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HARRISBURG -- The Pennsylvania Game Commission is again asking the public to report sightings of all wild turkeys they see this summer. The annual Wild Turkey Summer Sighting Survey runs through Aug. 31.
Public participation is important for wild turkey population management. These reports allow the agency to estimate how good the wild turkey 'hatch' was and compare long-term reproductive success within Pennsylvania and across states, as this is a standard methodology used across the country. Data also are used in a population model to track trends in wild turkey numbers.
Wild turkey sightings can be reported through the Game Commission's website at https://pgcforms.pa.gov/TurkeySightingSurvey. The mobile app no longer is available.
Participants are asked to report the number of wild turkeys they see, along with the county, township, wildlife management unit, date of the sighting and their contact information so agency biologists can reach out if they have any questions about the report. Participants may also simply drop a "pin" on the map for the location data to automatically populate. Location data are used only for the survey, not for law enforcement, and are not shared publicly. Viewers can also access WMU-and state-level sighting report summaries from previous years.
"The summer sighting survey enhances our agency's ability to monitor wild turkey productivity and is used in our turkey population model," said Game Commission Turkey Biologist Reina Tyl. "Participants should report all turkeys seen, whether gobblers, hens with broods, hens without broods, or turkeys of unknown sex and age."
This survey includes input from both agency personnel and the public.