Public asked to help with Pennsylvania Game Commission’s winter turkey sighting survey

Harrisburg — The Pennsylvania Game Commission is asking for the public’s help finding turkey flocks to trap for ongoing projects.

Pennsylvanians are encouraged to report the location of any turkey flocks they see across the state. Information is being collected online now through March 15.

Among other things, visitors to the webpage are asked to provide the date of the sighting, the location, and the type of land (public, private or unknown) where birds are seen.

Game Commission crews will assess sites for the potential to trap turkeys. Just like the last five winters, the Game Commission will put leg bands on male turkeys statewide. Turkeys will not be moved; they’ll simply be leg-banded and released on site.

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In four wildlife management units – 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 field study will conclude at the end of December 2025, so that, in the end, the Game Commission will have monitored 500-plus hens and 200-plus male turkeys. Males were equipped with GPS transmitters from 2022-24 and also are being monitored through 2025.

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

The population and movement portion of that work is looking at how landscape and weather impact hen nest rates, nest success, poult survival, predation, habitat use and movement. Male turkey survival, movement and habitat use also are being studied.

The disease portion of the study is examining how disease prevalence varies based on landscape and impacts things like turkey survival rates and nesting rates of hens of different ages. This is accomplished by collecting blood, throat swabs, feces, etc. from turkeys that receive backpack-style transmitters at the time of capture.

Researchers from Penn State and the Wildlife Futures Program will interpret the data collected. Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio and West Virginia are part of the study, as well.

“It is the largest turkey project we’ve ever conducted, with the hope of answering many questions regarding current turkey population dynamics,” Casalena said.

Finding birds to trap is key to accomplishing the work. That’s where the public comes in. Fortunately, Pennsylvanians have a history of helping in this way.

Casalena said participation in the Winter Wild Turkey Sighting Survey has been extremely useful for locating trappable flocks over the past three winters.

“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.”