DRAMATIC CHANGES ADOPTED FOR 2010-11 PA TURKEY SEASONS
Several changes have been made to fall turkey and spring gobbler seasons under the 2010-11 seasons given final approval today by the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners, including dramatic changes to the fall seasons and a partial extension of legal hunting hours for the 2011 spring gobbler season.
In response to opening bear season on Saturday, Nov. 20, the Board adopted an amendment made by Game Commissioner Ralph Martone to avoid overlapping fall turkey and bear seasons. The new fall season structure sets season dates of Nov. 13-19 and Nov. 25-27 for Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) 1A, 1B, 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E, 4A, 4B and 4D; Nov. 6-19 and Nov. 25-27 for WMUs 2B, 2F, 2G, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4C and 4E. The closure from Nov. 20-24 was set to avoid overlapping with bear seasons.
Also, fall season dates of Nov. 16-18 were set for WMU 5A; and WMUs 5B, 5C and 5D will remain closed for the fall seasons.
For the 2011 spring gobbler season, which is set to run from April 30-May 31, the Board approved a change to the legal hunting hours. Under the change, legal hunting hours from the opening day of the spring gobbler season through the third Saturday (April 30-May 14) will retain the current one-half hour before sunrise until noon timeframe. However, the remainder of the season (May 16-31) will be expanded to run all day, from one-half hour before sunrise until one-half hour after sunset.
The final turkey season change moves the closing day of the spring season to May 31. This later date provides additional recreational hunting without impacting the resource because disturbance of hens would be minimal since most hens would be in their later stages of nest incubation.
The Board gave final approval to set the one-day Spring Gobbler Youth Hunt on April 23, which will run from one-half hour before sunrise until noon.
