Gobbler season opens Saturday

Game Commission officials believe the gobbler seasons will provide good hunting opportunities locally. The general spring gobbler season is April 26 to May 26, and includes the Monday of the Memorial Day holiday.

Game Commission officials expect a slightly higher spring gobbler kill in Management Area 2G, which includes all of Cameron County and the southern halves of Potter and McKean counties.

"Summer reproduction was the best it's been in four years and the two-year-old population is slightly above average, so look to harvest a jake or two-year-old," the agency reported. "Prospects look poor for harvesting older gobblers. The population is beginning to show an increasing trend, similar to the long-term average for this area, but below the state average."

The picture is similar for Area 3A, which includes all of McKean and Potter counties north of Rt. 6: "Prospects look excellent for jakes, two- and three-year-olds, but below average for older gobblers. Summer turkey sightings hit a record high, better than the heyday years of 2001 and 2002."

In 2007, about 7,500 special licenses were issued to allow hunters the opportunity to take a second spring gobbler, and 1,507 second gobblers were killed.

While not required by law, hunters are encouraged to wear a minimum of 100 square inches of fluorescent orange material on the head (a hat) when moving through the woods. Agency officials also recommend that hunters wrap an orange alert band around a nearby tree when stationary, especially when calling and/or using decoys.