By all reports, it should be a good season for turkey hunters. According to Mary Jo Casalena, Pennsylvania turkey biologist, turkey reproduction was at record levels in 1999. Unfortunately, nesting during spring 2000 was not particularly good. Casalena said heavy rains across most of the state likely reduced the number of poults that survived the nesting period.

However, Casalena also has reports of "multiple hatches" -- hen turkeys breeding a second time, re-nesting and raising a second set of poults during the spring. This will make for an interesting season in 2001.

Preliminary spring 2000 figures show a harvest of 36,290 gobblers. If those figures hold up, it would be the third-best spring harvest on record. Spring 1999 hunters posted a record harvest with 37,800 gobblers taken. The previous spring record was 36,400 gobblers in 1995.

Here's a look at the best areas for 2001 spring turkey hunting on public land in Pennsylvania.

TMA 1-A
In the southwest corner of the state, Turkey Management Area 1-A recorded the highest number of harvested gobblers in 2000. The counties around Pittsburgh recorded five gobblers per forested square mile.
Within TMA 1-A, state game lands, 245, 296 and 285, offer Southwest Region hunters a great chance at bagging a bird. SGL 245 lies south of Claysville in Washington County. Its 3,653 wooded and pastured acres are just below Route 70. SGL 245 is easily accessible from the metropolis of Pittsburgh, Canonsburg and Washington. Follow Route 70 toward Claysville, then take Route 231 south.

SGL 296 along Jacobs Creek in Fayette and Westmoreland counties provide turkey hunters with over 2,000 acres of prime habitat.
North of the
Youghiogheny
River, SGL 296
is a rugged,
hilly area
where turkey
hunting is both
productive and
challenging.
From Connellsville, take Route 201 to Petryopolis and Layton. State Route 1002 runs along the game lands south of Jacobs Creek.

SGL 285, northwest of Beaver Falls
in Beaver County, provides 2,149 acres of water and wood habitat.
Little Beaver Creek is the centerpiece of this varied terrain near Cannelton. SGL 285 is accessible from Route 51 north of New Brighton and Beaver Falls. From Route 51, take Cannelton Road to the heart of the game lands.

For information on TMA 1-A, contact the PGC southwest office, at P.O. Box A, Ligonier 15658; or call (877) 877-7137. For accommodations, contact the Greater Pittsburgh Convention and Visitors Bureau, Four Gateway Center, Pittsburgh 15222; or call (800) 366-0093.


TMA 9-B
The runner-up position for spring hunting belongs to TMA 9-B in the southeast corner of the state. In Bucks, Montgomery and Berks counties, hunters scored 4.5 gobblers per forested square mile.
Northern Bucks County and western Montgomery County have a number of public hunting grounds where the turkey population has skyrocketed in recent years.

SGL 157 and the huntable lands at Nockamixon State Park are prime spots for spring gobblers. SGL 157 contains over 2,000 acres of woods, fields and an isolated mountain where hunters will find birds. In addition to the grounds on SGL 157, adjacent Nockamixon State Park offers another 3,000 acres of similar terrain.

Southwest of Lake Nockamixon, SGLs 139 and 196 have a total of 560 acres of second-growth timber where
turkeys reside.
Though the two game lands carry different numbers, they are separated only by Route 309. Both game lands are north of Sellersville. Turn left from Route 309 to Lawn Avenue and left again on Ridge Valley Road to find SGL 196. Turn right from old Route 309 (Bethlehem Pike) onto Butter Creek Road to find SGL 139.

Evansburg State Park in western Montgomery County has over 1,000 acres of great turkey habitat. The state park is a combination of farmland, fallow fields and light-density woods. Though the huntable parcels are spread out across the park, good access is available at most sites.

For information on Nockamixon State Park, contact the superintendent, 1542 Mountain View Drive, Quakertown 18951; or call (215) 529-7300 or (888) PA-PARKS.

For information on Evansburg State Park, stop at the park office, 851 May Hall Road in Collegeville for a free map showing the huntable grounds. For other information, call (610) 409-1150.

For information on TMA 9-B, contact the PGC Southeast Region office, RD 2, Box 2584, Reading 19605; or call (877) 877-9470.

TMA 1-B
The third-best spring ranking in the state belongs to TMA 1-B in the northeast corner of the state where hunters scored 3.7 gobblers per fsm.
"Downstate sportsmen might have to travel a considerable distance to reach Erie and Crawford counties in TMA 1-B, however, the trip is worth it," Casalena said.

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