Better habitat equals better turkey hunting
Better habitat equals better turkey hunting
By Tyler Frantz
As fall turkey seasons open in select Wildlife Management Units across the state, Pennsylvania flocks are benefiting from habitat improvements performed and funded by the National Wild Turkey Federation.
More than 70 habitat-enhancement projects impacting more than 2,600 acres, mostly on state game lands and state forests, were implemented this year through a nearly $150,000 allocation by NWTF’s Pennsylvania State Chapter Habitat Committee. The projects are the result of proposals that more than 60 local chapters of NWTF submitted to the committee. All of the projects were completed on parcels open to public hunting, and the projects will impact land ranging from one to 546 acres.
“These projects are yet another example of the PANWTF’s commitment to the wild turkey resource and the great partnership the local chapters have with the state agencies,” Game Commission turkey biologist Mary Jo Casalena said in a PGC News release.
In addition to the habitat projects, such as prescribed fire to invigorate plant growth, berry production and browse, the removal of exotic and invasive species, and planting of trees and shrubs beneficial to wildlife and timber stand improvements, the committee also allocated $25,000 for future land acquisition, possibly adding acreage to the state game lands system.
To date, the PANWTF has spent more than $6 million in Pennsylvania for habitat enhancement and a variety of other hunter-related activities.
“Most of these projects stemmed from our national ‘Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt.’ initiative,” NWTF Mid-Atlantic Regional Biologist, Mitchell Blake, said. “Our goal as an organization is to conserve 4-million acres of habitat, create 1.5-million hunters and establish 500,000 acres of public access nation-wide.” “The Pennsylvania state chapter usually allocates a significantly large portion of their budget each year for habitat projects in cooperation with DCNR State Forest and State Parks divisions, the PA Game Commission’s State Game Lands system and privately owned properties open to public hunting,” Blake said.
“Since all funding came from NWTF supporters through volunteers’ efforts, banquets and personal donations, it is important to put that money back on the ground where the public can have access to those improvements,” he added.
Additional examples of NWTF projects include lime, fertilizer and seed efforts to refurbish existing food plots, ongoing property maintainance and creating more openings in large tracts of land to benefit brooding hens.
“The projects are really personalized to the needs of the area,” Blake said. “Something we are currently pushing is more native mixes that are better self-sustaining and require less upkeep over time.”
“By planting perennial forbs and native warm season grasses, we’re seeing just as good insect production and nesting habitat, without the need to mow it regularly and reseed every year,” Blake went on.
“Times are tough for the Game Commission right now. Without a license fee increase, they are forced to cut back on some of the personnel managing our plots, so altering what we plant has helped with maintenance needs on certain properties,” he said.
Local chapters have been stepping in to help fill the void left by the budget crunch. Chris Walter, of NWTF’s Blue Mountain Chapter, said his crew of volunteers has been busy making sure turkey habitat enhancement at the local level doesn’t get pushed aside.
“The Blue Mountain Chapter has been involved by providing funding and manpower for habit projects at Middle Creek WMA 46,” Walter said. “In the past year, we funded five food plots, which amounts to four-to-six acres of wheat and red clover, planted and fertilized by the food and cover crew at Middle Creek.”
“We also have the Kevin Sensenig Memorial Habit project on WMA 46 that the BMC planted,” Walter explained. “This includes 30 apple trees and many white pine seedlings planted in the spring of 2011, but the chapter continues to monitor and help care for the trees, as it has become a nicely producing apple orchard.”
“We recently funded food plots at Blue Marsh as well,” he added. “All projects were completed in cooperation with the PGC, and we are currently helping to plan and fund multiple food plots across State Game Lands on the Blue Mountain- all properties open to public hunting.”
NWTF’s habitat improvement projects benefit not only turkeys, but also whitetails and a host of other game and non-game wildlife species. That means better opportunities for those heading afield this fall. “While deer populations are managed by the gun, (meaning doe licenses are allocated to meet desired harvest numbers), turkeys are managed by the amount of habitat they have available to them,” Blake explained.
“The better habitat we can create, the better the population will be going into the fall and spring hunting seasons. As we all know, better turkey populations means better experiences for hunters,” he said.
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