gobblers glimpsed the orange. Others disputed that the mandatory orange was training a generation of younger hunters that it was safe to shoot as long they could not see orange, instead of always identifying their target and making sure there was nobody behind or in front of the target.

Spring is a magical time to be outdoors. Blooming wildflowers, drumming grouse, the call of the hermit thrush, and the thunderous roar of the boss gobbler are all part of the appeal. For me, there is no better time to be in the woods.

The spring turkey hunter can witness the changes as spring is ushered in across the land. Morning by morning, little by little, the wooded landscape is transformed from nakedness to its verdant attire of summer. The hunter can appreciate these changes.

Enjoy your time afield this spring. Be safe and always be sure of your target.